Dublin - Trade union members at Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus were due Tuesday to conclude a ballot on cost-cutting measures, following a take-over offer by rival Ryanair, Irish national broadcaster RTE reported.

Low-cost airline Ryanair offered on Monday to take over privatized national carrier with a bid of 1.40 euros (1.78 dollars) per share, which would value the airline at 748 million euros.

Aer Lingus late Monday rejected the offer.

Stockholm  - Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen met Friday with his Swedish counterpart Fredrik Reinfeldt in Stockholm, and briefed him about the Irish government's views on how to go ahead with the European Union reform treaty.

Cowen told Swedish radio news that Ireland hoped a EU summit in December could "outline the elements of a solution."

Voters in Ireland earlier this year rejected the Lisbon Treaty, which aimed to streamline decision-making in the 27-nation bloc. It cannot enter into force until all member states have ratified it.

Sweden, which last week ratified the treaty, is set to assume the six-month rotating EU presidency in July.

Helsinki - The government of Ireland is not planning to make any decisions on a new referendum on the European Union reform treaty until a EU summit next month, Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen said in Helsinki late Thursday.

Cowen's remarks were made after talks with his Finnish counterpart Matti Vanhanen, Finnish news agency STT reported.

Voters in Ireland earlier this year rejected the Lisbon Treaty, which aimed to streamline decision-making in the 27-nation bloc. It cannot enter into force until all member states have ratified it.

Dublin - The Irish government announced Wednesday a target of 10 per cent of all vehicles to be electric by 2020.

Making the announcement on RTE state radio, Communications and Energy Minister Eamon Ryan of the Green Party said the ultimate target was "to switch our transport system off oil."

The plan was to have 40 per cent of vehicles electrically powered by 2030, he said.

Ireland is one of the most oil-dependent countries in the world, said Ryan, whose portfolio also includes natural resources, adding that it was well suited to switch to electric vehicles because of its size.

London - The main parties in the power-sharing government in Northern Ireland ended five months of political stalemate in the province Tuesday by agreeing a deal that maps out the road ahead for a completion of the peace process.

First Minister Peter Robinson, who also leads the Protestant Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), and his deputy, Martin McGuinness of the Catholic Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein, said regular meetings of the executive, or cabinet, would resume on Thursday.

Dublin - There was a strong chance that the Irish public could accept a revised version of the Lisbon Treaty in a second referendum, a poll released Monday showed.

The TNS mrbi poll by the Irish Times daily found 43 per cent of respondents favoured the European Union's reform treaty if Ireland and the European Commission revised its declarations on neutrality, abortion and tax.

Thirty-nine per cent said they would vote against the treaty and 18 per cent were undecided.

Foreign Minister Micheal Martin on Sunday said the government would decide whether it would hold a new referendum before the December 11 EU summit.