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Irish Times

October 2026

Desperate late push to avert public-sector strike on Wednesday

Despite the intervention, there is still a mood of pessimism in both Government and trade union circles that the national stoppage — and the attendant widespread disruption — cannot now be avoided

All we have at present is an effective pay cut for next year, nothing for this year [to cover the period since the expiry of the last deal] and a leap of faith after that,

Trump and Hegseth’s road to barbarism is a threat to America’s standing

Revulsion at the media frenzy and carnival-style atmosphere led to a US ban on public executions that has stuck for 90 years

Pete Hegsethdefense Secretary
People need to understand that there are serious consequences for these type of things,
Pete Hegsethdefense Secretary
Our department is, you might say, putting on the full armour of God, because while we wage physical war, we all know the real battle is spiritual,

Are Simon Harris and gen Z about to turn Ireland into a nation of investors?

What happens if 100,000 people go into this and the markets collapse and they lose money? There’s going to be pressure on the Government to bail them out,
Minorities have always known the system was rigged,
62 per cent of Irish women aged 30 to 50 handle the family finances alone. Only 18 per cent of women are investing.”

The signs are AI prefers AI-written CVs, and one law firm’s experience is revealing

One possible explanation is that, because AI capability was itself one of the criteria, the agent may have interpreted signs of AI use in producing the CV as evidence of AI capability,

Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher unmoved by ‘devastated’ Micah Richards on Sky Sports

Jamie Carragherenglish associiation football player and sportcaster
They are so powerful, so rich, they’ve never been told no before in their lives,
Jamie Carragherenglish associiation football player and sportcaster
There’s all these lovely stories, ‘I came through the youth team’, lovely, it’s lovely,
Roy Keaneirish football manager (born 1971)
Let’s hope they get beaten,
THEY HAD ALL THE BEST PLAYERS — THEY HAD THE TWO BEST PLAYERS IN EVERY POSITION!”

Irish AI firms raise €256m across 75 venture capital deals in 2026

Jenny Meliaenterprise Ireland chief executive
PitchBook’s independent analysis shows the scale of investment now going into Irish AI companies, with almost €1 billion raised since the beginning of 2025,
Niamh Smythartificial Intelligence
The International AI Summit will focus on how Europe can turn advances in AI into economic value, while building the skills, infrastructure and trusted regulatory environment needed to support adoption and investment.”

Letters to the Editor, October 12th: On Wednesday’s strike, prisoner rehabilitation and growing fruit and veg

James Joyceirish novelist and poet (1882–1941)
The much-trumpeted progress of this century consists largely of a heap of machines the very purpose of which is to gather in haste and fury the scattered elements of utility and knowledge and to redistribute them to each member of the collectivity who is in a position to pay a slight tax.”
The public execution even of one who has done grave harm will only further undermine the moral fabric of our nation and be a blight on the conscience of its people.”

Engineer Robert Pether back in Ireland after being detained in Iraq for five years

Pether, who had been living in Ireland for a number of years, had been working as a mechanical engineer on rebuilding the Iraqi Central Bank when he was arrested with a colleague from CME Consulting, the Dubai-based company they were working for

The Australian government welcomes the decision by the Iraqi government to allow Mr Pether to leave,
We were aware for some time that minister Wong was keen to be the first to break this fantastic news,
Mr Pether was detained in a [2x2 metre] cell with the lights permanently on,

Houthis show military reach with deadly missile strikes on Riyadh

The latest attack on Saturday, the third on the airport in a week, killed 12 people and wounded more than 300, part of a tit-for-tat military escalation by the Houthis against the beleaguered Saudis, who support Yemen’s internationally recognised government

The recent successes that we’ve seen in the last four weeks or so have less to do with having great military equipment and more to do with the weakness of the other side,
Control of this island is potentially quite important,
Mohammad Al-Bashapalestinian association football player
They didn’t start from scratch, they had a foundation,
Farea Al-Muslimiyemeni writer
Everyone continues to underestimate the Houthis’ military power,
They’re not just guys in flip-flops, they’re actually geeks,

AI being used by employers to more closely monitor their staff, Dublin conference hears

What’s happening varies across different sectors,
So we need to be concerned not just about the jobs that are being or might be lost but also about the way jobs are changing,
They feel they work more and do higher value work but they are not getting more pay or time off so there is a sense the productivity gains are all going to the employer when they could be shared through shorter hours, reduced workloads or investment on worker development,

Tech company Tines to create 100 jobs in Ireland over two years and open new facility

Eoin Hinchyco-founder and CEO
It’s an exciting time for Tines as we build and grow an AI company from Dublin. We believe every employee and every team should be able to use AI to build the software they need, and that’s the opportunity we’re going after with Tines,
Tines is one of a new generation of rapidly scaling Irish technology companies competing successfully on the global stage,

‘A slow-moving tsunami’: IMF chief alarmed at AI threat to jobs and taxes

The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned of the disruptive threat from artificial intelligence to the labour market and taxation, urging policymakers to rethink education and act now to help society adapt

Kristalina GeorgievaiMF Managing Director
It is a slow-moving tsunami, but [a] tsunami nonetheless,
We cannot today imagine what exactly the world of work will be five years from now,

Riyadh airport hit again after deadly Houthi missile attack

Ursula von der Leyeneuropean Commission President
These attacks by Iran’s proxies are pushing the region into a spiral of violence,
Donald Trumppresident
We’re gonna look at it.”
I will underline that Iran’s attacks on its neighbours must cease and that safe and toll-free shipping through the Straits of Hormuz must be restored,

Russell Brand arrives at court for start of rape and sexual assault trial

Flanked by security and accompanied by his wife, Laura Gallacher, Brand said nothing to members of the press as he walked into the courthouse

France seeks another de Gaulle. The far-right thinks it’s Jordan Bardella

President Franklin D Roosevelt looked down on him as an arrogant fantasist, and barely tolerated his place in the anti-Hitler alliance

Agnès Poirierfrench anglophile journalist
Like all successful historical films, La Bataille de Gaulle tells us less about the past than about the needs of the present.”
Charles de Gaullegeneral
One day, the United States will try to be the moral authority of the entire world.”