A glance at the week that was
We now know
Georgia has withdrawn from the Eurovision because the anti-Russian pun of its entry We Don’t Wanna Put In has been decried as being too political
The mini-budget will take place on Tuesday, April 7th
The castle that starred in Fáilte Towers is on the market at €2.75 million – over €5 million less than the asking price when it came on the market in 2007
Skid Row?
There are fewer billionaires in the world this year, according to Forbes magazine, and Sir Anthony OReilly is no longer among them. He has dropped out of the exclusive club of 793 members, down from 1,125 in 2008. And of those on it, 87 per cent lost money last year.
The richest Irishman is now Denis O'Brien, with $2.2 billion. He overtook Seán Quinn who plummeted to $1.5 billion. The wealthiest Irish citizen, though, is Indian-born businessman Pallonji Mistry who gained an Irish passport two years ago.
Levi bolts
Most teenage romances are short, soon forgotten and often end in lifelong reminders of why the couple should have taken precautions. And once in a very blue moon, a young man gets involved in a relationship with the daughter of a woman who ends up running for US vice-president and ends up the focus of global attention. Well, Levi Johnston has split with 18-year-old Bristol Palin, two months after the birth of their son.
Mother Sarah had promised they would wed, but it seems that political expediency is no longer enough to keep the love alive.
The numbers
€3,000The increase of the salary of TDs who were elected to the Dáil in 2002
€103,389The basic pay of those TDs with seven years service
3The number of years jail the Iraqi man who threw shoes at George W Bush has been sentenced to