World News: Iran supports a unified Lebanon, insists president

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said his country supports a strong, unified Lebanon during his first state visit to the country.

His remarks came amid fears that his trip could threaten Lebanon's fragile political stability.

Crowds greeted Mr Ahmadinejad on his arrival in Beirut, mostly at the urging of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group.

He later addressed a rally in an area where Iran funded reconstruction after the 2006 Hezbollah-Israel conflict.

Today, in a move likely to anger critics, Mr Ahmadinejad will tour villages near Lebanon's tense southern border with Israel. Two Lebanese soldiers, a Lebanese journalist and a senior Israeli army officer were killed in a clash on the frontier in August.

Mr Ahmadinejad's motorcade was showered with rice and flowers on its way from Beirut airport to the presidential palace yesterday.

He was among friends at this huge rally of flag-waving Hezbollah supporters in Beirut's southern suburbs - listening to patriotic music praising the Shia movement's clashes over the years with its avowed enemy, Israel.

Chinese call for free speech

A group of 23 Communist Party elders in China has written a letter calling for an end to the country's restrictions on freedom of speech.

They want people to be able to freely express themselves on the net. The call comes after Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Hurricane Paula set for Mexico

Hurricane Paula is gaining strength as it is heading towards Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

The hurricane intensified to a category-two storm with winds of up to 100 mph, forecasters at the US National Hurricane Centre said. It has brought strong winds and heavy rain to north-east Honduras.

Soldier tells of base attack

A soldier shot five times said he locked eyes with Fort Hood massacre suspect Nidal Hasan after the US Army psychiatrist cried "Allahu Akbar" and fired into a crowd of troops.

Sgt Alonzo Lunsford told the major's trial that the light from a laser-guided weapon soon trained on him, and he closed his eyes before being shot in the head.

Sgt Lunsford came face-to-face with Hasan at a military hearing at the Texas base to determine if he should stand trial.

Sarkozy's union battle goes on

French strikers are disrupting services for a second day running, as they seek to build pressure on the government over its pension reform plans.

The unions are opposed to president Nicolas Sarkozy's plans to raise the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62.

Eight killed in Pakistan US drone strike

Pakistan: Eight militants, including four foreign nationals, have been killed in a US drone strike in the North Waziristan region, officials say.

Three missiles were fired at a house in the Datta Khel area last night, killing four, including the foreigners.

Hungary: The aluminium plant responsible for a huge toxic spill in the country will resume production by tomorrow, according to a key government official.