This is about a lot more than tariffs, of course, with Trump moving to remake American society and undermine its democracy. And as the US president faces a big budget deficit, this is a problem for him – he needs the money. Global 10 per cent tariffs remain, as well as higher changes on steel, aluminium and cars. This trade war, if it goes on, will also have a wider impact on the world and Irish economies. As the Taoiseach said this week, big investors crave stability.

This is by no means a call to abandon the concept of civility - it is an important bedrock of a functioning society. )This gambit of citing civility to shut down debate is not new. The persistent attempts to state that the opposition are in thrall to SF continues to be used in opposition to established and verifiable fact. But this felon setting continues using civility to say “these people are unclean.”Which brings me to the point at hand. )The reason for this is that i took issue with some shroud waving and the gobshites defending that, and using the mask of civility to do so.

The proposed trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur bloc of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay has been a source of controversy. [ Q&A: What is the Mercosur trade deal and what does it mean for Ireland?Opens in new window ]However, the Mercosur deal still needs to be approved by EU states, in what will be a contentious vote. When lawyers have finished going over the details, the final text of the trade agreement will be put to EU states in the next few months. They will argue that the breakdown in the transatlantic relationship under Trump means the EU can’t afford to turn its nose up at the Mercosur states. Speaking after a meeting of EU trade ministers in Luxembourg, Tánaiste Simon Harris said the Government still had “significant reservations” about the Mercosur deal in its current form.

ESW, the Dublin-based ecommerce company founded by Tommy Kelly and previously known as eShopWorld, has told staff here that up to 45 roles are at risk of redundancy. That amounts to just more than 11 per cent of its 396 employees in Ireland and will involve compulsory redundancies. However, ESW said it plans to add 80 new roles across its operations in the second half of the year, with 31 of those slated for Ireland. Redeployment opportunities will be offered to some ESW staff at risk of redundancy, the company said. AI is accelerating hugely in terms of what we are producing versus putting a number of individuals on a project.

Donald Trump's tariffs have come into force for 60 countries. Photograph: (Pool via AP)A full-blown global tariff war is under way. Donald Trump’s tariffs took effect last night with the EU due to vote today on a retaliatory list drawn up by the European Commission. The US and China meanwhile have engaged in tit for tat tariffs in the past few days. China has also vowed to fight to the end in the tariff war.

“The one thing you can never get back is your precious time,” is the first thing we hear from Whitney Wolfe Herd, guest on Meghan Markle’s new podcast Confessions of a Female Founder. It will shock no one to hear that Wolfe Herd, the founder of dating app Bumble, is one of Markle’s closest friends. Wolfe Herd is still a good “get” for this first of eight episodes, or at least she would be if their chat was truly about the ins-and-outs, and ups-and-downs, of entrepreneurialism. Wolfe Herd is a self-made millionaire who created a product people actually use. Luckily, Wolfe Herd doesn’t do anything as foolish as measure her self-worth against the value of Bumble shares.

People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Richard Boyd Barrett has announced that he has cancer and will be stepping back from political life for several months as he undergoes treatment. Mr Boyd Barrett told RTÉ’s Claire Byrne on Monday morning that he has been diagnosed with throat cancer and expected to begin a course of treatment next week. He had been told that eight or nine of every 10 patients with this type of cancer recover, he said. [ ‘We are out to provoke’ - Richard Boyd Barrett on policies, politics and trusting Sinn FéinOpens in new window ]Mr Boyd Barrett said that he had noticed a lump on his neck in October during the general election campaign and had it investigated before Christmas. Mr Boyd Barrett said that he expected to step back from his work as a TD for several months.

The latest large-scale Chinese military and coastguard exercises around Taiwan mark a significant escalation in its bullying of the independent island which Beijing regards as a province which must be “reunified” with the mainland. Last week China sent 76 aircraft and over 20 navy and coastguard ships, including the Shandong carrier group, to positions around Taiwan in exercises that included simulated landings and attacks on infrastructure. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said its forces were practising “seizing comprehensive control, strikes on sea and land targets and blockade operations”. He has taken steps to strengthen Taiwan’s defence posture, holding the country’s most serious civil defence mobilisation drills in decades. READ MORECritics of the US administration warn that its policy of “strategic ambiguity” in defence of Taiwan, an unwillingness to say what it would do if China invades, may under President Trump, be emboldening Beijing.

Pope Francis is pushed in his wheelchair after leading the Angelus prayer on St Peter's square in Rome, on Sunday. Part of the reason, I suspect, is what the famous Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin once called “the slow work of God”. Bishops have received a curt letter from Rome telling them that they need to get their act together in responding to the synodal reforms ­– effectively Vatican II for slow learners. The clear message from Pope Francis is that bishops cannot choose not to be synodal. Dioceses, bishops’ conferences and parishes, hoping that the demand to receive and embed synodality would go away, are beginning to realise that there’s no opt-out clause.

HALF-TIME: Cork 3-16 Tipperary 0-12: A fairly swashbuckling performance from Cork has them well on top, the game fast turning into damage limitation for Tipp. Cork 2-14 Tipperary 0-10: The gap is up to 10 points after 28 minutes as Patrick Horgan adds another free for Cork. Cork starting team ahead of Allianz Hurling League Division 1A Final pic.twitter.com/CeRcmWbpKm — Cork GAA (@OfficialCorkGAA) April 6, 2025Sean Moran also has a teaser for us ahead of the Allianz Hurling League final between Cork and Tipperary, which has a 4.0 throw-in. Bright but chilly afternoon in a packed SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh for the first league final between Cork and Tipperary since 1960. It was a six point game in the 20th minute but Meath turned the screw in the closing stages of the first half.

World leaders from Brussels to Beijing rounded on Mr Trump. READ MOREWhile Mr Trump timed his Wednesday evening Rose Garden address to avoid live tickers of crashing stock markets, that fate arrived when Asian exchanges opened hours later. Apple and Nvidia, two of the US’s largest companies by market value, lost a combined $470bn in value by midday. Commodities fell sharply, including a 7 per cent plunge in oil prices, reflecting growing concerns over the global economic outlook. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Mr Trump said: “I think it’s going very well.

What do Trump's tariffs mean for Ireland: US president appears on a television screen at the stock market in Frankfurt, Germany . US president Donald Trump unveiled his plans for introducing tariffs including charging the EU a 20% tariff. It is not clear, at this stage, how much Mr Trump will be open to negotiation with the EU or anyone else. But the view in Brussels – and among many other erstwhile allies – is that Mr Trump is a bully who will only respond to strength and will further punish weakness. Cliff Taylor, Managing Editor of The Irish Times, looks at Donald Trump's tariffs and the impacts they may have on people's lives.

The impact of Donald Trump’s tariffs on Ireland – and the trade war that may well follow – will take some time to play out. These are tariffs which are separate from the reciprocal tariffs announced on Wednesday and aimed at key sectors. Cliff Taylor, Managing Editor of The Irish Times, looks at Donald Trump's tariffs and the impacts they may have on people's lives. EU tariffs would increase the price of imports in the sectors covered, hitting consumers and businesses importing products. This could create complications for the Windsor Framework rules governing the movement of goods into the Northern Irish market and for cross-border trade.

US President Donald Trump is set to proceed with his proclaimed “Liberation Day” by announcing sweeping tariffs. Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty ImagesAs the EU braces for the announcement of tariffs by the Trump administration today, fears are growing in the Irish Government about possible EU retaliation against US tech companies based in Ireland. Senior Government sources acknowledge that the potential EU measures would cause difficulties for Ireland, which is home to many of the US tech companies’ European headquarters, and where they pay tax on much of their EU business. A string of economic studies have shown that Ireland is the EU state most exposed in the event of such as trade war. A particular concern in Dublin is that the EU could decide to hit the activities of big US tech companies operating in the US.

Barry Heneghan, the Independent TD for Dublin Bay North, has moved his seat in the Dáil away from that of Tipperary Independent TD Michael Lowry. Both TDs are members of an Independent technical group composed of three Government-supporting TDs and two in Opposition. Mr Heneghan said he would continue to support the Government and try to deliver results for his constituents. “I also want to restate clearly: I am an Independent TD, and I intend to act accordingly. I didn’t.”Independent TD for Dublin Bay North Barry Heneghan (left) pictured in the Dáil on March 25th during chaotic scenes beside Independent TD Michael Lowry (centre) and Green Party leader Roderic O'Gorman.