A glance at the week that was
The numbers
5The numbers of days French justice minister Rachida Dati took off work after giving birth by Caesarean section
1.5%The interest rate set by the Bank of England - the lowest since it was founded in 1694
109The number of media workers killed worldwide in 2008
Runaway bride
It's a love storyfor the ages: Mika and Anna-Bell eloped from their home in Hanover, Germany. They aimed to wed in Africa, only to be thwarted and separated by their parents. Except that Mika is six years old and Anna-Bell is five. Mika's sister, who they took along as a witness, is seven. Packing sunglasses, armbands, clothes, cuddly toys, and dragging a blow-up pink lilo, they took a tram to the train station only to be spotted by a policeman. "I'm still in a state of shock," said Mika's mother. Weddings will do that to you.
Pimp my ride
Manchester United were beaten by lowly Derby on Wednesday night, and just as it looked as if the week couldn't get any worse for the Red Devils' star player Cristiano Ronaldo, he wrote off his Ferrari in a crash the following morning. The incident, in a tunnel, did serious damage to the sportscar. Thankfully, the sports star was uninjured, but he still dropped to the ground, grabbed his leg and rolled around for a couple of minutes. Force of habit.
We now know
Flu casesare at their highest number in almost a decade
It has been so cold this week that the harbour in Arklow frozefor the first time in 25 years
The Cliffs of Moher are Ireland's nomination in a bid to find the new seven wonders of the world