What the papers say: Thursday's front pages
Ottoline Spearman
The US seizing an oil tanker, a vote on the Mercosur trade deal, and calls to ban 'nudification' apps dominate Thursday's front pages.
The US seizure of a Venezuelan-linked tanker, shadowed by Russian submarines and pursued for over two weeks across the Atlantic is the Irish Times's splash today. It is the first time in recent memory that the US has a seized a Russian-registered vessel, stoking tension with the Kremlin. The EU vote on the controversial Mercosur deal is expected tomorrow, and Independent Minister of State at the Department for Agriculture Michael Healy-Rae has said that he wants the Government to vote against it. And Minister for Further Education James Lawless has said that students having an ensuite is "wasteful".
The Irish Examiner leads with the vote on Mercosur, and how the Coalition is "hanging by a thread", as there is "every chance" Michael Healy-Rae could walk away from Government over the deal. There are calls to fast-track a bill that would ban "nudification" apps, in wake of Grok's sexualised deepfakes. And Storm Goretti is set to hit four counties.
On the front page of The Echo is a story about Dolores Hart, a woman with additional needs, who was left for hours on icy ground after she slipped and fell because there was no ambulance available.
The Irish Independent also leads with the AI 'nudification' story, and how Niamh Smyth, Minister for AI, has written to X about the impact of its Grok tool.
The seizure of the Venezuelan-linked oil tanker dominates the front page of the Irish Daily Mirror, as the Taoiseach has told Trump he doesn't think seizing Greenland is "realistic".
Weight-loss jabs are the Irish Daily Mail's lead, which reports that once you start using them you need to be on them for life as weight "piles" back on.
Guido Nasi, an Italian student who was left paraplegic after an attack, has died after 26 years, the Irish Daily Star reports.
The family of Chloe Mitchell, who have waited nearly three years for a trial for the murder of the 21-year-old due to disagreements over legal fees, fear that strike action will delay the trial even further, reports the Belfast Telegraph.
