THE EU force in Chad is bracing itself for a tough second half of their tour, with trouble expected from rebel groups and bandits.

THE European Parliament is to collect information about the funding of the Libertas referendum campaign in Ireland and send it on to the Irish authorities.

FIGURES released by the Department of Justice suggest many Latvians living in Ireland are involved in marriages of convenience, particularly with Pakistani and Bangladeshi asylum seekers.

EUROPEAN Parliament heads will today discuss setting up a committee of inquiry into whether anti-EU elements helped fund the Libertas campaign in Ireland.

THE cost of sending text messages when abroad should tumble next year by up to two-thirds for Irish people, while charges for downloading data on a mobile phone will also be slashed.

THE government’s borrowings this year will be more than 3% of GDP and will breach the EU’s guidelines, Finance Minister Brian Lenihan has warned.

NEARLY €8 billion has been spent upgrading the country’s water systems over the past decade.

THE European Court of Justice yesterday ruled Ireland contravened an EU waste water directive — signed 17 years ago — and may face a fine, after sewage that was not fully treated was released from six big towns into the sea.

EUROPE’s farmers have been asked to encourage their governments to give €1 billion in unspent farm subsidies to help food shortages in the third world.

A NUMBER of European Union countries have promised to help Ireland persuade Belarus to lift its ban on its children travelling outside the country.