Saudi Aramco shares opened 10% higher on their Riyadh stock market debut this morning, closing in on the $2 trillion valuation long sought by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The shares opened at 35.2 riyal ($9.39) apiece, 10% above their initial public offering price (IPO) of 32 riyals. Saudi Arabian Oil Co (Aramco) raised a record $25.6 billion in its IPO last week, giving it a market value of around $1.7 trillion. | Sinn Féin's Housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin has said his party is moving to table a bill, which proposes to freeze rents for three years, because rents are so high. The party is using its speaking time in the Dáil to seek to progress the bill, which will be voted on next Thursday. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Ó Broin said a long term rent freeze was not an option, but added that an emergency freeze and an affordable tax credit would put a month's rent back in renters' pockets. | Just Eat has today rejected a raised takeover offer from Dutch-based technology group Prosus because it significantly undervalued the company. The company also said it continued to back a rival all-share offer from Takeaway.com. Prosus, a spinoff of South Africa's NaspersJ, raised its bid for the British food delivery company to 740 pence a share from 710 pence yesterday. | More than four out of five people here believe that Ireland's membership of the EU is a good thing, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey. This compares with 59% of EU citizens generally. The survey asked citizens about several topics, including which political issue the European Parliament should deal with as a matter of priority. 59% of Irish people consider climate change to be the most current pressing environmental issue, as compared with 52% of EU citizens as a whole. | A state of the art wave energy device, developed by an Irish company, has arrived in Hawaii where it will be hooked up to the local electrical grid. The OE 35 Buoy is a hydrokinetic wave converter that was built in Portland, Oregon in the US and designed by Irish wave technology company Ocean Energy. The massive three-storey-tall floating structure uses wave power to turn turbines that generate electricity. | Struggling baby products retailer Mothercare has today reported a 8.4% drop in half-year worldwide sales. The company was hit by past troubles at its UK operations and tough macroeconomic conditions in the Middle East and China. The company, which operates 1,010 overseas franchise stores, is dealing with stiff competition from online retailers and rising costs, leading to the collapse of its UK operations last month.   |||