BBC在线收听下载:中国火箭携带“玉兔”登月 成第三个探测月球国家

BBC news 2013-12-02

BBC News with Marion Marshall.

The speaker of parliament in Ukraine Vladimir Rybak has told a national television channel the discussions between the government and opposition should begin on Monday. Mr. Rybak said representatives 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 President Viktor Yanukovych. Steven Rosenberg reports. “From across Ukraine, they flooded into Kiev. A hundred thousand people ignored a ban on rallies and marched through the city centre. They condemned their government for rejecting closer ties with EU in favour of Russia. They demanded that President Yanukovych resign. In parts of the city, the protest descended into violence. Protesters stormed the city council building, Kiev is ours, they chanted. Tonight, the protests are continuing.”

Results from a referendum in Croatia show a majority of voters in favour of a ban on gay marriage with the bulk of the votes counted, just under 2/3 supported the proposal that marriage should be definded strictly as the union of a man and a woman. Here's our Balkan's correspondent Guy de Launey. “Croatia may have joined the European Union, but its people have taken an early opportunity to reassert traditional Catholic values. It joins neighbours Hungary and Bulgaria in the group of EU member states which defined marriage as the union of a woman and a man. Normal EU member Serbia and Montenegro do likewise. The Catholic Church backed the campaign to hold the referendum as it became clear the government was planning to increase the rights of the same sex couples. Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic called the votes senseless and the government insisted its plans would not be affected.”

The leader of Thailand's anti-government protesters Suthep Thaugsuban says he's told the Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to resign. Their meeting arranged by the army followed a day of violent protest in the capital Bangkok, during which thousands of people tried to storm government offices and police headquarters. Jonah Fisher sent this report from a barricade outside the Prime Minister's office. “Tear gas continues to be fired. Now you could hear that they are firing coming here. Look, We have to move further bit further, back to back. This has been the sights all day (of) confrontation between the anti-government demonstrations. (You) can see some of them throwing things into the police there, and then in return tear gas has been fired back in this direction. So, most signs of this come into any sort of resolution this evening. It looks like these people are going to be here for quite awhile and they will continue to be a flash point.”

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A Metro-North passenger train has derailed in the Bronx borough of New York City. At least four people have been killed and more than 60 injured. The governor of New York Andrew Cuomo speaking at the crash site said 11 people were in a critical state and the train driver was among the injured. Four carriages came off the track on a curve just before Spuyten Duyvil station and went down a bank, stop inshore where the Harlem and Hudson rivers meet. Several ended up on their side. One eyewitness said the train was travelling much faster than normal.

The national prosecuting authority in South Africa says it will charge one of Nelson Mandela's grandsons with assault and brandishing a firearm after a car accident. The spokesman for Mandla Mandela said the incident never happened. Milton Nkosi reports. “The South African Sunday Times newspaper reports that Nelson Mandela's grandson is alleged to have drawn a gun on a 44-year-old teacher. Local reports said that Mandla Mandela is due to appear in court on Friday in the Eastern Cape town of Mthatha. Earlier this year, the younger Mandela made headlines when a court ordered him to return the remains of three of Nelson Mandela's children including that of his own father to a place he had to removed them from two years ago.”

Chinese state television has shown the launch of the Chinese (chang'e) three rockets carrying the country's first Moon rover called Yutu or Jade Rabbit. China has become only the third country to launch such mission after the United States and former Soviet Union.

The Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah has turned on the Christmas lights outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem to mark the beginning of the Christmas period. The Church of the Nativity stands on the spot where Christians believe Jesus was born. Bethlehem city council is beginning festivities earlier this year to encourage more tourists to visit the city during Christmas.

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