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Prime Numbers

Microsoft, mortgages and a one-man party: The week in numbers

Plus: how much was spent on alcohol in Ireland last year?

EVERY WEEK, TheJournal.ie offers a selection of statistics and numerical nuggets to help you digest the week that has just passed.

4 - The number of hours it took German security forces to remove a man wearing only underpants from an empty government jet. During the time, the man danced on the wing of the Airbus 219, sprayed foam around the interior and released an inflatable emergency slide.

7 – The percentage by which shares in Microsoft rose after its CEO Steve Ballmer announced he was stepping down. Ouch.

9 – The number of hours the partner of Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald – who exposed US surveillance tactics – was held for at Heathrow Airport under British anti-terror legislation. David Miranda is taking legal action against the British government for detaining him.

45 – The number of minutes an American man’s heart had stopped for when he began to show signs of life. Nurses had been preparing the 37-year-old’s ‘body’ to be seen by his family when he came back to life.

46.26 - The average cost of going to see a GP in Ireland, according to a survey. Unsurprisingly Dublin is the most expensive at an average consultation fee of €53.29 while people in the west and northwest pay the least at an average of €45.61.

49 – The percentage of Irish television viewers who tuned in to watch the final of the Rose of Tralee on RTE on Tuesday night.

115 – The number of members of Ireland’s Defence Forces who are set to be deployed to Syria next month as part of a United Nations mission. The troops will serve with other international armies in the Golan Heights region.

825 – The amount in euros of the average monthly rent in Ireland, according to a new report.

97,000 – The number of households which are in arrears of more than 90 days with their mortgage, according to the Central Bank. The figure is 12.7 per cent of all mortgages in Ireland.

1,300,000,000 – The estimated value in euros of one of the biggest seizures of ecstasy tablets ever seen in Europe which was revealed by police this week.

6,300,000,000 – The amount in euros spent on alcohol in Ireland last year – an increase of 1.2 per cent on the previous year. The figure makes up almost 8  per cent of all personal expenditure – twice as much as was spent on clothing and footwear.

Want more: Check out our previous ‘In numbers’ pieces >

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