Breaking news from the [1] TimesOnline, with thanks to CC:

Prime Minister Tony Blair and fellow European leaders have paved the way for Turkey to join the EU as its first Muslim country. A deal on starting formal talks with Ankara emerged on the second day of a fraught summit in Brussels - more than 40 years after Turkey first knocked on Europe's door seeking club membership. Agreement almost slipped away as Turkish Premier Recep Erdogan haggled for better terms for launching talks than those on offer from the EU.