A glance at the week that was
53
The percentage of EU citizens who say they are not interested in the upcoming European elections
$2.5m
The amount Barack Obama made from the sales of his two best-selling memoirs.
57,632
The number of motorists clamped by Dublin Street Parking Services last year
“I’m definitely not going to see him again'
Bebhinn O’Keeffe on “ex husband” Alan Healy, after they returned from “honeymoon”. They had exchanged vows a week previously after meeting for the first time as part of a radio show
Heating up
Ireland is one of the few countries that will be habitable when global warming takes hold, according to scientist, James Lovelock, who was in Dublin this week. With rapidly rising temperatures set to plunge the planet into catastrophe, turning most of the world into a desert, Ireland and New Zealand will be saved by their maritime climates and relative under-population.
The originator of the Gaia theory predicted widespread famine in 30 years, but said Ireland could become a “lifeboat for humanity”.
We know how
Sat-nav systems in cars are sending tourists to Fethard-on-Sea in Co Wexford instead of Fethard in Co Tipperary
No males required: Amazonian ants have found a way to reproduce without sex. Researchers at the University of Arizona found the queen ants copy themselves to produce genetically identical daughters
Spam email damages the environment, according to new research, which reveals that the transmission and receipt of unwanted emails uses 33 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year
Cooling down
When it came to the economic climate, there was a prediction that Ireland would be last in line to turn around its financial fortunes. According to Pat McArdle, chief economist with Ulster Bank, we're likely to trail the US, Britain and other euro zone economies when it comes to recovering from the recession. In short, the big shots – the US, the UK, France and Germany – have to pick themselves up and start buying Irish again before we can catch up.