In September 2024, Burke Brothers and motor distributor Gowan filed judicial review cases to block the €1 billion Dart+ West rail project, but Irish Rail reached a confidential settlement with the litigants and the proceedings were withdrawn before the hearing. An anonymous senior official said such settlements are expected to cost far less than further delays, though they may involve paying above the asset's value, while the State paid €2 million or more for each of five Dublin homes this year to buy out objectors to MetroLink and housing projects. The Greater Dublin Drainage scheme, estimated at around €500 million in 2017–2018, now has forecasts of €1.9 billion to €2.3 billion after prolonged legal disputes. Some business leaders see such deals as smart investments, while others warn they could encourage more lawsuits in hopes of upfront payouts. Burke Brothers' 2025 accounts show €5.28 million in compensation for anticipated future business interruption.
Summary written by Upside AI from the original article. Read the source for full details.
Read the original on irishtimes.com ↗
Related news
- CAPITAL MARKETS: Bigger Deals, Tighter Screws | Asian Legal Business
- Unsustainable pay increases for public sector workers will put Ireland stability at risk – The Irish Times
A columnist argues that excessive public sector pay rises in the early 2000s helped trigger the 2008 financial crash, as public service numbers grew 35% from 2000 to 2008 and pay rose 32% from 2003 to 2008, against 18% cumulative inflation. A flawed benchmarking process pushed senior public servants' pay 8% above private-sector equivalents by 2006, and middle and lower grades 22% to 31% higher. Even after the crash, Ireland ranked near the top of OECD public pay tables in 2011. Minister Jack Chambers said civil servant numbers rose 52% over the past decade, from 35,032 to 53,161, and the wider public service rose 38%. The author says union demands for inflation-matching rises are reasonable, but the Government should resist excessive demands not accompanied by changes in work practices, including a return to the office.
- Dollar Wraps Its Worst Day in Over a Month on AI Risk Concerns
The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.3% on Thursday, its biggest drop since Sept. 3, as AI-related concerns fueled a bond rally that pushed yields lower and weighed on the dollar. The greenback fell against nearly all major peers, and about 1% against the Swiss franc, despite new data pointing to ongoing inflation pressures. US producer prices rose 1.3% in September, the most in more than four years, and retail sales beat forecasts, after a hotter CPI report had briefly lifted the dollar to its highest since May 2025. Traders are watching Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh's remarks at the IMF–World Bank Group meetings in Bangkok, his last chance to signal rates before the Fed's blackout period starts Saturday. Brent Donnelly of Spectra Markets said that if markets price in peak AI capex, the USD is a sell, noting the US economy is heavily balanced on the AI trade.
- Bitcoin Price Holds Above $81K as ETF Outflows Raise Concerns
Bitcoin held above $81,000 on Saturday, October 17, rising 0.6% to $81,544.8 after a volatile week that briefly fell below $80,000 following a rally past $84,000. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $82.39 million in net outflows on October 16, including $71.78 million from BlackRock's IBIT, after $261.4 million left on October 14. Concerns center on inconsistent institutional demand and expectations of further Federal Reserve rate hikes. Ethereum gained 0.5% to $2,417.92, and stablecoin issuer Circle reported about $1.4 billion in first-half 2026 revenue.
- Europe's answer to SpaceX set for 25% weekly gain as Ukraine's Starshield limits raise concerns
Shares of French satellite group Eutelsat rose 16.5% on Friday and about 25% over five days after the Ukrainian military's access to SpaceX's Starshield was restricted. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said Starlink was switched off overnight, preventing drones from intercepting Russian attacks and contributing to civilian deaths, while Elon Musk blamed the U.S. government. Deutsche Bank called Eutelsat “the credible Starlink alternative” but said it lacks Starlink's scale, with over 600 satellites versus more than 6,750, and expects the shares to give up some gains. Deputy minister Serhiy Derkach said Russia has stepped up attacks on civilian infrastructure, and Ukrainians face blackouts of 4-12 hours per day.
- Killeen residents raise concerns about taxes , city budget and future growth during town hall
At a town hall hosted by Killeen City Councilman Charles “Chuck” Kimble (District 2) on Oct. 14 at VFW Post 9191, residents raised concerns about property taxes, utility costs, youth activities and the possibility of bringing data centers to the city. Kimble said the property tax exemption for veterans with a 100% disability rating affects Killeen probably more than any other city in Texas, creating a projected budget deficit. He said he wants input from veterans and residents on possible tax strategies. Resident Latasha Shone welcomed discussion of expanding parks, community centers and activities for young people, and said Killeen needs to keep up on data centers to avoid being left behind. Kimble, who joined the council in May, said hearing from residents will help him set priorities.
Related markets
Latest news
- Stock Market Midday, Oct. 19: Tech Stocks Rebound as AI Confidence Returns
As of 11:34 AM ET, the S&P 500 is up 0.85% at 7,725 and the Nasdaq Composite has risen 1.67% to 26,576 as growth stocks rebound from their worst week since June. The Dow Jones is up 0.15% at 52,094. Gold has fallen 0.51% to $4,145.56, while the 10-Year Treasury yield has gained 3 basis points to 5.13%. Sandisk (+7.4%) and Micron Technology (+4.7%) rose on a shift in memory sentiment, Intel climbed after a JPMorgan upgrade, and Amazon.com gained after Morgan Stanley raised its price target and named it a top pick. Real estate and consumer defensive stocks posted the biggest losses, while U.S. homebuilder confidence fell to a 14-year low and violent protests in France and Italy weighed on European equities.
- Jensen Huang: “Two Gigawatts to Us Is Like $80 Billion.” 43 New Gigawatts Coming in 2027
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said two gigawatts of AI capacity, like the ones Nvidia announced in Australia, are worth about $80 billion to the company, up from about $18 billion per gigawatt previously. He attributed the increase to Nvidia now selling far more of each data center, including networking, CPUs, storage and security, not just GPUs. Citing SemiAnalysis's Dylan Patel on the BG2 podcast, Altimeter Capital's Brad Gerstner said 43 gigawatts of new AI compute will come online next year. At about $40 billion per gigawatt, Nvidia would need around 17 gigawatts to reach the $692 billion revenue estimate for fiscal 2028, though Huang said land, power and data center buildings are the main obstacles to the build-out.
- Strive buys $335M in Bitcoin, boosting holdings to 36,818 BTC
Bitcoin treasury company Strive bought 4,045 BTC for about $335 million last week, raising its total holdings to 36,818 BTC, according to a Monday SEC filing. The purchases were made between Oct. 12 and 16 at an average price of $82,803 per coin, including fees. That makes Strive the fourth-largest publicly traded corporate Bitcoin holder, ahead of MARA Holdings, with reserves worth about $3 billion. The company also received about $369 million from warrant exercises and issued 13.7 million common shares, and it priced a $630 million offering of SATS preferred stock carrying a fixed 15% annual dividend, with proceeds that could fund more Bitcoin purchases. ASST shares rose about 7.7% to $25.95 in late-morning trading Monday.
- SpaceX Could Buy Tesla for $480 Per Share in $3.74 Trillion Merger, RBC Says
According to RBC Capital Markets, SpaceX (NASDAQ:SPCX) could acquire Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) for $480 per share, creating a combined company worth $3.74 trillion. Tesla shareholders would hold just 48% of the merged business, down from 54% in the bank's July estimate.
- Apple announces another event – with a whole new kind of MacBook expected
Apple has invited press to an event titled “Pro and Tell” in Los Angeles on 28 October, announced by marketing chief Greg Joswiak on X. The headline launch is expected to be a new MacBook Pro with the company's first touchscreen, which is rumoured to be lighter, use M5 Pro and Max chips, and feature an OLED display with the Dynamic Island, at a higher price than current models. Apple may also introduce a new iPad Mini, an updated iMac and a refresh of the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro. It would be Apple's third launch in two months, following the early-September iPhone event and last week's Welcome Home event, and comes as CEO John Ternus reportedly pushes for faster new product launches.
- JPMorgan Backs Two Defense Startups With $5 Billion
JPMorgan has already committed half of its $10 billion investment pool to hypersonic-missile maker Castelion and defense manufacturer Hadrian. The bet reflects America's push to rebuild its defense industrial base.
Get the briefing on Telegram or Zalo
Join the Upside Telegram channel or Zalo group for the Vietnam stocks and gold briefing at 8:00 and 19:00 (Vietnam time) on trading days, plus a weekly wrap on Saturday morning.