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Hatty Murray and Lindsey Rose Inman enjoying the British summer at the 2007 Glastonbury Music Festival in Somerset yesterday.

Photograph: Anthony Devlin/PA

June rainfall already more than double the average
June has been mostly a washout according to statistics published this week by Met Éireann. Weather stations at Kilkenny and Roches Point have experienced more than 200 per cent the average rainfall for the month in just three weeks, writes Steven Carroll.

German and Polish relations hit new low over treaty
Polish-German relations sank to a new low last night as German chancellor Angela Merkel threatened to convene crucial talks on a new EU treaty without Warsaw, writes Jamie Smyth in Brussels.
Developer's company settles €3.5m tax bill with Revenue
A company owned by a high-profile developer has made a tax settlement of close to €3.5 million with the Revenue Commissioners for underpaying VAT. Barry O'Halloran reports.

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Ireland

Failure of some State bodies to reform criticised
Several public bodies were criticised yesterday for failing to take sufficient action to ensure they deliver value for money, with the continuation of backlogs identified as a key concern. Martin Wall and John Downes report. p
€300,000 damages awarded for slander by Murphy
A self-employed contractor who sued businessman Joseph Murphy for slander has been awarded €300,000 damages by a jury in the High Court. p
Cavan man, two daughters, found dead in New Jersey apartment
A US-based Cavan engineer who drowned his two young daughters before killing himself had been depressed over his marriage breakdown, friends said yesterday. p
Inquiry into release of wrong prisoner
The director general of the Irish Prison Service has ordered an investigation into how a prisoner was released from Mountjoy Prison by mistake on Wednesday. p
Husband remanded over Meg Walsh murder
A 40-year-old man was remanded in custody yesterday after he was charged with the murder of his wife, whose body was found in the river Suir two weeks after she disappeared from their home in Waterford city. p
ABA the 'best' for helping autistic children
It will be the parents of autistic children who will finally force the Government to provide "the best form of education" for their children, the president of the American Organisation for Autism Research said yesterday. Kitty Holland reports. p
Five complaints against RTÉ radio upheld
Five complaints against RTÉ radio programmes, as well as a complaint about an advertisement broadcast by the station, have been upheld by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission (BCC). p
Spectacle galore over busy weekend
It is hoped the bad weather has not dampened the summer spirit for what is shaping up to be a busy weekend across the country, writes Steven Carroll. p

World

Merkel says referendums an issue for states to decide
EU/Voting on treaty: When asked in the early hours of yesterday morning if she was trying to sneak through an EU treaty without holding pesky referendums, German chancellor Angela Merkel, invoked Ireland and Bertie Ahern as a way to sidestep a tricky question. p
Brown to formally take over Labour leadership
BRITAIN: Gordon Brown will be formally crowned Labour leader in succession to Tony Blair at a party rally in Manchester tomorrow, when the result of the contest for deputy leader will also be announced. p
Arrest warrant issued for Milosevic widow
SERBIA: An international arrest warrant has been issued for the widow of former Yugoslav and Serb president Slobodan Milosevic, and is being prepared for their son, according to Belgrade media. p
CIA to release secret records on 'dirty tricks'
US: The CIA is to declassify secret records detailing operations including illegal domestic surveillance, assassination plots and kidnappings, undertaken from the 1950s to the early 1970s, at the height of the cold war and the Vietnam conflict. p

Finance

Revenue collects €160m from tax defaulters
The Revenue Commissioners collected almost €160 million in the first three months of the year from property developers, professionals, farmers, publicans and others who defaulted on their taxes. p
Toni & Guy seeks protection from creditors
Upmarket hairdressing chain Toni & Guy has sought court protection from creditors owed €3.85 million as it seeks to restructure its business. p
Dublin-based hedge funds file for bankruptcy
Two Dublin-based hedge fund companies have applied for bankruptcy protection in New York with accumulated losses of $811 million. p

Sport

Cork add extra spice to meeting
GAELIC GAMES: Today's unscheduled meeting of the GAA's Central Council, convened in response to recent disciplinary controversies, was given some additional incandescent illumination by yesterday's statement from the three Cork hurlers - Donal Cusack, Seán Ó hAilpín and Diarmuid O'Sullivan - suspended for their part in the pre-match brawl at the Cork versus Clare match in Thurles last month. p
Henry set for €24m move to Barcelona
SOCCER: Thierry Henry's long-term flirtation with Barcelona was last night consummated as he packed his bags at Arsenal before completing a €24 million (£16m) deal. Arsene Wenger agreed the fee on Wednesday after personal talks with Barcelona's vice-president, Ferran Soriano, before Arsenal's directors approved the sale at a board meeting on Thursday. p
FAI wary of new Celtic Cup proposals
SOCCER/International Tournament: FAI officials yesterday reacted rather coolly to strong suggestions by their counterparts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that agreement has almost been reached on the launch of a new "Celtic Cup", a four-team international tournament to be played every second year, starting in 2009. p