Compiled by Laura Slattery
THE NUMBERS
1.8 million:The number of passengers travelling through Dublin airport in April, up 9 per cent on last year.
$3 billion:US electronics company Tyco International sets a new settlement record for a single company after it agreed to pay up on class action lawsuits from shareholders following a massive accounting scandal uncovered in 2002.
$10 million:The amount for which Lloyd's has insured the smile of Ugly Betty star America Ferrara, under a policy bought for the actor by Aquafresh.
QUOTE of the WEEK
"We don't have a satellite. . . yet. . . I'm not announcing anything."- Google's global privacy counsel Peter Fleischer hints at and then denies plans for world domination.
QUOTE of the WEEK 2...
"Passengers may be getting a free ride, but the planet certainly isn't."- Friends of the Earth labels Ryanair "grossly irresponsible" for encouraging "binge flyers" through its offer to pay the taxes, fees and charges on one million free flights.
GOOD WEEK
Malta and CyprusThey may not have enjoyed the glory of making it past the Eurovision semi-final, but there was some good news for Malta and Cyprus this week, as their bids to join the euro zone were backed by the European Commission and the European Central Bank.
Gas-guzzling householdersBring on the harsh winter. Prices are set to fall by 10 per cent in October, Bord Gáis has promised.
MicrosoftSales of its new operating system Vista haven't been too appalling at all, with 40 million copies sold since the end of January, according to chairman Bill Gates.
BAD WEEK
SonyThe Japanese electronics giant reported its biggest quarterly losses in four years as its PlayStation 3 machine took a hit in the console battle against Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii.
MasterfoodsThe Mars manufacturers were lambasted by vegetarians for introducing animal products to their confectionary recipes.
Marks & SpencerIrish sheep farmers protested outside its Grafton Street shop, accusing the retailer of decimating Irish spring lamb producers by opting to stock their shelves with New Zealand lamb instead.
