Morning in the land of 75m welcomes

THE lights went on all over Europe last night as fireworks, bonfires and street parties welcomed the enlargement of the EU from 15 to 25 members.

Ireland hosts a Day of Welcomes for the newcomers, with the biggest-ever gathering of heads of state and government in Dublin today and twinning events in 10 towns and cities.

Thousands of the EU's 75 million new citizens took part in festivals in cities that little over a decade ago witnessed velvet revolutions as they shook off communism.