Government plans to create jobs and provide training for the country’s unemployed youth should get an unexpected boost with an advance of around €40m from the EU.

The issue of Ireland’s tax regime was not raised for the first time in a long time at the EU summit, showing that pressure to change its tax regime has lessened as a result of the EU investigation being widened to include all EU countries.

There are no plans to change procedures in the European Parliament when members fail to attend, a spokesperson for the office of the president has said.

As Enda’s Options and the Game of Joan’s reach critical focus, who will go where?

The leaders of the 28 EU countries took a few hours off bickering over who should lead the European Commission to remember the day, 100 years ago, when the First World War began, taking 16m lives in just four years.

EU leaders united in agreeing to include a dozen more Russian politicians and senior advisers in the Kremlin on their blacklist, but discussions on the next steps were proving more difficult last night at their two-day summit.

A former British Government Minister has today pleaded guilty to making nearly £13,000 of bogus expenses claims.

Family size will partly determine the level of free water households are permitted when metering is introduced, Environment Minister Phil Hogan has pledged.

The final Dáil vote saw 31 TDs oppose the X case legislation as numbers were swelled by left-wing deputies protesting that the new law was not liberal enough.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has warned potential abortion law rebels such as Lucinda Creighton that he expects them to back the Government.

The expulsion of anti-abortion TDs from Fine Gael has been compared to a death in the family by Transport Minister Leo Varadkar.

The Fine Gael leadership is confident of limiting a back- bench revolt over planned laws allowing abortion in limited circumstances — despite around a dozen TDs holding strong reservations on the legislation.

Anti-abortion TDs have warned ministers that any attempt to push through X case legislation without a Dáil vote would be anti-democratic.

A blueprint for a federal Europe will be produced by the European Commission later this year in a major step forward for further integration.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has firmly rejected claims he misled voters on Fine Gael’s abortion stance.

Doctors must be given the legal “flexibility” to decide when they should terminate the pregnancy of a woman at risk of suicide, the country’s most senior obstetrician has said.

A Fine Gael TD has called for a free vote on any new abortion legislation.

Traders in the City of London will pay up to €17bn a year under the EU’s plan for a financial transaction tax but none of it will go to the British Treasury because they have opted out, according to accountants Ernst & Young.

Busy Enda forced to relinquish EU role

Voters could be faced with a sixth referendum on abortion to change the Constitution that currently permits termination if a mother’s life is at risk, including from suicide.

The Government is to seek sponsorship from private companies to cover some of the costs of hosting the Presidency of the EU for six months next year.

The document eurozone members are hoping will save the euro promises to be long on big plans and short on immediate measures that would halt the continuing crisis now threatening the global economy.

The Europe Minister Lucinda Creighton has said the Government has no plans to increase income tax in December's Budget.

Ireland is short on time and options, but IOUs may offer some remote hope of easing our burdens, writes Europe Correspondent, Ann Cahill

Jerry Buttimer says he has received nothing but support since becoming the first Fine Gael TD to come out as gay.

Billionaire businessman Denis O’Brien should not be invited to future government-sponsored economic fora, Europe Minister Lucinda Creighton has said.

THE debacle of Kevin Cardiff’s rejection for the Court of Auditors leaves the Government with a series of options, each one more messy than the other and in danger of re-opening the debate in Europe on the country’s handling of the financial crisis.

Supporting French finance minister Christine Lagarde to head up the International Monetary Fund would back the country into a corner, it has been warned.

THE gloves have come off in Ireland’s fight to keep its corporate tax rate and win a cut in the amount of interest the country is paying for its €67 billion bailout.

REBELLIOUS Fianna Fáil TDs were last night given a blunt warning not to try and “save their skins” by putting their constituency needs ahead of the country’s.

DISGRUNTLED Fianna Fáil backbenchers have held a meeting with an opinion polling company and asked whether the leadership was dragging down support for the rest of the party.

THIS time next week our fate as part of the EU will be decided.

MOURNERS at the funeral Mass for Bray student Sebastian Creane were asked to give thought to the 22-year-old art and design student’s broken-hearted girlfriend, Jennifer Hannigan, who blamed herself for the boy’s death.

RTÉ’s policy of giving equal airtime to both the pro and anti supporters in referendum campaigns was described as “extraordinary” by Europe Minister Dick Roche.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s hopes of political survival suffered a fresh blow tonight as a poll of Labour activists found fewer than half wanted him to carry on to the next general election.

Caroline Flint has left the Government after resigning as Europe Minister, Gordon Brown announced tonight.

AN investigation by the Standards in Public Office commission into how Libertas funded its anti-Lisbon treaty referendum campaign has drawn a blank.

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen announced at the Ard Fheis that Fianna Fáil would be joining the Liberals in the European Parliament after the elections in June.

FEARS that Libertas is being funded by anti-EU elements in the Pentagon and the CIA were raised in the European Parliament yesterday amid claims the anti-Lisbon treaty group spent more than €2 million on its campaign.

WELL, that’s it then.

THE Taoiseach has not ruled out a second referendum on the Lisbon treaty and said the Government will consider it “in due course”.

DIFFERENCES have emerged in Fine Gael over whether or not a second referendum should be held on the Lisbon treaty.

TDs and Senators clamed almost €6 million in tax-free expenses during the first half of this year.