Top Stories

US pushes to restore Russian gas sales to Europe via Ukraine

Idea is intended to unlock energy ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv but it faces resistance in European capitals, write Yaroslav Trofimov, Drew Hinshaw, and Joe Parkinson, The Wall Street Journal.

The ad industry’s antidote to AI: pencils, clay and stop-motion

Consumer distaste for machine-generated advertising is driving a boom in the painstaking work of handmade commercials, writes Katie Deighton, The Wall Street Journal.

Ex-US media regulator Tom Wheeler: “I think we have a lot to learn from the EU”

The former FCC chair discusses big tech and AI, the need for a new approach to regulation in the US, and mounting pressure on broadcasters ahead of the US midterms.

“Owned at all material times” by Russia: EasyJet pushes back on GTLK’s “vague” Irish company

Citing EU and UK sanctions law, the British airline stands by its termination of leases with the Irish-registered, Russian-owned lessor and is challenging claims of $72m in damages.

Democratic infighting flares as election accelerates battle for party’s future

The party’s moderate and far-left factions are already finger-pointing over who has hurt Democrats more in the midterms, write Eliza Collins and Sabrina Rodriguez, The Wall Street Journal.

A Feast or a Fiesta? Magnum sues Aldi over “copycat” ice-cream brands

The ice-cream giant alleges the supermarket chain has mimicked the distinctive packaging of 21 "iconic" brands including Ben & Jerry’s, Solero, and Viennetta to sell its own cheaper alternative.

The beleaguered chip sellers getting their revenge on Apple

The iPhone maker for years bullied flash-storage makers into steep discounts — until AI hyperscalers bid up prices and gobbled up supply, writes Rolfe Winkler, The Wall Street Journal.

Dublin’s 20-year-old district heating promise is accelerating under the threat of carbon pricing

Capitals including Ireland’s lobbied the European Commission to exempt their incinerators from the costly EU Emissions Trading Scheme. Only if you heat buildings with their energy, was Brussels’s answer.

Top Voices

Ronan Lyons: The 2027 housing pipeline and the long shadow of the levy waiver

A series of deadlines in the past two years have caused artificial fits and starts in homebuilding. What happens next?

AI and jobs: “The human-reserved task becomes judgement and review”

Recruitment technology guru Raymond Pennie tries all the new AI tools so we don’t have to. He has a clear view of what robots will do – and what they won’t.

The families behind Ireland’s supermarket success stories: Rewinding the week that was

Behind Ireland’s familiar shopfronts are independent retailers who have built sizeable businesses, created local jobs, and often expanded into hospitality.

Spain is in mourning but an election will still take place in one month

Amid literal and metaphorical train wrecks, Spain’s choice is between continuation with the social democracy of PSOE's Pedro Sánchez and a new direction under the firm authoritarianism of Vox's Santiago Abascal, writes Joe Haslam in Madrid.

Ireland by the numbers: The data behind Farrell’s November challenge

An examination of Ireland’s rececent statistics reveal a team that defends well under pressure but struggles to create clean breaks, exploit the maul and convert possession into points. The November Tests offer a chance to respond.

The day Denis O’Brien interviewed me for a job – and other unfiltered encounters

With his private jet waiting, he said he wanted business covered differently when hiring me at Newstalk. Twenty years and much turbulence later, DOB remains a unique kind of operator.

Dan O’Brien: How do Irish incomes compare?

In just 20 years, Ireland has caught up remarkably fast on its neighbours while avoiding the rise of income inequality, especially between generations. While policy issues exist for the future, they are less acute than elsewhere in Europe.

Google

Alphabet still has the ingredients to win in an AI pullback

The tech giant is no longer loved by investors, despite its many advantages, writes Asa Fitch, The Wall Street Journal.