Irelands

Europe’s scramble to police teen social media use is accelerating, and Ireland is under pressure to decide how far it will go. As Spain, France, Denmark, Greece and Portugal push national age limits — and Australia touts the impact of its world-first under-16s ban — Dublin is drafting a PPS-based age verification system that has already triggered sharp privacy and legal pushback. Spain became the latest EU country to propose restrictions this month. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez vowed to “ban access to social media for minors…

Ireland to vote against EU-Mercosur trade pact as bloc moves toward approval European Union sources voiced disappointment as Ireland prepared to vote against the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, a stance at odds with what they described as the country’s traditional image as an export-driven economy. The vote, set for an ambassadors’ meeting in Brussels this morning, comes as the pact is expected to win endorsement by a qualified majority despite opposition from Ireland, France, Poland and others. Italy’s decision to back the…

BEIJING — Taoiseach Micheál Martin is set to hold in-depth talks on trade with Chinese Premier Li Qiang during a five-day visit to China, pressing for progress on Irish beef exports and relief from tariffs on dairy products as EU-China trade tensions simmer. The meeting with Li follows Martin’s summit with President Xi Jinping, where the Irish leader raised sector-specific barriers facing Irish agri-food exporters and broader questions about how Europe and China manage an increasingly fraught economic relationship. “I…