Live News: 125,000 connected to fibre through NBP; BoA reiterates ‘buy' rating for Flutter
Welcome to the Business Post's Live News section. We're here all day to keep you up to date on developments in business, tech and current affairs.
07.45 - 125,000 connected to fibre through National Broadband Plan
Over 125,000 premises in Ireland have signed up to high-speed fibre broadband through the National Broadband Plan.
This is a takeup rate of 35 per cent, out of the total 361,000 premises connected to date, which is ahead of projections and international comparisons.
07.30 - Bank of America reiterates 'buy' rating for Flutter
Analysts at Bank of America have reiterated a buy rating for betting giant Flutter and set a share price objective of $295.
The analysts said the Dublin-headquartered company was well-positioned for long-term growth despite recent concerns around slowing US sports betting 'handle' - and persistently low 'hold rates'.
The reassessment followed Flutter competitor DraftKings's first-quarter 2025 earnings, which, while highlighting some near-term pressure, revealed deeper structural positives for Flutter's FanDuel brand, the analysts said.
Emma Hanrahan has more.
07.15 - Asian markets mostly rise
Most markets in Asia rose in overnight trading, as the ongoing enthusiasm over trade continues.
CSI 300 (China): +0.97%
Nikkei 225 (Japan): -0.19%
TAIEX (Taiwan): +2.12%
Hang Seng (Hong Kong): + 1.71%
Kospi (South Korea): + 1.16%
07.00 - Good Morning
Good morning from the Business Post, Fionn Thompson here with you to keep you up to date on all the latest in business and current affairs.
Leading our site this morning is the news that Goldman Sachs is in talks for an Irish launch of its retail bank Marcus.
It's understood the group has held talks with regulators about an Irish launch of its retail bank Marcus, a move that could shake up the country's heavily concentrated market and give the Wall Street giant access to tens of billions of euros in deposits.
Elsewhere, the Irish Independent has reported that the Companies Registration Office (CRO) says IT failures mean automated strike-offs are still not possible.
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Irish Independent
20 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Airlines weigh Middle East cancellations and deal with ‘location spoofing' after US strikes in Iran
The usually busy airspace stretching from Iran and Iraq to the Mediterranean has been largely empty of commercial air traffic for 10 days since Israel began strikes on Iran on June 13, as airlines divert, cancel and delay flights through the region due to airspace closures and safety concerns. New cancellations of some flights by international carriers in recent days to usually resilient aviation hubs like Dubai, the world's busiest international airport, and Qatar's Doha, show how aviation industry concerns about the region have escalated. However, some international airlines were resuming services on Monday. Leading Asian carrier Singapore Airlines, which described the situation as "fluid", was set to resume flying to Dubai on Monday after cancelling its Sunday flight from Singapore. Similarly, Flightradar24 departure boards show British Airways was set to resume Dubai and Doha flights on Monday after cancelling routes to and from those airports on Sunday. Air France KLM cancelled flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh on Sunday and Monday. With Russian and Ukrainian airspace also closed to most airlines due to years of war, the Middle East had become a more important route for flights between Europe and Asia. Amid missile and air strikes during the past 10 days, airlines have routed north via the Caspian Sea or south via Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Added to increased fuel and crew costs from these long detours and cancellations, carriers also face a potential hike in jet fuel costs as oil prices rise following the US attacks. Proliferating conflict zones are an increasing operational burden on airlines, as aerial attacks raise worries about accidental or deliberate shoot-downs of commercial air traffic. Location spoofing and GPS interference around political hotspots, where ground-based GPS systems broadcast incorrect positions which can send commercial airliners off course, are also a growing issue for commercial aviation. Flightradar24 told Reuters it had seen a "dramatic increase" in jamming and spoofing in recent days over the Persian Gulf. SkAI, a Swiss company that runs a GPS disruption map, late on Sunday said it had observed more than 150 aircraft spoofed in 24 hours there. Safe Airspace, a website run by OPSGROUP, a membership-based organisation that shares flight risk information, noted on Sunday that US attacks on Iran's nuclear sites could heighten the threat to American operators in the region. This could raise additional airspace risks in Gulf states like Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, it said. In the days before the US strikes, American Airlines suspended flights to Qatar, and United Airlines and Air Canada did the same with flights to Dubai. They have yet to resume. While international airlines are shying away from the region, local carriers in Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq are tentatively resuming some flights after widespread cancellations. Israel is ramping up flights to help people return home, and leave. The country's Airports Authority says that so-called rescue flights to the country would expand on Monday with 24 a day, although each flight would be limited to 50 passengers. From Monday, Israeli airlines will start to operate outbound flights from Israel, the authority said. Israeli airline El Al on Sunday said it had received applications to leave the country from about 25,000 people in about a day.


Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Healthcare real estate firm Assura recommends €2bn takeover bid
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Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
House price inflation hits 10-year high and oil prices set to surge after Iran strikes
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