Muhammad Naeem (right), a spokesman for the office of the Taliban of Afghanistan speaks during the opening of the Taliban Afghanistan political office in Doha. Photograph: Mohammed Dabbous/Reuters US to hold peace talks with Taliban

Washington wants organisation to break ties with al-Qaeda

US First Lady Michelle Obama waves to the crowd as she leaves Finnegan’s Pub in Dalkey where she had lunch her two daughters Sasha and Malia with Bono and his wife Ali. Photograph: Julien Behal/PA Beautiful day as Obamas keep Dalkey date with Bono

US first lady and her children have pub lunch with U2 frontman

News

Control issues can sometimes lead to one spouse bullying the other into relinquishing complete access to their phone, laptop or tablet, and that can be a form of domestic abuse. Photograph: Getty Images
Kate Holmquist Tell Me About It: I’ve done something my husband says is unforgiveable
 
Noonan and Howlin, together with Kenny and Gilmore, operate as a Cabinet within the Cabinet. Photograph: Aidan Crawley
Fintan O'Toole Enda had a brainwave. No discussion, no serious thought
 
G8 Summit World leaders meeting in Lough Erne, Co Fermanagh
 

Health & Family

When I was obese, I was invisible

I would eat 10 packets of crisps every day, yes 10 packets, says Andy Kenny

Is this the kind of place I would like to grow old in?

My youngest has gone all clingy on me

Sport

Simon Zebo during yesterday’s match against the ACT Brumbies at Canberra Stadium. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images Most Lions positions for first Test look nailed on but still places available

Zebo’s fine performance in his tour debut against the Waratahs ticked all the boxes

Dawn Approach, ridden by Kevin Manning (left), lands a thrilling St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. Jim Bolger’s Dawn Approach crowned king in St James’s Palace thriller
Cork’s Pa Cronin: has been laid low by a bout of pneumonia in recent weeks. Photograph: Cathal Noonan/Inpho Illness and injury narrow Jimmy Barry-Murphy’s options for Cork’s Munster showdown with Clare

Business

Royalty Pharma co-founder and chairman Rory Biggs. The US-based company has withdrawn its hostile bid for Irish drugmaker Elan. Royalty Pharma drops hostile bid for Elan

US-based investor withdraws request for judicial review of Takeover Panel’s decision requiring it to lapse Elan offer

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary. The airline’s shareholders today approved the purchase of 175 Boeing aircraft. Photo: Bloomberg Ryanair shareholders approve purchase of 175 Boeing aircraft

Michael O’Leary says strike action by French air traffic controllers had a small impact

Legal services 'a drag on Ireland's competitiveness'

Message is contained in the Commission’s unpublished spring 2013 review of Ireland’s bailout programme

Culture

Jon Hopkins performing in London in 2011: ‘For live shows . . . It’s quite physical – it certainly isn’t just me sitting quietly behind a laptop. And it’s very loud, very dancey.’ Photograph: Hayley Madden/Redferns The emotional underground heartbeat of Jon Hopkins

Jon Hopkins matches the polish of his electronic production with the emotion of a fine songwriter – and he might just have forged the next missing link in music

Who lives in a house like this?

The KBC Great Music in Irish Houses festival is taking a liberal view of its title – which is not without its benefits

A scene from Jimmy, one of the five films nominated for the Irish Council for Civil Liberties Human Rights Film Awards A still from Jimmy Breaking hearts, winning minds

Five directors have been nominated for the Irish Council for Civil Liberties film award. Here they discuss their work

Fiona Walsh Fiona Walsh -

Carney gets ball rolling on Bank of England governorship

Ciaran Hancock Ciaran Hancock - Business Affairs Correspondent

Airlines gain altitude in the face of economic woes

Fintan O'Toole Fintan O'Toole - Literary Editor

Government’s fine words about reform of governance have faded away to nothing

Francess McDonnell Francess McDonnell -

Obama shows NI is open for business

Life & Style

Plenty of Irish children have bicycles but only a handful use them to make the trip to school. Photograph: Getty Images Cycling: the next generation

Barely 2 per cent of Irish children are cycling to school, but some organisations and schools are encouraging more bike usage through cycling lessons, example and pester power

Control issues can sometimes lead to one spouse bullying the other into relinquishing complete access to their phone, laptop or tablet, and that can be a form of domestic abuse. Photograph: Getty Images Tell Me About It: I’ve done something my husband says is unforgiveable

Kate Holmquist answers your relationship and life queries

Is it time we got the bottle to return to deposit schemes?

A recent poll shows that the public are in favour of a revival of deposit-and- return systems. The chief bottle washers, however, remain unconvinced

Second Captains June 18th: Cuddly toys, Joe Kinnear's CV, US Murph returns and more
 
News Blog It's all about the G8 and Glendalough today - there may be other news too!
 

Latest

Fine Gael TD voices concern over Seanad abolition
Deloitte agrees to one-year suspension
Third Savita report not before end of summer
Bank order for €19m against Clonmel businessman
Mrs Obama and girls treated to Bono, fish and chips and a pub lock-in

Popular

Beautiful day as Obamas keep Dalkey date with Bono
Russia torpedoes G8 efforts to oust Assad
Mrs Obama and girls treated to Bono, fish and chips and a pub lock-in
Cameron claims credit for seven-point plan on Syria
Government’s fine words about reform of governance have faded away to nothing

Connect



Now is the time to review your CAO choices. The price of failure to do this now before the CAO change of mind closes at 5.15pm on July 1st can be a very big one. Photograph: Reuters
CAO Change of Mind It's not too late to change your mind
 

Galleries

The crowd cheer as the cavalcade carrying the US First Lady Michelle Obama and her daughters, Malia and Sasha, pases through Dalkey, Co Dublin today. Photograph: Eric Luke/The Irish Times The Obamas come to Ireland
Taoiseach Enda Kenny, present at the G8 summit due to Ireland's presidency of the EU, at Lough Erne with US president Barack Obama and British prime minister David Cameron. Photograph: Photograph: Andrew Winning/Reuters G8 comes to Lough Erne

Blogs

‘Is my only real option to go to the UAE, NZ or Oz?’

As her contract in Spain comes to an end, Eimear Scott can no longer ignore the reality of the recession at home

How quickly can we reboot?

The craze for premature revamps sets us pondering a Harry Potter remake. It will happen. But when?
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