Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin today accused US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of encouraging and supporting the election protesters and warned of a wider Russian crackdown on unrest.

Czech President Vaclav Klaus appointed a conservative leader today to become the country’s new prime minister.

Some 100,000 Poles filled Warsaw’s biggest public square today, joining together for a memorial and funeral Mass for the 96 people killed in a plane crash a week ago.

The Lisbon Treaty came into force today at the end of nearly eight years of controversy, debate and rebellion about the shape of the future European Union.

David Cameron denied today that his party was in turmoil on Europe, as he came under pressure over his decision to abandon plans for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

Conservative leader David Cameron will today unveil his new policy on Europe, after admitting that a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty will no longer be possible.

THE way was finally cleared for the Lisbon Treaty to come into force when Czech President Vaclav Klaus signed the document yesterday hours after his country’s Constitutional Court cleared it.

The Taoiseach Brian Cowen has welcomed the decision of Czech president Vaclav Klaus to sign the Lisbon Treaty today.

Czech president Vaclav Klaus signed the EU's Lisbon treaty today after his country's constitutional court ruled it was in line with the Czech constitution.

The last legal block on the Lisbon Treaty has been cleared by the Czech Constitutional Court this morning.

EU leaders meeting in Brussels appeared poised to clinch Czech backing of the Lisbon Treaty today, clearing a major hurdle to its ratification and the naming of an EU president.

THE chances of the Lisbon Treaty entering into force took a major step forward last night as EU leaders agreed with the Czechs on an opt-out from the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

Europe’s leaders will struggle to display unity today on climate change, financial regulation – and Tony Blair.

EU leaders are hoping for good news from Prague on the Lisbon Treaty at their summit this evening, but are facing a furious Poland threatening to scupper a deal on global warming over how much they should pay to help developing countries cope with climate change.

THE Czech Constitutional Court has adjourned until next week its ruling on the Lisbon Treaty, taking the issues of a new Commission and the jobs of an EU president and foreign minister off the agenda for tomorrow’s summit in Brussels.

THE cabinet is expected to discuss Ireland’s next European Commissioner at their meeting tomorrow, while in Brussels the battle for Europe’s top jobs hots up.

The UK's Foreign Secretary David Miliband today gave his strong backing to Tony Blair’s candidacy to be the first permanent President of the European Union.

IRELAND completed its ratification of the Lisbon Treaty when European Affairs Minister Dick Roche deposited it in Rome yesterday.

CZECH president Vaclav Klaus has said he believes the Lisbon Treaty will come into force despite his attempts to block it, giving a glimmer of hope he may sign it in the coming weeks.

THERE are less than 10 days to go before EU leaders debate a new Commission. They may decide to let the current college continue for another few months until it becomes clear whether Czech President Vaclav Klaus will ever sign the Lisbon Treaty.

Czech President Vaclav Klaus reportedly has indicated that he may, after all, sign the EU reform treaty.

CZECH president Vaclav Klaus rubbed salt into EU wounds yesterday by choosing Moscow to reveal that he never intends to sign the Lisbon Treaty.

THE fate of the Lisbon Treaty was thrown into further disarray yesterday as Czech President Vaclav Klaus indicated he would not guarantee to sign the treaty unless his latest demands were met in full, suggesting he wanted the treaty opened up and re-ratified in every member state.

In the real world, there is no way the Conservatives would spend their first months in power expending political capital on a referendum on Europe if Lisbon had already been ratified. As a political priority, Britain’s debt crisis puts Europe in the shade. But can they just hack the treaty? That seems unlikely too

Any ideas of reopening the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty across Europe were condemned today as “absurd” and “surreal”.

THE Czech government is to ask its fellow EU member states to allow the country to opt out of the Charter of Fundamental Rights in an effort to persuade their president to sign the Lisbon Treaty.

Poland’s president has completed his country’s ratification of the European Union reform treaty – leaving the Czech Republic as the only nation yet to sign off on the agreement.

CZECH President Vaclav Klaus set out his terms yesterday for signing the EU’s Lisbon reform treaty, demanding an exemption to protect Prague from post-war property claims and safeguard the sovereignty of the judiciary.

The President of the Czech Republic today clarified what he wants before signing the Lisbon Treaty – a UK style “opt-out” from the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

CZECH President Vaclav Klaus raised a new obstacle to the European Union’s Lisbon reform treaty yesterday, telling EU president Sweden he wants a footnote added to the document before signing it into force.

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.

New talks on how to bring the Lisbon treaty into force take place today – but the man with key to its future will not be there.

THE battle to “kill” the Lisbon Treaty is not over, No campaign group Cóir has claimed.

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.

After Ireland’s resounding “yes” vote today, only one man now stands in the way of the Lisbon Treaty coming into force, with its promise of a more efficient , user-friendly European Union.

British Conservative Party leader David Cameron was urged today to stop “plotting” with the Czech Republic to block the Lisbon treaty in the wake of the apparent Irish 'Yes' referendum vote.

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

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

THE Taoiseach said he expects Ireland’s second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty will be held in early October after securing the legal guarantees the Government sought.

The impact of the Lisbon Treaty on Britain must not be affected “in any way” by Irish demands for extra treaty guarantees, Gordon Brown said this afternoon.

THE Czech senate voted in favour of the Lisbon treaty yesterday, leaving the fate of the document to reform the EU institutions largely in Ireland’s hands.

IT WAS the Czechs’ Kennedy moment as Barack Obama stood high above their city, extolling their brave fight for freedom.

MURPHY’s law seems to prevail in the EU as in many other spheres. Just when the union needs to concentrate very closely on getting its act together on the global economic crisis, a sideshow threatens to take over.