A woman walks outside the Ayia Thekli (Saint Thekla) Christian orthodox church near Ayia Napa resort in the southeast of the island of Cyprus, Saturday, July 6, 2013. Officials say prospects for tourist arrivals to Cyprus this year are strong as the country tries to cope with the most severe economic crisis it has had to deal with in decades. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

THINGS WE LEARNED:

#BOSTON TAPES: Transcripts of an interview with prominent Irish Republican and former IRA member Dolours Price, carried out as part of a Boston College project, are to be handed over to police in Northern Ireland. The PSNI launched a legal battled several years ago in an attempt to gain access to the tapes to assist with their investigations into unsolved crimes committed during the Troubles.

#LE TOUR: Ireland’s Dan Martin won the ninth stage of the Tour de France after a dramatic day of racing in the Pyrenees, pipping Jakob Fuglsang to the line during the final 10km. Martin is the first Irish person to win a stage at the Tour de France since 1992.

#QUEBEC: Five people have been confirmed dead today, and at least 40 still missing, some 36 hours after the catastrophic derailment of an oil-laden cargo train in the Quebec town of Lac Megantic. The accident in the  Quebec town, located around 250 kilometers east of Montreal, created a fireball and forced 2,000 people from their homes.

#SAN FRANCISCO: It has been confirmed that two teenage girls travelling from China to the US to attend summer camp were killed when an aeroplane crash in San Francisco airport yesterday. Some 291 passengers were aboard the Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 which burst into flames after it landed short of the runway, injuring 182 and killing two.

#GREEN CARD: An Irish woman has become the first person ever to be granted legal residence in the United States through her same-sex marriage. Cathy Davis, a nurse from Dublin, was given a green card following her marriage to fellow Dubliner and naturalized US citizen, Catriona Dowling in May 2012.

THINGS WE LOVED:

• It’s possible that, despite the lovely weather (which is due to last ALL week), you are having a bad day. If so, please go here and all will be better.
• The Hater’s Guide to Kanye West’s new album, Yeezus.
• Following Game of Thrones through Ireland with the help of the New York Times.

THINGS WE SHARED:

• Nine-year-old giant panda Yuan Yuan has given birth to a healthy cub in Taiwan’s Taipei Zoo following artificial insemination. The Guardian has video here.
• The Rise of the Warrior Cop – overwhelming paramilitary force is on the rise, writes Radley Balko.

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