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# The briefcase
Here's everything you need to know about business this week
Everyone was talking about the New Land League, public service sick days and expensive cities.
EVERY WEEKEND, TheJournal.ie gives its readers the chance to put their feet up and take a look back at all the goings-on from the world of business.
Once again it’s time to delve deep inside The Briefcase for the important – and sometimes less-important – financial news that has come out this working week:
Everyone learned the names Brian O’Donnell and the New Land League. The solicitor-turned developer and his wife spent the week holed up in their Gorse Hill mansion after refusing to hand over the property to the Bank Of Ireland. The bank has been trying to repossess on debts claimed to be worth €70 million, but the self-styled New Land League went in to bat for the former high flyer in the property fight, blocking access
Absenteeism in the public service is “unacceptable”. That’s according to the boss of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, which released figures showing the departments where staff were taking the most sick days on average. The top slot went to the Property Registration Authority, where the figure was 13.96 days a year
Singapore is the most expensive city in the world. The Economist Intelligence Unit rated the Asian city-state the highest-cost location for expats, nudging out Paris and Oslo. Meanwhile, Vienna was rated the most “liveable” place on the planet with Dublin coming in at only 34th on the list – although that was higher than anywhere else in the UK or Ireland
O2 was finally erased from the face of Ireland. The telecoms company, which was bought out by Three Ireland last year, was officially rebranded as part of its new owner this week. And customers shouldn’t expect too much change, except their local store might be gone after 42 out of the combined company’s 110 outlets were shut
Ireland should “embrace” a population of 10 million. Business lobby group Ibec said the number of inhabitants on the island was expected to hit that figure before 2050 and that would present “new and exciting opportunities” – as long as governments started spending money now on infrastructure
Dublin hotels are about to get a whole lot pricier. Costs in the capital are forecast to rise faster than anywhere else in Europe this year and the next, according to PwC. But things could be a lot worse – Dublin is a long way off being in the same league as Paris, the most expensive destination on the list
Bill Gates is still the richest man in the world – and getting richer. The annual Forbest rich list put the Microsoft founder’s net worth at $79.2 billion, ahead of Mexican telecoms mogul Carlos Slim Helu. Irish tycoon Denis O’Brien just sneaked into the top 200 with a personal fortune of $6.8 billion
Ryanair unveiled a new “customer charter” – but won’t lose the “Sex Pistols attitude”. This week the low-cost carrier announced a string of changes including new interiors, uniforms and some lower charges. Don’t worry about the company getting too cuddly though, its marketing chief says Ryanair isn’t setting out to be loved by customers
And one for the road…
If the words “yeah yeah yeah funky yeah” mean anything to you, then you probably remember a little track called Maniac 2000.
The Mark McCabe track, described by its own creator as “badly produced and so badly recorded”, hit the top of the Irish charts 15 years ago.
Here’s a walk down memory lane:
First published 07.45
