Where do Europe and Ireland stand as Donald Trump changes the world?
Europe correspondent Jack Power joins Pat Leahy and Jack Horgan-Jones to discuss monumental events in the Middle East, with the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities being followed by a ceasefire that initially faltered - much to the president's vocal displeasure - but now seems to be holding.
The podcast also looks at the EU's struggle to assert influence on the global stage as it heads into a major summit, and finally the Irish government's awkward stance on the Occupied Territories Bill.
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Extra.ie
33 minutes ago
- Extra.ie
Not just for Trump - Some more infamous examples of politicians swearing in public
Donald Trump raised eyebrows after he dropped a swear word on live television to describe the Israel-Iran conflict. Now, swearing is just a part of life; and this isn't even the first time as a public figure, Mr Trump has dropped a bomb on television, either as a real estate magnate, TV host, or Presidential candidate/President of the US. But either way, sometimes it's still a bit jarring when a public representative does say a swear, be it intentionally or otherwise. We might as well start with the most recent one. Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran after a 12 day exchange over Iran's reported development of a nuclear bomb — a ceasefire that was nearly immediately broken when both countries accused the other of breaking the ceasefire. Despite being close allies with Israel, Mr Trump clearly expressed his frustrations with both countries; telling reporters 'We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f**k they're doing.' Pic: Oireachtas TV The greatest moment in the Dáil, Greens TD Paul Gogarty gained international notoriety when he aimed an incredibly heated expletive at Labour's Emmett Stagg. Following a heated debate around a social welfare bill for the 2010 Budget, Mr Gogarty now famously gave a heads up that he was going to swear; saying 'in the most unparliamentary language, f**k you, Deputy Stagg! F**k you!' before immediately apologising. Incredibly, since the use of f**k was not on the list of banned words in the Dáil (granted, because it was never used before then), so Mr Gogarty didn't face any serious repercussions. He lost his seat in the 2011 election, but won his seat back last year — where he weirdly quoted Chappell Roan's song Good Luck, Babe! in the chamber. Then President of Mexico Vincente Fox had strong words for then Presidential candidate Donald Trump, who said that he was going to build a border wall between the US and Mexico that Mexico would pay for. Pic:Of course, one of the biggest campaign promises during Donald Trump's first Presidential campaign was that he was going to build a border wall between the US and Mexico, making the latter pay for it. When Mr Trump became the frontrunner for the Republican presidential candidacy in 2016, then Mexican President Vicente Fox Quesada told the then-candidate where to go regarding his plans for a US-built, Mexican-paid border wall. 'I'm not going to pay for that f**king wall. [Trump] should pay for it,' Mr Fox said at the time. 'He's got the money.' Joe Biden and Barack Obama enjoyed a bit of a bromance during Obama's Presidency. Mr Biden was caught on a hot mic saying that a bill his boss signed was a 'big f**king deal.' Pic: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images While Joe Biden's Presidency was full of gaffes, the then Vice President was picked up on a hot mic hugging his superior, President Barack Obama, after the latter signed healthcare reform legislation. Intending to whisper 'this is a big f*****g deal' to Mr Obama, Mr Biden was picked up on a microphone saying so, where it was repeated on Fox News a number of times. After China stonewalled on a deal with Australia, Kevin Rudd had some choice words for his Chinese counterparts. Going on a rant to political journalist David Marr, Mr Marr wrote of Mr Rudd in his Quarterly Essay 'His anger was real, but his language seemed forced, deliberately foul. 'In this mood, he'd been talking about countries 'rat f**king' each other for days. Was a deal still possible, asked one of the Australians, [Rudd said] 'depends whether those rat-f**king Chinese want to f**k us.'' While he said it off record, it was reported anyway. Oops.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Hours after Netanyahu spoke of a historic victory over Iran, Israel was hit by a painful reminder
In a televised address to the nation on Tuesday night, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu outlined the achievements of the 12-day war with Iran . He said Israel had achieved a historic victory that would last for generations. But a few hours later came a painful reminder that Israel is bogged down in another war, in Gaza , with the news that seven soldiers had been killed in Khan Younis. In the latest incident it is believed that a Palestinian gunman managed to attach a bomb to an armoured personnel carrier and the vehicle caught fire as a result of the explosion. The incident brought to 879 the number of troops killed in the 20-month Gaza war. READ MORE The Iran war had kept Gaza out of the news in Israel over the last fortnight, but during this period more than 1,000 Gazan residents were killed, including more than 240 who were collecting food from distribution centres, where chaos continues on a daily basis. Fifty hostages remain in Hamas captivity, of whom 20 are believed to be alive, on day 628 of the war. Qatar hopes indirect talks can resume in the coming days between Israel and Hamas as part of a renewed push to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal. US president Donald Trump said on Wednesday that great progress was being made with Gaza ceasefire negotiations and that the strikes on Iran would help to get the hostages released. [ Trump basks in Iran ceasefire success despite doubt over extent of damage ] The ceasefire with Iran has led to calls from across the political spectrum to bring an end to the Gaza war. Moshe Gafni, from the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, a key Netanyahu ally, said: 'We are facing a sad day in which seven soldiers were killed. I don't understand what we're fighting for and for what purpose. What are we even trying to achieve there, when soldiers are being killed all the time?' But Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners believe an end to the Gaza war will only be achieved by a crushing defeat of Hamas. Bezalel Smotrich, head of the Religious Zionist party, said Israel should escalate the fighting to defeat Hamas within two months. 'We have removed an immediate existential threat from Iran. Now [we turn] with all our strength to Gaza to complete the task: to destroy Hamas and return our hostages and to ensure, with God's help, many years of security and growth from strength for the people of Israel.'
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Dublin transport contactless payment system not operational until 2029, says minister
Contactless payments across Dublin's bus, tram and railway public transport networks will not be fully operational until 2029, Darragh O'Brien has told an Oireachtas hearing. The first testing phase of the 'next-generation ticketing' contactless payments system will be introduced in 2027 in a 'controlled area within Dublin across bus, rail and Luas', the Minister for Transport told Wednesday's Oireachtas hearing on 2025 transport estimates. A second phase is scheduled to run in summer 2028, with a third one to follow in 2029, he said. 'Obviously how we roll it out will be dependent on the first phase – if that goes well and the testing of that is robust and we don't require many system changes,' Mr O'Brien said in response to a query on the system from Green Party leader Roderic O'Gorman. 'By 2027 to 2029 we would have the system fully operational.' READ MORE The Minister said he was investigating whether it was possible to 'shorten the distance' between the first two testing phases, but he could not give a commitment on that. 'It is a roll-out of, effectively, a whole new contactless ticketing system that's going to be with us for a generation and will make a very significant change.' A National Transport Authority report published this year stated contact payments on public transport would take about three years to deliver. Spanish company Indra is responsible for the introduction of the contactless system across bus, tram and rail services. Asked by Fine Gael TD Grace Boland whether the Government planned to maintain the 90-minute €2 fare beyond the end of this year, Mr O'Brien said it was his 'intention to keep that'. The Minister also referred to the extension of free travel for five- to eight-year-olds from September and extending student travel fares to 25-year-olds. Anecdotally, recent fare reductions have resulted in more people taking public transport, the Minister said. However, it was difficult to quantify how many people were opting for bus or rail as a result of such price cuts, he said. Recently published data showed more than one million public transport journeys are now taken in Dublin daily. The Oireachtas committee also heard how the number of electric-vehicle (EV) charging points across the State remained far behind the European Union average. At present, there are seven EV charging posts for every 10,000 people, compared to an EU average of 20 per 10,000 and 13 per 10,000 in the UK, Sinn Féin's Pa Daly told the committee. People needed to have 'confidence that the battery will take them far enough, but also that they'll be able to recharge around the State', Mr Daly said. He also cited a recent warning from the Climate Change Advisory Council that the Government did not support access for lower-income families to EVs, which jeopardised emissions targets. Acknowledging that the number of charging points was below the EU average, Mr O'Brien said his department was addressing the shortfall and investigating EV grant options for lower and middle-income families and for rural dwellers. Asked if this would include grants for second-hand EVs, Mr O'Brien said it would. Earlier on Wednesday, the Minister told Newstalk Breakfast radio he did not expect the State would hit its projection of one million EV users by 2030, but said numbers would most likely reach 630,000-700,000 by the end of the decade. Responding to concerns from Mr O'Gorman regarding the 'almost systematic removal of references to cycling in this programme for government', Mr O'Brien told the committee the TD could 'be absolutely assured that this Government is as committed as the last to continue the real advancements that were made over the last five years in the provision of active travel schemes'. In addition to the Government's commitment to spend €360 million on public transport infrastructure, Mr O'Brien said his department would seek additional funds through the updated National Development Plan to improve 'active travel'.
