A glance at the week that was
Brazil nuts
The Brazilian government launched a formal investigation this week after a São Paulo comedian impersonating Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took to the airways across Africa in a purported attempt to refute
Rio de Janeiro's violent reputation.
"Lula" told Angolan state radio that he was speaking live from one of Rio's most notorious slums, and that rumours of its danger were exaggerated. "You can bring your laptops, bring your cameras, you can bring whatever you want. You can leave it all on the floor," he announced, while parrots chirping in the background were interrupted by machine-gun fire.
Mozambique and Cape Verde were similarly addressed, with plans unveiled to build a pink, bulletproof motorway, and to hire monkeys as security during the Olympics.
Aussie rules
Which goes to show, there's no hoodwinking the Australians, as one Irishman recently found out to his cost. The man was fined $1,400 (€870) and expelled from Australia after being convicted of
immigration fraud. And he's not the only one: other Irish backpackers are currently under investigation for attempts to prolong their stay down under, under false pretences. Legally, those looking for a second working-holiday visa must have worked for three months in agricultural or regional work during their first year, but some have opted to fake it instead. The convicted man admitted he bought employment verification details for his second year visa.
We now know
Brain surgerywas being carried out in Ireland more than 1,000 years ago, and patients survived, studies on the newly discovered medieval church and the graves of 1,300 people have revealed.
Ireland has the potential to be struck by a tsunami, according to Prof Mike Williams of NUI Galway, who says the country has been hit in the past.
Irish children are healthier and happierthan their English, Scottish and Welsh counterparts, a study reveals. They are also more likely to exercise vigorously, and do not drink alcohol as regularly as their neighbours.
"Your presence . . . is a gesture of exceptional friendship"
French president Nicolas Sarkozyto Angela Merkel, the first German chancellor to mark Armistice Day by attending the commemorative event in Paris
The numbers
€12mThe amount the National Roads Authority has collected in finesthis year from motorists who failed to pay the M50 toll on time.
€5,000The cost of accommodation and air travel for Tánaiste Mary Coughlan during a three-day trip to the United Arab Emirates last year.
110,000The number of full-time undergraduate studentsin Ireland – more than the total number of farmers in the country.
