A glance at the week that was
Bedsit luxury
It may not be boomtime for the hotel business, but bedsitsnever go out of style. At least that's the hope of troubled property developer Liam Carroll, who has converted two hotels he owns in Tallaght into "studio apartments" – fully furnished rooms with beds, desks, tables, chairs and even a TV. All that's missing is a kitchen, though with the addition of a microwave and a kettle, the rooms are now being rented out at €575-€600 per month. But with marble- tiled en suitebathrooms and limitless hot water, these may be bedsits, but not as we know them.
Polar price cap
While most of us pay for our accommodation, in the case of a particular German celebrity, the accommodation is paying for him. That's because the celebrity in question is the polar bear Knut (left), one of Berlin Zoo's star attractions. As a result, the zoo has agreed to pay €430,000 to another German zoo, which claims legal ownership of Knut, to keep him. Small wonder they're so eager to hang on to Knut: in 2007 alone, Knut generated more than €5 million extra income for the zoo in ticket sales and merchandise.
"He never gave up dreaming. It was that dream that changed culture all over the world"- Civil Rights campaigner Al Sharptonspeaking at the Michael Jackson memorial service
We now know
Diabetes is at least twice as common among Travellersas among the general population, according to a report in the Irish Medical Journal.
A drug found in the soil of a South Pacific island may help combat the agingprocess, US scientists report
Rates of blindnessin the Republic of Ireland may rise by 170 per cent over the next 25 years, new research claims
The numbers
10,500
The number of electricianswho went on strike during the week in pursuit of a pay increase
$1.4m
The cost of security, traffic control and other services for Michael Jackson’s memorial service
1,700
The number of times South Korean president Lee Myung-bak has been insulted so far this year by North Korea’s official state news agency, a study claims