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Members of Mobile Homme during rehearsals yesterday in Smithfield, Dublin, prior to their performance last night as part of the Bastille Festival over the weekend. The group is performing Saturday night in Tallagh Civic Centre.

Photograph: Cyril Byrne

Hizbullah leader vows 'open war' on Israel
Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed to wage "open war" on Israel yesterday after it bombed his home and headquarters in southern Beirut, while in Israel the army chief warned that the Shia organisation had rockets that could reach Israeli cities up to 20km (12 miles)north of Tel Aviv. Peter Hirschberg reports from Jerusalem
EU proposal would allow quick divorces in Irish courts
Citizens from other EU states would be able to get quick divorces in Irish courts under proposed EU regulations to be unveiled by the European Commission on Monday, writes Jamie Smyth in Brussels
Stringfellows cites protest and money woes for closure
Stringfellows lapdancing club on Dublin's Parnell Street closed its doors permanently yesterday after less than six months' trading, writes Ali Bracken.

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Ireland

Hospital not liable for woman's death
A husband whose wife is presumed to have committed suicide after she walked out of St Patrick's Psychiatric Hospital, Dublin, where she was a voluntary patient, has lost his High Court action for damages against the hospital. p
Mother faces €100,000 legal bill in lease dispute with son
An elderly mother is facing a legal bill estimated at about €100,000 following the High Court's rejection of her claim that her youngest son had exerted undue influence on her to sign a lease for a restaurant development at the rear of her home at Dublin's Fitzwilliam Square. p
Garda drug haul in Clare has street value of at least €4m
A Co Clare businessman was in Garda custody last night after a seizure of drugs with an estimated street value of at least €4 million. Conor Lally and Gordon Deegan report. p
Cost of child benefit to fall as migrant workers return home
Government officials expect the projected cost of €100 million for paying child benefit to EU migrant workers could fall significantly after it emerged that many applicants have since returned to their home country. p
Population shift poses problems of ageing rural community
A major population shift towards towns and cities means as many as one-third of people in some rural areas are now aged 65 or older, a leading expert on care for older people said yesterday. p

World

Civil rights set to cast shadow over G8 summit
RUSSIA: President George Bush met yesterday with Russian activists complaining about the erosion of democracy in advance of this weekend's G8 summit of industrialised nations in St Petersburg. p
Former CIA agent Plame sues Cheney
US: Former CIA officer Valerie Plame is suing vice-president Dick Cheney, his former chief of staff Lewis "Scooter" Libby and presidential policy aide Karl Rove for conspiring to destroy her career by leaking her identity to the media. p
Multiple crises bring world to a very dangerous pass, says Chirac
FRANCE: President Jacques Chirac used his 12th and last Bastille Day television interview yesterday to express "consternation" at the Israeli bombing of Lebanon. p
Ahern criticises response to kidnap of troops
IRELAND: Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern has criticised the "disproportionate" Israeli response to the kidnappings of its soldiers, saying the crisis could only be resolved through dialogue. p
Organised crime reaping rewards of Chinese growth
CHINA: Runaway economic growth is leading to a resurgence in organised crime in China. A group of 34 suspected gangsters went on trial in Beijing this week on charges of bribery, assault, extortion, gambling and the possession and sale of firearms. p

Finance

Greencore must accept plan - Minister
The Minister for Agriculture has written to Greencore making it clear that the company must accept its plans for how compensation for the end of sugar processing is to be spent before the money is paid out. p
Tension in Middle East drives oil to record high
Oil prices hit a new high yesterday in the wake of rising political tension in the Middle East. p
Whelan's case against Dunnes left in limbo
The fate of the jobs of 477 workers at Whelan's Frozen Foods, a major supplier to Dunnes Stores, remains in the balance after the two companies disagreed before the High Court yesterday about whether their legal dispute had been settled or not. p
Fall in motor trade prompts 2.2% drop in value of retail sales in May
Shoppers became more cautious in May as high street activity fell. The value of retail sales was down 2.2 per cent in May compared to April, while volumes fell by 2.5 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms, according to data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) yesterday. p

Sport

Italian clubs to appeal rulings
SOCCER: Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli has announced his club will appeal against the punishment handed out following the investigation into match-fixing. p
Offaly a threat but hard to see Dublin express derailed
GAELIC GAMES/Dublin v Offaly: The closer these sort of matches get, the less straightforward they look. p
Clarke setting a hot pace
Playing partner Colin Montgomerie made a sparkling start, but a dazzling finish by Darren Clarke has taken him into the halfway lead in the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond. p
€1,000 seats par for course, says IRFU
RUGBY/2006 Six Nations: The IRFU have defended their ticket prices for next year's Six Nations rugby internationals at Croke Park, where corporate seats will cost more than 1,000. p