SEVEN DAYS: A glance at the week that was
It’s one of those precipitous declines in international standing that most Irish people will welcome. Dublin has slipped to 72nd in a global survey of the cost of living. The dirty auld town was among the top 10 most expensive cities in the world during the boom, but this year sees a further 14-place fall, largely due to a weakened euro rather than price drops. The annual survey, conducted by Mercer, analyses the cost of living for expat employees, so currency fluctuations matter as much as, say, the price of a pint.
The numbers
50mThe increase in
Brazil's populationsince the first Rio earth summit, 20 years ago.
£10mThe inheritance from his mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales, to which Prince William became entitled on his 30th birthday, earlier this week.
23%The proportion of Irish children aged between one and four who are overweight.
€694mThe value of Ryanair'scash bid for its rival airline Aer Lingus – of which it already owns 29.8% – based on a price of €1.30 per share.
27mNumber of people around the world that the US state department estimates to be in slavery.
5%The drop, over the past four years, in the number of women who smoke, according to a survey for the State's drug advisory committee.
287m tonnesThe combined weight of humanity, as calculated by biologists in London.
We now know
The
Voyager I spacecraft(pictured), which was launched in 1977, is in the process of leaving the solar system. It would be the first human-made object to pass that threshold.
A type of toad that was thought to be extinct for more than a century has been rediscovered. The
Kandyan dwarf toadwas found in Sri Lanka.
The boxer
Floyd Mayweather has overtaken Tiger Woods as the highest-paid sports star of the past year, according to Forbes magazine.
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2 Football fans on song despite defeat
3 Toland disappointed at Owens's response to article
4 Owens hits back at Toland criticisms
5 Pity Sexton's kick and referee Owens fell short
6 Evicted couple's Killiney home for sale at €900,000
7 Carr admits 'terrible error of judgment'
8 'Best place is where you and your family flourish'
9 Vatican report critical of culture and ethos of Irish College in Rome
10 New Zealand sneak past gallant Ireland
Rankings calculated between June 15th and yesterday lunchtime
