Planet Business

LAURA SLATTERYrounds up the week in business

€54 million

Sum generated for the exchequer by Arts Council-funded organisations by way of income, Vat and other taxes, according to Indecon. If only that was billion instead of million, the nation’s theatre groups could pay for the Nama debt.

€72 million

“Approximate” value of the goods stolen from Irish households from July 2008 to June 2009, according to the Eircom PhoneWatch burglary report, with jewellery accounting for a third of the total value of stuff nicked.

"He pulled a bulb of garlic out of his pocket and started to peel it. It was one of the odd moments in a long night of odd moments."

Economist David McWilliams exposes Brian Lenihan’s penchant for raw garlic, a habit that means the man in charge of stabilising the Irish economy is following in the footsteps of Roman soldiers, Greek athletes and the guys who built the pyramids.

"This is all happening because my father didn't buy me a train set as a kid."

Is Warren Buffett overcompensating somewhat for that disappointment by spending $26 billion (€17.5 billion) on a US railroad?

GOOD WEEK

Stan Kroenke

The man dubbed “Silent Stan” has splashed out another £3.6 million (€4 million) on shares in Arsenal Football Club, meaning he now has a 29.6 per cent stake in the club. The US tycoon has steadily approached the 30 per cent mark at which he will be obliged to make a formal takeover bid under company law – a move that could spark a bidding war between Kroenke and another major shareholder, Uzbeki tycoon Alisher Usmanov. But if Kroenke does launch a bid, he will need deep pockets, as Glazer-style leveraging is out of favour with football financiers.

BAD WEEK

ITV

The broadcaster’s much-desired sale of social networking site Friends Reunited (which incorporates Genes Reunited) has been referred to the Competition Commission in the UK by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). The new owners, FindMyPast.com proprietor Brightsolid, will dominate the online genealogy market and reduce the number of players in the fast-expanding business from three to two, according to the OFT.

But what does a super-competitive family tracing market look like? Two great-grandparents for the price of one? We’ll find secret siblings or your money back