A glance at the week that was
Knock, Knock
It’ll be another big day at the Co Mayo shrine today, with a Marian apparition predicted for 3pm. According to a clairvoyant who encouraged thousands to turn up following a similar prediction earlier this month, the Virgin Mary is “angry”. On the last occasion, people stared at the sun and say they saw visions, much to the consternation of sceptics, optamologists and the Catholic hierarchy, which has condemned the gatherings.
Smoked out
There had been an increasing number of seizures of illegally imported cigarettes, but this week’s haul at Greenore Port, Co Louth, was exceptional. In total, of 120 million cigarettes were intercepted in a massive operation that had tracked the cargo all the way from the Philippines. More than 150 officers, from a range of agencies north and south of the Border, were involved in the swoop on the cigarettes, which were packed in animal feed.
"Get off the British horse and back an Irish candidate"
Enda Kenny challenges Brian Cowen over the EU council presidency
We now know
A Somali man, who claims to be 112 years old, has married a teenage bride
A curry spice can kill oesophageal cancer cells, according to researchers in Cork
The US economy has officially exited the recession
The numbers
13bn- number of years it took light to reach earth from the most distant object yet found – a dying star
40- the age, in years, of the internet this week
12,500- number of participants in the Dublin marathon