welcome to bbc news. i'm duncan golestani. a wave of protests against the government in iran has spread to some of the country's biggest cities. demonstrators have been demanding basic rights and an end to corruption. wyre davies reports. these are extremely rare sights. iranian cities hit by large anti—government protests. this is the western city of kermanshah. and despite the repressive action taken against demonstrators by the police, the protests have quickly grown and spread across the country. iranians have suffered tremendous economic hardship in the last decade with a huge fall in living standards. but what started as a protest against rising prices has grown into wide anger against strict clerical rule and iran's supreme leader, ayatollah ali khamenei.

demonstrators at the made in the political prisoners should be freed into the government should stop spending millions on foreign wars. there is seething discontent with iranians spending money on wars abroad, on spreading shiaism broad, supporting hezbollah abroad. —— abroad, on spreading shiaism abroad, supporting hezbollah abroad. and that has changed the character of the demonstration into a political one, undermining the whole clerical regime now. iran's relatively moderate president, hassan rouhani, has promised the benefits of economic growth after an international deal to limit its nuclear activities. but those promises have failed to materialise. it is too early to say if the regime

is under serious threat. these are the biggest protest in a run for almost a decade and the government will use greater force if it feels it is losing control. officials in new york say a fire which tore through an apartment block in the bronx appears to have been started by a young boy playing with a stove. the fire spread rapidly up the stairway, killing 12 people, including four children. yogita limaye reports. smoke rose through the air of a bronx neighbourhood on thursday evening. the fire started in a kitchen on the first floor of this apartment building, eyewitnesses say it quickly spread to the top floor. as i look, i see the flames and i realise everyone is panicking. so i go down and see what is wrong, by the time i got downstairs the fai —— the fire had escalated from one apartment to do, two almost three. within three minutes firefighters arrived. more than 150 of them. the injured were rushed to hospital and those who had been rescued were given blankets to shield them

from a severely cold evening. but not everyone could be saved. the husband put them outside, burned all over. burned, burned, burned. and then they start bringing them one by one. it is hard to take. it was really, really hard to take. officials say an unattended 3—year—old boy playing with a cooker sparked the fire. the mother was not aware of it, was alerted by the young man screaming. she exited her apartment with her 2—year—old and 3—year—old and left the door open. so this fire quickly spread up the stairs. fire travels. the stairway acted like a chimney. it took the fire so quickly upstairs

that people had very little time to react. they could not get back down the stairs, those who tried, a few of them perished. it is sad, because the new year we had to do with this tragedy that has happened now. it's sad and a lot of salt in this neighbourhood. —— it has saddened a lot of souls. it is not going to be a happy new year. during the most festive time of year this neighbourhood and this city has found itself in the midst of tragedy and grief. yogita limaye, bbc news, new york. a court in germany has ruled that a 96—year—old former ss officer, known as ‘the bookkeeper of auschwitz‘, must serve his full 4—year prison sentence. two years ago, oskar groening was convicted of helping to murder 300,000 people. the court rejected an argument by groening's lawyers that imprisonment at his age would violate his right to life. stay with us here on bbc news. still to come: giving a dog a bone — pioneering treatment saves this pet's leg. it's hoped it could be used to help people. the labour peer lord adonis

is stepping down from his role advising the government on major infrastructure projects. in his resignation letter, he cites "fundamental policy differences" on infrastructure and brexit, accusing the prime minister of "allying with ukip and the tory hard right". earlier, lord adonis joined my colleague, martine croxall, in the studio. she began by asking him if he had resigned before he was pushed. i resigned, and i regret leaving the post, i am a huge infrastructure advocates, i was the guy who got pictures to going and we did some great work, planning in london, h s3 linking the northern cities, sorting out the big problems we have had with four g and five g coverage in

oui’ with four g and five g coverage in our mobile systems, said the result of infrastructure to do. the problem asi of infrastructure to do. the problem as i see it is that my differences with the government have become too great, but only with brexit which i think is being handled very badly, taking britain out of the key economic institutions of the eu, the customs union and physical market, but increasingly, brexit is affecting the whole conduct of government across whitehall. we are seeing it, including in infrastructure is self with i think the very misguided decision to bailouts the east coast rail franchise that will cost the taxpayer hundreds of millions of pounds, i think if we had proper conduct in government as has happened before brexit, no way would whitehall have allowed a hard fried minister to have agreed the bailout of private rail companies, as has happened. and unfortunately my position has become unsustainable because of this. i want to come back to this because in the letter you wrote to the prime minister used that i would like to think if your courtesy in a personal dealings. he

also said on twitter i meant what i said ina also said on twitter i meant what i said in a resignation letter about the pm's courtesy which brexit said that number ten sources are up to dirty tricks, tomorrow's times will make clear why hard brexit plus chris grayling's conduct gave me no choice but to resign. what number ten men doing? the prime minister personally didn't know what was happening but they briefed an early d raft happening but they briefed an early draft of my letter, i have no idea how they can to do that and then they started saying that if i hadn't resigned that i might have been pushed, unit or all of these things and unfortunately this is the way that politics has now been conducted, it is part associate of the brexit disease that are spread across whitehall, and it is much worse, much worse, iwas across whitehall, and it is much worse, much worse, i was transport secretary will be concentrated on the big things that mattered to the public, eating rail services improved, planning london transport, but at the moment now we have a minister who was mainly concerned with brexit and when he actually does his dayjob, it is to do things

like bailing upper east coast rail franchise costing hundreds of billions of pounds to taxpayers. i think unfortunately as i say in my letter it has been a kind of nervous breakdown across whitehall and i'm afraid it made my position unsustainable. but the phrase spin doctor was invented to the new labour government, wasn't it? there was always spin going tricks if you like. there was a substance in those governments, real substance, making britain better. i think people would accept that those years of government britain was better at the end of the donor was before. the big with brexit which is we're co nsta ntly with brexit which is we're constantly now rubbing up against, it is going to make britain worse off, not better off, and notjust... you don't know that for sure. off, not better off, and notjust... you don't know that for surem off, not better off, and notjust... you don't know that for sure. it is my strong view. it is your strong view but a lot of people would say we haven't left it and you have written it off, you accepted this job in charge of infrastructure, advising on infrastructure, already knowing that the government was committed to brexit. why would you do that since you are so at odds?”

launched the infrastructure commission when david cameron was prime minister said it was before brexit, i stayed prime minister said it was before brexit, istayed in prime minister said it was before brexit, i stayed in thejob prime minister said it was before brexit, i stayed in the job and theresa may became prime minister and i'd have hopes that she would adopt the sensible approach to brexit. the right approach to have adopted would be to stay within the customs union and the single market on which ourjobs and trade depend. and to my great regret, but the prime minister chose to do was to ally with ukip and get us out of everything to do with europe's key economic institutions. lord adonis speaking to martine croxall earlier. an 83—year—old man has died from injuries he suffered in an alleged vehicle attack in melbourne eight days ago. antonios crocaris was one of 19 people taken to hospital after being rammed by a vehicle on flinders street in the city's centre, four days before christmas. the alleged driver, saeed noori, has been charged with 18 counts of attempted murder and one count of reckless conduct endangering life. with just over a week to go before

egypt's coptic community marks christmas on the orthodox calendar, there's been an attack against christian targets. nine people died in two attacks south of cairo, according to the interior ministry. seven people, including a policeman, died when a gunman tried to storm a church, but was intercepted and arrested by police. he had earlier killed two people. so—called islamic state says it was behind the attack. the bbc‘s hanan razek reports. just two days ahead of the new year and another attack on the christian community in egypt. a friday mass was being held inside a church in southern cairo. but then, it was fear and shock as gunfire was heard outside. translation: the ones who were sitting here got hit and they went into that shop and he died too, and his daughter got shot in here. the man from the restaurant there, his daughter was going to a lesson. she was leaving the church

and got hit in the hand. and there was an elderly lady coming out of church to see what happened and she fell and died. her blood was here. the attacker first targeted the police force securing church where hundreds of worshippers were. the gunman, a wanted jihadist implicated in attacks on police, was wounded and arrested at the scene. he had been armed with an assault rifle, 150 rounds of ammunition, and a bomb he intended to set off at the church. on his way to the church, he also killed two other people when he opened fire on a store owned by a christian family. in the last few days, the egyptian authorities have intensified the security presence in the street as a precautionary measure for possible attacks on christians or churches in the general area during the new year and the christmas period. mourning the dead, they came here for the funeral to say goodbye to the loved ones. this is the latest in a series

of attacks targeting christians in egypt in the last few years. but its timing is very crucial, as it comes just over a week before the coptic christmas is celebrated on the 7th of january. snow and ice have led to another day of travel disruption in parts of the uk. passengers at glasgow airport faced delays after heavy snow caused flights to be suspended for a while. there was snow, too, across northern england and the southern pennines. the rac has warned that driving conditions will be very difficult, if not impossible, in the worst—affected areas. our correspondent judith moritz reports. grounded at glasgow, flights at the city's airport were suspended after snow settled quickly overnight. the airport reopened by mid—morning but managers have apologised for the knock—on disruption which was caused. temperatures plummeted to as low as minus 12 celsius in scotland.

the ploughs were out, shovelling industrial quantities of snow on the m90 motorway near dunfermline, though it wasn't enough to keep all drivers on the road. in towns and villages nearby, the spades were out to clear the way. she's just come in for a packet of cigarettes and she's decided to clear my front path away, and that's community spirit for you. heavy snow also fell in the north of england, where 100 gritters were sent out onto the road network to keep traffic moving. the snow has been falling steadily all morning across swathes of northern england. as predicted, it's been settling most in areas like this, just outside huddersfield, up here on the higher ground. in cumbria, hazardous conditions left some vehicles stranded on the a590, and there were also delays on other main roads. staff at the highways england

control room in wakefield have been monitoring the motorways and a—roads. the next thing we're looking towards is the threat of ice for this evening and overnight. we've got teams of gritters working 21w, traffic officers patrolling the network as well, and obviously a team here in yorkshire and the north east working from the control room to make sure that that impact‘s not too severe. drivers are advised only to travel if necessary. judith moritz, bbc news, wakefield. it is coming up to 1:15 am. a reminder of our top stories. thousands of anti—government protestors have ta ken to the streets across iran. it's the country's most serious show of dissent for years. a toddler playing with a stove is thought to have caused new york's worst fire for decades. 12 people died in the blaze in the bronx, four remain critically injured. the nhs in england is considering the routine use of so—called drunk

tanks dedicated units for people to recover from excess alcohol. the aim is to reduce hospital admissions. up to 70% of visits to a&e departments on friday and saturday nights are by people who've drunk too much. adina campbell reports. at this time of year, britain's binge thinking culture is exposed with its burden on emergency services. but having more of these mobile vehicles, or drunk tanks, on a permanent basis could be a solution — an idea now being considered by nhs england. alcohol recovery services a re potentially successful in reducing pressure on a&e services, which is potentially important in winter. and so if there are ways that we can safely look after people in alternative settings, then it's really worth looking at these alternatives,

and that's what we're doing at the moment. the reality is people who've overindulged with alcohol can be a big problem for the nhs. up to 70% of attendances to a&e departments in the uk at this time of year are alcohol—related. these friends enjoying their annual festive get—together are divided. i think it's a good idea. i mean, if it helps the nhs and all that. but the thing that annoys me a bit is that it seems to be our generation that's being targeted. it also costs money. i don't think sitting down in a van with a bottle of water is going to sober you up that quickly. if you are in that sort of a state, you want to either go home or go to hospital. the uk's first drunk tank was introduced in bristol three years ago, and since then more have been operating in cardiff, newcastle, manchester and belfast. rather than dumping those who have gone way over their limit in a police cell or hospital bed, here they're given

a chance to recover. but some doctors say this kind of safety net shouldn't have to be offered in the first place. i think the solution is people understanding that they should not be getting themselves into the state that they need to have a facility to sober up in. people need to take responsibility for getting themselves home safely, making sure that their friends get home safely, that they have a plan and that they know when to stop drinking before it becomes a problem. nhs england will make a decision early next year, which could ease the pressure on police, ambulances and hospital services. adina campbell, bbc news. the indonesian island of bali, with its palm trees and white sandy beaches, is one of the world's top holiday destinations. but these days a stretch of the island's coast is becoming littered with tons and tons of litter. but the indonesian authorities are fighting back, deploying an army of cleaners onto the golden shoreline, which includes the famous

kuta beach. russell trott reports. with its palm fringed beaches and a reputation as a paradise on earth, holiday destination, bali attracts thousands of tourists all year round, but those seeking sun, sandy beaches and a surf on one of its most popular golden shorelines, kuta beach are now having to watch where they put their best each. a mountain of plastic and food packaging is strewn between sunbathers, while being surfers dodge the waste carried on the waves. it's got so bad that a garbage emergency has now been declared, 700 cleaners have been brought in to remove around 100 tons of debris every day

to a nearby landfill. when i want to swim it is not really nice, so i see lots of garbage here everyday every time. they want to clean it but it is still here, so it's always coming from the ocean all the time. it's really horrible. like this high of garbage. around one and a quarter million tons finds its way onto these beaches and waterways, only china dumps more rubbish into the sea. bali's rubbish problem is at its worst during the annual monsoon season. it's not just horrible to look at either. the waves of plastic increase the risk of flooding and injure or kill marine animals which ingest it. translation: this week, we have removed almost 500 tons from nearby landfill. all this rubbish ruins the image of kuta for tourism, it looks bad to the international community. as a member of the un's clean seas campaign, indonesia is trying to get to grips with the problem, pledging to reduce marine plastic waste by 70% by 2025. that means not only a massive

clean—up campaign, but also boosting recycling services and raising public awareness. with tourism already hit by last month's volcanic eruption, everyone on bali knows there's a lot at stake. russel trott, bbc news. researchers here in the uk have saved the leg of a dog using a new technique to grow bones in the laboratory. the dog, named, eva, would have had her entire leg amputated were it not for the novel method of creating bone. the treatment is a world first. the first human trials are now due to take place in glasgow. pallab ghosh has this exclusive report. eva! there's no holding her back, but last year, eva's front right leg was broken in a road accident. her vet tried everything. nothing worked. her entire leg was going to be amputated. well, nine, ten months, she'd been unable to get out and have walks, anything other than go out

to the toilet. but to fiona kirkland's delight, her dog was saved by an experimental bone—growing technique. it's absolutely fantastic. we're just so pleased to have our dog back, fit, active, healthy. eva's vet showed me the problem. that's the fracture... the blood supply to the edges of the bones has failed, and so it wasn't able to heal the break. the scientists coated the dead areas with their artificial bone, and afterjust six weeks, it was completely mended. the artificial bone mix was made at glasgow university. it consists of sterilised chips that are coated with bone cells and a chemical that make them grow, rather like a fertiliser. well, clearly, we want to look at treating more dogs and possibly even cats who have had broken bones, but also other areas we can help these veterinary patients, so things like joint fusion, where they've had a tendon injury and they need theirjoint held together so they can walk properly.

the researchers are so amazed at the success they've had in treating eva, they want to try out the technique on people. they plan to be the first researchers in the world to grow bone in their lab and put it into a patient in three years' time. and these are the people that could be most helped. it's 20 years since princess diana brought the issue of landmine victims to the world's attention. their limbs usually have to be amputated. landmine campaigners are funding the new research so it can be used to grow some of their bone back and attach an artificial leg. well, if they are able to have a prosthetic limb, it would make all the difference to their life, being able to provide for their family, instead of having to be a burden on theirfamily. it's been a happy outcome for eva and her owners. thousands of people could soon benefit from a technology that has put a spring back in her step.

pallab ghosh, bbc news, glasgow. the new year's honours list has been published and among the many honoured is the former deputy prime minister and ex—leader of the lib dems, nick clegg, who's been knighted for his services to politics. he's joined by bee gees star barry gibb, and strictly come dancing judge, darcey bussell, who has been made a dame for her services to dance. our entertainment correspondent, lizo mzimba, has more details. # twist and shout... more than 50 years after beatlemania, the fab four‘s drummer has been honoured with a knighthood. # what would you do if i sang out of tune... recognising ringo starr's half a century long contribution to music. # no, i get by with a little help from my friends...

# tragedy! former bee gee barry gibb said he was humbled and very proud to be made sir barry. # with no—one to love you... strictlyjudge, darcey bussell, who has occasionally performed in the programme too, is made a dame. jilly cooper has sold more than 12 million books since the 1970s, the riders author becomes a cbe for services to literature and charity. absolutely knocked out. i was thrilled. i could not believe it. suddenly to get a letter, i thought it was a gas bill or something, it is the most heavenly thing. you are a cbe. it is wonderful. # i've got to run away... singer and campaigner marc almond is made an obe for services to art and culture. musician and producer wiley, known as the godfather of grime is made an mbe.

pass to warburton. brilliant catch by the captain. in the world of sport, sam warburton, who has captained wales and the british lions is made an obe. most of those being honoured is ordinary people doing extra ordinary work, efe ezekiel who acts as a mentorfor young people. of course young people are everything to me. i am passionate about them and their life and their well—being and welfare. for me to be recognised for my passion is one of the greatest honours ever. so i am in complete gratitude and appreciation. the vast majority are people who aren't in the public eye but have given great service. and in 2018 the honours committee say they are looking to particularly recognise individuals who are involved in the response to and the aftermath of the london and manchester terror attacks and the fire at grenfell tower. lizo mzimba, bbc news, buckingham palace. let's find out what the weather has

in store for the next day or so now with chris fawkes. hi there. it was scotland and northern england that today saw fairly heavy snowfall. bringing localised disruptions on friday but also great conditions for getting out on the sledges in bradford, west yorkshire. further north in scotland, again we had some heavy falls of snow out and about. snow near the roadside here in speyside, a bit of slush on the roads and with temperatures fallen away, we are expecting icy stretches as we start off the morning saturday, particularly for the northern half of the uk. across england and wales many areas had this band of rain through which has brought mild conditions. temperatures 10—13 degrees first thing saturday morning, mild start to the day. through the rest of saturday, many of us starting on a cloudy and grey note, a few bright sunny spells getting through across wales and the midlands. another band of rain will slip into that cold air in scotland, bringing snow to the mountains particularly across 200 metres elevation to the north and central of the central belt. higher areas perhaps

seeing sleet for a time. quite a contrast in temperatures. quite chilly in the north, very mild further south, 13 or 1a degrees. we have had the snow and cold weather but times they are a changing. you might have heard storm dylan is expected to form in this part of the atlantic. at the moment itjust doesn't exist. the area of low pressure doesn't exist, but this area of cloud will be passing underneath a very powerful 190 mph jet stream and this creates storm dylan. a bit of uncertainty exactly how strong it will be or how far north south it will be. it will likely bring some severe gales to the northern half of the uk, scotland, northern ireland and northern england. also heavy outbreaks of rain blowing in the wind, but by the time we get to the afternoon, dylan would have bobbed into the north sea, leaving behind a whole rash of blustery showers, still with some snow in high ground in scotland and a range of temperatures still. highs of 5 or 6 in scotland, further south 11 or 12 degrees.

and on the mild side. what about new years celebrations? not as cold as it has been. four degrees to scotland and northern ireland, northern england as well. some showers knocking around and that is true further south as well in england and wales, with temperatures around london about seven celsius, a blustery south—westerly wind. for new year's day, outbreaks of rain quite close to southern england, further north in scotland, wet and windy weather still with the risk of snow across the high ground scotland above 200m. in between these areas of weather some sunshine to be found on new year's day. that is your latest weather. this is bbc news, the headlines. anti—government protesters have taken to the streets across iran in the country's most serious show of dissent for years. thousands demanded an end to corruption, rising prices and the release of political prisoners. authorities have warned that the demonstrators will be

firmly dealt with. new york's fire department says a fire which killed 12 people was caused by a toddler playing with burners on a stove. investigators say the kitchen door was then left open, allowing the blaze to spread. four people remain critically injured in hospital. china has clashed with donald trump over accusations that it's helping break sanctions against north korea. the us president tweeted that china had been caught "red—handed" allowing oil to be transferred to a north korean ship.