Pressure on gardaí to probe election fraud by ‘patsy' who worked at Healy-Rae company
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He was just the patsy. But the instigators are still unknown.
A polling card went missing from a tractor in Co Kerry last year ahead of the local and European elections.
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RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
US pharma firms will be 'damaged' by tariffs
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said President Donald Trump should keep in mind that US pharmaceutical firms based in Ireland will be "damaged and undermined" if he goes through with his latest sectoral tariffs threats. Mr Trump said the 15% baseline agreed in the EU-US tariff deal last month would only apply to the pharmaceutical sector for "one year, one-and-a-half years maximum". The US President also said "it's [the pharmaceutical tariff] going to go to 150%, and then it's going to go to 250% because we want pharmaceuticals made in our country," before specifically referencing companies based in China and Ireland. It follows the European Commission's spokesperson on trade Olof Gill insisting that the 15% rate is an "insurance policy". His comment comes amid a section 232 investigation into tariffs on pharmaceutical that is under way taking place in the US. The probe could result in Mr Trump, rather than the US Congress, attempting to unilaterally increase pharmaceutical tariffs above the 15% rate. He alluded to before his deal with the EU by telling reporters the pharmaceutical sector is "special". However, responding to Mr Trump's suggestion that pharmaceutical tariffs could surge far above the agreed 15% rate in the future, Mr Martin said this should not be the case. He added that Mr Trump should keep in mind that US pharmaceutical firms based in Ireland will be "damaged and undermined" if any tariff increases occur. "I've had some more recent conversations in light of the negotiations between the EU and US. "There are certain realities applying here, and the overall point I would make is that tariffs are not good for the world economy, they're not good for people, workers or consumers. "And in the context of pharmaceutical companies, the US has gained increasing share of European pharmaceutical market and indeed of Asian markets because of their presence in the markets. "The companies are global powers now, really globally strong companies, because of their presence in Europe, Ireland being one of the countries that they're present in," Mr Martin said. He added: "Ireland has added value and strength to those companies, and I would say to the [US] President he needs to factor that into the equation. "Those companies will be damaged and undermined if such policies were to bear fruit. "But we understand, and I've been in touch with the president of the commission last week and Commissioner Šefčovič, that the 15% is what's being negotiated, has been negotiated, between the US and EU." The presence of multi-national companies and international pharmaceutical firms in Ireland is a key component of the current Irish economy, directly impacting on thousands of jobs across the country.
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Kerry commemoration sees Taoiseach describe Daniel O'Connell as ‘one of the greatest Irish people'
The Taoiseach spoke at the State Commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Daniel O'Connell's birth at The Liberator's Home, Derrynane House on the Ring of Kerry, on Wednesday afternoon. The ceremony was attended by Oireachtas members, descendants of The Liberator, such as his great-great-great grandson Daniel O'Connell and great-great-great granddaughter Emily Lenehan, and members of the public, including some of those from the South Kerry Friends of Palestine group. The Taoiseach delivered the keynote address at the commemoration after speeches from Kerry County Council Cathaoirleach, Michael Foley, Minister of State for the OPW, Kevin Moran, and Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O'Donovan. Mr Martin spoke as calls for solidarity with Palestine came from campaigners on the Long Beach adjacent to Derrynane House. 'O'Connell showed us his solidarity and inclusive nationalism which sees the strength, not the threat, from robust rules-based cooperation with other nations, which embraces uniqueness of both national identity and a shared European identity,' the Fianna Fail leader said. 'Which sees the need to speak up for the people of Ukraine and the people of Gaza,' he continued. 'At this this tense moment of world affairs, where the values of democracy, human rights, religious freedom and the rule of law are being challenged, the spirit of Daniel O'Connell is important as it has ever been. '250 years after his birth it is an honour and duty for us to gather here to remember the inspiring story of O'Connell's struggle for the rights of all and solidarity between people and nations.' Mr Martin began by stating that O'Connell's lasting impact on the history of Ireland and the wider world makes 'this proud son of Kerry one of the greatest Irish people to have ever lived'. 'O'Connell was born into a family which had many resources but which was also part of a wider community defined by experiencing profound discrimination and dispossession,' he said. 'Through an extraordinary life he campaigned for justice, not simply for Ireland but for all people. 'He created the first mass democratic political movement the world had ever seen. In words which resonated with growing force he called for religious freedom, human rights and democracy in countless speeches and in front of crowds of previously unimagined scale. 'And while his campaign for Repeal did not succeed, he showed the spirit and the determination of the Irish people to control their own destiny.' The Taoiseach, who spoke in Irish and English, said Daniel O'Connell, as a figure who fought to unite the Irish people behind shared values of solidarity and justice, does not represent a distant part of Ireland's history. 'We need to do more to remember and respect the role of O'Connell in the story of the Irish people,' he said. He said O'Connell was proud to be from South Kerry and Ireland, and his connection to its scenery and people provided the foundations for everything he did in his life. The Taoiseach said O'Connell became the 'greatest lawyer of his time'. 'Throughout the country he took up the cause of those facing arbitrary courts. He refused to be intimated by the power of the crown,' he stated. Mr Martin said it would be a mistake to see O'Connell as someone who had only campaigned for his own religion. 'He believed that all members of all religions and in all countries should have the right to fully participate in the professional and political life of the State,' he said. 'He was not looking for supremacy, but equality and respect.' The Taoiseach said O'Connell and his mass democratic campaign transformed the Catholic Emancipation movement in Ireland and Great Britain. 'After a steadily growing campaign it was a denial which could no longer be resisted' he said. 'The Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829 was no small achievement. It resonated throughout the world and Daniel O'Connell was hailed as a hero by all who believed in liberty. 'People looked to Ireland for inspiration about how to bring together oppressed people and to achieve dramatic breakthrough. There is no comparable example in our history of an Irish leader who had such international infamy.' Mr Martin said The Liberator was also an icon for the Jewish community of Europe and those campaigning for the demolition of slavery. 'In his campaigns he refused to accept help from those who supported slavery, and he used every available platform to denounce it as a savage institution,' he stated. 'The great abolitionist Frederick Douglass was inspired by his commitment to the cause. And said of O'Connell that he stood in dramatic contrast to those who had no sympathy for the cause of liberty outside their own.' As part of the event's cultural programme, Emily Lenehan told those present that her famed anscestor and his wife Mary developed Derrynane House as a family home. 'Daniel loved being here. Even at the height of his parliamentary career he returned every September and October to enjoy, as he put it, six or seven weeks of comparative mental inexertion,' Ms Lenehan said. She said O'Connell welcomed many unexpected and unannounced visitors who came to petition him, seek his advice or avail of his influence. 'While in Derrynane, O'Connell lived, and I quote: 'everyday, all day, fulfilling to perfection the character of a hardy, hospitable mountain chief',' Ms Lenehan said. Traditional music was provided courtesy of the Binneas Quintet while folk singer Tim Dennehy sang 'Dónall O'Conaill'. Declan McCarthy performed extracts of speeches made by The Liberator at some of his mass meetings. The ceremony concluded with the Taoiseach unveiling a plaque and planting a tree with the help of young descendants of O'Connell, Charlotte and Finley Davidson, before the national anthem was sung by Dr Gavan Ring.
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Trump hails progress in Russia talks, White House says secondary sanctions still planned
Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said he had briefed some European allies about Witkoff's meeting with Putin, which was focused on ending the 3-1/2-year war that began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. "Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come," Trump added, without providing further details. A White House official said earlier that the meeting had gone well, and Moscow was eager to continue engaging with the United States. The official said secondary sanctions that Trump has threatened against countries doing business with Russia were still expected to be implemented on Friday. No details were provided. Witkoff met Putin for around three hours on a last-minute mission to seek a breakthrough in the war. Trump has threatened sanctions on Moscow and secondary sanctions on countries that buy its oil if no moves are made to end the war in Ukraine. Trump took a key step in that direction on Wednesday when he imposed an additional 25% tariff on imports from India, citing New Delhi's continued imports of Russian oil. No similar order was signed for China, which also imports Russian oil. The new measure raises tariffs on some Indian goods to as high as 50% — among the steepest faced by any U.S. trading partner. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last week warned Chinese officials that continued purchases of sanctioned Russian oil would lead to big tariffs due to legislation in Congress. The U.S. and China have been engaged in discussions about trade and tariffs, with an eye to extending a 90-day tariff truce that is due to expire on August 12, when their bilateral tariffs shoot back up to triple-digit figures.
