The "Yes" side was claiming that an exit poll showed strong support for the European Union's Lisbon Treaty as vote- counting in Ireland's second Lisbon Referendum got under way at 0800 GMT Saturday.

Opposition Fine Gael, who campaigned for a "Yes" vote has claimed that an exit poll shows there has been strong support for the treaty, Ireland's national broadcaster RTE reported.

The party carried out an exit poll using a representative sample of 1,000 voters in 33 locations around the country.

Security officials and experts from Asia and the European Union gathered Monday in the Philippine capital for a two-day meeting to assess terrorism threats, especially in the transport sector.

EU leaders missed a chance during a two-day summit ending Friday to take the initiative on climate change policy when they opted to delay any decisions until the autumn, environmental groups have warned.

European car sales fell by 4.9 cent in May, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association said Tuesday.

The May fall represented the 13th consecutive monthly drop in vehicle sales with the global car business hit by a crisis as demand for autos has slumped in the face of the world recession.

The European Union and the United States could draw up joint human-rights guidelines for fighting terrorism in a bid to avoid the kind of row which poisoned relations in recent years, according to a paper seen by the German Press Agency dpa on Friday.

Bulgaria's right-wing opposition GERB party won most of the votes in Sunday's European Parliament elections, defeating the ruling Socialists, according to results released by the country's Electoral Commission Monday.

Polling stations opened early Sunday in France for the 2009 European Union parliamentary elections.

A total of 3,115 candidates, from 42 parties and organizations, were standing for France's 72 seats in the European Parliament.

Rome (dpa) - Italians were set to begin voting Saturday in
European Parliament elections which are expected to gauge Prime
Minister Silvio Berlusconi

's popularity in the wake of a scandal
involving his friendship with an 18-year-old woman.