welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: another night of protests in romania. thousands gather to demonstrate against government plans to change corruption laws. damage control. after some stormy phone calls with world leaders, the trump white house tries a charm offensive. is beijing ready to replace washington and take the lead in a new world order? our china editor gives her assessment. from outside, china looks rich. but at home it has problems. if president trump has the slogan make america great again, then president xi has the great rejuvenation of the chinese nation. and how the real—life soap opera of us—mexican relations is being reflected on tv, south of the border. hello.

thousands of people are protesting for the third night across romania against a government decree that would see dozens of officials, charged with corruption, released from prison. more than 200,000 people have been out on the streets, the biggest protests since the fall of communism in 1989. this report from the bbc‘s greg dawson. this latest protest may have lacked the teargas and the trouble of the night before, but it didn't lack the numbers. in freezing temperatures about 80,000 gathered outside the parliament in bucharest. for a third night, chanting "thieves". and once again this protest

fanned out across romania, with more than 200,000 believed to have taken part in 20 towns and cities. people from different backgrounds and generations accusing the government of turning a blind eye to corruption. translation: i came to express my dissatisfaction with the laws which they have passed like thieves. a decision has been made, contrary to people's will. that decision was an order to decriminalise several offences, including corruption, if the costs involved are less than $48,000. but the government, elected just two months ago, says these people are misled and misinformed. they claimed the new law is needed to ease prison overcrowding. the party leader, who faces charges of defrauding the state of $25,000, is just one who would potentially benefit from the changes. translation: we are determined to exercise the executive and legal power granted by the citizens.

we consider any attempt to undermine the government's activity as an attempt to destabilise order in romania. both the eu and the united states have already expressed concern, and even romania's president is opposed. in a statement, he said he would challenge the new law in the country's highest court. it is just over it isjust over a it is just over a week until the new laws can be enforced. and before that, the government is determined to face down opposition from romania's prosecutors, its president, and tens of thousands of its people. the new us defence secretary has said the us will deliver an effective and overwhelming response if north korea uses nuclear weapons. generaljames mattis was speaking in seoul, at a ceremony at the south korean defence ministry. on a tour of south korea and japan,

to reassure asian allies, he said any attack on the us or its allies would be defeated. president trump has again defended his controversial travel ban on people from seven mainly muslim countries, and insisted that america is being taken advantage of by every nation in the world. he admitted he had had a series of tough phone calls with various world leaders, including a less—than—diplomatic exchange with the australian prime minister over a deal to bring a group of mostly muslim refugees to the us. 0ur north america editor jon sopel reports. the trappings of office are impressive. the reality is burdensome. last night, president trump and daughter ivanka left the white house to fly to an air base where the remains of a us navy seal were being returned, killed after a military operation in yemen, the first one ordered by america's new commander in chief. at a prayer breakfast this morning in washington, that experience seemed to weigh heavy. greater love hath no man than this, that a man laid down his life for his friends.

we will never forget the men and women who wear the uniform, believe me. but, overwhelmingly, the tone on foreign policy is abrasive. when you hear about the tough phone calls i'm having, don't worry about it. just don't worry about it. they're tough, we have to be tough. it's time we have to be a little tough, folks. we're taken advantage of from every nation in the world, virtually. it's not gonna happen anymore. in the past day or so, we have seen a warning shot fired towards iran. we are officially putting iran on notice. thank you. details have emerged of about what was apparently a shouting match between him and australia's prime minister. this was over an 0bama—era agreement that the us would accept mainly—musilm refugees that australia would not take. and with mexico, a warning he would send troops across the border if the authorities didn't deal with the "bad hombres," as he called him.

the person who will be in charge of us foreign policy from now on, rex tillerson, took up his post today. what was striking was how much more conciliatory he was. no—one will tolerate disrespect of anyone. before we are employees of the state department, we are human beings first. let us extend respect to each other. especially when we may disagree. it is too soon to say what a donald trump foreign policy will look like. yes, we've heard what he has said, but we're yet to see what he will do. what we do know is that he will continue to take aim at anything or anyone who gets in his way. even arnold schwarzenegger, his successor on the apprentice. and i want to just pray for arnold, if we can, for those ratings, 0k? and it brought a swift response from the former governor and terminator. hey, donald. i've a great idea. why don't we switch jobs? you take over tv, because you're

such an expert in ratings, and i take over yourjob, and then people can finally sleep comfortably again, hmm? in other news: the italian prime minister, paolo gentiloni, has signed an agreement with libya's leader, fayez al—sarraj, to try to stop migrants setting sail for europe from libya. italy has pledged a substantial amount of money and equipment to help the libyan government, backed by the un. prosecutors in france have widened their investigation into the financial affairs of the centre—right presidential candidate, francois fillon, to include payments made to two of his children. he has been under increasing pressure to step down over allegations that he paid his wife, penelope, a large salary as a parliamentary assistant, despite little evidence of any such work. leaders of the eu are gathering in malta for their first summit of the year, facing some of the biggest problems in the union's history, in its smallest member state. they will be discussing the migration crisis from africa and the middle east, and the changing transatlantic

climate, and over it all looms the prospect of brexit. 0ur europe correspondent kevin connolly reports. the ceremonial cannons of the letter, installed by british imperialists and restored with eu money. the story of modern malta, in a one—gun salute. the cannons will welcome the eu leaders to their first malta summit. they won't have to look far around the coast for a reminder of their problems. african migrants, who mostly reached europe by boat from libya, are stranded here. they wantjobs, and documents, and a sense of hope. they are not optimistic they are going to get them from the eu gathering.

it doesn't give us our right. they look at us like animal. it's too much, too much, what the european are doing to black people, it is very hard. migration is a major faultline within the eu. the mediterranean countries want our their partners far from these shores to resettle a share of the migrants, and many are reluctant. experts warn that alternative solutions like paying african countries to take migrants back or trying to stop people from leaving libya will be difficult and dangerous. i think the focus right now is to try and slow down or shut down the flow of people coming from libya. i don't think that's an achievable goal. i think if europe manages to shut down or blockade libya, there would be a displacement effect to neighbouring countries, and we would see boats departing from other areas. the people of malta are notjust worried about migration, of course. the island has close historic ties to the uk, and in places looks more british than britain itself. so might it be usefulfor the uk to know it has such a close ally

among the 27 eu remainer states, when the time comes to cut a deal on brexit? there are ties, which are notjust historical, notjust cultural, but also emotional ties. so britain, i think, can rest assured that malta has been a friend and will remain a friend now and in the future. so on the shores of the mediterranean sea, which has brought so many migrants to europe, the eu leaders will talk, as they talked before, about migration. but they will also have their minds on the choppy political waters ahead, created notjust by brexit, but by the turbulent new presidency in washington of donald trump. kevin connolly, bbc news, malta. the british defence secretary has said russia is using cyber weaponry to destabilise the west, testing nato, seeking to expand its sphere of influence, destabilise and weaken the alliance. sir michael fallon accused russia of trying to disrupt critical

infrastructure in a series of attacks. he urged nato to strengthen its cyber defences, and tackle the false reality being propagated by the kremlin. there has been much criticism that donald trump is soft—pedalling on russia. the us has blamed russia for the recent surge of aggressive violence in eastern ukraine, after european monitors reported over 10,000 explosions in the eastern donetsk region on wednesday. several people were killed after a heavy explosion in the kalininsky district of donetsk on thursday, and rocket fire and shelling has escalated around the industrial town of avdiivka, cutting off power and water to thousands of civilians. the us has called for an immediate end to the russian occupation of crimea, and un ambassador nikki haley warned that sanctions against russia will not be lifted until moscow returns crimea to kiev. 0n on one february, the 0sce special monitoring mission reported over 10,000 explosions in the donetsk

region over 2a hours. there are reports of civilian casualties, including at least four deaths since the escalation on 28 january, and heavy losses among the combatants on both sides. the un human rights monitoring mission also recorded damage to civilian houses and a school in populated areas of avdiivka, which raises serious concerns about possible violations of international humanitarian law, by all sides. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: aussies call it a bottle of shiraz, the french say syrah, but do you know where the grape really comes from? this is the moment that millions in iran have been waiting for. after his long years in exile, the first hesitant steps of ayatollah khomeini on iranian soil. south africa's white government has offered its black opponents concessions unparalleled in the history of apartheid. the ban on the african national

congress is lifted immediately, and the anc leader, nelson mandela, after 27 years injail, is to be set free unconditionally. the aircraft was returning from belgrade, where manchester united had entered the semi—final of the european cup. two americans have become the first humans to walk in space without any lifeline to their spaceship. one of them called it a piece of cake. thousands of people have given yachstwoman ellen macarthur a spectacular homecoming after she smashed the world record for sailing solo around the world non—stop. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: thousands of people are protesting for a third night in romania — after the government pledged to release dozens of officials charged with corruption. after president trump and prime minster malcolm turnbull‘s difficult phone call — reports the australian ambassador has had a productive meeting

at the white house. in the era of trump's ‘america first‘, will china step up to become the global leader? with its rapidly growing economy and strengthening military — some see china taking on a new role of world leadership. the bbc‘s china editor carrie gracie gives her assessment. in the new donald trump era, strange things are happening. is the world is turning upside—down? this white house is in beijing, and this theme park a good place to ask whether china and the us are changing places. america once defined itself as a melting pot for immigrants. it forged alliances in europe and asia. it built the capitalist system.

it was always china that was the prickly, protectionist power. but now the rhetoric is reversed. so what about the other pillar of the old world order, europe? hmmm. brexit, refugee crisis, and before that, financial crisis. europe, according to some analysts, is in steep decline. is russia china's rival for global leadership? no. moscow is too busy with its economic problems, and its european borders, to trouble its giant neighbour in the east. india could be a problem. its population will soon outstrip china's,

and it is making friends with other asian powers who are wary of beijing. but it is hard to compete on the money. china's economy is five times as big, and it is spending nearly $1 trillion to build infrastructure and influence around the world. so, if the way is clear, will china step up to lead? i don't think so. from outside, china looks rich, but at home it has problems. if president trump has the slogan "make america great again", then president xi has the great rejuvenation of the chinese nation, and that is exactly how far chinese ambition goes. if you're on the other end of one of president trump's international disputes, it probably feels like the most important conflict

in the world. take mexico. you'll remember mr trump came out swinging at america's southern neighbour from the moment he announced his candidacy, and the jabs just keep coming. the bbc‘s will grant looks at how that is playing out. mexicans famously love their soap operas. the latest big release, the double life of estela carrillo, is a tale of cross—border immigration, the music business and money laundering. the past two weeks have seen more drama than even the most outlandish of telenovela storylines. when it comes to life imitating art, everything is there for a good plot. a powerful villain which for most mexicans is being played by donald trump. the dashing hero, a role coveted by the mexican president, enrique pena nieto. and of course, the criminal mastermind, in this story — joaquin el chapo guzman. in reality, us and mexican politics no longer follow a linear script. mexicans are deeply offended by president trump's order to extend

the border wall and the idea of taxing mexican exports to pay for it. small businesses like this american—style barber shop in mexico city are already struggling amid the faltering economy. president pena nieto has long been criticised in mexico as a reality tv politician. married to a former soap actress, his approval ratings hover around single digits. but he might benefit from the conflict with the president trump. protests against his much loathed energy reform which raised the price of petrol at the pumps, happen almost daily. whether soap opera, tragedy or farce, political theatre in mexico has taken a dramatic twist with donald trump in the white house. small businesses and farmers are already angry at the government for recent

fuel price hikes and now they are concerned about what any future hit to the economy will mean for them and their families. big business in mexico is concerned, too. it doesn't get much bigger than carlos slim — one of the richest people in the world, he boasts more financial clout than donald trump and warns the new us president against protectionism. translation: he is an intelligent man and we hope that he would understand it is not the way to go. because it is clear they take back all manufacturing to the united states. that may generate a few thousand jobs but prices will rise for 325 million americans. in the hours before president trump was inaugurated, the world's most notorious drug lord, el chapo guzman, was extradited to the united states. some have interpreted the move as a gift from the mexican government to the new us administration. a message they can work together on security issues. ironically, el chapo is exactly the kind of bad hombre that president trump says the wall is supposed to keep out. will grant, bbc news, mexico city. iran once had a thriving wine culture around the city of shiraz but it was forced underground with the creation of the islamic republic in 1979. bbc persian reporter anahita shams

has been finding out if there's a link between the ancient shiraz wine of iran and the shiraz — or syrah — the rest of the world drinks today. the wine culture of iran is an ancient one. through the centuries, tales of persian wine were spread by french travellers who worked for the persian kings. what is historically sure is that, from the 16th century, there started to be production of good wine, fine wine, with the name of wine of shiraz. and this prediction was well tested in documents, since the beginning of the 17th century. so where else to investigate? flying over the rhone valley, a few kilometres south of lyon. behind me, the vinyards, with their historical chapels. legend has it that it was created from a persian vine brought

by a knight from the crusades. backin back in france, the vines and the wines they produce are called syrah. so could this wine come from iran? a dna test revealed the truth. it was done in 1998, by two different labs. the collaboration ended in the discovery of the parents of syrah, because grapes, like humans, have a mother and father. it was a surprise to find that syrah is a natural and spontaneous crossing between two local vines from this area. so there is no persian link to france. but there is to the napa valley, in california, where syrah grapes are grown. this man from shiraz calls his wine shiraz. i remember my father wine—making, you know, for a hobby,

not for a profession. and i remember the grapes. i put them in a big clay vat. i was going to put it on top of that clay vat, and smelling and enjoying that wine. sometimes i stole a sip of that wine. his family left iran. he created the persian culture in his adopted homeland, an ancient tradition that lives on. anahita shams, bbc news, california. there nice work if you can get it. the job of translator is never easy. getting notjust the words right but also the tone. so imagine translating president trump into farsi. that's the job of our colleagues at bbc persian and they spoke to us about it.

i want great deals. i don't care if they are free, if they are there, if they are free, if they are there, if they are free, if they are there, if they are good, i don't care if they are horrendous, ijust want great deals! you thought trump was hard enough to understand into english. imagine putting his work in another language. i have found the best way to translate president donald trump is to become trump and speak his words the way he says them. i am a journalist for the bbc‘s persian tv service and part of myjob is doing live translations of world leaders like the new us president. from english too fussy. i know nothing about russia. —— farsi. english too fussy. i know nothing about russia. -- farsi. translating the untranslated word i find this —— difficult. i brought this man in to explain how donald trump often veers from subject to subject. it is a lwa ys from subject to subject. it is always aiming for the final punchy phrase. he will start a sentence to reply or respond to something and if

he thinks he won't get there, he will abandon it and shift off somewhere else. then he is thinking, no, if this one go to work? no, i have abandoned it, i will shift of somewhere else, until he finds his final driving message and he will a lwa ys final driving message and he will always go home and end on a strong, emotive word which it does on his tweets. he will end on a sad or huge. sad. sad. huge. his words can easily get lost in translation. binny journalist easily get lost in translation. binnyjournalist as easily get lost in translation. binny journalist as well as easily get lost in translation. binnyjournalist as well as a translator, i understand this can have significant consequences in how the people in iran perceive the american president. —— being a journalist. unless you embody them and almost physically embody the gestures as you say the words, the meaning is going to get lost in translation. so, for those impersonating that trump, there are a few gestures to look out for. when he thinks he has got it, he will start doing this. threading the needle gesture and bashing the air.

he is being precise about hitting a strong, hard message. when he is dismissive and this is where for translating things you might think, oh, nowi translating things you might think, oh, now i need to change my tone because he doesn't necessarily mean best. he will go into a palms up gesture. a throwaway comment. of course, of course i am going to give you all of my financial statements. it seems as though did —— interpreting donald trump as he speaks live takes more than a word by word translation. just briefly, the menus. 200,000 protesters have staged a second night of demonstrations across romania, including the capital, bucharest. they are bikram ash try to decriminalising some types of corruption and see some other meant ministers accused of corruption be released from prison. good morning.

more wild and windy weather to come for some of you. slightly different zones. the west had the rain. strong winds. high seas. this area of low pressure is responsible. it is going north. this will be in the bay of biscay. more of an impact in the southern areas. most start the day dry. a little bit more chilly than recent mornings. quite breezy across western scotland but most, light winds to begin with. into the midlands, the south—east of england three lunchtime and then in the afternoon, around the northern portion of the irish sea and north—east england, heavier bursts. some of the driest weather throughout will be the northern half of scotland. sunshine throughout the day and a fine day for northern ireland. lighter winds. we could see

some rain spreading across durham. still some rain across northern parts of england and the midlands and the south—east. part of england will stay dry throughout the day and the wind on and off. quite persistent around cardigan bay. it is in southwest wales, south—west england and into the english channel with a strong winds will be. they are not as strong as yesterday. 50 mph gusts possible. strengthening somewhat through the latter start of the evening. it will cause disruption. potentially some. minor towards the south—east corner as with the 50 mile per gusts —— 50 mph gusts in the evening. into saturday morning, a chilly start for england and wales. sam which between one area of low pressure across northern france and one to northern scotland. after a rather cloudy and wet start, it will be sunshine and showers into the afternoon. some of the showers will be wintry into the hills. keep

a close eye on the third east of england. most will have fine end to saturday. a chilly night will then follow. a few showers spreading in across the english channel once again. for sunday, one of the wettest spots will be here and maybe to the north—east of scotland but most will have another fine day and a chilly one with temperatures around five or six degrees for the most part. following that, it will bea most part. following that, it will be a cold night with a frost developing across many parts of the country —— rural parts of the country. a bright start on monday. it will get more wet and windy weather spreading in from the atlantic. the headlines on bbc news: it is estimated 200,000 people have demonstrated for a third night across romania, including the capital, bucharest. they are protesting at a government decree that will decriminalise some types of corruption and release dozens of officials from jail. the new american defence secretary has said the us will deliver an effective and overwhelming

response if north korea uses nuclear weapons. on a tour of south korea and japan, to reassure asian allies, generaljames mattis said any attack on the us or its allies would be defeated. white house officials are saying they have had a productive meeting with australia's ambassador to the us. the president had a stormy phone call earlier with prime minister malcolm turnbull. mr trump is unhappy with a deal, struck by the obama administration, to take people from australian refugee camps. you are watching bbc news. time now for hardtalk.