METRO Thursday, October 1, 2009 D MENU THE Home Digest 4 Guilty Pleasures Celebrity gossip 6 Letters 10 World Digest 11 MetroLife Arts and entertainment 12-13 60 Second Interview Comic Reginald D Hunter 14 TV 14-15 Classifieds 17-21 Sport 22-24 Help keep Dublin clean and tidy for everyone by taking your Metro with you and recycling it TODAY: Bright, fresh and dry with sunny spells. Max: 15C TOMORROW: Gusty with a mix of rain and sun. Max: 15C LOTTO WEDNESDAYS DRAW 05 09 26 29 36 44 Bonus: 21 Plus 1: 04 15 21 34 39 42 Bonus: 10 Plus 2: 04 07 16 21 22 31 Bonus: 13 METRO Weather People signing on fell by 16,000 last monthBY ED CARTY THE unemployment crisis appears to have peaked af- ter official figures yesterday revealed the first fall in people signing on for almost two years. The numbers applying for benefits fell by 16,000 in September bringing the Live Register total to 423,639, an unemployment rate of 12.6 per cent. Much of the drop was linked to schools and colleges re-opening, and taking that seasonal factor into ac- count the Central Statistics Office said only 600 more people signed on in the last month. But Willie Penrose, Labours enterprise spokesman, warned there should be no grounds for complacency. There must be a fear that the figures will begin to rise again as we enter the winter months, he said. Business lobby group Ibec said falling numbers were a welcome relief but warned it was most likely a result of increased emigration. Leo Varadkar, Fine Gael enterprise spokesman, con- curred, saying there was an impression the crisis was easing because unemployed workers were leaving the country or staying on in education. The latest live reg- ister figures are no cause for celebration, he added. House prices down a third since peak For sale: But value is down PROPERTY prices have fallen by a third from their peak two-and-a-half years ago, a new report reveals. Buyers in Dublin witnessed the biggest drop of 35 per cent or 138,106 from the height of the boom in February 2007. The Meath commuter belt was almost as badly hit, with for-sale prices down 31 per cent or 107,236. Ronan Lyons, economist with Daft.ie, which compiled the report, said sellers may be getting realistic about prices. These latest figures would suggest that the differences in asking prices regionally may be having an impact on the number of transactions taking place, he said. Daft.ie, which examined the asking prices of 12,000 properties, found the average offer is 253,000. It also found it is taking twice as long to sell a house as in 2007. Earlier this week, the permanent tsb/ESRI House Price Index revealed more than 75,000 has been knocked off the average price since the peak although experts warn the data reflects prices and mortgages agreed up to three months earlier. Mr Lyons said the property market would be affected by two key factors in the next year: the likely introduction of a universal property tax to replace stamp duty and the inception of the National Asset Management Agency. Breast best for babies of new Irish NEW mothers born outside Ireland are more likely to breastfeed their babies than Irish women, according to new figures. A survey revealed more than half of all mothers are now breastfeeding their babies, with the new Irish leading the way. The Health Service Executive (HSE) launched National Breastfeeding Week with a series of resources to give expectant women more information on support. The survey examined rate and duration of breastfeeding, the factors influencing women and the reasons given by women for stopping. The highest breastfeeding rate was recorded in Dublin south-east, at 78 per cent. N-Dubz pose as they arrive at the MOBO (Music Of Black Origin) awards in Glasgow last night. They later won the best album award Picture: Reuters n-dubz... nOW YOuRE THEIR nO.1 Super-rich lose billions in recession THE American super-rich have been hit by the recession with billions of dollars knocked off their fortunes. According to business magazine Forbes, the top 400 richest people in the US have lost a collective $300billion (205.6bn) in the last 12 months. Among those taking a financial hit were Microsoft founder Bill Gates (pictured) and investor Warren Buffett, who saw their personal wealth shrink by 4.8billion and 6.85billion respectively. Chat-show host Oprah Winfrey also saw her fortune dwindle, down by $400million (274m) on her 2008 wealth. index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html