METRO Tuesday, October 27, 2009 D Apex Hotels | London | Edinburgh | Dundee to ensure you get the best Book online for the best available rates and receive a 5 voucher www.apexhotels.co.uk T +44 131 444 0440 *The above rates are per person per night, based on two adults sharing for two nights, includes full Scottish Breakfast (Continental Breakfast in London) and VAT. Must be booked 5 days in advance, Prepayment taken at time of booking. Reservations are non-refundable and non-transferable and subject to availability. Rates available until 30/11/09. London rate only available at weekends. Best available rate guarantee applies to our on-line rates only. Kids stay and eat free is available in Apex Waterloo, International & City Hotels (Edinburgh) and Apex City Quay Hotel & Spa (Dundee). Prices correct at time of going to print. You will receive a 5 food and drink voucher with your confirmation, which is exclusive to direct web bookings. London from 70.00 B&B Edinburgh* from 43.00 B&B Dundee* from 41.00 B&B No card charges Apex Short Breaks *Kidsstay and eat FREE TODAY: Overcast though mild with some showers. Max: 16C TOMORROW: Mild and dry with spells of sun. Max: 17C METRO Weather BY ROSS McDONAGH Ireland 11th best country to live in IRELAND is just outside the top ten of the worlds most prosperous nations. The Legatum Prosperity Index has named us the 11th best country in the world to live in, one place ahead of the UK. The index ranks 104 countries based on a definition of prosperity that combines eco- nomic growth with happiness and quality of life. Finland tops the poll ahead of Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Australia, Can- ada, the Netherlands, the USA and New Zealand. The bottom ten countries were Kenya, Al- geria, Tanzania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Cam- eroon, the Central African Republic,Yemen, Sudan and, lastly, Zimbabwe. The list rates each country under nine different headings, including governance, education, safety and security, economic fundamentals, and entrepreneurship and innovation. Irelands highest ranking came under health the physical well-being of the popu- lace where it was placed second in the world, behind Austria. Our lowest ranking fell under personal freedom the degree to which individuals can choose the course of their lives where we were placed 25th. Dr William Inboden of the Legatum Insti- tute said prosperity is defined as both wealth and wellbeing, and that the most prosperous nations in the world are not necessarily those that have only a high GDP, but are those that also have happy, healthy and free citizens. Suicide fear for murder accused A MAN has been remanded in custody, charged with the murder of 33-year-old Brazilian Joselita Da Silva in Tullamore, Co Offaly. The mother of three, who had been living and working in the town for the last three years with one of her children, was found dead with multiple stab wounds at a local apartment last week. Marcio Goncalves Da Silva, also originally from Brazil but with an address at Tara Street, Tullamore, Co Offaly, appeared before a special sitting of Tullamore District Court yesterday. His solicitor asked for legal aid for his client, who is unemployed. He also requested the 30-year-old defendant be placed on suicide watch and requested a psychiatric evaluation be carried out. Da Silva was remanded in custody to appear before Cloverhill District Court next Monday. feel the glove No crime spotters MURDER mystery guests hunting for a killer in a church failed to notice the Elim Pentecostal church in Yeovil, England, had been broken into and a TV, laptop and safe contents taken. MENU the Home Digest 4 Guilty Pleasures Celebrity gossip 6 World Digest 10 MetroLife Arts and entertainment 12-13 60 Second Interview Fergus Finlay 14 TV 14-15 Puzzles & Letters 16-17 Classifieds 18-20 Sport 21-24 Help keep Dublin clean and tidy for everyone by taking your Metro with you and recycling it Inventor regrets the AKTHE inventor of the Kalashnikov assault rifle has one big regret: it has become the weapon of choice for militants and rebels as well as gangsters and drug traffickers. It is painful for me to see when criminal elements of all kinds fire... my weapon, Mikhail Kalashnikov said in an address to a conference at a top-secret arms testing facility outside Moscow. For his services to Russia, Mr Kalashnikov is a hero whose 90th birthday will be celebrated in a lavish state affair next month. Mr Kalashnikov made it clear he never foresaw the almost unstoppable firearms global reach. I created this weapon primarily to safeguard our fatherland, he said. Designed in 1947 to work in the harsh conditions in which Soviet troops operate, the cheap to build and easy to maintain rifle, became one of the most successful weapons ever. Kalashnikov: Used globally Bank worker took 1.9m to gamble A SWISS bank employee has admitted to stealing millions from the banks safe to fund her 40,000- to 60,000-a-week gambling habit. Police in the northern canton of Schaffhausen say the 41-year-old woman confessed to embezzling 1.87million over the course of five years from her employer. Investigating magistrate Martina Fankhauser says the unidentified Swiss woman was arrested on September 21 and has since been released pending charges. Swiss banking giant UBS AG has confirmed that it alerted police in September after discovering funds were missing at its branch in Neuhausen near the Swiss- German border. Dominique Gerster, a spokesperson for UBS, said yesterday that clients accounts were not affected by the alleged fraud. Students first in third-degree burns FIFTEEN drunk students scarred themselves for life after burning the initials of their old hall of residence into their skin. They heated a coat hanger over a stove and branded themselves on the chest, arms or thigh at a house party. At least three needed antibiotics and some were told a skin graft would follow unless they cared for the wounds. They had a bit of a daredevil culture, said one. But they are unlikely to be disciplined because the scarring is probably punishment enough, said Stuart Franklin of Exeter University in the UK. A crystal glove worn by Michael Jackson at the 1983 Grammies is part of an exhibition at Londons O2 Arena, as an album and film, both called This Is It, kick off a week of celebrations of the pop icons life Picture: EPA index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html