29/11/2013 BBC World News

The this is BBC World News, the top stories:

Anti-government protesters in Thailand storm the army's

headquarters and stage a rally inside, then leave.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra tells the BBC early elections are

not the answer. A show of unity at Europe's summit

in Vilnius, but disappointment that they've failed to persuade Ukraine

to sign a deal strengthening ties with the West.

Syria's lost generation of deeply traumatised children. More than a

million young people are now refugees.

And final preparations for China's first attempt to land a spacecraft

on the Moon. Hundreds of anti-government

protesters in Thailand have defied government appeals for dialogue,

climbed the gates of the National Army headquarters, and held a

three-hour rally in the army compound, before leaving of their

own accord. Protests against the Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra

are now in their sixth day. She told the BBC she won't resign or hold

early elections. More from her in a moment. But Jonah Fisher has been in

the army compound. This has been an extraordinary two

hours. Initially, the gates were broken down by the anti-government

demonstrators. They came in here and occupied this entire square here,

probably a couple of thousand of them on this grass. They brought a

truck in and they held a rally. There appeared to be an

understanding with the Army officers that they wouldn't go any further

and would not attempt to get into the building. So for example of

hours, they had a rally and appealed to the Army officers to join their

side in this protest and in the last few minutes, they have packed up,

they have taken the stage in their trucks out with them and they have

moved outside the compound. You can see the army here, they were never

armed, there was never a confrontation. That appears to be

part of the strategy of the Shinawatra government, she appears

to be determined to avoid any sort of flash point that could

potentially create an environment in which a coup or an army intervention

could take place. So at the moment, order has returned, if you like, to

the army headquarters and the demonstrators have moved off. What

we have seen through this week is they will be looking for another

target, another government building, that they can also look to

break into. The protestors going into the army

headquarters, then leaving, was the sixth day of protests against the

Government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who continues

to urge dialogue. So who are the protestors? What do they want? They

are led by Suthep Thaugsuban. He is a former opposition Democrat Party

lawmaker. Police have an issued a warrant for his arrest. Mr

Thaugsuban quit the opposition party earlier this month to lead protests

aimed at toppling the Government. That's after it proposed a

controversial political amnesty bill. The bill could have meant the

return of former Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, who is in exile

out of the country. He faces corruption charges inside Thailand.

He is also the brother of the current Prime Minister. On Sunday,

the protests started around the Democracy Monument in Bangkok. They

spread to several of government ministries like Tourism, Transport,

Agriculture, Finance and the Interior Ministry. On Thursday,

after winning a no-confidence vote, the Prime Minister appealed for

dialogue. The protestors responded by doing this - cutting the power

supply to the national police headquarters. Then in the last few

hours, they forced their way into the army headquarters. As we have

just reported, they have since left. Well, what is the view of the Prime

Minister? She has been speaking to Jonathan Head. This issue is really

sensitive. It doesn't mean that the Government has backed off but we

have our own position and standpoint. Let the policeman follow

but the first stages negotiation. Let the people work and be patient

with the situation. We need only one thing the country, we to protect

Chrissy, we need protect people the right way. This is the way we should

do it. So what -- whatever will keep democracy, whatever will keep

peaceful ways, that is the right path. Why don't you call a new

election now? If you call an election, we had to ask if the

protesters are satisfied or not. Let's go live now to the type

government spokesman, Yingluck Shinawatra. What is your reading of

the situation, they can go into the army headquarters, have a rally and

peacefully leave? Yes, as long as the protest is still peaceful, we

think it is acceptable. Currently, it is not a crime to not have any

confrontation. If there are any people that are injured or hurt

might -- it might make the situation worse, so right now the army and the

national forces are in place but try to avoid confrontations. And they

let the police run... Yesterday in Parliament, the Prime Minister and

her government won a vote of confidence in the Government, and

they also said very clearly that they want dialogue. What is your

view, therefore, that the protesters are clearly able to make their voice

heard but do not want dialogue with you? This is what we are concerned

about, because we offered ways that we would like to have dialogue, ways

to talk to the protesters. I was with the myself a few minutes ago

and she said she was willing to give the leader of the protest is a call

and find their way out of the crisis -- of the protests. But we cannot

see how that is going to happen. Currently, we still have the

constitution and to do that, they will have to amend the law, and we

have to have a constitutional amendment first before we have the

outcome that the protesters would like to have. Thank you very much

indeed, confirming that the promised would like to speak to the protest

is directly. The Ukrainian president, Viktor

Yanukovych, says his country still intends to sign an association

agreement with the European Union some time in the future, despite

failing to sign one at the EU summit in Lithuania. In comments on his

website, Mr Yanukovych indicated that the EU had not offered his

country a big enough package of financial aid. European leaders in

Vilnius say the deal is still on the table and they can wait.

The European Union's position remains clear. The offer of signing

the most ambitious agreement the European Union has ever offered to a

non-member state is still on the table. We stand ready to sign with

Ukraine once the benchmark is put forward by the European Union and

Matt, and we are really close. We may not miss this rendezvous with

history and had to set aside short-term considerations and had to

overcome pressure from abroad. This is a time of courage, this is a time

of decisions. Really close, the words from Herman Van Rompuy. Let's

go to Chris Morris in Vilnius. Despite all of that and listening to

what he just said, saying they had to overcome pressure from abroad, in

reality, does Russia have Ukraine in an armlock? It certainly feels that

way at the moment, and although those talks will continue,

discussions about a possible signature, I have certainly come

across a lot of scepticism that will -- that that will happen as long as

Viktor Yanukovych remains president of Ukraine. Some diplomats are

already looking forward to the next Ukrainian elections in 2015, as if

they may bring some form of political change. We will also hear

EU leaders emphasising a lot the role of popular protest, from those

who want Ukraine to have close ties to the European Union because, make

a mistake you heard from Herman Van Rompuy there, the most far-reaching

deal the EU has ever offered to a third country. The EU believes this

has the ability to transform the Ukraine both economically and

politically and because it is such a far-reaching deal, it is perhaps why

Russia has stamped its foot so forcefully. As you were talking, we

were seeing live pictures from Kiev from demonstrators who are pro-EU.

Intriguing that on his website, Recep Tayyip Erdogan to suggest that

actually, if Europe came up with more money, -- Viktor Yanukovych

suggests that actually, if Europe came up with more money, it would

help that move towards the European Union. Are they prepared to come up

with more money? Wanting it is not prepared to do is go into an intense

period of haggling. -- one thing it is not prepared to do. One of them

said it is not a Basra, it is a serious negotiation and the terms

were very clear. -- it is not a bazaar. They gave the terms of the

deal and the Ukraine said they wanted more but they were not

prepared to do that at the time. It is prepared to do more but will not

be held to a particular figure. There is concern within the

Ukrainian government about the pressure it will be put under by

Russia, it has already been put under pressure, but of trade

sanctions are imposed and that sort of thing, it wants to know what the

EU will do in response. Perhaps a lesson for the EU is that it is to

be a little bit more forceful itself given the nature of the hardball

politics Russia is playing. Chris Morris, thank you for this update. I

should say that two other deals were signed with Moldova and Georgia.

The dispute over a set of tiny and uninhabited islands in the East

China Sea shows no sign of dying down. In a thinly veiled threat,

China's state controlled media has called for what it describes as

"timely counter-measures". That's if Japan violates its new air defence

zone. China has sent several fighter jets to patrol the zone, which it

declared unilaterally last weekend. That is the one in red At its heart

is a chain of islands known as Senkaku by Japan, and Diayou by

China. The Chinese own is in red and the Japanese is in blue. South Korea

and Taiwan also have territorial claims in the same region. Catharina

Moh has more. Tensions build two new levels over

the disputed islands in the East China Sea. In the latest

developments, China says it has deployed fighter jets to control the

new self-declared air defence zone. The military are calling it a

defensive measure. There are forces now on high alert to deal with

diverse threads. -- their air forces. The country has dealt with

international criticism. There are a number of countries in this region

with territorial claims, the Chinese have strategic interests but if

collides directly with career, the US and other states, there will be

political repercussions. Meanwhile, strengthening its ties near but not

within China's defence zone, America and Japan in a joint military

exercise. US Navy sources had said that this year's exercise focuses on

maritime patrol and aircraft carrier operations, but it was planned a

year ago before China's announcement. The new Chinese zone

covers these disputed islands in the East China Sea, and it dramatically

covers these disputed islands in the East China Sea, and it overlaps and

existing Japanese own. It now insists that all planes crossing

this airspace must submit a flight plan in advance, but America, Japan

and South Korea say they have flown with Terry aircraft through the zone

in the past few days without informing China. On Thursday, Japan

announced it would continue its routine surveillance activity,

backed by the US. TRANSLATION: Japan and the United

States should not make irresponsible remarks, because they make no sense.

We also urge Japan and the United States to reflect on themselves and

not to make empty statements that may harm regional stability. The

zone viewed now threatens to overshadow the US Vice President's

trip to Beijing next week, as there are fears that the shows of force

could lead to an unplanned military incident. Breaking news, two men

have been remanded in custody following an investigation into

alleged match fixing into non-league football. The two men will appear

before Birmingham Crown Court in two weeks. They are among six men

arrested after an investigation by the Daily Telegraph newspaper which

revealed the details yesterday. Stay with us on BBC World News,

still to come: did this survive its solar roasting?

Comet ice and may still be alive after its encounter with the sun --

Comet Ison. As everyone knows, if you want to be

a good doctor, it's important to have a good bedside manner. Medical

students can learn all about the liver, the heart and the spleen. But

how do you teach empathy and understanding? Well, our

correspondent Katy Watson has been to Chicago, to find out how they're

using comedy to teach caring. Colourful pictures and simple

ideas, comics aren't your typical medical textbook but they could soon

be used to teach a doctor near you. These comic strips were developed in

the 1990s. There was nothing that could have prepared you for the AIDS

crisis. One day, not knowing what else to

do, I drew a picture of myself. In the top left corner, I drew a box.

And another box. I went from a state of really struggling with a

patient's death, to finding myself in a place of hope. There was

something about this text and image in boxes that worked. There are

hundreds of graphic medicine novels. But what unites them all is

they give a unique insight into the experience of patients in an

appreciable way. -- approachable. She is now using these memoirs to

improve the bedside manner of doctors. These students don't just

read them, they draw them as well. It is great to have a different

outlet talking about medicine. I spoke to my artistic side. It allows

a good outlet for humour and self-expression, when it could seem

insensitive or difficult to address. It has proved useful for

some of the graduates who have put their skills to good use in

hospital. It was really helpful, using graphic

depictions, to show what we are talking about, what area of the body

we are examining, and it allows for a parallel line of communication.

For these students still sketching out their career in medicine, they

will be faced with parent -- patient experiences good and bad. Now they

have another way of dealing with them.

This is BBC World News. The latest headlines: anti-government

protesters in Thailand have held a rally inside the army headquarters

in Bangkok. The Prime Minister ruled out holding

early elections in an interview with the BBC. European leaders say

Ukraine must not let Russia blocked a deal on close integration with the

EU. A new political and economic

agreement between Ukraine and the EU was due to be the highlight of the

summit in Lithuania. The civil war in Syria has created

an entire generation of traumatised children. That's the conclusion of a

new report from the United Nations refugee agency. It says well over a

million children are now registered refugees. Some have seen a parent

die, and many miss out on education because they have to work to

survive. It comes shortly after a London-based think-tank Oxford

Research Group put the number of children killed during Syria's civil

war at more than 11,000. We wanted to look behind the

statistics and find out how children were being killed, what weapons were

affecting them the most. Seven out of ten children had been killed by

explosive weapons. One out of four by small arms fire, caught in

crossfire. Quite disturbingly, we also saw a lot of children were

being killed with deliberate targeting, using weapons such as

sniper fire, 400 cases of that, nearly 800 cases of children who had

been some really executed, shot point that -- point-blank. How do

you get this kind of data in a war zone?

It is provided by Syrian civilian organisations. It is not verified

but is of high quality, providing lists of names, circumstances, how

and where they were killed. The best data we have got, the data we have

been relying on for statistics on the conflict and casualties.

Can we be clear, here we see BDO of some children in Syria, about

whether they are actively being targeted, or whether they are

victims who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Seven out of ten have been killed by indiscriminate weapons such as

bombs, if they are used in populated areas, they will kill civilians

indiscriminately. However, there is evidence of children being

deliberately targeted. Are they carrying weapons when they are

targeted? We do not know that. We have 80 children killed, babies,

killed by small arms fire. That has been reported. Some may be in

crossfire. Children who had been tortured and killed. Those are

things that are purely targeting. Someone held captive and tortured.

Now to Pakistan, where the outgoing army chief, General Ashfaq Kayani,

has made his final speech. He spoke of the sacrifices his soldiers made

in fighting militancy in the country. In a farewell ceremony in

Rawalpindi, he handed over power to a new army chief. Aleem Maqbool

gained access to the event, and looks at one of the most important

jobs when it comes to the stability of the region.

Pakistan always holds its breath until one army chief peacefully

handover to the next. We remember the past with general by Sharaf. But

it is very much part of the legacy of Ashfaq Kayani that he has at

least overtly stood out of hackers Donnie politics. He has had other

successes, the military operation in the swat Valley against the Taliban.

For a lot of people, he still has a black mark against his name because

of that American raid in which some of -- in which Osama Our science

editor David Shukman reports from China.

China is going to the moon, and in this city, an exhibition captures

the growing excitement. This rising nation is reaching beyond the Earth.

This animation shows how a Chinese spacecraft will descend to the lunar

surface. This hasn't been tried for more than 40 years. A rover will

emerge. This is robotic but it paves the way for Chinese astronauts to

follow. America did all this 40 years ago, but now China is catching

up very enthusiastically and methodically, and with greater

ambition. The plan is to visit the moon, and also to exploit it. Where

are you going to land? The man behind the mission has never spoken

to the Western media before. The Chinese space programme is usually

highly secret. This professor says there are

opportunities on the moon, it has valuable minerals and potential

sources of energy and he wants China to make use of them.

With Chinese astronauts gaining experience in orbit, the idea of a

Chinese space on the moon, or even a mine there, is starting to look

feasible. Perfectly plausible technically. Plausible from the

finance point of view. So, I think, yes, there's nothing to stop them

doing that, probably within ten years. The last people to walk or

skip on the moon were American. The astronauts of Apollo 17 in 1972. The

next footprints look set to be Chinese. Children at this space

exhibition are loving it. TRANSLATION: I really like it here.

I want to come again. This one says, I want to be an astronaut to go to

the moon. A computer game about a Chinese mine

on the moon. A great way to fire the imagination about a new frontier in

this country's constant search for precious resources. And this

generation, they actually may see it happen.

Yesterday, we told you about what's been dubbed the comet of the

century. But, for a while, it looked touch and go for Comet Ison. The two

kilometre-wide ball of ice and dust has just had a very close encounter

with the sun. Astronomers initially feared the comet had been burned up

by the sun's heat and gravitational pull. However, US naval

astrophysicists say that satellite images show that something has

re-emerged. They're still hoping that at least part of the comet will

be visible in the night skies over the next few days END HEAD

that's it from me. Thanks for joining me here. Goodbye.