TopNews

Berlin  - Chancellor Angela Merkel's party topped the European Parliament election poll in Germany on Sunday, while her coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SPD), fared worse than expected in a vote seen as a dry-run for September's general election.

Merkel's Christian Democrat alliance (CDU/CSU) took 37.9 per cent of the poll, according to provisional results from the Federal Election Commission.

Beirut  - Lebanon's Western-backed majority parties celebrated Sunday after winning a crucial parliamentary election that pitted them against the Hezbollah-led opposition.

A close aide of majority alliance head Saad Hariri told the German Press Agency dpa: "So far we will have at least 70 seats in the 128- member parliament, and the majority is back to rule."

Rome  - Projections Sunday from European Parliament elections in Italy indicated Prime Minister Silvio may have emerged largely unscathed from a scandal involving his ambiguous friendship with an 18-year-old woman.

The premier's conservative People of Freedom (PDL) party appears to have received around 38 per cent of the vote, according to an early projection prepared for private television news channel Sky Tg24.

Dublin  - As the Irish government suffered "serious losses" in the European elections Sunday, Eurosceptic Libertas leader Declan Ganley was also set for defeat, according to the first official results in what promises to be a photo-finish European election.

On the basis of the first-count official results announced in the North-West constituency, Ganley is out of the race for the third seat after com ing fourth with 16 per cent.

Brussels  - Far-right parties made significant gains in a number of European Union countries as the recession stoked anti-immigration feelings.

The economic crisis, and a parliamentary expenses' scandal in Britain, also fostered eurosceptic movements in several member states.

But preliminary results suggested that Brussels' fiercest critic, Libertas leader Declan Ganley, would fail to gain a seat in the European Parliament on behalf of his native Ireland.

London  - Britain's ruling Labour Party appeared Sunday to be heading for a mauling in the elections for the European Parliament as first results showed a sharp fall in support compared with 2004.

Results in the North-East region, a Labour stronghold, were down by 9 per cent, compared with 2004. It was the first of 12 regions where the counting of votes was completed.