THE pressure on Ireland to ratify the Lisbon treaty increased yesterday with French president Nicolas Sarkozy saying the EU cannot continue without the reforms in the document.

EUROPE’s leaders may have set themselves the goal of solving the world’s economic and environmental problems last week, but everybody has their own problems.

EU leaders agreed a €1.7 trillion rescue package for Europe’s banking and financial sector at their summit last night, but were split over the cost of climate change proposals.

BANKS will have to comply with a series of rules relating to officials’ pay and will have at least one director appointed to their boards to look after the taxpayer’s interest, Finance Minister Brian Lenihan said last night.

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen will be under an intense spotlight at the two-day summit of EU leaders which begins in Brussels today.

PRE-TICKED boxes and other means of tricking consumers into spending more when buying online are to be banned under stricter protection for consumers.

ROAD deaths in Dublin have dropped by 70% over the past 10 years, but while the city is the safest for pedestrians, it is the most dangerous one in Europe for cyclists.

IRISH banks will be prevented from growing bigger, lending more money or taking in more deposits, under the Government’s guarantee scheme, Finance Minister Brian Lenihan has said.

IRELAND was under increasing pressure yesterday to submit its bank guarantee plan to the European Commission for clearance amid claims that it breaches EU state aid rules.

THE European Commission was waiting last night for details of the Government’s €400 billion guarantee to Irish banks under competition rules.