BBC News with Marion Marshall
The speaker of parliament in Ukraine Vladimir Rybakhas told a national television channel thediscussions between the government andopposition should begin on Monday. Mr. Rybak saidrepresentatives of all sides will have an opportunity to express their opinions. On Sunday,protesters occupied the city hall in Kiev in the biggest demonstrations yet against PresidentViktor Yanukovych. Steven Rosenberg reports.
From across Ukraine, they flooded into Kiev. A hundred thousands of people ignored a ban onrallies and marched through the city centre. They condemned their government for rejectingcloser ties with EU in favour of Russia. They demanded that President Yanukovych resign. Inparts of the city, the protests descended into violence. Protesters stormed the city councilbuilding, Kiev is ours they chanted. Tonight, the protests are continuing.
Results from a referendum in Croatia show a majority voters in favour of a ban on gaymarriage with the bulk of the votes counted, just under 2/3 supported the proposal thatmarriage should be defended strictly as a union of a man and a woman. Here's our Balkan'scorrespondent Genc Lamani.
Croatia may have joined the European Union, but its people have taken an early opportunity toreassert traditional Catholic values. It joins neighbours Hungary and Bulgaria in the group ofEU member states which defined marriage as the union of a woman and a man. Normal EUmember Serbia and Montenegro do likewise. The Catholic Church backed the campaign to holdthe referendum as it become clear the government was planning to increase the rights of thesame sex couples. Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic called the vote senseless and the governmentinsists its plans will not be affected.
The leader of Thailand's anti-government protesters Suthep Thaugsuban says he's told thePrime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to resign. Their meeting arranged by the army followed aday of violent protests in the capital Bangkok during which thousands of people tried to stormgovernment offices and police headquarters. Jonah Fisher sends this report from a barricadeoutside the Prime Minister's office.
Tear gas continues to be fired and now you can hear that firing coming over here, that we haveto move further and further, back and back,this has been a sites all day the confrontationsbetween the anti-government demonstrators,you can see some of them throwing things intothe police there and then in return, tear gas has been fired back in these directions, so wholesite is coming to any sort of revolutions, there the of these people are gonna to be here forquite a while and it will continues to be a fresh point.
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A Metro-North passenger train has derailed in the Bronx borough of New York city, at least fourpeople have been killed and more than 60 injured. The governor of New York Andrew Cuomospeaking at the crash site said 11 people were in a critical state and the train driver was amongthe injured. Four carriages came off the track on a curve just before the Spuyten Duyvilstation and bring down a bank stop in shore to where the Harlem and Hudson rivers meet,several ended up on their side when eyewitness said the train was travelling much faster thannormal.
The national prosecuting authority in South Africa says it will charge one of the NelsonMandela's grandson with assault and brandishing a firearm after a car accident. A spokesmanfor Mandla Mandela said the incident never happened. Milton Nkosi reports.
The South African Sunday Times newspaper reports that Nelson Mandela's grandson is allegedto have drawn a gun on a 44-year-old teacher. Local reports said that Mandla Mandela is due toappear in court on Friday in the Eastern Cape town of Mthatha. Early this year, the youngerMandela made headlines when a court ordered him to return the remains of three of Mandela'schildren including that of his own father to a place yet removed them from two years ago.
Chinese state television has shown the launch of Chinese three rockets carrying the country'sfirst Moon rover called Yutu (or Jade Rabbit). China has become only the third country to launchsuch mission after the United States and former Soviet Union.
The Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah has turned on the Christmas lights outside theChurch of the Nativity in Bethlehem. To mark the beginning of the Christmas period. TheChurch of the Nativity stands on the spot where the Christians believe Jesus was born.Bethlehem city council is beginning festivities early this year to encourage more tourists to visitthe city during Christmas.
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