Trump: "Make the deal in Gaza, get the hostages back"
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RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Taoiseach to travel to Luxembourg for two-day visit
Taoiseach Micheál Martin is due to travel to Luxembourg to meet the country's Prime Minister Luc Frieden, as part of a two-day visit to the grand duchy. Both leaders will discuss economic issues, including European competitiveness and EU-US trade negotiations. They will also discuss the current situation in both Ukraine and Gaza. Speaking ahead of the visit, the Taoiseach said Ireland and Luxembourg have "a shared interest" in the competitiveness agenda and deepening capital markets in Europe. "Bilateral relations between Ireland and Luxembourg are excellent and we are like-minded partners on many issues," he added. Mr Martin and Mr Frieden will also discuss proposals for the EU's next seven-year budget for 2028 to 2034 following last week's draft proposal by the European Commission for a €2 trillion budget. Two-way trade between Ireland and Luxembourg is worth about €3.5 billion each year, a majority of which is attributed to financial services. Like Ireland, Luxembourg's open economy and relatively low corporate tax rates have attracted international financial institutions and global investment funds to domicile in the jurisdiction for decades. Both countries' economies would be highly susceptible to a US-EU trade war in the event that it spirals to include retaliatory tariffs on digital services. US President Donald Trump has threatened 30% tariffs on imported goods from the EU, if a trade deal is not struck by 1 August. But Reuters reported yesterday that US and EU officials are discussing a broad 15% tariff on EU imports. During his visit, the Taoiseach will also meet with representatives of Irish businesses in Luxembourg and hear from Irish community representatives. More than 2,500 Irish citizens live and work in Luxembourg, a community that has doubled in size during the past 10 years, according to Ireland's embassy to Luxembourg. Tomorrow, the Taoiseach will hold a meeting with Nadia Calviño, President of the European Investment Bank (EIB). They will discuss Ireland's ongoing partnership with the bank and its role in supporting European competitiveness by investing in infrastructure projects. Mr Martin described the EIB as a "valued partner" that finances approximately €1bn for water, housing and energy projects in Ireland each year.
Irish Post
4 hours ago
- Irish Post
Tánaiste says conditions in Gaza have reached 'new depths of despair and misery'
TÁNAISTE Simon Harris has called for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East, saying conditions in Gaza have reached 'new depths of despair and misery'. His plea comes as more than 100 aid agencies released a joint statement today, saying Israel's restrictions on aid have created 'chaos, starvation and death'. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 59,219 Palestinians have so far died as a result of Israel's actions since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. 'Mass starvation' The Tánaiste's statement comes two days after he and 25 other Foreign Ministers signed a joint statement urging Israel to lift its 'unacceptable' aid restrictions. "The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths of despair and misery," said the Tánaiste. "Mass starvation is now spreading across the population. People are dying every day from lack of food and medicines. Children are starving before our eyes. "Hundreds have been killed while trying to collect what little food is available. "This is an affront to our collective humanity. A medic cleans the body of Abdul Jawad al-Ghalban, 14, who died of starvation at the Nasser hospital morgue in Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday (Image: AFP via Getty Images) "Ireland calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. "Israel must lift its blockade and allow the full resumption of humanitarian aid into and throughout Gaza. "All hostages must be released by Hamas and returned to their families. "UN and other humanitarian organisations must be allowed to do their work." 'Cycle of hope and heartbreak' Meanwhile, the statement released today, signed by aid agencies including Amnesty International, CAFOD and Save the Children, said even aid workers are joining the food lines 'as the Israeli government's siege starves the people of Gaza'. "Every day without a sustained flow means more people dying of preventable illnesses," it read. "Children starve while waiting for promises that never arrive. "Palestinians are trapped in a cycle of hope and heartbreak, waiting for assistance and ceasefires, only to wake up to worsening conditions. "It is not just physical torment, but psychological. Survival is dangled like a mirage. "The humanitarian system cannot run on false promises. Humanitarians cannot operate on shifting timelines or wait for political commitments that fail to deliver access." It added: "Piecemeal arrangements and symbolic gestures, like airdrops or flawed aid deals, serve as a smokescreen for inaction. "They cannot replace states' legal and moral obligations to protect Palestinian civilians and ensure meaningful access at scale. "States can and must save lives before there are none left to save." See More: Gaza, Palestine, Simon Harris
Irish Examiner
9 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
EU and US closing on 15% tariff deal to break impasse
The European Union and the US are progressing toward an agreement that would set a 15% tariff for most products, according to diplomats briefed on the negotiations. Member states could be ready to accept a 15% tariff and EU officials are pushing to have that cover sectors including cars, the diplomats said. Steel and aluminium imports above a certain quota would face the 50% duty, one of the diplomats added. The diplomats said that while the EU is optimistic that a deal can be reached, they are also cautious that any final agreement will need sign off from US president Donald Trump and his ultimate decision is difficult to predict. The EU has prepared plans to hit the US with 30% tariffs on some €100bn worth of goods in the event of no deal and if Mr Trump carries through with his threat to impose that rate on most of the bloc's exports after August 1. As a part of a first wave of countermeasures, the EU would combine an already approved list of tariffs on €21bn of US goods and a previously proposed list on an additional €72bn of US items into one package, a European Commission spokesman said yesterday. The US exports, which include industrial goods such as Boeing aircraft, US-made cars, and bourbon whiskey, would face a levy that matches Mr Trump's 30% threat, sources said. US treasury secretary Scott Bessent dismissed talk of €100bn tariffs by the EU as a 'negotiating tactic', adding: 'It's what I would do if I were in their place'. Mr Trump announced two tariff deals on Tuesday — one with the Philippines and another with Japan, and both featured across-the-board duties on their imports that were lower than initially threatened. Also noteworthy was the 15% US levy on Japanese autos that was lower than the current 25% rate on major car exporters including the EU. Mr Bessent said the EU has not yet brought anything as innovative as the Japanese offer. 'Talks are going better than they had been,' he said. 'I think that we are making good progress with the EU, but as I've said before, the EU has a collective action problem with 27 countries.' The EU's most potent trade tool is the ACI, and a growing number of member states is pushing for its use if a deal isn't reached. The instrument is primarily designed as a deterrent and is currently not on the table, with its activation requiring a qualified majority of member states to support the move. The ACI would enable the EU to launch a broad range of retaliatory actions, including new taxes on US tech giants, targeted curbs on investments, and limiting access to the EU market. The commission is discussing the instrument with members, the sources said. While some capitals having been pushing to use the tool, most want to wait to see how the situation develops beyond August 1 before progressing discussions further to try to achieve the required majority, they added. The overwhelming preferencewas to keep negotiations with Washington on track. European leaders are in Tokyo and Beijing this week for talks with some of the bloc's biggest trading partners in Asia. European automakers' stocks rallied after the US-Japan trade deal sparked hopes that American import tariffs on their vehicles could be cut. Bloomberg
