Seven Days

A glance at the week that was

0.9%The decline in consumer prices in the 12 months ending June 30th, according to the Consumer Price Index.

1%Department of Finance growth forecast for the Irish economy this year

10The number of Fianna Fáil TDs and Senators now outside the parliamentary party, after three Senators resigned the party whip because they objected to elements of the Civil Partnership Bill.

"We have shown that in the big moments we rise to the occasion- Spanish striker David Villa ahead of tomorrow's World Cup final against the Netherlands

Penguin pilfered

From spies who came in from the cold to the unfortunate Dublin penguin that was left out in the cold after being kidnapped from Dublin Zoo. The 10-year-old female penguin (left) was removed by a gang of men who bundled her into a taxi, attempting to pass her off as a rabbit. She was discovered wandering through the north inner city several hours later by a member of the public who alerted gardaí to the unusual sighting. The kidnapped penguin, who has been named as Kelli, was returned to her Phoenix Park home and is said to have been unharmed by the incident.

The US and Russia were busy swapping spies this week, in a deal straight out of a John le Carré novel. The biggest spy swap since the end of the cold war involved an exchange of 14 agents in total, with 10 Russian spies to be deported from the US in return for four agents being released from jail in Russia. Spymasters on both sides have admitted that, despite an improvement in relations between the two former foes, they still fund generous intelligence operations against each other.

We now know

One in five Irish people would deny citizenship to Travellers.

Ryanair is to reduce the number of flights it operates at Dublin airport this winter after deciding to relocate two of its aircraft to locations with lower tourist taxes and airport charges.

More than 40 per cent of people in the State feel the healthcare they or their families have received has been below expected standards.