Prime Minister Tony Abbott says he "deeply" regrets that an asylum seeker was given limited access to her sick baby, but won't apologise "for what happens when people come to Australia illegally".

Latifa, a Rohingyan woman from Myanmar, gave birth in Brisbane's Mater Hospital last week but was returned to a detention centre while her baby remained in the neonatal intensive care unit.

For several days the Immigration Department only allowed Latifa to visit her baby at the hospital between 10:00am and 4:00pm.

Mr Abbott says he has read reports about Latifa's case and "deeply" regrets that she was separated from her child.

"But we've got to ask ourselves, why have any of these things happened?" he said on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-15/abbott-regrets-baby-situation-but-wont-apologise/5095364

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The answer is simple, Sir Bigot Abbott... Your head is full of wet straw, your heart is made of concrete and your religion is bogus... End of story no other excuses will do, you effin' moron!

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has reacted defiantly to the UK's call for an inquiry into alleged human rights abuses, saying "people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones".

He was speaking on the second day of the Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka.

UK premier David Cameron had urged Mr Rajapaksa to ensure an independent inquiry, or face a UN investigation.

The abuses are alleged to have been committed mainly against Tamils since the end of the war in 2009.

Pro-government commentators have pointed to alleged abuses under British colonial rule to suggest Britain has no moral right to criticise Sri Lanka.

And Mr Rajapaksa made an oblique reference to Bloody Sunday, when 13 civilians were shot dead in Northern Ireland by the British army in 1972.

Some inquiry reports took 40 years to emerge, he said, referring to an inquiry into the shootings which reported in 2010 and laid responsibility for the events on the army.

He also accused the Sri Lankan government's critics of ignoring deaths during the period of the civil war.

"Every day for the last 30 years people were dying... so we have stopped it," he said.

"We will take our time and we will investigate into 30 years of war," he added.

Mr Rajapaksa has said the end of the war has brought peace, stability and the chance of greater prosperity to Sri Lanka.

read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24970403

British prime minister David Cameron has begged Scots not to rip apart the United Kingdom's "family of nations", flying to Scotland to man the barricades against a surge in support for independence eight days before a referendum.

Mr Cameron appealed to Scots to use their heads and their hearts when they voted on September 18.

He reminded them of their shared history and bonds with England, Wales and Northern Ireland – twice evoking World War II and the fight against Hitler.

He also warned that an independent Scotland could not keep the pound currency, jobs would head south, and the country's security be weakened.

"I would be heartbroken if this family of nations was torn apart," Mr Cameron said, speaking to staff of the Scottish Widows financial institution in the capital Edinburgh.

There was some relief for unionists when a poll released on Wednesday evening showed 53 per cent of Scots would vote against a split, with 47 per cent intending to opt for independence – unchanged from its last survey on August 28.

read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-11/david-cameron-visits-scotland-ahead-of-independence-vote/5735556

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