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Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and his daughter Cecilia in Croke Park yesterday watching the Dublin v Meath match.

Photograph: Tom Honan/INPHO

Sarkozy suffers setback as party loses assembly seats
French president Nicolas Sarkozy suffered his first major setback yesterday when his right-wing UMP party won far fewer seats than expected in the second round of legislative elections, writes Lara Marlowe in Paris.

Sargent happy with Taoiseach's account of finances
The outgoing Green Party leader, Trevor Sargent, last night declared himself "absolutely" happy with the Taoiseach's word on his personal finances as it emerged Mr Ahern is to give evidence to the Mahon tribunal in two weeks' time, months earlier than expected, write Miriam Donohoe and Colm Keena .
Dublin step back from brink and finally make their points
A precipice beckoned, but nobody walked over it. Dublin moved a step away from catastrophe in Croke Park yesterday when they finished strongly to beat Meath in the much anticipated replay between the sides, writes Tom Humphries in Croke Park.

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World

Ireland may follow UK in EU justice 'opt-out'
Ireland may follow Britain and "opt out" of a key part of the EU constitution that pools sovereignty in judicial and police matters. But it remains implacably opposed to Poland's efforts to reopen talks on the type of voting system used for EU decision-making at a critical summit of EU leaders this week. p
Taliban suicide bomber kills 24 in Kabul
A Taliban bomber blew up a police bus in the heart of Kabul yesterday, killing 24 people in one of the deadliest suicide strikes to hit Afghanistan since the Taliban was ousted in 2001. p
Socialist Party wins third more seats in France
The French Socialist Party (PS) made a miraculous comeback in yesterday's legislative elections, winning between 202 and 210 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly, according to estimates by France's three main polling institutes. This represents an increase of more than a third over the PS's 149 seats in the outgoing assembly. p

Finance

Dublin the world's 16th most expensive city, survey finds
Dublin is the 16th most expensive city in the world and a more expensive place to buy a cup of coffee than London, Paris or New York, the annual Mercer Worldwide Cost of Living survey has revealed. p
ISE introduces new stock weighting method
There should be few surprises today as the Irish Stock Exchange (ISE) introduces a new methodology for calculating the weighting of stocks. p
Health insurance campaign a reminder on switching rights
Consumers will be reminded of their right to change health insurance plans without penalty in a new national information campaign by the Health Insurance Authority (HIA) starting today. p

Ireland

New inquiry into death of patient
The Department of Health will announce a new inquiry into the death of Peter McKenna in coming weeks. p
Tribute paid to McDowell
The new Minister for Justice, Brian Lenihan, has paid tribute to his predecessor, Michael McDowell, describing him as "a very great minister". p
Salmond keen to strengthen Scottish/Irish links
Scotland's first minister Alex Salmond sees the Republic as an example of what a small country can achieve, writes Frank Millar p
Ryan ministry welcomed by Shell protesters
Shell to Sea campaigners in north Mayo say that the appointment of a Green Party energy minister offers a new opportunity to resolve the Corrib gas dispute. p
Readers come from far and wide to sample Bloomsday
Fred from Wyoming knew he had come to the right place. "I asked everybody around town what this Ulysses thing is and they all referred me to you," he told Senator David Norris. p
Elderly man and two teens die in road incidents
Two 19-year-olds and a man in his late 60s were killed in three road traffic incidents around the country over the weekend. p
Major rejects Hain ceasefire criticism
Former British prime minister Sir John Major has rejected criticism by Northern Secretary Peter Hain that he mishandled the peace process, thus leading to the breakdown of the first IRA ceasefire. p

Front Page

Dublin step back from brink and finally make their points
A precipice beckoned, but nobody walked over it. Dublin moved a step away from catastrophe in Croke Park yesterday when they finished strongly to beat Meath in the much anticipated replay between the sides, writes Tom Humphries in Croke Park.
Sargent happy with Taoiseach's account of finances
The outgoing Green Party leader, Trevor Sargent, last night declared himself "absolutely" happy with the Taoiseach's word on his personal finances as it emerged Mr Ahern is to give evidence to the Mahon tribunal in two weeks' time, months earlier than expected, write Miriam Donohoe and Colm Keena .

Sport

Scully bitterly disappointed at Shamrock Rovers' exit
FAI Cup Second round/ Shamrock Rovers 2 Sligo Rovers 3 : If there's one thing worse than having insult added to injury it must be having injury controversially added to defeat. p
Waterford strike it rich in goal rush
Munster SHC Semi-final/ Waterford 5-15 Cork 3-18 : Who'd have thought it was going to end up like this? Cork, weakened by suspensions still resolutely in place after a week's frantic committee-room activity, gave the favourites a jolt of a match but couldn't quite keep the three-in-a-row on track in Munster. p
Cards fall into place for Tyrone
Ulster SFC Semi-final/ Tyrone 2-15 Donegal 1-7: All-Ireland dreamers, beware! It was not just that Tyrone cruised into the Ulster final in Clones. The important fact was that they did so by tapping into the brand of bold, glittering football that left them in a class of their own two years ago. p