02/12/2013 BBC World News

Hello. This is BBC World News. Our top stories: A hostile mood in

Bangkok after Thailand's prime minister refuses to resign. A

hard-core of protesters are still on the streets.

Locating government buildings and calling for the president to go.

Ukraine's pro-European activists hold another day of demonstrations.

Gay couples in Croatia will need to wait for new partnership laws, after

a referendum to outlaw same-sex marriage.

And how this eagle made Aussie researchers wish they'd tied their

cameras down. A very warm welcome to you. The

Prime Minister of Thailand has rejected demands for her to resign,

as violent demonstrations continue to rage across Bangkok. Yingluck

Shinawatra says that she was open to negotiations, but said that her

removal would be unconstitutional. Right police used rubber bullets for

the first time as protesters tried to break through their lines outside

government house. Our correspondent is in Bangkok.

You have absolutely stinging tear gas here, and we are quite a long

way from the front line. It has been coming across in great wafts, as the

protest is, a hard-core now, down mostly to young men, have been

trying to push through. They have been firing home-made rockets and

throwing stones at the police. The police have been throwing huge

amounts of tear gas. A bit further along, at the main front line, they

have declared a truth. They said they wanted to have a chance for

dialogue to take place between them and the government. It is not clear

what the dialogue will be about. They have not abandoned their goal

of forcing Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to leave office, but they

say there is a chance it can happen. Excuse me, I have very strong tear

gas at the moment. All around me, people have been choking and

coughing. It is quite amazing to see how these people have stayed around

living through these clouds of tear gas. It shows you how determined

they are. They don't want to give up. This goal of overthrowing a

government with these endless assaults on the Prime Minister's

office, and she isn't even there, it is just impossible to see how they

can reach that goal. The tactics have not worked up till now, and we

keep seeing these endless hit and run battles against government

house, just behind me on the right. It all sounds incredibly tense. It

shows you the determination of the people on the streets of Bangkok at

the moment. Is there any danger or possibility that the army might be

called in to these events? We have heard from Prime Minister Yingluck

Shinawatra saying she's open to them becoming involved. The Army has been

very careful to stay out of it up until now. It hasn't given

particularly strong support to the Prime Minister when she has asked

for it. It has given the impression it doesn't want to be involved. If

there were a clash between these people and the Prime Minister's

supporters, that would be a pretext, potentially, for the Army

to step in, but the government has been very careful to keep its own

supporters away from this. These protesters have incredibly strong

feelings that this is an illegitimate government. They are

very passionate. But we don't see the millions of people who actually

voted for this government. They have voted for them in five successive

elections. You can understand why the Prime Minister is saying, why

should I give up power? I am an elected prime minister. But over the

last month or so, feelings have built-up that are incredibly strong,

and they feel that they are justified, because they feel that

democracy doesn't rein in the government 's enough. It doesn't

prevent her and her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, from having a grip on

power. Several thousand protest is in the

Ukrainian capital, Kiev, are continuing to block the main

government building in a tense stand-off over the country's future.

They are demanding the resignation of the President. Our correspondent

has the latest from Kiev. On Independence Square, protesters

have been busy putting up barricades all around here to stop police

getting onto the square. They have been writing messages on the

barricades. This one says, Ukraine for freedom. This is because the

protesters here believe their future lies with Europe. They are deeply

disappointed that their president refuses to sign the association

agreement with the EU which would have wrought Ukraine closer to

Brussels. As you can see, they are using anything they can get their

hands on to use as barricades. A lot of the protesters here stayed the

night here, and have been lighting fires to keep themselves warm. They

are determined to stay here on Independence Square until their

demands are met, and they are the resignation of the president and the

Prime Minister. This is the centre of Independence Square. At the

moment, quite a lot of people are milling around. That metal structure

over there it is an artificial Christmas tree. The protesters have

taken some of the metal from that to build up the barricades. There is a

stage behind me and lots of Ukrainian flags, and also flags of

the European Union. All through the night they had been making political

speeches, singing Ukrainian songs, and demanding political change in

Ukraine. With me now is the BBC's Ukraine

analyst. It sounds like things are really ramping up in Kiev. We have

barricades being setup on Independence Square. Things are

building to a crescendo. Yes, we have all those elements, but we do

not have political dialogue, because it is not clear what will come out

of these protests. The numbers are very impressive, as are the slogans,

but there is no dialogue whatsoever. President Yanukovych is

unlikely to yield to the demands of his resignation. He will try to hold

out as long as it takes. The root of this is a disagreement over whether

or not Ukraine should sign this trade pack with the European Union.

We saw some very explosive scenes over the weekend coming out of the

government. Are we going to see any change of line on the part of

Yanukovych and that? He says he sympathises with those who suffered

after police very brutally attacked those sleeping during the night on

Saturday. He says this isn't acceptable, but it isn't clear

whether his voice will be heard. Ukraine is divided. There's lots of

his supporters, particularly in eastern Ukraine. Western Ukraine is

the opposite. Because Ukraine is divided, it gives the opportunity

for the authorities to rely on their power base. But there is a positive

outcome out of this division. It is very difficult to declare a state of

emergency, and many politicians are urging the president to do that. It

will not be possible to enforce this in a country as divided as Ukraine.

It will be interesting to see how the authorities react, because those

thousands of demonstrators seem to show no signs of leaving. The

opposition leader was also involved in that protest. They do not show

any signs of backing down. No. One danger in this stand-off is that,

unlike in 2004 during the Orange Revolution, there are new groups,

new kids on the block, and they are from anarchist groups, from

right-wing groups, from nationalist groups, from radical occupying the

streets movements. All of those groups may actually provoke police

attacks. This is what happened yesterday, when the demonstrators

and some dodgy groups tried to attack the presidential office.

There was a very, very brutal stand-off with riot police. I think

it is those groups who are to watch. If they are put under control, the

situation could be resolved peacefully. If not, there could be

more provocation. The latest I heard was that the Interior Minister is

bringing in additional police reinforcements into Kiev, which

doesn't sound very promising. Many thanks for coming in.

In other news, US authorities have begun an investigation into the

causes of Sunday's train crash in the Bronx area of New York. This is

a live shot of the Giro commuter train. The accident kills four

people and injured 60 more. The train's recorder has been recovered,

and one of the carriages is currently being lifted up.

A Canadian man has been arrested for allegedly trying to sell information

about Canada's warship buying strategy to the Chinese government.

He had worked for a firm involved in warship design.

African ministers and experts are to meet today to try and find ways to

stop a rise in the killing of elephants. Seizures of ivory

destined for Asia have more than doubled in Africa in only four

years, and the price for Ivory has risen sharply. Organisers of a

three-day conference in Botswana hope to push countries to block

imports. Croatians have voted to ban same-sex

marriages. The referendum was proposed by a conservative group

after the government gave gay couples limited rights. The ban is

supported by the country's Roman Catholic charge. The Prime Minister

called it sad and senseless. There's nothing to stop them holding

hands or kissing, but if these two ever want to get married in Croatia,

now there is a constitutional obstacle, despite their efforts at

the ballot box. TRANSLATION: Want to be treated as

all other Croatian citizens. But we are denied the right to marry, and

are defined as second-class citizens. Croatia's Prime Minister

was on their side. He tried and failed to block the vote in the

courts. TRANSLATION: This is a sad and

pointless referendum. Already next week or the week after we plan to

pass a bill on common-law partnership, so there will be no

negative consequences in that regard. The new Bill will bring only

positive changes, and I hope this is the last time we have a referendum

on an issue like this one. The vote came about after a campaign

supported by the Catholic Church. 750,000 people signed the petition

to force a referendum. The outcome was never in doubt. Catholic values

and beliefs form a key part of Croat identity.

TRANSLATION: I voted in favour. Since the earliest times, people

have known that marriage is only between man and women, and I hope

that God will help this referendum to succeed. Croatia appeared to be

moving in a different direction to other Western Balkan countries when

it joined the EU in July. Now, like its neighbours Serbia and

Montenegro, it has a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

Stay with us here on BBC World News. The young Romanians who have left

their families for western Europe. Could thousands more be about to

follow? In other news, seven factory workers

have died in a fire at a Chinese garland factory in Tuscany, Italy.

The fire started in a loft that the workers were using as a makeshift

dormitory. The cause of the fire is unknown, but it has prompted

questions about living conditions for factory workers in the city,

which has become a centre for Chinese workers producing low-cost

garments. When the fire swept through this

Chinese run the factory, the workers are believed to have been asleep in

a makeshift dormitory in the loft. Early on Sunday morning, and off

duty police officer was passing by, and heard screaming inside.

TRANSLATION: Chinese woman, wet and completely black due to the smoke,

was telling me that there were many other people inside. She pointed to

the highest part of the building. I tried to see, but the flames were so

strong and the smoke was so pungent that it was difficult. As smoke

billowed from the warehouse, fire crews arrived to battle the flames,

but at least seven workers died. The building is in an industrial area in

the Tuscan town. The town has been a strong hold of Italy's textile

industry since the 12th century, but now local companies face tough

competition from trying. The town has around 4000 Chinese factories.

Most of the factories turned out clothing. Many illegal immigrants

are thought to live and work in the factories, and every year, and

number of businesses are shut down by the authorities. The president of

Tuscany says some businesses in the region are in the hands of Chinese

organised crime, and he has called for greater supervision.

TRANSLATION: We need the national government and local institutions to

find a way to work with China, to upgrade this industrial area, bring

it to the surface, and make it a real industrial district where human

rights are recognised. The cause of this fire is not yet known, but as

the investigation begins, the tragedy will prompt questions about

working conditions in the thousand of garment factories in this city.

Welcome back. This is BBC World News. The latest headlines: The

hostile mood in Bangkok after Thailand's prime minister refuses to

resign. Some protesters are still on the street. And demonstrations are

continuing in the Ukrainian capital as the President's opponents call

for him to quit. A new team of chemical weapons

inspectors starts work in Syria on Monday. They're civilians and have

never worked inside an active war zone, so the US military has been

preparing it with lessons learned from Iraq and Afghanistan. For this

report, Anna Holligan has been given exclusive access to a US military

training base in Germany. They are being prepared for what

could be the worst day of their lives. Kidnappings, hostile locals,

incoming fire... This is a taste of what they might encounter in Syria.

We will be in an area where we might be in the wrong place at the wrong

time, and we might get people shooting at us. These chemical

analysts are entering an unpredictable environment. These

soldiers on this uniquely modified military base have been trained to

act like the enemy. This is a simulation, a training exercise, but

it is designed to replicate the kind of situation they could face in

Syria. These guys are experts in their field, experts and chemical

weapons, but they have never been forced to operate inside inactive

combat zone and if they make mistakes, people could die. The

commander who has designed these exercises has drawn on his own

experiences to try to teach the teams entering Syria how to

recognise cultural sensitivities and avoid repeating mistakes of the

past. For example, going into homes where only women were present, using

dogs in villages. Absolutely, we take the most relevant and recent

challenges facing our soldiers in combat environments and we insert

them into the training scenarios that we do here. Their mission is to

verify the chemical stockpiles before they can be removed and

destroyed. This is how they are hoping it will proceed. But what

makes a civilian volunteer to do such a dangerous job? I have seen

pictures on television of the effects of these kinds of weapons,

and it is easy for me as a father to look at the kids affected and to

realise these weapons have to go. If I can do anything to help, with my

skills, I am more than happy to help. The idea is that those skills

with this training will keep them safe in Syria.

For the last seven years, restrictions have been in place on

people from Romania and Bulgaria wanting to go to other EU countries.

In a month's time, those restrictions expire, and the

political debate over the changes continues to be fierce. Bulgarians

and Romanians gained the right to visa-free travel to the EU in 2007,

when their countries joined the union. But in a number of countries,

including Spain and the United Kingdom, restrictions were put in

place on the type of jobs they could take. As of January, these

restrictions will expire and there is expected to be an increase in

migration. The fear in countries like the UK and Germany is that

there will be an influx of people seeking to access social benefits.

Another fear in many countries is a sudden demand on public health but

it's hard to say just how significant the impact will be. Our

Europe correspondent Matthew Price has been speaking to potential

migrants in the north west of Romania, Transylvania. This is one

of Europe's poorest countries and many wish to escape from here. Like

the daughters of Johan - they went to Spain ten years ago. Every family

in his town is said to have either someone either there or in Italy.

The Romanian destinations of choice. TRANSLATION: Spain has more

facilities. My daughters say they would like to come home one day, I

would like them to. But some say that many young people now choose

Britain. This man has already worked there on a building site. Even under

the current restrictions, he and fellow countrymen were able to come

to Britain and look for work. He says he thinks changing the rules

will change little. By the time I went to the UK in 2006, I worked on

a site where there were 70 Romanians and the company was Romanian. In an

old communist-built cultural centre, a jobs fair to attract people to the

west. Among them, Andrea, a dentist. Have you thought about working in

England? Yes, but I decided that Ireland is better. Because you have

friends there? Yes. People are looking for better wages and living

conditions, and this migration has been going on for years now. It is

impossible to predict whether the change in rules on January first

will accelerate the process. Already though, this man has made his

decision. When the regulations change, he will be able to apply for

any job when the regulations change, and escape the low wages here. 200,

maximum 300 euros per month. So when the rule changes come in on January

the 1st, does that mean you try to go back to Britain? Yes. Getting out

of here will get easier with the rule change, but many did not wait

for this moment to migrate across Europe. They have already left and

they are building lives elsewhere. In Australia, victims of the drug

thalidomide have won a historic class action suit worth over 80

million US dollars. The law suit was brought by more than 100 people in

Australia and New Zealand who have had to live with birth defects after

their mothers took thalidomide while pregnant over 50 years ago. Diageo

PLC, which owns the company that originally distributed the drug,

agreed to settle the class action, but the drug manufacturer,

Grunenthal, and has still not paid any compensation. Every single

Australian victim was actually damaged by a drug made by Grunenthal

in Germany. Despite that, Grunenthal will not pay a cent to its

Australian and New Zealand victims. 50 years on, Grunenthal will still

not face up to its shameful behaviour in relation to that drug.

China has launched its first moon rover mission, marking a major

milestone in its space programme. The rover is being carried onboard

an unmanned rocket which took off from a base in Southern China. It's

expected to land on the moon and begin carrying out experiments by

mid-December. Ben Ando has more. Atop the towering Long March rocket,

China's first moon lander prepares for blastoff. The un-manned probe

was launched from a military complex in south-west China. Officials at

mission control say all went according to plan. According to

Beijing control centre, the probe has successfully entered the's

orbit. The lander is due to reach the moon and touched down in a

fortnight. It is named after the mythical pet and will explore the

lunar surface and seek out natural resources. China is only the third

nation after the United States and the former USSR to send a mission to

land on the moon since beginning its space programme ten years ago China

has launched an orbiting module. China is also planning a permanent

space station by 2020 and eventually to send astronauts to the Moon as

well. Well, you could confidently say

these pictures were taken on the fly. These are images from a video

camera that's been snatched by a big bird in Australia. The camera then

recorded the flight of the sea eagle that was carrying it - you can

actually see it's wings flapping. It also pokes its head into the lens.

It was a research camera that had been set up to record the behaviour

of crocodiles in northwest Australia, until the eagle took it

up, up and away. It then recorded a 100-kilometre journey across a

remote Australian landscape. The rangers who were trying to get the

crocodile footage say that from now on they'll bolt their cameras down.

A reminder of our top story: The Thai Prime Minister has rejected

opposition demands for her resignation as demonstrators

continue violent protests outside government buildings. Yingluck

Shinawatra said she was open to negotiations following a meeting

with the protest leader on Monday but said the demand for the

replacement of her government by an appointed council was

unconstitutional.