0:00:05 > 0:00:06This is BBC World News Today.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10I'm Ben Bland.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13Our top stories: There are reports of growing violence in towns
0:00:13 > 0:00:15and cities across Iran.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17Anti-government protests gather momentum for a third day,
0:00:17 > 0:00:21despite repeated warnings from the authorities.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24Meanwhile, thousands of Iranians take to the streets of Tehran
0:00:24 > 0:00:32in an officially sanctioned show of support for the government.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34Nepal bans solo climbers from ascending Mount Everest
0:00:34 > 0:00:36and other Himalayan peaks, it says, to make climbing
0:00:36 > 0:00:41safer and save lives.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43And we'll have all the day's sport, including: Premier League champions
0:00:43 > 0:00:47Chelsea end the year in style after beating Stoke.
0:01:00 > 0:01:09Hello and welcome to World News Today.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13Some anti-government protests in Iran have turned violent. There were
0:01:13 > 0:01:16skirmishes between demonstrators and police which continued into the
0:01:16 > 0:01:16night.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19police which continued into the night. These are the latest pictures
0:01:19 > 0:01:23from the capital, Tehran, as you can see, largely peaceful during the
0:01:23 > 0:01:32day, but later is, fire -- but later, fires burning in the streets.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34Separately, there have been officially organised pro-government
0:01:34 > 0:01:36rallies.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39The third day of protests in Iran.
0:01:39 > 0:01:45What began in small provincial cities, now spreading
0:01:45 > 0:01:48to the capital, Tehran, and the main university campus.
0:01:48 > 0:01:49These are worrying signs for the Iranian government
0:01:49 > 0:01:51and the ultraconservative Shia clerics who have ruled
0:01:51 > 0:01:55over the country since the 1979 Revolution.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58Shouting for the clerics to give him a job, this protester typifies
0:01:58 > 0:02:06the economic anger felt by many Iranians.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10They accuse the mullahs of living in gilded palaces
0:02:10 > 0:02:12and sponsoring conflicts overseas, while the economy and
0:02:12 > 0:02:15the country suffers.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18But dissent in Iran is only tolerated to a point.
0:02:18 > 0:02:23Uniformed and plain clothes police clashed with protesters and made
0:02:23 > 0:02:29dozens of arrests in several cities.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32I don't expect the protest to snowball as of now
0:02:32 > 0:02:34because the regime has a response in place.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38And if the protesters don't stop, ultimately the reaction
0:02:38 > 0:02:39will become heavy-handed.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43We're just not there yet.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45In a response on Twitter, President Trump warned Iran
0:02:45 > 0:02:49that the world was watching, saying that Tehran should
0:02:49 > 0:02:51respect people's rights to express themselves.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55Comments that the Iranian Foreign Minister called
0:02:55 > 0:02:59opportunistic and deceitful.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02The government has warned people not to take part in what it
0:03:02 > 0:03:06calls illegal protests.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Organising instead large, pro-regime counterdemonstrations,
0:03:09 > 0:03:15in support of the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18An end to clerical rule has been a common theme
0:03:18 > 0:03:21in these protests, some of which are now turning violent.
0:03:21 > 0:03:31Wyre Davies, BBC News.
0:03:31 > 0:03:39We're joined by a senior fellow from the Middle East Institute. We have
0:03:39 > 0:03:44seen protests in Iran before, perhaps most notably in 2009. They
0:03:44 > 0:03:48were put down in came to nothing, ultimately. Is this any different
0:03:48 > 0:03:55this time, do you think?Time will show, Ben, but I think it is clear
0:03:55 > 0:04:02that this is an event that is picking up speed at an historic
0:04:02 > 0:04:11rate. It is different in that sense from 2009. Put it in context, what
0:04:11 > 0:04:15happened in 2009 was a fight within the regime against the then
0:04:15 > 0:04:25President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This time, this is not a family feud, it
0:04:25 > 0:04:31is coming from street level. Can the regime containers, given that
0:04:31 > 0:04:37socioeconomic conditions are what they are?That is key to this, isn't
0:04:37 > 0:04:41it? Because this started out as an economic protest about the
0:04:41 > 0:04:46Government's inability to control rising prices. It has now very
0:04:46 > 0:04:50clearly turned into a political protest as well.Within 24 hours it
0:04:50 > 0:05:00did so. It started off as a slogan for, as in, you can't keep
0:05:00 > 0:05:07increasing the prices. Slogans targeting President Rouhani, and
0:05:07 > 0:05:13then within 24 hours, those slogans targeting the entirety of the
0:05:13 > 0:05:23regime. It is asking if the regime is representative of the average
0:05:23 > 0:05:28citizen. Let me point something out: Back in May this year, President
0:05:28 > 0:05:33Rouhani won in a landslide pre-election with 24 million votes,
0:05:33 > 0:05:39and now, less than six months later, they are chanting death to Rouhani.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43Many of the people who voted for this man are now saying, you have
0:05:43 > 0:05:49betrayed us. I wonder what Rouhani is thinking right now. I think, as
0:05:49 > 0:05:53we heard earlier, it won't be a surprise of the security forces come
0:05:53 > 0:05:59out and crack down, and that might disburse as it did in 2009. But
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Rouhani, who fancied himself as the next Iranians supreme leader, a
0:06:02 > 0:06:07different kind of leader, the Iranian people are speaking loudly
0:06:07 > 0:06:12against him, saying he has failed them.What is the alternative model
0:06:12 > 0:06:15that these demonstrators would like to see in place of President Rouhani
0:06:15 > 0:06:22and clerical rule was back and crucially, would it do anything to
0:06:22 > 0:06:25improve their current living conditions? -- and clerical rule?
0:06:25 > 0:06:32And crucially...The average person knows that the revolution comes with
0:06:32 > 0:06:37risks. They know what is happening in the neighbourhood. They know what
0:06:37 > 0:06:41happened in Egypt, Libya and Syria, and they are watching places like
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Iraq and Afghanistan, where you don't have security, and they don't
0:06:44 > 0:06:50want that. At the same time, they are fed up with the Islamic
0:06:50 > 0:06:54Republic, now 40 years into its existence, promising change and not
0:06:54 > 0:07:01delivering. In 1979, the Iranians people did not ask for a clerical
0:07:01 > 0:07:05establishment to rule over them, they wanted a democratic system,
0:07:05 > 0:07:09fundamentally, and they didn't get that when they topple the Shah. For
0:07:09 > 0:07:1340 years, they have been sitting there basically patiently hoping
0:07:13 > 0:07:17that the clerics would one day get closer to the people and start
0:07:17 > 0:07:21reflecting what average Iranians want, and that's not happening. Look
0:07:21 > 0:07:28at Syria and for the Iranians are doing in terms of regime activity,
0:07:28 > 0:07:31exporting their ideology, spending billions of dollars doing so, while
0:07:31 > 0:07:40forgetting your average man and woman back in Iran, and that is what
0:07:40 > 0:07:43is coming to want them today and this week as we watch it on our TV
0:07:43 > 0:07:46screens.Alex, really good to get your thoughts and analysis. Thank
0:07:46 > 0:07:55you.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00Mountain climbers will no longer be able to tackle Nepal's mountain
0:08:00 > 0:08:05peaks so low. The new rules ban double amputees and blind climbers
0:08:05 > 0:08:12from attempting the mountain peaks without a valid medical certificate.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14Kenton Cool is one of the world's leading high altitude climbers,
0:08:14 > 0:08:16and has tackled Everest 12 times.
0:08:16 > 0:08:21Thank you for joining us.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23What did you think when you heard this from
0:08:23 > 0:08:24the Nepalese Government?
0:08:24 > 0:08:29I don't think it is a good thing. Mountaineering has a rich heritage
0:08:29 > 0:08:39of notable firsts from solo climbers. One only needs to look at
0:08:39 > 0:08:48the greats - these are some of the very best climbers of their
0:08:48 > 0:08:53generations, and they went out and deliberately sought out solo climbs,
0:08:53 > 0:08:56climbs where they embarked on their own incredibly safely, and they
0:08:56 > 0:09:05would get up and down these mountains so low. For the Ministry
0:09:05 > 0:09:14of tourism to blanket ban the solo climbers I think is unreasonable.
0:09:14 > 0:09:23Ulee Stec died this year while preparing to climb one of these
0:09:23 > 0:09:28peaks, and he was very experienced, and yet even he was unable to
0:09:28 > 0:09:33survive those elements. Some may say that is a prime example, a case to
0:09:33 > 0:09:40be made for tightening up the rules to protect people.Yes, you could
0:09:40 > 0:09:50easily look at that. He was a good friend, but of course, freak
0:09:50 > 0:09:57accidents will always occur. The ministry perhaps should look at the
0:09:57 > 0:10:02more inexperienced climbers joining teams and attempting declines such
0:10:02 > 0:10:13as Mount Everest. -- attempting climbs such as. Hundreds of climbers
0:10:13 > 0:10:16will flock to that mountain every season, many of whom don't have the
0:10:16 > 0:10:23depth of experience to legitimately be there. Generally, the deaths that
0:10:23 > 0:10:30we see on the big mountains are inexperienced climbers, whereas solo
0:10:30 > 0:10:38climbers, more often than not, they are the highly experienced climbers,
0:10:38 > 0:10:43pushing themselves to the very boundary of what is considered to be
0:10:43 > 0:10:46human endeavour and endurance, and we don't often see accidents coming
0:10:46 > 0:10:50in from those climbers. More often than not, it is the more
0:10:50 > 0:10:55inexperienced climbers, who are often part of a team.We must leave
0:10:55 > 0:11:02it there, but thank you very much.
0:11:02 > 0:11:03Stay with us on BBC World News.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07Still to come:
0:11:07 > 0:11:10The Arctic blast hating America's east coast looks likely to continue
0:11:10 > 0:11:20into the New Year, with some of the lowest temperatures seen in decades.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29This is BBC World News Today.
0:12:29 > 0:12:30I'm Ben Bland.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34The latest headlines:
0:12:34 > 0:12:38Police in Iran have been in skirmishes with demonstrators in a
0:12:38 > 0:12:42third day of anti-government protests. Demonstrators were on the
0:12:42 > 0:12:48streets of a number of cities despite warnings from the goverment.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50A Mississippi sheriff says the United States has a "national
0:12:50 > 0:12:52problem" with how it treats mental health patients in
0:12:52 > 0:12:53the justice system.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Greg Pollan was speaking after an investigation by the BBC
0:12:56 > 0:12:59and ProPublica into the case of Tyler Haire.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Haire - who had a long history of mental health problems -
0:13:02 > 0:13:04was in jail for almost four years without trial while
0:13:04 > 0:13:07waiting to be assessed.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09He is now serving a seven-year sentence for stabbing his
0:13:09 > 0:13:10father's girlfriend.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14This is his story.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18We have some good memories of Tyler.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21He was very loving.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24But we had problems with Tyler when he was
0:13:24 > 0:13:26probably six months old.
0:13:26 > 0:13:32He started medication when he was four.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35He had generalised anxiety, delusional,
0:13:35 > 0:13:43suffered mood swings.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50I remember telling him goodbye, and I loved
0:13:50 > 0:13:52him, and hugging him.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55And that was the last time that I saw him until
0:13:55 > 0:13:57he was in jail.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01This call is from a correctional facility.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30I remember coming out of the bedroom and giving
0:14:30 > 0:14:32him a glass of water.
0:14:32 > 0:14:33That's all I remember about that.
0:14:33 > 0:14:34Nothing else.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45I received a phone call from the county Sheriff's office, and he
0:14:45 > 0:14:48tells me Tyler has stabbed someone with a ten inch butcher knife.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50All I can keep replaying in my mind was,
0:14:50 > 0:14:55how, why?
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Tyler Haire was ordered at the beginning of this case to have a
0:15:10 > 0:15:14mental evaluation conducted, and it took four years.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17The roadblock was that there was never a bed for him,
0:15:17 > 0:15:18to put it literally.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21There was never a time that he worked his way to the
0:15:21 > 0:15:24top of the list, where he was the next person scheduled to be
0:15:24 > 0:15:28evaluated.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30The problem is across the street with our legislature.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32They don't properly fund that forensic
0:15:32 > 0:15:35unit, don't provide enough psychiatrists, enough personnel.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38I think that at some point, some court
0:15:38 > 0:15:40is going to force us to spend more money,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43and it'll be a federal court.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52Imagine putting a 16-year-old child that is already mentally disabled
0:15:52 > 0:15:58into that little cell for four straight years.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01I can't even imagine the things that went through his mind.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10When incarcerated, the seriously mentally ill should be seen by
0:16:10 > 0:16:16health care professionals, and their needs tended to.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35That story was a collaboration between the BBC and ProPublica.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38You can watch the full documentary on the BBC News website.
0:16:38 > 0:16:48Just log on to BBC.com/news.
0:16:53 > 0:16:58People around the world are preparing to mark the arrival of
0:16:58 > 0:17:012018, many city celebrating with open-air concerts, street parties
0:17:01 > 0:17:07and fireworks, but in Europe, after Islamist attacks in the last 12
0:17:07 > 0:17:12months against civilian targets, particular attention is being paid
0:17:12 > 0:17:18to public spaces. Live music, wine-tasting, festive decorations
0:17:18 > 0:17:22and good food - all the vital ingredients in Romania for a great
0:17:22 > 0:17:27party. But the tune in other European capitals as they prepare is
0:17:27 > 0:17:33so far more sombre. France has seen over 230 people killed in attacks by
0:17:33 > 0:17:39Islamist militants in the last three years. The pyrus chief police says
0:17:39 > 0:17:43his forces prepare for the terrorist threat, which he assessed as high.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46Over 10,000 police and emergency service workers are to be deployed
0:17:46 > 0:17:52in the capital, with a large force concentrating on the Champs-Elysees.
0:17:52 > 0:17:58Large areas of central Rome will ban cars for parking for 48 hours, and
0:17:58 > 0:18:02the main two wrist sites will have special protection. Celebrations at
0:18:02 > 0:18:07Berlin's Brandenburg gate are expected to attract 1 million
0:18:07 > 0:18:12partygoers, but the authorities face an additional challenge: Two years
0:18:12 > 0:18:17ago, hundreds of women were robbed and sexually assaulted New Year's
0:18:17 > 0:18:22Eve in Cologne and other cities by groups of men, many said to be from
0:18:22 > 0:18:26migrant backgrounds. This year, Berlin police say that women who
0:18:26 > 0:18:33feel threatened will be able to go to a special security area.
0:18:33 > 0:18:39TRANSLATION: It is a Red Cross point that was always there that is taking
0:18:39 > 0:18:45on additional duties. If any woman is harassed, they can go to a team
0:18:45 > 0:18:53of trained psychologist, but it is not a women's own. Critics say that
0:18:53 > 0:18:57large events should be organised so that us. Happen in the first place.
0:18:57 > 0:19:02TRANSLATION:What is not right is that young women are attacked in
0:19:02 > 0:19:06public places, especially at celebrations. But that's it.Others
0:19:06 > 0:19:14say that they intend to party regardless.I feel pretty safe, not
0:19:14 > 0:19:20scared. I think it is fear that scares people, and I don't think...
0:19:20 > 0:19:35You can't let that ruin your life. David Kemp annihilate, BBC News. --
0:19:35 > 0:19:42David Campanali. Chelsea were three up after just a
0:19:42 > 0:19:55few minutes. It is now four defeats in a row., who are just two points
0:19:55 > 0:19:59above the relegation zone. Manchester United could have an
0:19:59 > 0:20:01issue after Romalu Lukaku was stretchered off with a head injury
0:20:01 > 0:20:08as they were held to a goalless draw with Southampton at Old Trafford.
0:20:08 > 0:20:13Jose Mourinho confirmed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be up on month
0:20:13 > 0:20:18through injury. United slipped to third in the table, 14 points behind
0:20:18 > 0:20:24Manchester City, who play on Sunday. Jose Mourinho was disappointed with
0:20:24 > 0:20:28the referee for not giving a penalty from what he felt was a deliberate
0:20:28 > 0:20:32handball.We played enough to score goals. Of course, we missed easy
0:20:32 > 0:20:40chances. But I'm really unhappy with the penalty. Not with Craig's
0:20:40 > 0:20:46performance overall, but with the penalty.Virgil van Dijk was
0:20:46 > 0:20:51watching from the stands at Anfield after his £75 million transfer from
0:20:51 > 0:20:55Southampton made him the most expensive defender in the world.
0:20:55 > 0:21:02Jamie Vardy gave Leicester City an early lead, but Mohamed Salah scored
0:21:02 > 0:21:07his 16th and 17th goals this season to secure a 2-1 win for Jurgen
0:21:07 > 0:21:11Klopp's side. Swansea City arm off the bottom of
0:21:11 > 0:21:19the table after beating Watford 2-1 at vicarage Road. The new manager
0:21:19 > 0:21:23has a winning start to his new job as Swansea boss.
0:21:23 > 0:21:28England's cricketers have avoided an Ashes whitewash but a win was just
0:21:28 > 0:21:33beyond them in Melbourne. They have a chance of victory but it was
0:21:33 > 0:21:37snuffed out by Australia captain Steve Smith. A day in which England
0:21:37 > 0:21:42will have hoped to complete a dramatic and exciting first victory
0:21:42 > 0:21:48of this Ashes Series ended in a somewhat anti-climactic draw because
0:21:48 > 0:21:52of Steve Smith the Australian captain who scored his third century
0:21:52 > 0:21:57of this series and he has now scored more than 600 runs in the series. He
0:21:57 > 0:22:02batted Australia through to see out a draw. England had a glimmer of
0:22:02 > 0:22:07hope when David Warner tried to slog Joe Root's bowling. It went up in
0:22:07 > 0:22:12the error and gave Root a wicket on his birthday. England then got rid
0:22:12 > 0:22:16of Shaun Marsh thanks to a good catch from Jonny Bairstow and had
0:22:16 > 0:22:23real hope of getting into the Australian lower order. The scoring
0:22:23 > 0:22:28was very slow, the pitch lifeless, and the atmosphere drained out of
0:22:28 > 0:22:34the MCG. So, there won't be a 5-0 Ashes win for Australia, as two of
0:22:34 > 0:22:38the previous three England trips here have seen, but England didn't
0:22:38 > 0:22:45get that morale boosting win either. We now go to Sydney to see if
0:22:45 > 0:22:48England can get that first series win, and we will all hope it is more
0:22:48 > 0:22:52exciting than this one. Serena Williams has returned to
0:22:52 > 0:22:55tennis for the first time since giving birth to her first child. She
0:22:55 > 0:23:01showed glimpses of her best form up against the French open champion
0:23:01 > 0:23:10Jelena Ostapenko.I was a little worried out there. I looked at my
0:23:10 > 0:23:17camp and I was like, is she OK? But it's really good. I'm excited and
0:23:17 > 0:23:23it's good to be back on the court. First matches back are always super
0:23:23 > 0:23:27incredibly hard, especially after having a baby, but it was great, and
0:23:27 > 0:23:31I was glad I could do it here.Great to see her back so soon. That's all
0:23:31 > 0:23:34the spot for now.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37Not every day you can take photos of a frozen water fountain like this
0:23:37 > 0:23:39behind me in New York.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41But across vast parts of the US, forecasters are predicting chilling
0:23:41 > 0:23:43temperatures over the New Year's celebrations, as an
0:23:43 > 0:23:45Arctic blast hits.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48To show you just how cold it is, these are thresher sharks which have
0:23:48 > 0:23:51washed up frozen along Cape Cod, in the US state of Massachusetts.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53Thermometers could reach the lowest temperatures in nearly a century
0:23:53 > 0:23:56over the next few days - and stay there into
0:23:56 > 0:24:01the first days of 2018.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05I spoke to Michael Davies who lives and Pennsylvania about how it is
0:24:05 > 0:24:10affecting things.I am in Pittsburgh, but it is in the
0:24:10 > 0:24:19negative teams or whatever. We have had an inch or two of snow in the
0:24:19 > 0:24:23last 24 hours. It's not too bad, it's freezing.And you have taken
0:24:23 > 0:24:32some pretty iconic photos. Tell us about the kayak.That is when we had
0:24:32 > 0:24:39five feet of snow over the past days since Christmas Eve. My cousins are
0:24:39 > 0:24:43from Florida, and they got a kayak for Christmas, so they took a
0:24:43 > 0:24:49picture of themselves in their swimming pool, nice weather, bathing
0:24:49 > 0:24:52suits, sun shining, and so my sister and I said, let's get the kayak and
0:24:52 > 0:24:56put it in the front yard in the snow and show them the Christmas we are
0:24:56 > 0:25:01having. That is the story behind that. We were in the yard, taking
0:25:01 > 0:25:06photos and having fun with snow.I'm assuming you don't particularly feel
0:25:06 > 0:25:10the cold very much cinema we saw the photo enduring a T-shirt.We were
0:25:10 > 0:25:20going to be in bathing suits, but we knew it would be too cold for that.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23We put the kayak out there, got the picture taking, and bared the cold.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26We're used to it.How prepared for people for this? Was at the kind of
0:25:26 > 0:25:31thing they had seen before and were they anticipating it?They are
0:25:31 > 0:25:35usually well prepared for the snow with salt trucks, ploughs and so
0:25:35 > 0:25:41forth. We weren't that prepared for that snow that we had, five feet in
0:25:41 > 0:25:46the past couple of days, and it is still snowing up there. The city was
0:25:46 > 0:25:52shut down. Snowploughs were getting stuck in the snow. The declaration
0:25:52 > 0:26:00of emergency pin e-reader. It is still snowing up there. -- in Erie.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02We'll just wait