As the prices of artificial intelligence (AI) stocks have swollen over the past two years, so, too, have crypto valuations. During the current slump, more than $1 trillion has been wiped off the combined $3.2 trillion crypto market. Yet Trump’s hopes of a rapid reduction in rates from the Fed have not come to pass and, given the edginess around AI, crypto has nosedived. “I would expect if there were to be a general setback in US speculative stocks, crypto would mirror this move, rather than being any type of haven,” says Sommerville. “We like the overall markets but we are wary of the AI stocks,” he says.

Dublin City Council began facing calls from councillors and members of the public to remove the flags shortly after they began appearing in large numbers in August. Photograph: Bryan O’BrienDublin City Council has decided it will not remove the hundreds of Tricolours erected by anti-immigration groups around the capital and will instead launch initiatives to “promote a deeper understanding of the Irish flag”. Dublin City Council began facing calls from councillors and members of the public to remove the flags shortly after they began appearing in large numbers in August. Brazilian, Palestinian and Ukrainian flags have begun to appear on lamp-posts alongside Irish flags. In some cases, activists disguise themselves as council or utility workers to remove the flags without drawing unwanted attention.

Edward McCloskey, the founder of Louth-based WaterWipes has been named best entrepreneur at the annual EY Entrepreneur of the Year (EoY) awards on Thursday evening. The WaterWipes founder also received the international entrepreneur award on the night. Edward McCloskey, the founder of Louth-based WaterWipes has been named best entrepreneur at the annual EY Entrepreneur of the Year (EoY) awards on Thursday evening in the Powerscourt Hotel in Enniskerry. The WaterWipes founder also received the international entrepreneur award on the night. In addition to the awards taken home by Mr McCloskey, Áine Kennedy, the founder of The Smooth Company, was named best emerging entrepreneur, and Derek Foley Butler, the chief executive of Grid Finance was named best established entrepreneur.

Ireland versus South Africa at the Aviva last Saturday was a test match for the ages. Before giving the most obvious call – “Scrum Ireland” – Carley ran around the other side, almost looking to reward the Boks. Referee Matthew Carley awards Ireland's Sam Prendergast a yellow card during the match against South Africa. The hidden benefit of losing to New Zealand and South Africa this month is players outside a seemingly cemented squad will see cracks. Baird broke his leg against South Africa.

Photograph: iStockThere are almost 41,000 dormant or non-activated planning permissions for apartments in the Greater Dublin Area, according to figures from the Building Control Management System (BCMS). The figures also show that just one in four apartment units granted planning permission since 2020 have commenced construction. They show that there were in excess of 35,000 planning applications for apartments in both 2021 and 2022, with 22,446 and 20,809 granted planning. Listen | 37:31However, as interest rates began to rise and margins were squeezed, planning applications for apartments dropped to 12,997 in 2023 and 12,113 in 2024 with planning granted for 10,718 and 6,104 units. More generally, there were 193,758 planning applications for all housing types in the eastern and midlands region between 2020 and the first half of 2025.

Fuzzy Zoeller, who won two Major titles in playoffs, including the Masters in his first appearance, has died at the age of 74. A 10-time winner on the PGA Tour, Zoeller won the Masters in a three-way sudden-death playoff with Ed Sneed and Tom Watson; and the 1984 US Open at Winged Foot Golf Club after an 18-hole playoff with Greg Norman. Speaking to reporters in the shadow of Woods’ record-breaking win, Zoeller ended his interview by remarking, “So, you know what you guys do when he gets in here? The USGA is sending our deepest condolences to his family and friends.”“The PGA Tour is saddened by the passing of Fuzzy Zoeller,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said. Fuzzy combined competitive excellence with a sense of humour that endeared him to fans and fellow players alike.

Mark Little, from the North of Ireland Veterinary Association, said “major regulatory change” was approaching “very soon”, but there was “almost incomplete” information. Under the post-Brexit agreement between the European Union and UK, Northern Ireland must follow EU rules on veterinary medicines, rather than the rules which apply in Britain. A grace period, which allows veterinary medicines authorised in Britain to continue to be supplied in Northern Ireland, expires on December 31st. From January 1st, veterinary medicines from Britain can only be supplied to Northern Ireland if these meet the full EU regulatory requirements or in exceptional circumstances. These include increased cost, the discontinuation of products, the additional burden placed on vets and the potential to increase the resistance to veterinary medicines.

Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan speaking to the media about new policies in relation to immigration to Ireland and new rules for citizenship. The centrepiece is a limit on family reunifications, which are a significant multiplier of both immigration via work permits and successful applications for international protection. The pathway to Irish citizenship for immigrants will be narrowed. The residency period for successful international protection applicants will be extended from two to five years and applicants for citizenship will have to demonstrate they have contributed to the State. But addressing the wider issues around housing and inequality is a different challenge – and one the Government is not close to resolving.

Benedict Cumberbatch believes the environmental movement had been hijacked by politics early on. Photograph: New York TimesActors can exist in a “bubble” untroubled by real world issues, but Benedict Cumberbatch told an Irish audience his profession needed to use its star power to shine a light on the climate crisis. Mr Cumberbatch said the climate action movement needed a Will and Grace style show to get the issue into resistant homes and mindsets. “The less heavy-handed the better, that’s what we’ve learned,” he said, adding that the environmental movement had been “hijacked by politics” early on. That pushed the vote.”He said producers could do similar for climate by small adjustments to scripts and scenes.

Bangladesh – nicknamed “land of the rivers” – has been described as one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change, and Bhola, in its south, has been labelled climate change’s “ground zero”. Photograph: Sally HaydenFishermen work on boats in Bhola, southern Bangladesh. Photograph: Sally HaydenThe son of journalist Mohammed Nasiur Rahaman Shipu (55) moved to Dhaka more recently. Photograph: Sally HaydenGoing deeperAt Bhola’s largest fish market, shortly after dawn, the crews on recently returned boats were organising their catches. Photograph: Sally Hayden‘We live here, we’ll die here’Disasters have affected Bhola for as long as residents can remember.

Microsoft cut about 250 jobs in Ireland as part of cost control measures announced in July, but the company hopes to grow its headcount here again in the coming years, the company’s site leader in Ireland has said. Taking questions from The Irish Times this week as the company marked 40 years of operations here, Microsoft Ireland site leader James O’Connor confirmed the figure was “accurate”. “We added just over 500 core roles in research and development about a year ago. “That’s a real differentiator for our broad workforce here in Ireland. We want to make sure we skill them up, and we want to make sure we’re doing that in the broader ecosystem as well.”

Photograph: Bryan O'BrienPre-tax profits at the operator of what was first McDonald’s outlet in Ireland on Dublin’s Grafton Street last year fell by 29 per cent to €3.3 million. Owned by Amir Afsar, Persian Restaurants Ltd operates 12 McDonald’s restaurants in Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford including the outlet on Dublin’s premier shopping street. Persian Restaurants also operates McDonalds restaurants at the Nutgrove Shopping Centre and the Frascati Shopping Centre in Dublin. The Grafton Street outlet is the State’s oldest McDonald’s, having opened in 1977. Another McDonald’s franchisee, Elaine Sterio, saw pretax profits at her Glenellen Restaurants Ltd increase by 65 per cent to €1.62 million last year.

Photograph: Bryan O'BrienA teacher who deceived her colleagues out of more than €2,000 in an elaborate hoax has had her name removed from the register of teachers by order of the High Court. Mr Justice David Barniville this week confirmed the sanction of the Teaching Council and ordered that the woman be prohibited from applying to be put back on the register for another five years. The Teaching Council disciplinary panel found a number of the allegations proven as fact, and amounted to professional misconduct. Counsel said an SNA wanted to surprise her son at Christmas with a PlayStation console and the teacher offered to get it at a reduced rate. The Teaching Council also noted that the teacher had shown skill in prolonging the deception.

Ireland, in other words, is upping its bet on the corporate tax boom continuing. The budget documents estimated a surplus of €10.2 billion this year and forecast an €8.1 billion surplus next year. But the figures are, as we know, supported by so-called windfall tax revenues. Spending the corporate windfall on investment is arguably less risky than using it to prop up day-to-day spending – because cuts here can be economically damaging. The golden decade for the Irish public finances driven by corporate tax receipts may slowly be drawing to a close, leaving tougher trade-offs ahead.

The Fine Gael leader said Sinn Féin was “the party of taking big money from big American building companies” and that its deputy leader Pearse Doherty’s “Jack in the box routine doesn’t build homes”. Mr Doherty said Fine Gael’s approach to housing and renting was to let the market “run wild, protecting profits and abandoning ordinary people”. Mr Harris had promised he would increase the renters tax credit if elected and had broken that promise, “like so many others”, he said. “You tell the young people of Ireland you’re on the side of the working people, and Mary Lou flies out to America to take the dollars from the big businesses, big companies, big builders,” he said. [ Sinn Féin’s merchandising arm donates €205,000 to party in BelfastOpens in new window ]“You are the party of taking big money from big American building companies.