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Patients at the Children's University Hospital, Temple Street, Dublin, including Margaret Olatoye (3), enjoy a performance by members of the Australian children's entertainment group The Wiggles. The group are on an Irish and British summer tour

Photograph: Matt Kavanagh

Deaths during 2005 at lowest level in State's history, CSO report finds
THE NUMBER of deaths in the Republic in 2005 was the lowest recorded "in the history of the State" and the birth rate among women in their 20s that year was "the lowest ever recorded", according to a new report from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Germany and France increase pressure on Cowen
GERMANY AND France have warned they will block any further EU enlargement until the Lisbon Treaty is ratified, heaping extra pressure on the Government to run a second referendum on the treaty.
Minister signals new gambling laws will allow casinos
MINISTER FOR Justice Dermot Ahern has signalled his intention to liberalise the State's gambling laws by legalising casinos and creating a new regulatory authority for all forms of gaming.

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World

Mugabe's challenger Tsvangirai considers quitting poll
ZIMBABWE: ZIMBABWES OPPOSITION leader Morgan Tsvangirai is considering whether to pull out of the June 27th presidential run-off election, fearing it will be a charade, a spokesman said yesterday. p
Congress protects firms from wiretap lawsuits
US: THE US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved a new domestic spying bill that protects telecommunications companies from legal action for helping president George Bush's warrantless phone and computer tapping. p
'Pregnancy pact' suspected among teens in US high school
US: An investigation is under way in a Massachusetts city into an apparent teenage "pregnancy pact" that has at least 17 high-school girls expecting babies, four times more than last year, including many aged 16 or younger. p
UN acts against rape as a 'military tactic'
UN: The UN Security Council has demanded that warring governments and factions act to halt violence against women, saying rape was no longer just a byproduct of war but a military tactic. p

Ireland

Teenage boys do not seek mental health help, study shows
SEVERAL FACTORS, including concerns about confidentiality and a lack of understanding about the nature of depression, make many Irish teenage boys unlikely to seek professional help for mental health problems, a new study has found. p
Gormley to tighten law on parklands
MINISTER FOR the Environment John Gormley has pledged to tighten regulations surrounding parklands and to assist the residents of Dartmouth Square after Dublin City Council decided not to serve a compulsory purchase order (CPO) on the Rathmines park. p
Cowen picks economist as key policy adviser
TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has appointed a high-profile environmental economist with a strong track record in environmental issues, and an outspoken critic of decentralisation, as his special policy adviser. p
Young people seen as secondary, group claims
YOUNG PEOPLE living in Ireland have problems engaging and participating in society because they feel they are regarded as a secondary force by adults, the founder of a national youth website has said. p
Shake-up will see Rail Safety Commission move to Louth
THE RAIL Safety Commission is to be moved to Drogheda, Co Louth, instead of Ballinasloe, Co Galway, as part of changes to elements of the controversial decentralisation programme approved by the Government. p
EU leaders 'have no interest' in reopening Lisbon text
TAOISEACH's PRESS CONFERENCE: TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen acknowledged after the European Council summit in Brussels yesterday that a number of his fellow leaders had no interest in reopening the text of the Lisbon Treaty, although they had expressed their respect for the Irish referendum result. p
Council flushed with success as 'loo with a view' sells for €400k
A DERELICT “loo with a view” at the seaside resort of Lahinch yesterday scooped €400,000 for Clare County Council at a public auction in Ennis. p

Finance

Mortgage snag for affordable housing
AN AFFORDABLE housing scheme being operated by Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) has run into difficulties, as banks are not willing to provide mortgages on the basis of the shared ownership model being used. p
Babcock fund chief rules out disposal of Eircom
INVESTMENT FUND Babcock Brown Capital (BCM) has said it would be happy to retain ownership of Eircom for at least five years, dismissing claims that the loss of investor confidence in its investment bank parent will hasten its disposal of the Irish telco. p

Sport

Comeback kings Turkey do it once again
Turkey 1 Croatia 1 (AET, 0-0 after 90 mins, turkey win 3-1 on pens): FOOTBALL CAN be cruel. Croatia were last night beaten by Turkey in a dramatic penalty shoot -out at the end of a quarter-final tie they had largely dominated. Thus for the second time in six years, Turkey made it to the semi-final of a major tournament and they now move on to play Germany who were also in the last four of that 2002 World Cup. p
Ronaldo willing to step on Ferguson's toes
CRISTIANO RONALDO has boldly declared he will not mind upsetting Alex Ferguson if it helps him to get the transfer he craves from Manchester United to Real Madrid. Ronaldo plans to release a public statement this weekend in which he will detail his plans and, in an admission that will incense Ferguson, he revealed last night that Luiz Felipe Scolari, the new Chelsea manager, had advised him to leave Old Trafford. p

Obituaries

Bewitching dancer and actress with alluring presence
CYD CHARISSE: THE CAMERA seems to track forever along a pair of crossed female legs, extending almost beyond the frame. It moves up to reveal a femme fatale with a Louise Brooks hairdo, wearing a flapper-style emerald green dress and holding a mile-long cigarette holder. She is teasing Gene Kelly by balancing his straw hat on the end of her foot. p

News Features

A peace force pushed to the limit
Irish peacekeeping troops in Chad are too few in number to keep control of a huge and increasingly dangerous region p
A death that may save Colombia
The death of Farc co-founder Marulanda could at last open the way to political dialogue in place of violence in Colombia, writes Ana Carrigan p

Weekend

Etchings in the realm of the divine
An exhibition of Rembrandt's etchings at the Chester Beatty Library will be one of the cultural highlights of the summer, writes Aidan Dunne p

Travel

Le gîte, c'est chic
Catherine Daly , who has been going to France since she was a child, tells you everything you need to know to find your perfect holiday home, and, right, Joyce Hickey explains why the devil can be in the details p
Back to school
What better way to learn a language than to combine it with a holiday? Elaine Edwards heads to Madrid and RTÉ journalist Yvonne Judge heads to Paris p