Environmental activists from Greenpeace UK have taken their protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's environmental policies to the sands near his Turnberry golf course in Scotland. The protest, which featured a massive 55m by 40m sand artwork of Trump's face alongside the slogan 'Time to resist - fight the billionaire takeover,' was designed to be visible only from the air, leaving golfers on the course unaware of the demonstration unfolding nearby.

The sand artwork, created in collaboration with the arts organisation Sand in Your Eye, was timed to coincide with the first 100 days of Trump's second term in office. Greenpeace has criticized the president's decisions during this period, including the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and the administration's support for coal and oil projects. The protest aimed to highlight what the group sees as a prioritization of corporate profits over environmental protection and public health.

Areeba Hamid, co-executive director of Greenpeace UK, articulated the group's concerns, stating that Trump's policies have actively worked to dismantle environmental protections and silence activism. 'It's time to resist the billionaire takeover of our rights and freedoms,' Hamid said, accusing the president and his allies in the fossil fuel industry of endangering the planet and its inhabitants for financial gain.

This marks the second protest targeting Trump's Turnberry golf resort in recent months, following an earlier demonstration by pro-Palestine activists. The sand artwork, a temporary installation, was eventually washed away by the tide, but the message it carried reflects ongoing tensions between environmental activists and the Trump administration's policies. Greenpeace's aerial protest underscores the global reach of environmental activism and the creative tactics employed to draw attention to climate change and corporate influence in politics.

The Central Bank of Ireland has concluded a long-running inquiry into the Irish Nationwide Building Society (INBS), resulting in significant penalties for former executives. John Stanley Purcell, a former board member, has been fined €130,000 and banned from the financial sector for four years due to his role in the society's governance and risk management failures. The inquiry highlighted a period between 2004 and 2008 where INBS's commercial lending practices were found to be lacking in oversight and adherence to financial regulations.

During the years under scrutiny, INBS's commercial loan book expanded dramatically from €3.59bn to €8.18bn, with commercial loans making up 78% of its total loan book by the end of 2008. The Central Bank's report detailed a culture of high-risk lending, where large sums were disbursed without proper documentation, adequate security, or necessary approvals. This reckless approach to lending was a significant factor in the society's eventual collapse during the financial crisis.

The inquiry also shed light on the broader systemic failures within INBS, including a lack of adherence to its own credit risk management policies and the absence of annual credit risk stress tests for commercial lending. Louise Gallagher, the Central Bank's head of enforcement investigations, emphasized the discovery of a pervasive culture that prioritized high-risk lending over sound financial practices. The findings underscore the importance of robust governance and risk management frameworks in financial institutions.

In addition to the penalties imposed on Purcell, the Central Bank's inquiry has led to settlements with other former INBS executives, including disqualifications and fines. The total cost of the investigation and inquiry into INBS's regulatory breaches amounted to over €24m, spanning 15 years from 2010 to 2025. This case serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of failing to uphold financial regulations and the critical need for accountability in the banking sector.