A glance at the week that was
Two times a lady
A newly discovered
replica of the Mona Lisa
at Madrid’s Prado museum has provided new insight into the famous painting. Believed to have been created alongside the original by a pupil of Leonardo da Vinci, the copy had been obscured by black overpaint. However, a recent restoration revealed hidden layers that “transform our understanding of the world’s most famous picture,” according to the
Art Newspaper.
Apart from added detail of its Tuscan landscape, the discovery suggests that the painting’s enigmatic subject was in her early 20s – much younger than previously believed.
We now know
Facebook, the world's largest social-networking site, will become a publicly traded company.
Former Royal Bank of Scotlandchief executive Fred Goodwin has been stripped of his knighthood.
British comedy series Only Fools and Horsesis being remade in the US as a pilot for the ABC television network.
The numbers
700
The minimum number of Irish retail jobs lost last year because of black-market cigarettes, an Oireachtas committee says.
€72m
The total spending during the Premier League’s January transfer window, a fall of 70 per cent on last year.
38
The percentage decrease in the number of deaths on Irish roads in January compared with the first month of 2011.
1,500
The record number of migrants who died trying to reach European shores in 2011, according to the United Nations refugee agency.
$177m
Online retail giant Amazon’s net income for the final three months of 2011, down from $416m in 2010.
90m
Japan’s expected population by 2060, a decline of 30 per cent.
£100,000
The sum pop star Rihanna has reportedly paid for a portrait of Marilyn Monroe made out of 65,000 crystals.
Most read articles on irishtimes.com
1Polish woman 'shocked' at article
2Hotel group staff urged to write positive web reviews
3Forecaster warns of severe cold snap
4Topless protest wraps up Davos forum
5McIlroy should opt for GB – Harrington
6Kenny angered by claim he acted like 'eejit' with Sarkozy
7Leitrim has $55bn gas reserves, firm claims
8Shock! Horror! Kenny tells truth
9Earls entrusted with number 13 jersey
10Woman's body found inside holdall bag in north Dublin
Rankings calculated from last Saturday until yesterday morning
