12/12/2013 BBC World News

Hello. This is BBC World News. Our top stories: As protests continue to

paralyse Kiev, is Ukraine's President feeling the pressure? He

tells the EU that he intends to sign a trade deal.

The Supreme Court in Bangladesh upholds the death sentence for an

Islamist leader convicted of crimes against humanity.

The sign language interpreter accused of using fake hand signals

at Nelson Mandela's memorial service says he suffered a schizophrenic

episode. Sometimes I react violent. Sometimes it feels like they are

chasing me. A short lived honeymoon for

Australia's first gay marriages as the High Court overturns a bill

legalising same-sex weddings. As protest continue on the streets

of Kiev, the European Union's top diplomat says she's still hopeful

Ukraine will sign a far reaching agreement to strengthen its ties

with EU. Ukraine seems to have come under heavy pressure from Moscow not

to sign up to a deal which could bring Europe's influence right into

Russia's back yard. But the EU's foreign policy chief, who's just

been holding talks with Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovich says he

still wants to sign the association agreement.

He made it clear to me he intends to sign the association agreement. He

talked about the short-term, economic issues the country faces.

It is my view those challenges, which are real, can be addressed by

the support that not only comes from the European Union institutions, but

by showing he has a serious economic plan in signing the associating --

association agreement. The Deputy Prime Minister is coming today or

tomorrow. That is Catherine Ashton and

Vladimir Putin has been talking about the Ukraine. He's used his

annual State of the Nation address to say he's counting on the

Ukrainian government and opposition to find a political solution to the

current crisis. But he also stressed the benefits to Ukraine of a customs

union with Russia. So, the offer of a customs union

with Russia and an association agreement with the European Union.

The former editor of the BBC's Ukrainian Service and news editor of

BBC language services, Olexiy Soluhubenko, says the two deals are

not necessarily mutually exclusive. They basically indicate the

precarious position in which the Ukraine is, and which the President

is. He wants to sign the deal with Europe because it is good for him,

good for the country and they have been working on this association

agreement for eight years. Then he has the real pressure from Russia.

Customs union is not the equivalent of what the European Union

association agreement is. It is more technical, but in terms of immediate

economic rashers, it will be easier to strike a deal with President

Putin. There is a possibility of striking that deal on the 17th when

they have a summit. Viktor Yanukovich will meet President Putin

again. In terms of internal pressures, a small majority of

favouring the European Union association. But the way the

protests are panning out, the pressure to sign the agreement with

Europe is mounting. Those economic pressures he is under, and has been

spoken about being put under pressure by Russia, it was suggested

a few days ago that he has been put under personal pressure has well.

His family have a certain amount of wealth and Russia may have

threatened that well. Will there be any truth in that? It is difficult

to see how Russia can control the money flows that are allegedly part

of his family. It is murky business and we are not in the business of

speculation. What is more real is the talk in the United States, when

yesterday a spokesperson from the State Department said sanctions

against the Ukraine are on the table from the United States. That is a

more serious and specific threat. But he is under more pressure inside

the country because not everybody supports the crackdown. His chief of

staff tendered his resignation. It was not accepted but it does

indicate the mood among his closest entourage who want to find a

dialogue. So far it is not forthcoming and they are sticking to

their demands for the Cabinet to go, which is unlikely so therefore we

are still in a deadlock. The highest court in Australia has overturned a

law allowing same-sex marriage in the capital Canberra.

The ruling shatters the dreams of more than two dozen same sex couples

who were married in the state over the past week. Just a warning, this

report by Emily Thomas contains flash photography.

They tied the knot as soon as they could. The Australian MP, Stephen

Dawson and his partner got married on Saturday. Stephen and Dennis are

now married. It was the first opportunity to do so since the law

was passed allowing gay marriage in Canberra and its surrounding area.

Around 30 ceremonies have taken place, but the High Court as

overturn the law and all of the unions will be declared invalid.

This is personally devastating. In less than a week, we have been

married and we have been unmarried. At least on a legal level. As one of

the act jewel use for couples behind me said, we are still married. I

have made a commitment to Chris, to spend the rest of my life with him.

Polls suggest around a third of Australians oppose gay marriage. The

Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, is one of them and his government oppose

the new law. He said it contravenes federal law which defines marriage

between a man and a woman. The court agreed and said same-sex marriage is

a matter for Parliament. Last year Parliament voted against a bill to

make gay marriage legal. Some campaigners say this case represents

progress. Although this is a defeat in the High Court today, this week

we have seen a much greater victory. And that victory was that the nation

saw for the first time, I believe, what is really at the core of this

issue. We have seen that marriage equality is not about protests or

politics, or even about laws and the Constitution, marriage equality is

about love, commitment, family and fairness. But, for those who took

advantage of the brief window when gay marriage was legal in Canberra,

the honeymoon has been short lived. Bangladesh's supreme court has

cleared the way for the execution of a senior Islamist leader who was

convicted of carrying out war crimes more than 40 years ago. The court

has rejected an appeal by Abdel Quader Mullah, who was convicted of

crimes against humanity during the country's war of independence from

Pakistan in 1971. If it goes ahead, it will be the first death sentence

to be carried out following a special war crimes tribunal earlier

this year. Counsel for the accused, Abdel

Quader Mullah, has filed for a review. That has been dismissed by

the Supreme Court. Now, the education -- execution can proceed

according to the rules. Let's get more on this with the

BBC's Mahfuz Sadique who's in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka. Is this

now the end, no more legal avenues left? The Attorney General of

Bangladesh has told us in terms of legal proceedings, this is the end

of the road. There are no legal vase for executing Abdel Quader Mullah

for his crimes in 1971. There has been a high level Law Ministry

meeting where government officials have been discussing whether Abdel

Quader Mullah's jail proceedings, whether he will get a chance to

apply for clemency from the President, in terms of commuting his

sentence from a death sentence to life. His lawyers have argued in

court today at the Supreme Court, as well as later on as well saying,

Abdel Quader Mullah did not get a full hearing and he deserved a

better trial. At the same time they also pointed out that despite this

order, he should still get certain privileges according to the rules of

the jail, where he can request for the president to commute his

sentence. The trial proceedings have come under criticism from

international rights groups, despite the public support for some form of

justice for the atrocities committed in 1971. Human rights watch and

others have come out strongly against the decision that has been

handed down by the court here. Overall, there has been sporadic

protest we have heard have, but not been able to confirm any other

violence throughout the country. Since January, when verdicts by this

special war crimes tribunal were being handed down, there have been

violent protests and scores have died. In the coming days, Bangladesh

will be tense, anticipating and fearing what will happen. Thank you

very much for the update. South Africans have been queuing in their

thousands to pay their respects to the country's first black President,

Nelson Mandela. His body is lying in state for a

second day in the capital Pretoria. Mr Mandela's coffin left the

Military Hospital at about 7.00am local time has been lying in state

at the Union Buildings where he was sworn in as president in 1994. My

colleague, Jon Sopel, has been out with the crowds of people waiting to

see the casket of man they call "Tata Madiba".

The queue is moving but it is very long. About 80 or 90 bosses have

just arrived to score many people who will be waiting for several

hours to see the body of Nelson Mandela. Thousands of people are

trying to pay their last respects. There goes another bus packed with

people. You can see these people who have been singing and dancing.

Hello. What does it mean to you to come here to be in this long line to

pay your last respects to Nelson Mandela? It has been a great, great

day for me to see people queueing. To see Mandela for the first and the

last time. What does he mean to you? He means a lot. He is our

everything. It will never happen again. Mandela means everything to

the world. Keep moving, you will lose your place in the queue.

Obviously these people have been queueing for many hours. They have

still got a very long way to go. You can understand talking to me is not

part of their agenda today, when they will have a long time in the

sunshine waiting to get to where they want to be. One other story to

tell you about which is the fake sign language man at the FNB Stadium

making those aren't signs around the world. He has given an interview

where he said he was suffering from a schizophrenic episode. He said

there was nothing he could do one was alone in a dangerous situation.

He tried to control himself and not show the world what was going on. He

has given a media interview. What happened that day, it was very

much... I don't know what I could call it. IC engines come into the

stadium. I started to realise the problem is here. And the problem,

sometimes I will react violently in that place. Sometimes I will see

things chasing me. I was in a very, very difficult position. Obviously

that is his explanation but there are big questions for the South

African authorities about how this particular person got this signing

job at such an important event. It does seem he was not part of any

registered body for the death and signing Association of South Africa.

But for these people, does that matter? Probably not. Thousands of

people in the queue lining up, waving, carrying flags and banners

and they are wearing Mandela and Madiba that ooze. They want to save

their goodbyes to Nelson Mandela. In the past few minutes, the deputy

minister has given a statement with some background on the sign language

interpreter. He could speak sign language with his peers, but is not

a professional sign language interpreter. That we want to put on

the table. As a person with a disability we have the honour to

picking up some sign language. The language, also for you to be able to

translate to sign language for debt people, you must understand the sign

language being spoken in the podium and English was a bit too much for

him. Some 90 people died when the Prime Minister Tallon ordered the

army to clear central Bangkok. His deputy at the time, he is leading

the current wave of anti-government protests.

Still to come: The people of Kenya are celebrating 50 years since

colonial rule came to an end. Since the death of Nelson Mandela,

people across South Africa have been expressing their sorrow and

commemorating him. The BBC has caught up with three South Africans

coming to terms with the death. The main thing is to keep his legacy

alive. His name will live for ever. He taught me to grow up. He taught

me to become what I have bee came. He is Madiba. Long live Nelson

Mandela. We love him. It could take 1000 years to find another Nelson

Mandela. Our reasons for coming today is to pay respects to Madiba.

To lay flowers and say thank you for everything he has done for South

Africa. When I am putting the flowers down I just want to cry. I

love Nelson Mandela. It is quite emotional to be here. When we were

leaving the flowers it felt like we did not want to go. We wanted to

stay in the spirit and celebrate his life. It is hard to think he is

gone, but his legacy will live on for many, many years. I decided to

make a number plate for him. I am mourning. May he rest in peace.

When I am driving around the neighbourhood, people like what I am

doing. My favourite memory is when he did his dance, that shows he was

a happy man. He always smiled when he did this dance. Rest in peace.

You are watching BBC world News. The latest headlines: As protests

continue in Kiev, the Ukraine president tells the EU he still

intends to sign a trade deal which sparked the demonstrations.

The United States and Britain have suspended some of the help they give

to Syria's opposition over fears the equipment could end up in the hands

of jihadist. They had been providing support for the Free Syrian Army.

The USA they are over reports Islamist sub seized some rebel

bases. How serious is this decision to suspend certain types of aid for

the Free Syrian Army? That is a question I put to the BBC's

correspondent in the back of Valley. It is very serious for the

opposition and its military wing. The pro-Western, pro-democracy

fighting forces, the supreme military Council and the Free Syrian

Army. They have seen their position steadily eroded by the rise of

Islamist groups which are seen as more focused, better financed and so

on. They suffered the physical humiliation of having their

positions on the border and their warehouses taken over by Islamist

groups. Now they have had this double whammy as it were, the

Americans and British cutting off the non-lethal equipment and age to

them which was quite important, and certainly gave a boost. It has

further -- it has further marginalise those moderate forces

which the west was trying to encourage. In the run-up for the

Geneva conference, although it is not 100% sure it will go ahead, it

is making the opposition look even more in disarray. The task of

assembling a credible delegation is looking even more difficult. Kenyan

's have begun a week of celebrations to mark 50 years of independence

from Britain, therefore mile -- their former colonial ruler. Kenya

is a beautiful country, abundant wildlife and has become one of

Africa's major safari destinations. Nairobi has grown into east

Africa's biggest city. Kenya also has ethnic diversity producing a

vibrant culture, but also diversity which has been a source of

conflict. Other challenges include corruption. It is estimated up to $1

billion was lost between 2002 - 2005. There is high unemployment,

and the young are the hardest hit by the lack of jobs. In the last year

crime levels have risen dramatically, and poverty continues

to be a problem. Right now thousands are watching singers and dancers at

an event at a stadium in Nairobi. President -- President Uhuru

Kenyatta is speaking. This is a growing democracy. The country has

come a long way since 1992. Before that people were still queueing to

go and vote, but now we have moved on to secret ballots. There are

still challenges with elections. Every five years there are reports

of rigging in elections. This year, for the first time in a long time,

there were very peaceful elections. This is where people came for the

inauguration of President Uhuru Kenyatta. He is the son of Kenya's

founding father who was the person who led the celebrations of

independence. He hoisted Kenya's flag at the stroke of midnight in

1963. Last night, on the stroke of midnight it was his son. Let's

return to Nelson Mandela. For many years, cartoons have been appearing

on a daily basis in a number of South African newspapers. Nelson

Mandela, in particular, has been one of his targets, his favourite

subjects we should say. Here are his thoughts on Madiba. He actually

understood criticism and the need for satire. The most amazing thing

happened to me, I was sitting at my desk on an ordinary day doing a

drawing. My wife said the President's office is on the line. I

took the phone, and the voice said, hold on for the president. He said,

hello. This is President Nelson Mandela. I am very upset with you. I

thought, here it comes. He is upset with the cartoons. He said, I just

saw that the cartoons would not be appearing in the Cape Town

newspaper. He wanted to phone me himself. I was over the moon. I said

to him, I want to say one more thing. Not only did you phone me

yourself, and I cannot believe that, but you must have seen in the three

and a half years since I have met you, you must have seen the cartoons

getting more and more critical of government. And he said, that is

your job. And for me, that is the mark of a great, great man. They

were once owned by a royal couple, a selection of jewellery belonging to

the Duke and Dutch is of Windsor goes up for sale by auction today.

Her clothes, her jewellery, her style made the news. The scandal of

the abdication fuelled public interest in the Duke and Duchess of

Windsor. Even today, that sense of Curiosity rover main. The jewellery

and personal belongings being auctioned reflect the likes and

tastes of the couple. They include this bracelet by Cartier. The

Duchess of Windsor wore it in 1972 to meet the Queen. It was the last

time the Queen would see her Uncle David before his death. There is

nothing understated about the Duchess's jewellery collection. Bids

for this necklace will start at ?40,000. Also up for auction, items

belonging to the Duke of Windsor reflecting the Royal life he left

behind. The engraved photo frame, a gift from his great-grandmother. The

sale has attracted global interest from those wanting to invest in a

piece of royal history. You are watching BBC world News, for the

moment, thank you very much indeed for your company.