Tánaiste Simon Coveney and British prime minister Boris Johnson have begun the latest final stretch in the Brexit diplomatic marathon as the pair rather aptly flying off in completely different directions.

The Government and the EU are working on ways to avoid border checks after a leaked document revealed the UK has accepted there will be hard border if they crash out of Europe.

A hard border would be required on the island of Ireland in the event of a no-deal Brexit, according to the British government.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has cut short his summer holiday and returned to his home country of Luxembourg for an emergency gallbladder operation.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and British prime minister Boris Johnson will hold a second one-to-one phone call next week amid growing fears over a no-deal Brexit.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is under pressure to ensure his Brexit meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson takes place in Dublin and not London amid rising tensions over the talks.

Former Taoiseach John Bruton has said he believes that a no-deal Brexit is the most likely outcome.

France will propose a new “growth contract” with its eurozone partners to encourage northern European countries to invest more and for southern countries to undertake further reforms, its finance minister said.

US president Donald Trump plans to speak with German, French, and Italian officials ahead of a summit of the Group of 20 leading economies this week that could expose his sharp differences with world powers on trade and other issues.

HAD he lived John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th president of the United Sates would have been 100 years old yesterday — even if such longevity seems unlikely for a man of his profession and legendary appetites.

She described the summit as a wake-up call, adding: "The times in which we can fully count on others are somewhat over, as I have experienced in the past few days."

David Cameron has announced a drive to urge young people to register to vote in a clear sign of concern on the Remain side about a tight result in the referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU.

Britain is to send a further 125 Army trainers to Iraq to help with the fight against the Islamic State terror group, prime minister David Cameron has announced.

Finance chiefs from the G7 economic powers discussed ways to revive the faltering global recovery yesterday as the US leant on Europe to reach a deal to avert a Greek bankruptcy.

A taste of some of the interesting, important and quirky happenings in Europe from our Europe Correspondent, Ann Cahill.

Europe correspondent, Ann Cahill, delivers her weekly briefing on Euro affairs from the European Parliament.

The EU’s large external surplus, in light of falls elsewhere, risks a return to conditions behind the crash, says Michael Heise.

ECB president Mario Draghi has said the bank is considering buying asset-backed securities among possible options to support lending to SMEs.

G20 officials will disregard key parts of a currency statement issued this week by the Group of Seven powers, according to a communique drafted for finance leaders meeting in Moscow, and will not single out Japan.

The troika is in the final stages of organising a series of measures designed to further ease the pain of the country’s massive borrowings and help re-entry to the markets.

There are increasing signs that Germany is preparing to change its attitude towards eurozone countries becoming liable for one another’s debts as intense efforts are being made to provide Spain with funding that will not trigger a sovereign crisis.

US TREASURY secretary Timothy Geithner’s invitation to a special EU finance ministers meeting in Poland later this week is aimed at giving confidence to the markets, in a flurry over Greek default fears.

THIS summer’s volatility across global stock markets continued yesterday, with Thursday’s gains wiped out amid widespread investor nervousness over the European banking sector and whether US President Barack Obama’s $447 billion (€327bn) job creation plan stands up.

The depth of the financial crisis in Greece is causing concern at the G7 meeting of Finance Ministers in Canada.

A former French president has caused a literary storm by writing a fictional romance between a thinly disguised Diana, Princess of Wales, and himself.

A massive sell-off on Wall Street and an escalating global equity crisis sent Asian stocks plunging today, with Japan’s benchmark index in the midst of a gut-wrenching freefall.

The world’s leading economies are ready to take appropriate action, individually or collectively, to secure stability in global markets, according to a draft statement today from the Group of Seven industrial nations.

WORLD stocks coasted along near record highs yesterday while investors’ search for yield kept emerging market and corporate bonds closer to government debt.

FOREIGN-EXCHANGE rates will be a central theme when finance ministers from the Group of Seven rich nations meet in Germany this week, Deputy German Finance Minister Thomas Mirow said yesterday.

The ISEQ inched up 25.42 points this afternoon to 8097.4 points. The financials mirrored the modest gains with all major banks creeping into the black.

Briatin's chancellor Gordon Brown today stepped up pressure for reform of the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy

THE Group of Seven wealthy nations have pledged to help rid the world’s poorest countries of their crippling debt, launching a programme that falls short of the immediate action demanded by Africa.

THE euro hit a record high against the dollar for a second day on Friday last, rising above $1.3540, as investors worried about the US current account deficit and economy, and pushed the single currency higher in thin holiday trade.

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair will go into hospital today for a two-and-a-half hour procedure to treat a heart condition.

European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said the European Stability and Growth pact should be applied better, but not changed, despite the danger of several euro zone members breaching the 3% of GDP limit for their budget deficit.

The sharp rise in oil prices poses a risk to the global economy unless producing countries live up to their responsibilities, European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet warned.

THE last couple of years have seen a pretty dramatic exchange rate adjustment by any standards. Since the beginning of 2002 the euro has gained over 43% against the dollar and over 11% against sterling.

The dollar rose slightly higher against the euro in early trade, as analysts said activity appeared to settle down since the G7 meeting over the weekend.

THE European Central Bank (ECB) left interest rates unchanged yesterday, resisting calls for a cut to ease pressure on exporters suffering from the euro’s current strength.

With the euro off its recent highs, the pressure on the European Central Bank (ECB) to cut its key interest rates has eased a little and the bank is likely to hold rates steady when it meets later this morning, the eve of the G7 meeting in Florida, analysts say.

The euro continued its descent against the dollar today, trading at $1.2507 in early deals as markets continue to react to a series of comments from senior European Central Bank officials and political leaders.

The European Central Bank today cut interest rates for the first time in three months, but the quarter-percentage point reduction was less than some economists had expected.

The European Union today issued a stern warning to a gathering of top financial officials, saying uncertainty over war in Iraq has damaged the world economy.