Beirut  - Lebansese President Michel Suleiman has asked Iran for medium-sized weapons for the army, in a move aimed at shifting Iran's assistance from the country's militant Hezbollah movement to the state, a Lebanese government official said Wednesday.

The official, who requested anonymity, said Suleiman had made clear during a two-day visit to Tehran earlier this week that he was not seeking to obtain long-range missiles or jet fighters, but rather modern medium arms that would help the Lebanese army combat terrorism and maintain national security.

Melbourne, Nov 26 : The new policy of giving only one warning before firing someone may help Australia avoid a recession, but it will still make people lose their jobs, warns the OECD.

The new workplace regime does away with the old workplace law of getting three warnings before you are fired, and Small Business Minister Craig Emerson stated that just one warning would be enough.

The new law, which also prevents any unfair dismissals and is an important concession to small businesses, is applied to any employee who commits theft, fraud or violence in the workplace.

Tallinn  - Government ministries in the Baltic nation of Estonia threw their doors open to the public Wednesday as part of the country's celebrations to mark 90 years since it first declared independence.

Estonia prides itself on its open governance, frequently scoring well in international surveys for its low levels of corruption and high transparency of information.

But on Wednesday, designated "Citizens' Day," it took things one step further by inviting the general public through the hallowed portals of government.

Bilbao, Spain  - Basque separatists Wednesday hailed the vote giving Greenland more au

London, Nov 26 : A Polish pianist''s dying wish was fulfilled when his skull was used as a prop in a production of Shakespeare''s Hamlet.

The Shakespeare fan’s skull was used by actor David Tennant during the famous “Alas, poor Yorick” scene.

When André Tchaíkowsky died of cancer in 1982 aged 46 he donated his body for medical science, reports the Telegraph.

New York, Nov 26 : It looks like U. S. President-elect Barack Obama is addicted to his BlackBerry.

He told ABC News'' Barbara Walters in an interview that he''s trying to talk the Secret Service and others into letting him keep his wireless device.

Obama had to give up the device over fears that hackers could break into his inbox and harvest data that''s potentially damaging to national security.

However, he thinks keeping BlackBerry at hand will allow him to keep a better handle on his job.

"This is a problem," the New York Daily News quoted Obama, as telling Walters.