0:00:04 > 0:00:06This is BBC World News Today.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09I'm Ben Bland.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11Our top stories: Reports of more anti-government protests in Iran,
0:00:11 > 0:00:14they're said to have broken out in at least five cities -
0:00:14 > 0:00:20police say one of their officers has been shot dead.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23North Korea's leader raises the prospect of talks
0:00:23 > 0:00:25with South Korea, but there's still a threat in his
0:00:25 > 0:00:30New Year message.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32TRANSLATION: The entire United States is within range
0:00:32 > 0:00:35of our nuclear weapons and a nuclear button is always on my desk.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39Deal with your own rubbish - China's message to the West as it
0:00:39 > 0:00:46stops importing and recycling plastic waste.
0:00:46 > 0:00:51Also on the programme: California becomes the largest state in the US
0:00:51 > 0:00:54to legalise recreational marijuana use - one in five Americans can now
0:00:54 > 0:00:59legally purchase the drug.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13Hello and welcome to World News Today.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16In Iran, more anti-government protests have broken out
0:01:16 > 0:01:20in at least five cities.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Police say one of their officers has been shot dead -
0:01:22 > 0:01:25which is believed to be the first death of a member of the security
0:01:26 > 0:01:28forces since the unrest began.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Iranian state television said that ten people had been killed overnight
0:01:31 > 0:01:37during demonstrations.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39The rallies started as a protest against falling living standards.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42But they have become political - against the powerful Islamic
0:01:42 > 0:01:43clerics who rule Iran.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45Earlier, President Hassan Rouhani tried to play down the protests,
0:01:45 > 0:01:47saying they were not a threat.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49This report from Rana Rahimpour.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52The fifth day of protests in Iran.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Once again, thousands of people have taken to the streets.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58They are angry at unemployment, rising prices, and what many think
0:01:58 > 0:02:03is widespread corruption.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05It's the boldest challenge to the country's leadership
0:02:05 > 0:02:10in nearly a decade.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13The demonstrations began in the north-western city of Mashhad,
0:02:13 > 0:02:20a key base for President Rouhani's most outspoken critics.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22And has quickly turned into a widespread
0:02:22 > 0:02:24antiestablishment movement.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28This is the biggest show of dissent in Iran since
0:02:28 > 0:02:31the post-election rallies of 2009.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35They were large in size but limited to urban areas
0:02:35 > 0:02:43of the country like the capital, Tehran.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46This time the protests are more widespread with towns and cities
0:02:46 > 0:02:47all over the country looking for social, political,
0:02:47 > 0:02:49and economic change.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Authorities are continuing to suspend social media platforms
0:02:53 > 0:02:57out of fear they will be used to organise more protests.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00The BBC has received reports of text messages, like this one,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03being sent to people urging them not to take part.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05A handful of pro-government marchers are attempting to counter
0:03:05 > 0:03:09the wider demonstrations, but with limited information coming
0:03:09 > 0:03:11out of the country it's difficult to gauge how many
0:03:11 > 0:03:13people are involved.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15In the last 24 hours, President Rouhani has spoken out
0:03:15 > 0:03:17twice against the protests.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Accusing Iran's enemies of instigating the unrest.
0:03:19 > 0:03:24TRANSLATION:Our victory against the US and its regime
0:03:24 > 0:03:27is unbearable for our enemies.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Our success in the region is intolerable for them.
0:03:29 > 0:03:36They are after revenge and are trying to provoke people.
0:03:36 > 0:03:41But his words have failed to calm the situation.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45In certain areas of the country unemployment is as high as 60%,
0:03:45 > 0:03:51and reports of extreme corruption have Iranians frustrated
0:03:51 > 0:03:54and hungry for change.
0:03:54 > 0:03:59At least 12 people have died since the protests began.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02And with no sign of stopping, that number looks set to rise.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Rana Rahimpour, BBC News.
0:04:04 > 0:04:10We heard from the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Rana's report.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13I've been speaking about his part in this story with Maziar Bahari,
0:04:13 > 0:04:18the editor of the news website, Iran Wire.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23President Rouhani does not have the power to make any substantial
0:04:23 > 0:04:28changes in Iran. You have to understand the president in Iran is
0:04:28 > 0:04:34like the Prime Minister and an absolute monarchy. The president is
0:04:34 > 0:04:39just the Prime Minister to the supreme leader, who has the power
0:04:39 > 0:04:43and until now the supreme leader has been quiet and it is up to the
0:04:43 > 0:04:48supreme leader to make any changes. But so far we have not seen any
0:04:48 > 0:04:52willingness from the supreme leader to make changes.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56All this started as an economic protest against falling living
0:04:56 > 0:05:01standards and has now clearly become political, a lot of anger directed
0:05:01 > 0:05:06at the all powerful clerics, the supreme leader as well. How do you
0:05:06 > 0:05:09think the leader and clerics will be filling about all this, will they be
0:05:09 > 0:05:17trouble at all? The protest started as a
0:05:17 > 0:05:22demonstration manifestation of anger, frustration of people across
0:05:22 > 0:05:28Iran against the clerical rule in the past four decades. As such, the
0:05:28 > 0:05:36clerics and the supreme leader will not be able to satisfy people
0:05:36 > 0:05:40because if they want to satisfy people they have to be overthrown
0:05:40 > 0:05:46and they do not want that. So of course the supreme leader is trying
0:05:46 > 0:05:51to appease people to a certain extent but when people come to the
0:05:51 > 0:05:57streets as they have done in the past five days and chant against
0:05:57 > 0:06:03them, that means they do not want him to be in power. I foresee the
0:06:03 > 0:06:09supreme leader asking the Revolutionary guard to suppress
0:06:09 > 0:06:12people's protests across Iran in the foreseeable future.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has said a nuclear launch button
0:06:15 > 0:06:18is "always on his table" and warned the US it will never be
0:06:18 > 0:06:20able to start a war.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24In a televised speech he said the entire US was within range
0:06:24 > 0:06:27of North Korea's nuclear weapons, adding "this is not
0:06:27 > 0:06:29blackmail but reality".
0:06:29 > 0:06:31But he also offered a potential olive branch to South Korea,
0:06:31 > 0:06:35suggesting he was "open to dialogue".
0:06:35 > 0:06:37It follows months of escalating tensions over his country's
0:06:37 > 0:06:43weapons programme - and an angry exchange of insults
0:06:43 > 0:06:44with US President Donald Trump.
0:06:44 > 0:06:54Sophie Long reports from Seoul
0:06:54 > 0:06:56Just after the first sun of 2018 rose over the Korean peninsula,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Kim Jong-un delivered his New Year's address live on state-run
0:06:59 > 0:07:01television, with an unsurprisingly defiant message for the United
0:07:01 > 0:07:03States.
0:07:03 > 0:07:09TRANSLATION:The entire United States is within range
0:07:09 > 0:07:11of our nuclear weapons - and the nuclear button
0:07:11 > 0:07:12is always on my desk.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15This is reality, not a threat.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18Perhaps more surprising was the olive branch he appeared
0:07:18 > 0:07:21to offer his neighbour, South Korea.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24He said he hoped the Winter Olympics they're about to host
0:07:24 > 0:07:26would be a success.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28And said he was considering sending a delegation to the Games.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31That comes as music to the ears of violinist Won Hyung Joon.
0:07:31 > 0:07:36For ten years, he's tried and failed to organise a peace concert
0:07:36 > 0:07:41with these young South Koreans playing together with
0:07:41 > 0:07:45North Korean musicians.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49He now hopes to make that happen at the Pyeongchang opening ceremony.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51We have hope that the Olympics is coming, and everyone
0:07:51 > 0:07:56is coming, and it's beyond, you know, political difficulties.
0:07:56 > 0:08:02So, I really wish North Korea will come, and especially with musicians,
0:08:02 > 0:08:07and we'll be able to play together.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10The South Korean government has welcome to the appeal
0:08:10 > 0:08:13for dialogue, saying it, too, is willing to engage.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16After a year of nuclear tests and missile launches,
0:08:16 > 0:08:22young people living in Seoul welcomed the New Year,
0:08:22 > 0:08:26writing down their wishes with hope that tensions might now reduce,
0:08:26 > 0:08:29if only in the very immediate future.
0:08:29 > 0:08:35I feel optimistic, I think everything is attitude,
0:08:35 > 0:08:38and if we go in here with the right attitude, the right approach,
0:08:38 > 0:08:40I think we can solve the situation.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43As a citizen of this country, that's all I can really wish for.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47It is obvious to anyone in the world that we are in a very tense
0:08:47 > 0:08:48situation right now.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50And I think that means we have hope for the future.
0:08:50 > 0:08:58Sophie Long, BBC News, Seoul.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01Let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Israeli officials say a planned visit by the US
0:09:03 > 0:09:05Vice President, Mike Pence, has been postponed indefinitely.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08He had originally been due to go in December,
0:09:08 > 0:09:10but the trip was rescheduled after President Trump's recognition
0:09:10 > 0:09:12of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital sparked widespread unrest.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14A 16-year-old Palestinian activist has been charged with assault
0:09:15 > 0:09:19and inciting violence.
0:09:19 > 0:09:27Last month a Facebook video that was widely circulated,
0:09:27 > 0:09:30showed her slapping an Israeli soldier in the occupied West Bank.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32The incident reportedly happened shortly after the teenager's cousin
0:09:32 > 0:09:34had been seriously injured by a rubber bullet.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37The Spanish economy minister has put the cost of the Catalan
0:09:37 > 0:09:40independence crisis at around $1.2 billion.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43He told Spanish radio that this was due to the slowdown
0:09:43 > 0:09:44in the Catalan economy after the unauthorised
0:09:44 > 0:09:48independence referendum.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51California today becomes the largest state in the US to legalise
0:09:51 > 0:09:53the recreational use of cannabis.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57It promises to be a cash crop - and state and local governments
0:09:57 > 0:09:59could collect a billion dollars a year in tax revenue.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02But opponents say the new law will lead to more driving under
0:10:02 > 0:10:04the influence of the drug - and introduce young
0:10:04 > 0:10:05people to narcotics use.
0:10:05 > 0:10:15Here's CBS reporter Carter Evans.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19As holder of the very first state licensed to sell recreational
0:10:19 > 0:10:24marijuana, this shop is a medical pawnshop that is scrambling to
0:10:24 > 0:10:28implement a host of new rules and regulations that can sell to the
0:10:28 > 0:10:31public by New Year's Day. You have had to create new packaging
0:10:31 > 0:10:37we did. Packaging is changing so it is not
0:10:37 > 0:10:42see through.Marketing director is preparing for product changes and
0:10:42 > 0:10:46new endorsing requirements for the active ingredient of marijuana.
0:10:46 > 0:10:55Something like this has 100 mg. Each piece needs to be ten mg or less.
0:10:55 > 0:11:00Smoking marijuana is off-limits in restaurants, bars and most public
0:11:00 > 0:11:03areas and unless your landlord approves you may not even be able to
0:11:03 > 0:11:08smoke in your apartment. Some local governments are banning pot shot
0:11:08 > 0:11:11entirely, others are still working out the legal details.
0:11:11 > 0:11:16LA is the largest city in the country to allow sales of
0:11:16 > 0:11:19recreational marijuana .com the 1st of January the general public will
0:11:19 > 0:11:22not be able to come into medical shops like this to buy it. This
0:11:22 > 0:11:27person runs the view of cannabis control.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31It will take some time for businesses to get up and running but
0:11:31 > 0:11:35we ask people to be patient. California Highway Patrol officers
0:11:35 > 0:11:41are also pressing for legal marijuana and getting the word out
0:11:41 > 0:11:44driving while smoking marijuana is illegal.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49Did you know smoking a joint could get you a GUI?
0:11:49 > 0:11:52Authorities expect to see an increase in cannabis related
0:11:52 > 0:11:55crashes, just like other states where the drug is legal.
0:11:55 > 0:12:03If you can buy a drink or a joint, you can also for a taxi. -- then you
0:12:03 > 0:12:05can also afford a taxi.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08A short while ago, CBS reporter Jessica Flores spoke to me
0:12:08 > 0:12:10from a marijuana dispensary which has just opened
0:12:10 > 0:12:12in Oakland, California.
0:12:12 > 0:12:18People have been lining up since 4am and B have been expecting this for a
0:12:18 > 0:12:23long time but it is a long time coming for lots of people here. They
0:12:23 > 0:12:26have been waiting, some people are entire adult lace for this. The
0:12:26 > 0:12:32brothers who started the shop have spent their entire adult life
0:12:32 > 0:12:36advocating and fighting for legalised the glacial marijuana and
0:12:36 > 0:12:39today they got to see it with several hundred people shoot out the
0:12:39 > 0:12:46door and no several hundred people buying it. They will now be paying
0:12:46 > 0:12:51taxes on that, you can only buy if you're 21 or older and not all
0:12:51 > 0:12:55dispensaries will be allowed to sell recreational marijuana, only those
0:12:55 > 0:12:59that are licensed, so far in California just eat a few dozen have
0:12:59 > 0:13:05been licensed and here in Francisco Bay Area only certain areas are
0:13:05 > 0:13:09selling recreational marijuana and even San Francisco is selling the
0:13:09 > 0:13:14product. That might not even San Francisco.
0:13:14 > 0:13:20California led the way on this, in 1996 it was very fast to legalise
0:13:20 > 0:13:26medicinal marijuana. The problem for some people, recreational use, they
0:13:26 > 0:13:29say they have got worries about people using it and driving while
0:13:29 > 0:13:36under the influence. That is right, that is a big
0:13:36 > 0:13:42question because other states have a key HC limit, the Colorado but that
0:13:42 > 0:13:49is not the case in California -- THC limit. If our law enforcement
0:13:49 > 0:13:55officer pulls you over and see signs of impairment they can give you a
0:13:55 > 0:14:01ticket there is no THC limit to see you have this much in your blood so
0:14:01 > 0:14:04you get a ticket, that is not the case of that is questions about how
0:14:04 > 0:14:09much you can smoke before you get behind the wheel, what if you smoke
0:14:09 > 0:14:13yesterday of the day before? So these are the questions still being
0:14:13 > 0:14:17worked out here in California.Do you think there is potential for
0:14:17 > 0:14:28there to be a huge new industry as a result of this change?Absolutely.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32It is setting up to be a multibillion-dollar industry. The
0:14:32 > 0:14:36prices for marijuana are already going up, not just because of taxis
0:14:36 > 0:14:41but demand is going up, just this morning we saw several hundred
0:14:41 > 0:14:46people lining up at the single dispensary. There are several dozen
0:14:46 > 0:14:49throughout the state allowed to sell recreational marijuana but hundreds
0:14:49 > 0:14:54that are waiting to get the license from the state. There is no telling
0:14:54 > 0:14:58just yet how many dispensaries will be selling both the medical
0:14:58 > 0:15:03marijuana and recreational marijuana but what we seen here in Auckland is
0:15:03 > 0:15:10the demand is very high and people are willing to spend a premium price
0:15:10 > 0:15:22for the product -- what we have seen this year in Oakland. Still to come,
0:15:22 > 0:15:32why China does not want your waste any more. The most ambitious
0:15:32 > 0:15:35financial or political change ever attempted has got under way with the
0:15:35 > 0:15:40introduction of the euro. Today we will use money we picked up in
0:15:40 > 0:15:51Holland and use it in Belgium.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57George Harrison, the former Beatle, is recovering in hospital after
0:15:57 > 0:16:01being stabbed at his home. The 30-year-old man from Liverpool is
0:16:01 > 0:16:06being interviewed by police on suspicion of attempted murder. I
0:16:06 > 0:16:17think it was good. Just a good? No, fantastic.
0:16:39 > 0:16:40The latest headlines.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43As anti-government protests continue for a fifth day in Iran,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46police say one of their officers has been shot dead in the central
0:16:46 > 0:16:49city of Najafabad.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un has issued a defiant New Year message -
0:16:53 > 0:16:54warning that he's "always within reach" of
0:16:54 > 0:16:58the nuclear button.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02China has introduced new restrictions on the import
0:17:02 > 0:17:04of foreign waste, much of it dirty or hazardous.
0:17:04 > 0:17:09The country imports large amounts of waste plastic and paper
0:17:09 > 0:17:11every year from Europe, Japan and the United States.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14It's estimated that China accepted 51 percent of global plastic
0:17:14 > 0:17:17scrap imports in 2016.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20But the new ban, ordered by the Beijing government,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23is about to stop most of that - and it could have a significant
0:17:23 > 0:17:24impact on recycling industry worldwide.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Robin Brant reports from Shanghai.
0:17:26 > 0:17:32China has been recycling for decades.
0:17:32 > 0:17:38He has made a living out of bashing, breaking up, and disassembling.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41He's been doing it for five years.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45It's hard work, he tells me.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48Tiring.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51But he's not a green warrior.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54He does it because there's money in it.
0:17:54 > 0:18:00China needs the raw materials, so much so that Chinese workers have
0:18:00 > 0:18:03been sorting through your waste shipped in from abroad.
0:18:03 > 0:18:13But the government is stopping that.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17China has long been the destination of much of the world's waste.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20It has imported 7.3 million tonnes of plastic alone in 2016.
0:18:20 > 0:18:26The UK sends 1200 tonnes of it to China every day.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28But most of that is ending, and here is why.
0:18:28 > 0:18:35China has become a much richer but much dirtier country.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38It's blighted now by home-made pollution
0:18:38 > 0:18:41and contamination on a vast scale.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44The government claims some foreign waste is dangerous and the last
0:18:44 > 0:18:48thing this country needs is even more of that.
0:18:48 > 0:18:55TRANSLATION:China is putting the onus back on all of the waste
0:18:55 > 0:18:59exporting countries.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04You need to show the responsibility of disposing your own waste
0:19:04 > 0:19:05and your own sources of pollution.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08The ban presents a problem for China, though, because it
0:19:08 > 0:19:10still needs the cardboard, the paper, the high end clean
0:19:10 > 0:19:12polystyrene like this which is easy to ship here,
0:19:12 > 0:19:15easy to turn into something to sell, and sometimes selling it back
0:19:15 > 0:19:19to the country it came from.
0:19:19 > 0:19:20Somewhere in there are polystyrene fish boxes.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22From Grimsby.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24This business on the outskirts of Shanghai ships them,
0:19:24 > 0:19:29chips them, heats them, and turns them into this...
0:19:29 > 0:19:35Billions of tiny plastic pellets.
0:19:35 > 0:19:36Because it recycles them into skirting boards
0:19:36 > 0:19:42and picture frames.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44Some of them heading your way.
0:19:44 > 0:19:53China's ban means the boss will now have a problem with his supply.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Just keeping the factory running, we need about 50,000 tonnes
0:19:55 > 0:19:57of recycled plastics.
0:19:57 > 0:20:06China's recycling will not be enough.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08The tough new restrictions on foreign waste will hurt
0:20:08 > 0:20:10some businesses here, but the government's
0:20:10 > 0:20:11view here is, tough.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13Delivering a cleaner China is paramount for
0:20:13 > 0:20:18the Communist party politicians.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20A green revolution, you might call it.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23Robin Brant, BBC News, Shanghai.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Air investigators in Australia say it may take months before they know
0:20:26 > 0:20:31why a seaplane carrying a British businessman and four
0:20:31 > 0:20:35members of his family, crashed on New Year's Eve.
0:20:35 > 0:20:40Richard Cousins who ran the global catering giant
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Compass, was killed along with his two sons, his fiancee,
0:20:42 > 0:20:44her daughter and the pilot.
0:20:44 > 0:20:45Phil Mercer reports.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47The wreckage of the seaplane lies 13 metres below the surface
0:20:47 > 0:20:48of the Hawkesbury River.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51One of the victims was the British businessman, Richard Cousins,
0:20:51 > 0:20:53the chief executive of the world's largest catering firm,
0:20:53 > 0:20:55Compass, who was due to retire later this year.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59The company confirmed his death in a statement.
0:20:59 > 0:21:06Mr Cousins, who was 58, died alongside his fiancee, Emma Bowden,
0:21:06 > 0:21:08and her 11-year-old daughter, Heather.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13Also on board the seaplane that crashed into Jerusalem Bay,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16The pilot, Gareth Morgan, had done more than 10,000 flying hours,
0:21:16 > 0:21:179,000 of which were on seaplanes.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20The pilot had collected Mr Cousins and members of his family
0:21:20 > 0:21:23from an exclusive waterfront restaurant and was heading back
0:21:23 > 0:21:26to Rose Bay on Sydney Harbour.
0:21:26 > 0:21:32Shortly after take-off, the plane plummeted into the water.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36Investigators say it quickly sank and there were no survivors.
0:21:36 > 0:21:42These are people who have come out on holiday to visit Australia in one
0:21:42 > 0:21:46of the most beautiful parts of the world.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49And for this to happen to them in a place like that is nothing
0:21:49 > 0:21:54more than just tragic.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58It could take months to work out how and why a routine sightseeing trip
0:21:58 > 0:22:01could end in utter disaster.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Air crash investigators have begun their work.
0:22:03 > 0:22:04Their task won't be easy.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07The wreckage of the seaplane has been submerged in more
0:22:07 > 0:22:09than 40 feet of water.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14And although these idyllic bays and inlets are geographically close
0:22:14 > 0:22:18to Sydney, the crash site is tucked away and hard to get to.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Sydney Seaplanes, which owns the aircraft,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23has suspended all its flights until further notice.
0:22:23 > 0:22:33Phil Mercer, BBC News, Sydney.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40Now, with a NASA mission to Mars and a British iceberg expedition
0:22:40 > 0:22:42to the Antarctic on the agenda, there's much to look forward
0:22:42 > 0:22:44to in the world of science in 2018.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Here's a look ahead at the top stories and events
0:22:47 > 0:22:48to watch for this year.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50I Rebecca, the BBC global science correspondent and here is what to
0:22:50 > 0:22:56look out for this year. Massa is heading again to Mars. This time it
0:22:56 > 0:23:02will delve beneath the surface of the planet -- Nasa. They will study
0:23:02 > 0:23:08the red planet's interior using a self hammering probe to go deeper
0:23:08 > 0:23:12than ever before, hoping to understand how the planet is formed.
0:23:12 > 0:23:17On Earth and British scientists are leading an expedition to a colossal
0:23:17 > 0:23:21new iceberg in the Antarctic. It broke away from the A 's shelf over
0:23:21 > 0:23:27the summer and covers an area of almost 6000 square kilometres and
0:23:27 > 0:23:30weighs 1 trillion tonnes. They want to investigate the head in the
0:23:30 > 0:23:35marine ecosystem that has been left exposed by the shifting block of
0:23:35 > 0:23:41ice. -- head and marine ecosystem. A critical new climate report will be
0:23:41 > 0:23:45released, looking at if it is feasible for the world to keep
0:23:45 > 0:23:49global temperature rises under 1.5 Celsius. And it will assess what
0:23:49 > 0:23:56could happen if we do not. We should also see the much delayed Falcon
0:23:56 > 0:24:03rocket finally blasting off, this huge piece of kit from space Ex will
0:24:03 > 0:24:08be the most powerful operational rock in the world. The maiden voyage
0:24:08 > 0:24:12will be unmanned but it has been the same to eventually carry humans into
0:24:12 > 0:24:17space. And the European and Japanese space agency is their sights set on
0:24:17 > 0:24:26a mercury. Until now the smallest planet and our solar system has been
0:24:26 > 0:24:30little explored but this spacecraft is set to change that and it will
0:24:30 > 0:24:35launch in the autumn. But it will not arrive until 2025 but scientists
0:24:35 > 0:24:44say the wait will be worth it. In 2018 the kilogram is set for
0:24:44 > 0:24:54overhaul, as up until now the weight of the kilogram has been set by our
0:24:54 > 0:24:57weight in the Paris of faults but now they plan to use quantum
0:24:57 > 0:25:01mechanics to give a far more accurate measurement -- Paris
0:25:01 > 0:25:08vaults.
0:25:08 > 0:25:112018 has already seen one record broken: that of the world's largest
0:25:11 > 0:25:14firework aerial shell.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16This is it, exploding over Ras Al Khaimah
0:25:16 > 0:25:17in the United Arab Emirates.
0:25:17 > 0:25:18The 1,000-kilo shell was handcrafted.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20The display more than doubles the previous record
0:25:20 > 0:25:23which was displayed in Japan.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27War
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Now that display was for the night of celebrations -
0:25:42 > 0:25:45let take a look at people making the first day of the year.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48In Rome some have decided to literally jump into it,
0:25:48 > 0:25:50braving the cold of the river Tiber.
0:25:50 > 0:25:51He wasn't the only one.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Well, it's one way of getting rid of a hangover.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55And here's another - in the Netherlands thousands
0:25:55 > 0:25:59of people have plunged into the freezing cold
0:25:59 > 0:26:02waters of the North Sea.