GARDAÍ are investigating an attack on Dublin MEP Proinsias De Rossa who was attacked and assaulted by a group of anti-Lisbon treaty protesters.

CONTRACT workers employed by the state must get the same salaries and pension schemes as their counterparts in full-time employment, the European Court of Justice has ruled.

THE French government was told to keep out of Irish politics and to stop interfering with the Lisbon referendum by Europe Minister Dick Roche and Labour leader Eamon Gilmore.

THE provision in the Lisbon Treaty to have commissioners from just two-thirds of member states could affect the democratic legitimacy of the European Union, according to commission vice-president Margot Wallstrom.

INTERNATIONAL business and investment will lose confidence in Ireland if voters reject the Lisbon Treaty, according to Dublin Chamber of Commerce.

IRISH government hopes of fighting off EU attempts to introduce a harmonised method for companies to calculate their tax was dealt a severe blow yesterday when France said it intends to push it during their presidency of the union.

SCIENTISTS have discovered the gene that turns tobacco smokers into addicts, and makes giving up the weed very difficult.

URGENT action is needed by governments to improve working conditions for one million short-term contract workers working in another EU member state, the European Commission has said.

CHEMICALS used in everything from plastic bottles to cosmetics are contributing to the huge increase in breast cancer in women, according to a scientific report discussed in the European Parliament.

SERBIA made a case for a fast-track membership of the EU when its foreign minister met EU ministers for the first time since Kosovo declared its independence in February.