“I take no to the argument for action to prevent a future uses of chemical weapons. At the same time, we must consider the impact of any punitive measure on efforts to prevent further bloodshed.”

The Secretary General said that the weapons inspectors who left Syria over the weekend were trying to expedite the process of testing their samples to find out if chemical weapons have been used.

A UN team in Iraq says it’s counted 52 bodies at a camp for Iranian dissidents where killings were reported on Sunday. A statement said most of the victims were shot in the head. The UN called on the Iraqi government to mount an impartial investigation.

Eighty thousands gold miners have begun a strike in South Africa. As the strike began the national union of mine workers said it would accept a 10% raise instead of their original demand of 60%. From Johannesburg here's Will Ross

The General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers Frans Baleni told the BBC that if the gold companies offered a 10% wage increase, this would be accepted and the strike would called off Despite this development, the main gold mining union has also issued a hard-hittingstatement saying the strike would change the gold mining landscape forever. It said it was aware of the devastating impact industrial action would have on the economy, calling it largely a white man's economy with no benefits for poor black mine workers..