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American political commentator Glenn Beck has lost his case against a satirical website which parodies him, in a ruling from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva, Switzerland. The website argued Beck's actions to shut it down were an attempt to silence free speech. On Friday, the website's creator sent a letter to Beck saying he would voluntarily turn over the domain name to him. Florida resident Isaac Eiland-Hall created the website in September, and it asserts Beck uses questionable tactics "to spread lies and misinf

A NATO airstrike has killed at least seven members of the Afghan security forces in the western province of Badghis on Friday, according to the Afghan defence ministry. "Due to a NATO forces air strike on November 6 in Badghis province seven Afghan security personnel (both Afghan army and national police) were martyred and also some were wounded," the ministry stated. NATO and Afghan authorities are investigating but NATO officials have yet to comment. Afghan Defence Ministry spokesman, Gen Mohammad Zahir Azimi, said that the airstrike hit a b

Lebanese opposition parties, including Hezbollah, have agreed to form a government under designated Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri. "The Lebanese opposition has approved the proposed unity government," said a senior source, after oppositions leaders met late last night. According to the source the new government should be formed within two days. Saad Hariri, backed by the United States and Saudi Arabia, led his allegedly anti-Syrian coalition to victory in June. Since the parliamentary elections he has sought to bring together a deal to form a

Pakistan's military has said that its soldiers killed twelve militants in recent operations targeting Taliban insurgents in South Waziristan. The military said security forces battled militants on Friday as they fought for control of Makeen, an area considered the main base of the Pakistani Taliban. The military statement also says troops battled to tighten their control over Sararogha, which is another Taliban stronghold. Five Pakistani soldiers were wounded in the operations. "The fight against militancy [...] is a long and tough battle as

Four of Madagascar's top political figures signed an agreement on Saturday to form a coalition government, ahead of next year's planned elections. According to the agreement, Andry Rajoelina, who instigated a coup earlier this year to overthrow ousted president Marc Ravalomanana, will remain the president. He, as well as Ravalomanana and former presidents Didier Ratsiraka and Albert Zafy, signed the agreement on Saturday. "There will be two co-presidents as well as the president. That has been decided and accepted by leaders of the four movem

A Russian military plane crashed today in the Pacific Ocean. At least nine are missing after the turboprop went down in the Strait of Tartary, which is located in the far east of the country. The Tupolev Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance/anti-submarine aircraft, which is based on the Tu-95 strategic bomber, was reported by RIA Novosti as carrying "at least nine people" according to an unnamed military source. The BBC asserted that there were eleven on board, but did not attribute the number to anyone. A Defense Ministry statement said the plane

Iranian police arrested 109 people in Tehran during opposition protests which took place alongside an official demonstration to mark thirty years of the storming of the United States embassy during the Iranian Revolution in 1979, according to the capital's police chief. The Mehr news agency quoted General Azizollah Rajabzadeh as saying: "A hundred and nine people were arrested. Forty-seven were released on bail and 62 are in prison and their files are with the judicial authorities." He also said that of the 62 still held in detention, 43 are m

China's Premier Wen Jiabao is in Cairo, Egypt, where he held talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in preparation for the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation that begins on Sunday in Sharm el-Sheikh. The leaders of 49 African countries are gathering in the Egyptian Red Sea resort for a two-day meeting to discuss economic and political cooperation with China. At their talks, Wen and Mubarak discussed ways to improve bilateral relations. The Chinese leader also delivered a speech at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo. He spoke about way

Saudi Arabian military forces have continued their five-day attack against Yemeni rebels, leaving seven Saudis and an unknown number of Yemeni dead, according to the state news agency. The military has stated that only rebel forces on Saudi soil have been attacked, in contradiction with previous reports. Rebels have claimed that the military have targeted Yemeni villages. An official at Samtah's district hospital listed seven Saudis, of which four women civilians, as dead and 126 wounded since fighting began. He said Friday had been the "heavi

Residents of the suburb of Minyama, Australia have come to a compromise with restaurant chain McDonald's. A 24 hour store was planned for the suburb but the fast food giant backed down agreeing that the store will only open overnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Every other day it will be open from five in the morning to eleven at night. As part of the compromise, a walkway connecting the suburb's main road to the residential area near the new McDonald's has been closed off. "They will all be restricted to Nicklin Way," said John Meyer-Gleaves,

The government of Saudi Arabia removed an eleven-year ban on livestock imports from Somalia after fears of Rift Valley Fever were allayed, senior Somali officials said on Thursday. The decision was well received across Somalia, as hundreds of thousands of farmers heavily rely on animal exports to the oil-rich Middle East. Under the new arrangement, Saudi officials will closely examine animals before they are shipped off to Saudi soil. "This is a tremendous decision for Somalis across the Horn of Africa," said Idiris Ibrahim Abdi, the livestoc

A 1965 Volkswagen minibus that was stolen in 1974 has been recovered by customs agents in Los Angeles. The vintage minibus was in pristine condition, valued at $25,000, and was found during a routine inspection of a shipping container scheduled for departure to The Netherlands. A routine computer database search on its vehicle identification number flagged it as having been stolen from a vehicle upholstery shop in Spokane, Washington on July 12, 1974. A custom restoration business in Arizona was attempting to deliver it to overseas clients l