A glance at the week that was
The numbers
55,763The number of home loans in arrears for more than 90 days at the end of June.
£485mThe total spent by English Premier League clubs in the summer transfer window, say the business analysts Deloitte.
37The percentage of eight-year-old children in Ireland who have a mobile phone, according to a survey by TescoMobile.
€264,000The amount the former taoiseach Bertie Ahern has claimed in expenses since he stepped down, in May 2008.
6,175The number of children in the care of the State, the highest level since records began.
44The number of minutes Conor Niland lasted against the world tennis number one Novak Djokovic at the US Open before succumbing to illness.
We now know
Killarney is the cleanest town in Ireland, according to the latest survey by Irish Business Against Litter.
Fianna Fáil will not contest the presidential election – the first time the party has not run a candidate.
Last month was the coldest August in Dublin for a quarter of a century.
Seven level-crossing rail gates have been stolen from railway lines across south Co Sligo.
Okay, no jokes about trouser snakes, please
Authorities at Miami International Airport claim to have thwarted a man trying to board a flight to Brazil with seven exotic snakes and three tortoises stuffed down his trousers. The reptiles, wrapped in nylon bags, were discovered as the passenger went through a body scanner at a security checkpoint before being arrested by US Fish and Wildlife Service officials for breaking animal trafficking laws.