Dublin  - Lack of knowledge or understanding was the main reason Ireland voted against the European Union's Lisbon Treaty in June, Irish government research showed Wednesday.

Forty-two per cent of those surveyed gave this as their reason for voting no, according to the poll carried out on behalf of the government by Millward Brown IMS at the end of July.

"An EU knowledge deficit is clearly present which has undoubtedly contributed to the no vote," the polling company said.

Washington  - Depending on your political persuasion, Barack Obama either made an innocent remark or a sexist slur when he referred to John McCain's message of change as putting "lipstick on a pig" during a US election rally.

The campaign of Republican nominee McCain slammed the comment - a common expression in the United States - as clearly directed at his running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. A web advertisement released Wednesday charged Obama with using a demeaning smear.

Washington  - US President George W Bush telephoned his new Pakistani counterpart, Asif Ali Zardari, Tuesday to offer his "full support" in the fighting against Islamic militants in the country.

"Defeating these terrorists and extremists is in Pakistan's interest," Bush said in a speech at National Defence University in Washington. "They pose a mortal threat to Pakistan's future as a free and democratic nation."

Washington  - The United States will withdraw an additional 8,000 troops from Iraq by February, US President George W Bush announced Tuesday, citing a sustained drop in violence that will allow a greater shift of resources to Afghanistan.

The pullout will reduce the US presence to about 138,000 soldiers shortly after Bush leaves office in January, leaving the next major pullout decisions to his successor.

Brussels  - The UN-EU peacekeeping mission in Chad is unable to protect many of the country's civilians due to a combination of delays, bureaucratic hurdles and a lack of coordination, according to a report published Tuesday by the international charity Oxfam.

Based on interviews with refugees living in camps, as well as regional experts and aid workers, the report found that despite the international presence, half a million people are still vulnerable to attacks and abuse.

Paris  - French President Nicolas Sarkozy defended on Tuesday his diplomatic approach to Russia after its war with Georgia and spoke out in favour of Ukraine's territorial integrity at a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Yushchenko, in Paris.

"Our prosperity and security depend on prosperity, stability and security (in Eastern Europe). We, Europe, want peaceful relations with Russia," Sarkozy said less than a day after negotiating the withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia.