Police guards outside the presidential palace in Bolivia left their posts today, allowing anti-government protesters to walk up to the doors of the building. President Evo Morales was not in the building when police retreated on Saturday, with some of them standing on the roof of a near by police station in a sign of growing discontent among security forces after a disputed election. Officials in the palace in La Paz were evacuated, leaving only a military presidential guard. Protesters later left the area. Some police in Bolivia became openly defiant toward the government on Friday, and their protests appeared to be spreading. #WTF?

The holiday spirit has officially arrived in New York City thanks to the installation of a giant Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center. The 77-foot Norway spruce tree traveled from Florida, New York, to New York City and was lifted into place Saturday, where it will anchor Rockefeller Center's upcoming Christmas festivities. After its 60-mile trip via flatbed truck, the huge tree was hoisted into the air by a crane before being maneuvered into position in it traditional place, overlooking the skating rink. 🎄 #NYC

Five people have been shot dead as Iraqi security forces open fire on demonstrators following a month-long protest demanding an overhaul of the political system. Iraqi forces pushed the protesters back towards their main camp in central Baghdad using live ammunition, tear gas and sound bombs, police and medics said. Anti-government protesters were moved from some of the bridges they had tried to occupy during the week and towards Tahrir Square, the main gathering point for demonstrators. More than 140 people were wounded with many hit by gas canisters and shrapnel.

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT! Violence erupted on the streets of Hong Kong as clashes broke out during the 24th consecutive weekend of protests. Police blasted protesters with tear gas and water cannons to break up rallies, as activists blocked roads and trashed shopping malls across Hong Kong's New Territories and Kowloon peninsula on Sunday. Pro-democracy protesters, who used umbrellas to shield themselves from the police response, vandalised a train station in the central new town of Sha Tin as well as a restaurant seen as being pro-Beijing, overturning banqueting tables and smashing glass panels, two weeks before district council elections. Elsewhere, violence spilled out onto the streets of Tuen Mun outside the "V city" mall, with running battles between riot police and protesters. #HK