Here's What Happened Today: Saturday

NEED TO CATCH up? The Journal brings you a round-up of today’s news.

IRELAND

• US President Trump is in town, and he has already made waves by saying that he’d “love to see” a united Ireland. The comment was met by shock from across the political spectrum as well as abroad, with UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham among those to rebut his statement. We have an analysis by our political editor Christina Finn here.
• At the US Ambassador’s Deerfield residence, Trump gave a rambling speech that, among other things, described Irish people as “vicious bastards” in business. Our correspondent Niall O’Connor has the low down from Deerfield here.
• Trump also met with President Catherine Connolly, who gave him a copy of Michael Longley’s ‘Ceasefire’ poem and conveyed the message that the normalisation of war and genocide can never be accepted.
• Meanwhile, in Dublin, thousands took to the streets to protest the US president’s visit. 
• A man in his 30s has been arrested following the hijacking of a bus in Omagh, Co Tyrone.
• A priest told the funeral of a teenager killed in a hit-and-run in Co Clare, that parents and grandparents in Ireland are “full of fear” of the society that their children  are growing up in
• A man arrested in connection with a fatal shooting in Dún Laoghaire in July has been released without charge.
• Oasis have hinted that they will be returning to Slane Castle next year.

INTERNATIONAL

#EXISTENTIAL THREAT Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has called on companies to proceed more slowly in developing AI – a call that has been seconded by OpenAI boss Sam Altman and xAI’s Elon Musk.

#PHILLIPINES The death toll has risen to 76 after a fire broke out onboard a ferry off the western Philippines on Wednesday.

#REFORM UK The far-right UK party has received a second £36 million (€41.95 million) donation from a cryptocurrency billionaire.

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#OIL WARS Authorities in Saudi Arabia have said that drones launched from Iraq led to the temporary closure of a crucial oil export route used to bypass the lockdown of the Strait of Hormuz.

PARTING SHOT

It was the annual Liffey Swim today, where hundreds of brave souls take to the less-than-warm (and hopefully clean) waters of the Dublin River.

The race celebrated its 106th year today, with more than 302 swimmers competing.

It was started by Bernard Fagan, an engineer and public health expert, to showcase the quality of the river’s water.

Let’s hope he was right. 

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