Jonathan Keane
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Jonathan Keane
@jonathankeane.bsky.social
220 followers 95 following 350 posts
Journalist at The Currency

Dublin, Ireland
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Reposted by Jonathan Keane
jonathankeane.bsky.social
While the scandal around sexual abuse deepfakes on X and Grok continues to grow, xAI has been quietly building out a team in Ireland over the last few months.

thecurrency.news/articles/213...
Amid AI sexual imagery scandal, xAI is building out a team in Ireland - The Currency
While the AI deepfake firestorm around Elon Musk’s X and Grok gathers, the billionaire’s artificial intelligence venture has been quietly growing a team in Ireland. XAI was set up by Musk to counter t...
thecurrency.news
January 13, 2026 at 9:07 AM
jonathankeane.bsky.social
The Irish Farmers' Association had its AGM today and held a defiant stance on the Mercosur trade agreement as it plans to rally MEPs to reject the last vote on the deal.

thecurrency.news/articles/214...
“The template seems to be that we’ll agree everything else and sell farmers down the river” - The Currency
The Irish Farmers’ Association struck a defiant tone on the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement at its AGM on Tuesday after the majority of EU member states backed the controversial agreement. While the ...
thecurrency.news
January 13, 2026 at 5:36 PM
jonathankeane.bsky.social
While the scandal around sexual abuse deepfakes on X and Grok continues to grow, xAI has been quietly building out a team in Ireland over the last few months.

thecurrency.news/articles/213...
Amid AI sexual imagery scandal, xAI is building out a team in Ireland - The Currency
While the AI deepfake firestorm around Elon Musk’s X and Grok gathers, the billionaire’s artificial intelligence venture has been quietly growing a team in Ireland. XAI was set up by Musk to counter t...
thecurrency.news
January 13, 2026 at 9:07 AM
Reposted by Jonathan Keane
wereontheditch.bsky.social
An Irish company insured a ship so it could deliver 440 tonnes of munitions to Israel last month.

Amnesty International warned the Holger G’s cargo could “contribute to the ongoing genocide”.

It couldn’t make its journey without mandatory insurance.

www.ontheditch.com/irish-compan...
Irish company insuring Israeli weapons ship
An Irish company insured a ship so it could deliver 440 tonnes of munitions to Israel last month.
www.ontheditch.com
January 12, 2026 at 6:11 PM
jonathankeane.bsky.social
Aaand it's done. 21 member states back Mercosur.
January 9, 2026 at 11:11 AM
jonathankeane.bsky.social
Creating deepfake CSAM is now a freemium product. This is where we are.
January 9, 2026 at 9:06 AM
jonathankeane.bsky.social
Is today the day? Whatever the outcome on the Mercosur trade deal vote today, the message it has sent to the world is a weak one.

thecurrency.news/articles/213...
Whatever the outcome of Mercosur, the EU needs to get the finger out on better trade deals - The Currency
When I was in Brussels two months ago, there was a strange mix of both defiance and resignation among Irish MEPs. MEPs from across political parties were holding their line of opposition to the EU’s m...
thecurrency.news
January 9, 2026 at 8:35 AM
jonathankeane.bsky.social
Reminder that xAI set up an Irish company last year.

thecurrency.news/articles/185...
Elon Musk’s xAI has set up a base in Ireland - The Currency
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI has established an Irish entity. XAI, which is behind the Grok AI chatbot, was set up by the billionaire in 2023 and competes with the likes of OpenAI. ...
thecurrency.news
January 8, 2026 at 4:11 PM
jonathankeane.bsky.social
With the EU spending big on defence, European Commission officials want aircraft lessors to play a role and made overtures to Irish leasing giant AerCap.

thecurrency.news/articles/213...
The EU wants aircraft leasing firms to get involved in defence spending - The Currency
As the EU prepares to significantly ramp up its defence capabilities, it has turned to an industry with a major footprint in Ireland: aircraft leasing. Officials from the European Commission queried A...
thecurrency.news
January 8, 2026 at 9:13 AM
jonathankeane.bsky.social
More twists in the tale of spyware company Intellexa. The Trump administration lifted sanctions on three of its executives but its Irish holding companies remain on the blacklist.

thecurrency.news/articles/213...
Intellexa’s executives get a Trump reprieve. But the Irish company is still in the crosshairs - The Currency
The executives behind the spyware company Intellexa received a late Christmas present of sorts from the Trump administration when sanctions against them were lifted. It’s a reprieve for the three indi...
thecurrency.news
January 7, 2026 at 8:54 AM
jonathankeane.bsky.social
This is a good read on understanding the historical context of *all the stuff* that's happening.

www.wired.com/story/3-keys...
The 3 Keys to Understanding Trump’s Retro Coup in Venezuela
This weekend’s invasion was both a throwback to the last century and a new, uniquely Trumpian nightmare—one that’s just beginning.
www.wired.com
January 6, 2026 at 4:46 PM
jonathankeane.bsky.social
Spoke with Dublin Bus's innovation director about tech at the semi-state, from electrification of the fleet to the long-awaited contactless payments.

thecurrency.news/articles/211...
Dublin Bus’s innovation to-do list: “It's a mammoth task that we're attacking” - The Currency
John McCarthy took the helm of innovation in what was a shake-up of Dublin Bus’s management just over a year ago, joining at the same time as two other new directors. His title, director of innovation...
thecurrency.news
January 5, 2026 at 12:10 PM
jonathankeane.bsky.social
Six months in Nicosia, then Dublin: How Europe’s next battles are lining up thecurrency.news/articles/212...
Six months in Nicosia, then Dublin: How Europe’s next battles are lining up - The Currency
When Ireland takes over the EU Council presidency on July 1, it will take the baton from Cyprus at a time of when the plates under Europe are shifting. The EU’s budget will be in the midst of negotiat...
thecurrency.news
January 2, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Reposted by Jonathan Keane
mwarhurst.bsky.social
Age of stupid update:

‘In January, recording his podcast in a studio in Austin, Texas, the host, Joe Rogan, and the actor Mel Gibson merrily dissed climate science. At the same time, about 1,200 miles away in California, Gibson’s $14m home was being incinerated’

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
A conversation between Joe Rogan and Mel Gibson summed up 2025 for me – and not in a good way | George Monbiot
From merrily dismissing climate science, to promoting irresponsible health claims, the podcast was an unintentional warning for our times, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
December 27, 2025 at 10:32 AM
jonathankeane.bsky.social
Memorials lit up today in Valletta for Daphne Caruana Galizia.
December 25, 2025 at 3:55 PM
jonathankeane.bsky.social
Bizarre carry on

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Former EU commissioner and activists barred from US in attack on European tech regulators
State department accuses group of pressuring tech firms to censor or suppress American viewpoints through regulation of disinformation
www.theguardian.com
December 24, 2025 at 11:30 AM
jonathankeane.bsky.social
Excellent reporting here
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/w...
For Fallen Syrian Dictator Assad and Family, an Exile of Luxury and Impunity
www.nytimes.com
December 23, 2025 at 5:37 AM
jonathankeane.bsky.social
A billion-euro medtech plant in Athlone is moving into the hands of private equity

thecurrency.news/articles/211...
A billion-euro medtech plant in Athlone is moving into the hands of private equity - The Currency
Teleflex, the US medtech company, carved up its business last week that will see numerous divisions sold off to three buyers and bring its plant in Co Westmeath under private equity ownership. The US ...
thecurrency.news
December 17, 2025 at 10:20 AM
jonathankeane.bsky.social
Palmer Luckey's Anduril bought Dublin firm Klas earlier this year. The Irish company has been quickly integrated into the US defence tech company and continues to see its revenues rise.

thecurrency.news/articles/211...
Revenue bump and deeper integration with Anduril: How Klas is shaping up post-acquisition - The Currency
Klas, the defence communications equipment maker, banked €66.5 million in annual revenues just before it was acquired by US defence tech firm Anduril. The Irish company, which makes tactical communica...
thecurrency.news
December 16, 2025 at 10:02 AM
jonathankeane.bsky.social
Timaero, an aircraft lessor linked to sanctioned Russian bank VEB, has been locked in a legal battle against Boeing in the US for six years. Now the case has rumbled into the Irish courts.

thecurrency.news/articles/211...
Boeing’s legal battles with a Russian aircraft lessor have landed in the Irish courts - The Currency
A Russian aircraft lessor, linked to a sanctioned bank, has opened a fresh legal broadside against Boeing in the Irish courts. Timaero Ireland Limited, once the aircraft leasing arm of Russian state-o...
thecurrency.news
December 11, 2025 at 1:35 PM
jonathankeane.bsky.social
ICYMI. Begs the question about Rumble and the DSA.
December 10, 2025 at 9:58 AM
jonathankeane.bsky.social
Rumble, the controversial streaming platform, is planning to establish an Irish holding company for its merger with Northern Data thecurrency.news/articles/211...
Controversial streaming platform Rumble eyes Irish beachhead for merger - The Currency
Rumble, the video-streaming and cloud firm that hosts Donald Trump’s Truth Social, is establishing an Irish entity to operate its merger with a German AI company. Rumble, which is dual-headquartered i...
thecurrency.news
December 9, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Keane
vaspanagiotopoulos.com
“Tel Aviv judge’s settlement proposal, based on state document admitting unlawful data extraction from citizen’s phone, may open door to dozens more claims & millions in potential compensation as police #Pegasus use faces renewed scrutiny.”

www.ynetnews.com/business/art...
State payout in Pegasus case triggers surge of claims over illegal phone spying
Tel Aviv judge’s settlement proposal, based on state document admitting unlawful data extraction from citizen’s phone, may open door to dozens more claims and millions in potential compensation as pol...
www.ynetnews.com
December 7, 2025 at 11:38 AM
jonathankeane.bsky.social
And there's the response
www.politico.eu/article/elon...
December 6, 2025 at 2:04 PM
jonathankeane.bsky.social
Some EU stories on The Currency today. First up, housing. The Commission is plotting a major affordable housing programme and Ireland's housing department has seconded officials to Brussels to help in its crafting.

thecurrency.news/articles/209...
The EU is plotting a major housing plan. Ireland has sent officials to hammer it out - The Currency
In the coming weeks, the EU is due to unveil its affordable housing plan and Ireland has sent officials to the European Commission to aid in its work. The Department of Housing has seconded two offici...
thecurrency.news
December 5, 2025 at 3:20 PM