The Burmese riot police dispersed thousands of protestors using phosphorus shells, tear-gas and water cannons, claimed activists and local media sources.

The villagers were protesting against a vast copper mining project that is currently underway.

Activists on the ground said that at least 50 people were injured. Local media reported the use of ‘phosphurous bombs’.

Describing the brutal attack of the riot police, student activist, Myo Thant said,

“The stuff from these canisters got caught on the clothes and bodies of the victims. When they shook their robes to remove this stuff, fire started.”

Commenting on the riot police’s handling of the protests, a government spokesman, Zaw Htay, assured that the police had only used water cannon, teargas and smoke bombs.

Referring to the brutal repression of protests five years ago, a Buddhist monk protestor, Zawana said,

“We find it hard to believe now whether the new civilian government is any different from the previous military regime at that time.”

The brutal crackdown of recent protests, comes shortly after US president, Barack Obama,visited Burma to commend the nation on its democratic reforms.

The British Foreign Secretary William Hague has said that the UK will not vote against Palestinian non-member observer status at the UN.

However, Mr Hague demanded assurances from the Palestinians that they would enter talks without setting conditions and that Palestine will not seek membership of the International Criminal Court.

"Up until the time of the vote itself, we will remain open to voting in favour of the resolution, if we see public assurances by the Palestinians on these points," he said.

"However, in the absence of these assurances, the UK would abstain on the vote. This would be consistent with our strong support for the principle of Palestinian statehood, but our strong concern that the resolution could set the peace process back."

The Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Manuel Hassassian told the BBC that Mahmoud Abbas has rejected the demands.

"He told Mr Hague the resolution would remain unchanged and called the conditions unrealistic and would provoke a public anger,"

"The UK is keen on striking the right diplomatic balance; namely, it is committed to the two-state solution but it also wants to stick to the US line on the Palestinian statehood bid, which is totally opposing it."

"The highest national interests demand that territorial and maritime limits are set by agreements as has always been the case in Colombian judicial tradition, and not via rulings uttered by the International Court of Justice,"

"This is the moment for national unity. This is the moment that the country has to unite."

The French foreign minister Laurent Fabius has confirmed that france will vote in support of Palestine’s bid to become a non-member state at the United Nations General Assembly.

"You know that for years and years France's consistent position has been the recognition of the Palestinian state," Fabius said to the lower house of parliament.

"That is why when the question is raised on Thursday and Friday, France will respond with a 'yes'."

"It's only with negotiations between the two sides that we demand immediately, without any preconditions, that a Palestinian state can become a reality," he added.

The bid, due to be voted on next week, is opposed by Israel and the US.

"We've got the provinces that sort of surround the Tibetan autonomous region all having self-immolations in the last couple months, as well as the diversity of the people involved, in terms of age ranges, in terms of occupations. Both laypeople and monks and nuns [are] involved in these self-immolations. Without a doubt, it's really reaching a crisis point,"

"Sadly, we hear the same rhetoric coming out of Beijing, and Chinese officials continually blaming a few black hands for collaborating with the Dalai Lama and the exiled Tibetan community to stir up trouble and to damage China's ethnic unity and harmony. There's just absolutely no will, it seems, to admit a failure of policy".

Unidentified gunmen, thought to be separatist rebels, have attacked a police station in Indonesia’s Papua province.

Three policemen were killed when dozens of gunmen attacked the station and set it alight.

Indonesian security forces have been increasing security in anticipation of the independence declaration anniversary coming up on December 1.

"We had identified the hotspots in Papua and even prepared additional troops from the mobile brigade," said Sr Cdr Wachjono, chief detective of the Papua police.

"The modus operandi is similar to the separatists' attacks," he said.

The Spanish government has said it would not enter talks with Basque separatist group ETA, after the group offered to hold discussions to bring about a “definitive end” to its armed struggle.

The country’s interior minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz said that there would be no negotiations with a "terrorist organisation".

“They know that we have not negotiated nor will we negotiate in any way with the terrorist organisation.

"So the only statement the government demands, not requests but demands and is working for, is its unconditional dissolution."

ETA steps forward to negotiate (24 Nov 2012)

"evidence collected by my office will remain available to judicial authorities in the former Yugoslavia to facilitate national prosecutions for the crimes committed in connection with Operation Storm."

"The fact is that it is not Croatia that freed the generals, but that the highest legal authorities in The Hague decided that our generals are not guilty… It's a matter of respect toward the international community and international law."

"It's not going well with Croatia… He wants us to talk — me as the president of a nation which has committed crimes, and him as the president of a nation which has not been convicted of anything."

"Croatians know that the crime committed during the Storm is awful, but they still celebrate because no one was convicted… They are a nation on a wrong path."

“When indictment was issued against Ratko Mladić in the Srebrenica case, we did not even wait for the guilty verdict, the (Serbian) parliament immediately passed a resolution condemning the Srebrenica crime. Our government arrested (Ratko) Mladić and extradited him to the Hague. I know it (Srebrenica) was a crime, and I will never say that it was not."

"Croats know that the crime committed in Operation Storm was appalling, and that will be on their conscience for as long as they exist. but now they are celebrating that no one was punished for it. That is a nation on the wrong path, a people that would perhaps now put before a firing squad their own countrymen if they were to say - wait, people, that was a crime”.

“However, it is obvious that we cannot cooperate in a sincere and open manner with a country that celebrates its crimes. It cannot be done! It doesn't go that way! In whose name? On behalf of the victims, on behalf of their children?"

“it would be profitable if Kosovo stayed completely within Serbia, and for me to be president in Priština."

“Kosovo is what Serbia can agree to, and not what the U.S. and some other members of the UN declared (it to be). Kosovo can never be taken away from Serbia.”

Pro-Catalan independence parties won a majority in the region's election on Sunday.

Artur Mas' centre-right CiU part won 50 sets out of 135 and the left-wing separatist ERC won 21.

Speaking to reporters after the election results, Mas stressed that his disappointing result - 62 seats down from last year - was a reflection of austerity cuts and not reflective of separatism.

Both the CiU and the ERC have pledged to hold an effective referendum on independence. Although said to be illegal under Spanish law at present, the parties have said they plan to circumvent this by announcing a public consultation discourse, rather than a formal referendum.

The Egyptian stock market took a plunge Sunday, the first day it was open since the president's announcement of his widening powers and exemption from judicial review.

The decree has sparked protests and strong opposition.

Meanwhile, news came that the President Mohamed Mursi will meet senior members of the judiciary on Monday, in order to resolve the situation.

Leaders of four African countries have called on M23 rebels to stop fighting and withdraw from the city of Goma, in the east of the Democratic Reublic of Congo (DRC).

President Kabila of the DRC, and the presidents of Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya met in Kampala on Sunday. Rwanda was represented by its foreign minister.

The leaders issued a statement calling on the rebels to "stop all war activities and withdraw from Goma" and "stop talk of overthrowing an elected government".

Kabila was also asked to look into the “legitimate grievances” of the rebels.

"International investigations are being enhanced and prominent war criminals and mass atrocities perpetrators have been identified, located and brought to justice. Yet plenty of work remains, with nine fugitives, for example, still wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and more than 130 red notices issued at the request of NCB Kigali still outstanding".

"My call to the international community was to narrow the impunity gap. Say no to safe havens for genocide perpetrators living in their respective jurisdictions. Although the 1994 genocide was committed against Tutsis, it was also committed to the whole world."

“ I think it is fair to say that Australia is again in serious breach of its international obligations.”