INSULTS flew around the normally sedate European Parliament yesterday as MEPs debated the outcome of the Irish referendum and the hold-up by Czech president Vaclav Klaus to sign the Lisbon Treaty.

The Lisbon Treaty is being “fast-tracked” through the Czech constitutional court to end the uncertainty over its future as soon as possible, the Czech prime minister said today.

EUROPEAN Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso begins putting together his new commission this week – but he will have to leave at least one country out.

Czechs and Poles were mixed in their reaction to the US decision to cancel a missile defence shield based in their countries today.

America today scrapped a Bush-era plan for an Eastern European missile defence defence shield that has been a major problem in relations with Russia.

The US today scrapped plans for a missile defence shield in eastern Europe that had raised new tensions with Russia.

The US appeared today to be preparing to shelve a controversial "missile shield" plan which was to be based in eastern Europe.

EURO-sceptic Czech President Václav Klaus has said he expects there will be another court challenge to the Lisbon Treaty in his country.

EU leaders were today hoping to agree the terms of legally-binding guarantees to reassure Irish voters about the Lisbon Treaty – completing a triple deal at a summit in Brussels.

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen has been urged to launch a political and diplomatic offensive to address the crisis engulfing the dairy sector.

New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was stepping on to the global stage today at the start of a week-long United Nations debate on international terrorism, which will hear the views of more than 150 countries.

New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is to speak at the United Nations debate on international terrorism.