MEPs risk fine for skipping Barroso's big speech

With MEPs having something of a reputation for a patchy appearance rate in the EU chamber, moves are afoot to make sure that European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso is not humiliated during a first ever "State of the Union" speech.

To get derrières on as many of the 736 seats as possible, the leaders of the political groups in the European Parliament have suggested fining those MEPs who dare to give the three hour slot for the speech and debate a miss.

An electronic test...