The week that was at a glance
His light relief
Bertie Ahern might be wrestling with the Mahon tribunal here, but he can evidently still do the international statesman shtick without breaking sweat, after accepting an invitation to address the Joint Houses of Congress in Washington on April 30th. Ahern joins the august company of Nelson Mandela, Haile Selassie, Charles de Gaulle and François Mitterand in addressing both British and US joint sessions.
"I will not aspire to, neither will I accept - I repeat I will not aspire to, neither will I accept - the position of the president of the council of state"
Fidel Castro, resigning as president of Cuba after almost 50 years
We now know...
Space smells metallic, according to International Space Station astronaut, Don Pettit.
Achieving sainthood is harder than ever, now that the Vatican has announced new procedures for beatification.
Tony Blair, Robin Cook, MI5, MI6, the CIA, the French intelligence agency, Prince Philip and Prince Charles were some of those involved in Diana's death, according to Mohamed Al-Fayed.
His dark materials
Goths can now rejoice, because researchers in New York have created a material that absorbs 99.955 per cent of the light that hits it, making it the darkest substance ever made. The paper-thin material reflects virtually no light, and can apparently give "those who gaze on it a dizzying sensation of nothingness". While the most immediate uses will be practical, such as in solar panels or the lining of telelscopes, that "sensation of nothingness" will be perfect for the nihilistic young rocker in your life.
The numbers
€150,000Guide price of a Damien Hirst painting that sold for €380 last year
4 number of 18-year-old Leeds native Laura Moon's kidneys
€2bnAmount the EU has already provided in aid for Kosovo