01/01/2018 BBC World News

This is BBC World News Today.

I'm Ben Bland.

Our top stories: Reports of more

anti-government protests in Iran,

they're said to have broken out

in at least five cities -

police say one of their officers

has been shot dead.

North Korea's leader raises

the prospect of talks

with South Korea, but there's

still a threat in his

New Year message.

TRANSLATION: The entire

United States is within range

of our nuclear weapons and a nuclear

button is always on my desk.

Deal with your own rubbish -

China's message to the West as it

stops importing and recycling

plastic waste.

Also on the programme: California

becomes the largest state in the US

to legalise recreational marijuana

use - one in five Americans can now

legally purchase the drug.

Hello and welcome

to World News Today.

In Iran, more anti-government

protests have broken out

in at least five cities.

Police say one of their officers

has been shot dead -

which is believed to be the first

death of a member of the security

forces since the unrest began.

Iranian state television said that

ten people had been killed overnight

during demonstrations.

The rallies started as a protest

against falling living standards.

But they have become political -

against the powerful Islamic

clerics who rule Iran.

Earlier, President Hassan Rouhani

tried to play down the protests,

saying they were not a threat.

This report from Rana Rahimpour.

The fifth day of protests in Iran.

Once again, thousands of people have

taken to the streets.

They are angry at unemployment,

rising prices, and what many think

is widespread corruption.

It's the boldest challenge

to the country's leadership

in nearly a decade.

The demonstrations began in

the north-western city of Mashhad,

a key base for President Rouhani's

most outspoken critics.

And has quickly turned

into a widespread

antiestablishment movement.

This is the biggest show

of dissent in Iran since

the post-election rallies of 2009.

They were large in size

but limited to urban areas

of the country like

the capital, Tehran.

This time the protests are more

widespread with towns and cities

all over the country looking

for social, political,

and economic change.

Authorities are continuing

to suspend social media platforms

out of fear they will be used

to organise more protests.

The BBC has received reports of text

messages, like this one,

being sent to people urging them not

to take part.

A handful of pro-government marchers

are attempting to counter

the wider demonstrations,

but with limited information coming

out of the country it's

difficult to gauge how many

people are involved.

In the last 24 hours,

President Rouhani has spoken out

twice against the protests.

Accusing Iran's enemies

of instigating the unrest.

TRANSLATION:

Our victory

against the US and its regime

is unbearable for our enemies.

Our success in the region

is intolerable for them.

They are after revenge

and are trying to provoke people.

But his words have failed

to calm the situation.

In certain areas of the country

unemployment is as high as 60%,

and reports of extreme corruption

have Iranians frustrated

and hungry for change.

At least 12 people have died

since the protests began.

And with no sign of stopping,

that number looks set to rise.

Rana Rahimpour, BBC News.

We heard from the Iranian President

Hassan Rouhani in Rana's report.

I've been speaking about his part

in this story with Maziar Bahari,

the editor of the news website,

Iran Wire.

President Rouhani does not have the

power to make any substantial

changes in Iran. You have to

understand the president in Iran is

like the Prime Minister and an

absolute monarchy. The president is

just the Prime Minister to the

supreme leader, who has the power

and until now the supreme leader has

been quiet and it is up to the

supreme leader to make any changes.

But so far we have not seen any

willingness from the supreme leader

to make changes.

All this started as an economic

protest against falling living

standards and has now clearly become

political, a lot of anger directed

at the all powerful clerics, the

supreme leader as well. How do you

think the leader and clerics will be

filling about all this, will they be

trouble at all?

The protest started as a

demonstration manifestation of

anger, frustration of people across

Iran against the clerical rule in

the past four decades. As such, the

clerics and the supreme leader will

not be able to satisfy people

because if they want to satisfy

people they have to be overthrown

and they do not want that. So of

course the supreme leader is trying

to appease people to a certain

extent but when people come to the

streets as they have done in the

past five days and chant against

them, that means they do not want

him to be in power. I foresee the

supreme leader asking the

Revolutionary guard to suppress

people's protests across Iran in the

foreseeable future.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has

said a nuclear launch button

is "always on his table" and warned

the US it will never be

able to start a war.

In a televised speech he said

the entire US was within range

of North Korea's nuclear weapons,

adding "this is not

blackmail but reality".

But he also offered a potential

olive branch to South Korea,

suggesting he was

"open to dialogue".

It follows months of escalating

tensions over his country's

weapons programme -

and an angry exchange of insults

with US President Donald Trump.

Sophie Long reports from Seoul

Just after the first sun of 2018

rose over the Korean peninsula,

Kim Jong-un delivered his New Year's

address live on state-run

television, with an unsurprisingly

defiant message for the United

States.

TRANSLATION:

The entire

United States is within range

of our nuclear weapons -

and the nuclear button

is always on my desk.

This is reality, not a threat.

Perhaps more surprising

was the olive branch he appeared

to offer his neighbour,

South Korea.

He said he hoped the Winter Olympics

they're about to host

would be a success.

And said he was considering sending

a delegation to the Games.

That comes as music to the ears

of violinist Won Hyung Joon.

For ten years, he's tried and failed

to organise a peace concert

with these young South Koreans

playing together with

North Korean musicians.

He now hopes to make that happen

at the Pyeongchang opening ceremony.

We have hope that the Olympics

is coming, and everyone

is coming, and it's beyond,

you know, political difficulties.

So, I really wish North Korea will

come, and especially with musicians,

and we'll be able to play together.

The South Korean government has

welcome to the appeal

for dialogue, saying it,

too, is willing to engage.

After a year of nuclear tests

and missile launches,

young people living in Seoul

welcomed the New Year,

writing down their wishes with hope

that tensions might now reduce,

if only in the very

immediate future.

I feel optimistic, I think

everything is attitude,

and if we go in here with the right

attitude, the right approach,

I think we can solve the situation.

As a citizen of this country,

that's all I can really wish for.

It is obvious to anyone in the world

that we are in a very tense

situation right now.

And I think that means we have

hope for the future.

Sophie Long, BBC News, Seoul.

Let's take a look at some of

the other stories making the news.

Israeli officials say

a planned visit by the US

Vice President, Mike Pence,

has been postponed indefinitely.

He had originally been

due to go in December,

but the trip was rescheduled

after President Trump's recognition

of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital

sparked widespread unrest.

A 16-year-old Palestinian activist

has been charged with assault

and inciting violence.

Last month a Facebook video

that was widely circulated,

showed her slapping an Israeli

soldier in the occupied West Bank.

The incident reportedly happened

shortly after the teenager's cousin

had been seriously injured

by a rubber bullet.

The Spanish economy minister has put

the cost of the Catalan

independence crisis

at around $1.2 billion.

He told Spanish radio that this

was due to the slowdown

in the Catalan economy

after the unauthorised

independence referendum.

California today becomes the largest

state in the US to legalise

the recreational use of cannabis.

It promises to be a cash crop -

and state and local governments

could collect a billion dollars

a year in tax revenue.

But opponents say the new law

will lead to more driving under

the influence of the drug -

and introduce young

people to narcotics use.

Here's CBS reporter Carter Evans.

As holder of the very first state

licensed to sell recreational

marijuana, this shop is a medical

pawnshop that is scrambling to

implement a host of new rules and

regulations that can sell to the

public by New Year's Day.

You have had to create new packaging

we did.

Packaging is changing so it is not

see through.

Marketing director is

preparing for product changes and

new endorsing requirements for the

active ingredient of marijuana.

Something like this has 100 mg. Each

piece needs to be ten mg or less.

Smoking marijuana is off-limits in

restaurants, bars and most public

areas and unless your landlord

approves you may not even be able to

smoke in your apartment. Some local

governments are banning pot shot

entirely, others are still working

out the legal details.

LA is the largest city in the

country to allow sales of

recreational marijuana .com the 1st

of January the general public will

not be able to come into medical

shops like this to buy it. This

person runs the view of cannabis

control.

It will take some time for

businesses to get up and running but

we ask people to be patient.

California Highway Patrol officers

are also pressing for legal

marijuana and getting the word out

driving while smoking marijuana is

illegal.

Did you know smoking a joint could

get you a GUI?

Authorities expect to see an

increase in cannabis related

crashes, just like other states

where the drug is legal.

If you can buy a drink or a joint,

you can also for a taxi. -- then you

can also afford a taxi.

A short while ago, CBS reporter

Jessica Flores spoke to me

from a marijuana dispensary

which has just opened

in Oakland, California.

People have been lining up since 4am

and B have been expecting this for a

long time but it is a long time

coming for lots of people here. They

have been waiting, some people are

entire adult lace for this. The

brothers who started the shop have

spent their entire adult life

advocating and fighting for

legalised the glacial marijuana and

today they got to see it with

several hundred people shoot out the

door and no several hundred people

buying it. They will now be paying

taxes on that, you can only buy if

you're 21 or older and not all

dispensaries will be allowed to sell

recreational marijuana, only those

that are licensed, so far in

California just eat a few dozen have

been licensed and here in Francisco

Bay Area only certain areas are

selling recreational marijuana and

even San Francisco is selling the

product.

That might not even San Francisco.

California led the way on this, in

1996 it was very fast to legalise

medicinal marijuana. The problem for

some people, recreational use, they

say they have got worries about

people using it and driving while

under the influence.

That is right, that is a big

question because other states have a

key HC limit, the Colorado but that

is not the case in California -- THC

limit. If our law enforcement

officer pulls you over and see signs

of impairment they can give you a

ticket there is no THC limit to see

you have this much in your blood so

you get a ticket, that is not the

case of that is questions about how

much you can smoke before you get

behind the wheel, what if you smoke

yesterday of the day before? So

these are the questions still being

worked out here in California.

Do

you think there is potential for

there to be a huge new industry as a

result of this change?

Absolutely.

It is setting up to be a

multibillion-dollar industry. The

prices for marijuana are already

going up, not just because of taxis

but demand is going up, just this

morning we saw several hundred

people lining up at the single

dispensary. There are several dozen

throughout the state allowed to sell

recreational marijuana but hundreds

that are waiting to get the license

from the state. There is no telling

just yet how many dispensaries will

be selling both the medical

marijuana and recreational marijuana

but what we seen here in Auckland is

the demand is very high and people

are willing to spend a premium price

for the product -- what we have seen

this year in Oakland. Still to come,

why China does not want your waste

any more. The most ambitious

financial or political change ever

attempted has got under way with the

introduction of the euro. Today we

will use money we picked up in

Holland and use it in Belgium.

George Harrison, the former Beatle,

is recovering in hospital after

being stabbed at his home. The

30-year-old man from Liverpool is

being interviewed by police on

suspicion of attempted murder. I

think it was good. Just a good? No,

fantastic.

The latest headlines.

As anti-government protests continue

for a fifth day in Iran,

police say one of their officers has

been shot dead in the central

city of Najafabad.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un has

issued a defiant New Year message -

warning that he's "always

within reach" of

the nuclear button.

China has introduced

new restrictions on the import

of foreign waste, much of it

dirty or hazardous.

The country imports large amounts

of waste plastic and paper

every year from Europe,

Japan and the United States.

It's estimated that China accepted

51 percent of global plastic

scrap imports in 2016.

But the new ban, ordered

by the Beijing government,

is about to stop most of that -

and it could have a significant

impact on recycling

industry worldwide.

Robin Brant reports from Shanghai.

China has been

recycling for decades.

He has made a living out of bashing,

breaking up, and disassembling.

He's been doing it for five years.

It's hard work, he tells me.

Tiring.

But he's not a green warrior.

He does it because

there's money in it.

China needs the raw materials,

so much so that Chinese workers have

been sorting through your waste

shipped in from abroad.

But the government is stopping that.

China has long been the destination

of much of the world's waste.

It has imported 7.3 million tonnes

of plastic alone in 2016.

The UK sends 1200 tonnes

of it to China every day.

But most of that is

ending, and here is why.

China has become a much richer

but much dirtier country.

It's blighted now by

home-made pollution

and contamination on a vast scale.

The government claims some foreign

waste is dangerous and the last

thing this country needs is even

more of that.

TRANSLATION:

China is putting

the onus back on all of the waste

exporting countries.

You need to show the responsibility

of disposing your own waste

and your own sources of pollution.

The ban presents a problem

for China, though, because it

still needs the cardboard,

the paper, the high end clean

polystyrene like this

which is easy to ship here,

easy to turn into something to sell,

and sometimes selling it back

to the country it came from.

Somewhere in there are

polystyrene fish boxes.

From Grimsby.

This business on the outskirts

of Shanghai ships them,

chips them, heats them,

and turns them into this...

Billions of tiny plastic pellets.

Because it recycles them

into skirting boards

and picture frames.

Some of them heading your way.

China's ban means the boss will now

have a problem with his supply.

Just keeping the factory running,

we need about 50,000 tonnes

of recycled plastics.

China's recycling

will not be enough.

The tough new restrictions

on foreign waste will hurt

some businesses here,

but the government's

view here is, tough.

Delivering a cleaner

China is paramount for

the Communist party politicians.

A green revolution,

you might call it.

Robin Brant, BBC News, Shanghai.

Air investigators in Australia say

it may take months before they know

why a seaplane carrying a British

businessman and four

members of his family,

crashed on New Year's Eve.

Richard Cousins who ran

the global catering giant

Compass, was killed along

with his two sons, his fiancee,

her daughter and the pilot.

Phil Mercer reports.

The wreckage of the seaplane lies 13

metres below the surface

of the Hawkesbury River.

One of the victims was the British

businessman, Richard Cousins,

the chief executive of the world's

largest catering firm,

Compass, who was due

to retire later this year.

The company confirmed his

death in a statement.

Mr Cousins, who was 58, died

alongside his fiancee, Emma Bowden,

and her 11-year-old daughter,

Heather.

Also on board the seaplane that

crashed into Jerusalem Bay,

The pilot, Gareth Morgan, had done

more than 10,000 flying hours,

9,000 of which were on seaplanes.

The pilot had collected Mr Cousins

and members of his family

from an exclusive waterfront

restaurant and was heading back

to Rose Bay on Sydney Harbour.

Shortly after take-off,

the plane plummeted into the water.

Investigators say it quickly sank

and there were no survivors.

These are people who have come out

on holiday to visit Australia in one

of the most beautiful parts

of the world.

And for this to happen to them

in a place like that is nothing

more than just tragic.

It could take months to work out how

and why a routine sightseeing trip

could end in utter disaster.

Air crash investigators

have begun their work.

Their task won't be easy.

The wreckage of the seaplane has

been submerged in more

than 40 feet of water.

And although these idyllic bays

and inlets are geographically close

to Sydney, the crash site is tucked

away and hard to get to.

Sydney Seaplanes,

which owns the aircraft,

has suspended all its flights

until further notice.

Phil Mercer, BBC News, Sydney.

Now, with a NASA mission to Mars

and a British iceberg expedition

to the Antarctic on the agenda,

there's much to look forward

to in the world of science in 2018.

Here's a look ahead

at the top stories and events

to watch for this year.

I Rebecca, the BBC global science

correspondent and here is what to

look out for this year. Massa is

heading again to Mars. This time it

will delve beneath the surface of

the planet -- Nasa. They will study

the red planet's interior using a

self hammering probe to go deeper

than ever before, hoping to

understand how the planet is formed.

On Earth and British scientists are

leading an expedition to a colossal

new iceberg in the Antarctic. It

broke away from the A 's shelf over

the summer and covers an area of

almost 6000 square kilometres and

weighs 1 trillion tonnes. They want

to investigate the head in the

marine ecosystem that has been left

exposed by the shifting block of

ice. -- head and marine ecosystem. A

critical new climate report will be

released, looking at if it is

feasible for the world to keep

global temperature rises under 1.5

Celsius. And it will assess what

could happen if we do not. We should

also see the much delayed Falcon

rocket finally blasting off, this

huge piece of kit from space Ex will

be the most powerful operational

rock in the world. The maiden voyage

will be unmanned but it has been the

same to eventually carry humans into

space. And the European and Japanese

space agency is their sights set on

a mercury. Until now the smallest

planet and our solar system has been

little explored but this spacecraft

is set to change that and it will

launch in the autumn. But it will

not arrive until 2025 but scientists

say the wait will be worth it. In

2018 the kilogram is set for

overhaul, as up until now the weight

of the kilogram has been set by our

weight in the Paris of faults but

now they plan to use quantum

mechanics to give a far more

accurate measurement -- Paris

vaults.

2018 has already seen one record

broken: that of the world's largest

firework aerial shell.

This is it, exploding

over Ras Al Khaimah

in the United Arab Emirates.

The 1,000-kilo shell

was handcrafted.

The display more than doubles

the previous record

which was displayed in Japan.

War

Now that display was for

the night of celebrations -

let take a look at people making

the first day of the year.

In Rome some have decided

to literally jump into it,

braving the cold of the river Tiber.

He wasn't the only one.

Well, it's one way of

getting rid of a hangover.

And here's another -

in the Netherlands thousands

of people have plunged

into the freezing cold

waters of the North Sea.