A critical summit of European leaders gets underway in Brussels later in a bid to save the single currency.

The President of the European Council has said a new EU treaty might not be needed to put tighter fiscal rules into action.

Six eurozone powerbrokers are to hold emergency talks tomorrow ahead of a crucial EU leaders summit to resolve the debt crisis.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has today insisted the Government will not increase its rate of corporation tax as France and Germany look to once and for all solve the euro crisis.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy was this evening making a speech billed as a "state of the nation" address on the future of the eurozone.

THE news that the German Bundestag got to examine the details of our budget before we got to hear the delectable details did not surprise me in the slightest.

THE prospect of Greece leaving the eurozone is still on the table, despite an expected vote by the Athens parliament to accept the austerity measures attached to its second bailout loan.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Europe needs to tackle its debt crisis, with or without Greece.

There are reports that France's First Lady Carla Bruni could be in labour.

IT’S much too early to be arguing over fine print in the CAP reform proposals published by the European Commission yesterday (which came too late for any details to be given here).

A diplomat has said a global conference on the future of Libya will urge the UN Security Council to press ahead with a new resolution that would help free up billions in frozen Libyan assets worldwide.

Officials in France are playing down speculation that the concept of "eurobonds" will be discussed at a meeting between the French and German leaders tomorrow.

NEW concerns over France’s debt levels plunged international stock markets downwards again yesterday, despite slightly more positive news beginning to emanate from the US.

ITALIAN Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said he was against NATO intervention in Libya but had to go along with it, an admission that exposed the fragility of the alliance trying to unseat Muammar Gaddafi.

ENDA KENNY brushed off criticism of his failure to meet the French president over Ireland’s bailout costs, inquiring whether he should just ring up the Élysée Palace and say ‘I’m here’.

FARMERS are back at the centre of the world.

IRISH farming interests have been protected by the long-term food security and emergency food stocking model proposed by French president Nicolas Sarkozy and Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire at the G20 World Farm Leaders meeting in Paris.

TAOISEACH Enda Kenny confirmed he has so far refused offers to meet French president Nicolas Sarkozy who is blocking a reduction of the interest rate on Ireland’s bailout.

WHAT is it about older men that makes them irresistible — their wrinkles, their baldness, their slack muscle tone?

LABOUR TDs have defended Tommy Broughan’s right to his opinions after he compared Taoiseach Enda Kenny to the captain of the Titanic steering toward the iceberg of “national bankruptcy and ruin”.

SWEDEN’S finance minister Anders Borg has come out in favour of low corporation tax rates, saying raising them would be dangerous for the Swedish industry.

Enterprise Minister Richard Bruton today said Ireland's 12.5% rate of corporation tax will have to be defended "rigorously and trenchantly" with our European partners.

Governments will to avoid food price inflation, while farmers are left to endure runaway cost inflation, well into double figures over the past year.

NICOLAS SARKOZY appointed a new government in a marathon weekend reshuffle with faithful allies taking top posts clearly aimed at pleasing his conservative ranks before France’s 2012 presidential election.

Nicolas Sarkozy appointed a new government in a marathon weekend reshuffle with faithful allies taking top posts clearly aimed at pleasing his conservative ranks before France’s 2012 presidential election.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s reform raising the retirement age from 60 to 62 became law today after months of protests by unions.

French oil refinery workers have ended a month of protests over government pension reforms.

Nicolas Sarkozy remained defiant over his plan to raise France’s retirement age to 62 and his government vowed to defeat efforts to block fuel after strikes sparked fears of a shortage.

The row over French expulsions of Roma communities erupted in a slanging match at an EU summit in Brussels today.

British Prime Minister David Cameron ran into French opposition today in his bid to reach an EU summit deal on a major new trade accord with Pakistan.

David Cameron will today urge EU leaders to back a major new trade partnership between Europe and Pakistan in the wake of the worst floods in the country’s history.

LAST winter, I was sitting on the terrace of a restaurant where the big wigs of the French FA regularly draw on their expense accounts to lunch in some style.

President Nicolas Sarkozy dismissed his labour minister and reshuffled several other Cabinet posts today after a heavy defeat for his conservatives in France’s regional elections – a loss which exposed his inability to convince the public on his economic reforms.

Greece agreed tough new spending cuts today aimed at dealing with its massive debt crisis even as mobs protesting against them fought running battles with riot police in Athens.

Violent protests against planned new spending cuts ripped through Athens today with riot police having to use tear gas against crowds.

Greece was hit by another wave of protest strikes today as Prime Minister George Papandreou held talks with European leaders looking for more support over the debt crisis.

FRENCH President Nicolas Sarkozy has become a grandfather.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has become a grandfather.

EACH year at this time, I see it as my duty to tell you what’s going to happen next year.

Woody Allen has given French First Lady Carla Bruni a starring role in his next film, according to reports.

Gordon Brown wished Nicolas Sarkozy a “speedy recovery” today after the French president was rushed to hospital after collapsing during a jog.

One of the last two British embassy workers being held in Iran has been released, it was confirmed today.

US President Barack Obama today praised the British Blitz spirit as thousands of veterans, servicemen and their families gathered in Normandy to mark the 65th anniversary of D-Day.