welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is duncan golestani. our top stories: violence in iran after a third day of anti—government protests. reports say at least two people have been shot. in the capital tehran, an official show of support for the government draws thousands of people. nepal bans solo climbers from scaling its mountains. critics say it will do little to reduce accidents. violence has broken out across iran as anti—government protesters defy warnings from officials, demonstrating for a third day. two people have reportedly been shot dead. at the same time, pro—government rallies have been taking place in the capital, tehran,

with thousands of people showing their support. the anti—government protests started in mashhad and spread to several parts of the country. they have focused on corruption and falling living standards, but they are becoming increasingly political. wyre davies reports. three days in and iran's anti—government protests have turned violent. in the northern city of mashhad, demonstrators demanding an end to hardline clerical rule set police motorbikes alight and taunted the security services. from dorud in the west, video showed crowds scattering after two protesters were reportedly shot and killed. what began in provincial cities has now spread to the capital tehran and the main university campus. these are worrying signs for the iranian government

and the ultraconservative shia clerics, who've ruled over the country since the 1979 revolution. the government response — organising large pro—regime counterdemonstrations in support of the supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei and warning people not to take part in what it called illegal protests. shouting for the clerics to give him a job, this protester typifies the economic anger that many iranians feel. the last time that people protested like this was almost a decade ago, and some fear similar violent consequences now. this is a regime that knows how to manage its people and has a monopoly on the use of violence. they effectively demonstrated that in 2009, and i think that most iranians — at least the ones that i have spoken to, in the age of 25—40 — have not yetjoined these protests. there's been little international

reaction but, responding on twitter, donald trump said the iranian government should respect people's rights to express themselves and warned "the world is watching". but dissent in iran is only tolerated to a point. uniformed and plain clothes police have made dozens of arrests across the country — a sign the authorities may already be turning the screw. wyre davies, bbc news. alex vatanka is a senior fellow at the middle east institute in washington. he says the regime could struggle to contain the protests, which are gathering momentum. what is very clear is that this is an event that his picking up speed at historic rates. frankly, this is different from 2009. if you want to put this in an historical context and think about 2009, what happened then — you had a fight literally

within the regime against the then president. you could almost call that a family feud of sorts. this time around, you can't say it is a family feud. it is coming from the street level — that is what makes it dangerous. can the regime contain this, given that the social conditions are what they are, and as upsetting as they are to ordinary iranians? let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. the black lives matter activist erica garner has died aged 27. she suffered a heart attack last week. ms garner came to prominence three years ago after her father eric garner died after being choked by a police officer as he was being arrested for a minor offence. police in ukraine have freed ii people that were held hostage in a post office in the city of kharkiv. a stand—off had been going on since the early afternoon when a man entered the building wearing an explosive belt and threatened to detonate it. the suspect has been arrested. the authorities in nepal says

they've banned solo climbers from the country's mountains, including mount everest, in an attempt to reduce accidents. they've also upheld a controversial decision to introduce restrictions on disabled climbers. the government wanted to have more control over more than 400 mountains it has opened to the public to all the mountaineers around the world to see what exactly was happening. during the earthquake in 2015, many of the solo trekkers many people go for a week—long trek into the countryside, the mountainside, without any communication gadgets or anything. many people were killed during the earthquake. it took months for the authorities to establish what really happened. that is why the government

is now saying we want to ensure safety, reduce accidents. you take someone with you or a local guide who was more familiar with the terrain, the mountains around that area, so we can ensure safety of these mountaineers. kenton cool is one of the world's leading high altitude climbers and has taken on everest 12 times. he told us what he made of nepal's new rules. i don't think it is a good thing. mountaineering has a rich heritage on some very notable peaks by solar climbers and one only needs to look at the likes of stick, messner, ball, these are great, iconic names and the best climbers of their generation. they went out and

deliberately sought out solo climbing so, climbs have embarked on their own incredibly safely, they would get up and down the mountains often in impeccable style on some of the big peaks. the nepalese minister of tourism, to blanket and solar climbers i think is not right. the ousted catalan president, carles puigdemont, has demanded madrid reinstate his regional government. on friday, the spanish prime minister, mariano rajoy, dismissed the idea that carles puigdemont could lead a new catalan government from abroad. mr puigdemont has recorded a new year message from brussels, where he's in self—imposed exile. he said he's still president of catalonia and that his government must be restored. translation: we are a democratically mature people who have won the right to constitute a republic of free men and women. the ballot box has spoken, democracy has spoken, everyone has been able to express themselves. so what is prime minister rajoy

waiting for, to accept the results? stay with us here on bbc news. still to come: the windfall, and the wait. young people are set receive record inheritances, but not until their 60s. residents from a block of flats in the centre of manchester are spending the night in emergency accommodation after fire swept through their homes. firefighters managed to stop the blaze destroying the entire building but flames engulfed several floors of the i2—storey tower this afternoon. one person was taken to hospital suffering from the effects of breathing in smoke. 0ur correspondent, mark edwardson, sent us this report. this is church street in manchester, it is the southern edge of what is called the northern quarter and an

up—and—coming part of manchester city centre. the fire broke out this afternoon, firefighters were called afternoon, firefighters were called after people reported flames licking out of the building from the windows there. the first thing we knew was when our friends who live on the second floor of the building phoned us second floor of the building phoned us from the netherlands to say have we seen the news? because they're building was on fire. we were looking after their, we were going their morning and night and they we re very their morning and night and they were very distressed about what is happening with their cats are we said we would come down and try to find out what is happening. said we would come down and try to find out what is happeningm looked as though things were on fire on the outside of the building. the partitions and all of it is made out of timbers are quite obviously those have gone up in flames. quite scary. if you get stuck inside the building and it is on fire from the outside spreading that way, it isn't great, is it? in terms of casualties we

know that one person has been taken to hospital suffering the effects of breathing in smoke. the fire and rescue service told us it is too early to speculate about the cause of the blaze that they have confirmed an investigation is already under way. mark edwardson, bbc news, manchester. younger people will enjoy the biggest "inheritance boom" of any post—war generation according to a research body that analyses living standards. the resolution foundation says those born in the 80s and early 90s, known as millennials, will inherit more wealth than previous generations. there is a snag, though — they're not likely to benefit from the money until their 60s, as our business correspondent joe lynam explains. we've long been told that millennials, aged between 17 and 35, face major financial challenges. they are paid less than their parents, they won't have generous pensions, and they can't get on the housing ladder. so we know there's a big generational wealth divide. millennials are accumulating wealth

at a far slower rate than the baby boomers before them did. and we've looked at whether inheritances are going to solve that problem for them. and they will play a really big role. there will be lots more money coming down in the coming decades. and it will be a bit more widely spread because of high home ownership amongst the parents. but this isn't the silver bullet to millennials' living standards woes. it's match day at sheffield united and there is always a sense of anticipation. but when it comes to money, this study suggests that young people will have to wait until they're in their 60s before inheriting anything. but are they worried? you put so much work in at uni and so much into yourjob, and you're not going to be able to own a house and have a house for your family and i think that's difficult knowing that. knowing that you've got to wait that length of time in the future. well, we'll inherit it, but it was never our money to begin with. exactly. so i don't suppose it makes a difference. whether we've got to wait or not. unless of course i spend it all before i go. laughter.

which may happen. it may happen. although millennials are set to inherit more than any previous generation, thanks to booming property values, that assumes that the inheritance is not spent on social care for their parents or themselves. soaring property prices, especially in the south—east, lie behind the expected surge in inheritances in the future. so, if you're in your 30s or younger and your parents own property, then you can expect to inherit something substantial. but if your parents don't own any major assets, then your future wealth prospects don't look as good. joe lynam, bbc news. as people around the world get ready to mark the end of this year and the arrival of 2018, many cities will be celebrating new year's eve with open—air concerts, street parties, and fireworks. but in europe, after a series of islamist attacks over the past 12 months against civilian targets, particular attention is being given to public safety.

david campa nale reports. live music, wine tasting, festive decorations, and good food — all the vital ingredients in romania for a great party. but the tune in other european capitals as they prepare is so far more sombre. france has seen over 230 people killed in attacks by islamist militants over the past three years. the paris police chief says his force is prepared for the terrorist threat, which he assessed as high. over 10,000 police and emergency service workers are to be deployed in the capital, with a large force concentrating along the champs—elysee. large areas of central rome will ban cars from parking for 48 hours and the main tourist sites will have special protection. celebrations at berlin's brandenburg gate are expected to attract 1 million party—goers, but the authorities in germany face

an additional challenge — two years ago hundreds of women were robbed and sexually assaulted on new year's eve in cologne and other cities by groups of men, many said to be from migrant backgrounds. this year, berlin police say women who feel threatened will be able to go to a special security area. translation: there is no women's zone as such, it's a red cross security point that was always there but is taking over the additional duty. if any woman is harassed at the event, they can go there to a staff of trained psychologists, but it is not a women's zone. but the idea has also been criticised by those who say large events should be organised so that assaults don't happen in the first place. translation: what is not normal is that women, especially young women, are attacked in public places, especially celebrations. but that is it. others say they intend

to party regardless. um, i feel pretty safe. i am not scared. yeah, i am not scared. i think the thing is fear, that scares people. you can't let that ruin your life. yeah. david campanale, bbc news. this is bbc news. the headlines: there've been clashes across iran between anti—government protesters and security forces. in the capital tehran, thousands have rallied in support of the government. and nepal has banned solo climbers from scaling its mountains — including mount everest. critics say the move will do little to reduce accidents. hospitals across the united states are dealing with a critical shortage

of bags to administer medication to patients. the bags are especially neededin patients. the bags are especially needed in puerto rico. they help re hyd rate needed in puerto rico. they help rehydrate patients. scott gottlieb — commissioner of the us. food and drug administration has issued a statement about the problem: ross thompson is executive director of pharmacy of tuft‘s medical center in boston. he's in winchester, massachusetts. this is quite a basic medical supplier but an important one. the

iv solutions we rely on are essential for the delivery of medications. explain to us what happens if there is a shortage of these bags. we have been forced to think of things a bit differently than our traditional delivery systems where we would put a medication into one of these bags to be infused over 30 minutes or what's not. we are now entertaining options of drawing the active ingredients into a syringe that can be administered via iv push over the course of three or five minutes. am i right course of three or five minutes. am iright in course of three or five minutes. am i right in thinking that would take nursing staff? it does require additional time for the nurse to —— remain at the patient‘s bedside to push the product in over the time span. what information are you getting about when the supply of these bags will pick up? we do receive the information just as you

had referenced, coming from baxter. we know the recovery efforts in puerto rico are going to be important to fully recover from the disruption we have had in supply. we are also being told we will receive allocations of supplier of a percentage of what we would normally receive. we are finding it a bit unpredictable as to how much of that allocation we receive week by week. you just referenced baxter. that is the main company on puerto rico that makes the bags. they say restoring a reliable product supply remains their priority. do you feel you have been supported by the government, the fda, in this? we know the fda has taken action to allow importation of iv fluids that are manufactured in different countries. it's hard for us to really know how much of that importation is truly

reaching providers in the united states but we know the fda is actively taking applets. does it worry you there is such a narrow supply, worry you there is such a narrow supply, that an event like this, a hurricane, can completely blow out the supply of these bags to the united states? it does make you wonder how dependent you are on a handful of manufacturing plants around the world. we face the same type of disruption with a lot of other medications that tend to be in short supply. right now, the fda has over 80 medications listed on their shortage lists that is published on the fda's website so just like the iv fluids, other essential medications we are managing around ona medications we are managing around on a day—to—day basis. medications we are managing around on a day-to-day basis. ross thomson, we do appreciate your time. a mississippi sharrock says there

are problems with dealing with mental health in the dutch debt —— in the justice system. tyler hair who had a long history of mental health problems was injailforfour yea rs health problems was injailforfour years while waiting to be assessed. he is serving a 7— year sentence after stabbing his father's girlfriend. we have some good memories of tyler. he was very loving. but we had problems with tyler when he was probably six months old. he started medication when he was four. he had generalised anxiety, delusional, suffered mood swings. i remember telling him goodbye, and i loved

him, and hugging him. and that was the last time that i saw him until he was injail. this call is from a correctional facility. do you remember what happened in the morning you got arrested? iremembercoming out of the bedroom and giving him a glass of water. that's all i remember about that. i received a phone call from the county sheriff's office, and he tells me tyler has stabbed someone with a ten inch butcher knife.

all i can keep replaying in my mind was, how, why? tyler haire was ordered at the beginning of this case to have a mental evaluation conducted, and it took four years. the roadblock was that there was never a bed for him, to put it literally. there was never a time that he worked his way to the top of the list, where he was the next person scheduled to be evaluated. the problem is across the street with our legislature. they don't properly fund that forensic unit, don't provide enough psychiatrists, enough personnel. i think that at some point, some court is going to force us to spend more money, and it'll be a federal court. imagine putting a 16—year—old child that is already mentally disabled into that little cell

forfour straight years. i can't even imagine the things that went through his mind. when incarcerated, the seriously mentally ill should be seen by health care professionals, and their needs tended to. that story was a collaboration between the bbc and propublica. you can watch the full documentary on the bbc news website. just log on to bbc.com/news. it's not every day you can take photos of a frozen water fountain like this one in new york. but across vast parts of the us, forecasters are predicting chilly

temperatures over the new year's celebrations, as an arctic blast hits. to show you just how cold it is, these are thresher sharks which have washed up frozen along cape cod, in the the us state of massachusetts. thermometers could reach the lowest temperatures in nearly a century over the next few days and stay there into the first days of 2018. i'm joined now by michael wehner. he's a senior scientist at the lawrence berkeley national laboratory in california. thank you forjoining us on bbc news. in scientific terms, how extraordinary is this cold snap? well, this very unusual cold snap will set a record low temperatures. it was the result of a cold arctic

air mass that moved over the eastern united states steered by an unusual but not unprecedented pattern of the jet stream. i am a climate scientist who works on the attribution of extreme weather to human causes and... i apologise, i think we have lost the connection there michael. we will try and get back to him later. and some canadians predict that niagara falls may freeze this winter. the waterfall last froze overin winter. the waterfall last froze over in the bitterly cold winter of —— went through 2014. the polar vortex has brought arctic temperatures to some parts of canada. toronto, —22 degrees. smashing the previous record set 57

yea rs smashing the previous record set 57 years ago. a giant panda bear which was born and raised in captivity before releasing into the riled has been recaptured in south—west china. tao tao was breezed —— brad artificially. recaptured in the wild. one of china's most famous giant pandas has been found again. a rare glimpse of conservation effort to save the endangered species in the mountains of china. his tracker collar scanned and id checked, tao tao is found to be in good health, weighing in at 115 kilograms. translation: his fur and subcutaneous fat is all quite good. we didn't find any external parasites. he is very clean and very pretty. tao tao was born in captivity in 2010. but he was raised by his mother without human contact in the hope it would improve his chances

of survival and improve his fighting skills. his good physical condition indicates he is living a healthy and independent life in the wild. tao tao will continue to be monitored. but there doesn't seem to be any doubt that this giant panda is living well in the wild. nicola carroll, bbc news. don't forget you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter — i'm @duncangolestani. hi there. 2017 is finishing on a flourish in the guise of storm dylan. zooming out to the atlantic, 12 hours ago storm dylan didn't exist, but since then this area of low pressure has formed and it has deepened as it has been racing towards the british isles. this nasty hook of cloud is characteristic of a very deep area of low pressure and that will bring severe gales to the northern half of the uk and a high risk of disruption as we get into new year's eve.

the met office have already issued an amberwind warning for the strong winds. that will affect northern ireland and scotland as we go through new year's eve morning. gusts of 70—80 mph. aside from that, many will start off with rain, mild in the south and a bit of mountain snow in scotland but it is the wind that take centre stage. initially the strong wind was with us in northern ireland before swinging a cross into scotland. we could see peak gusts of around 80 mph, enough to blow down trees, cause transport disruption and any trees falling down could bring power lines down as well. power cuts a possibility. the strong winds filtering and funnelling through the central belt of scotland. we could have some very rough weatherfor the morning. elsewhere across england and wales, many areas starting on a bright note, with sunshine with a bit of rain left over in the south—west, clearing really quite quickly. those strong winds very slow to ease down across central belt

of scotland, slowly easing from the second half of the afternoon. blustery showers continuing to be blown across the uk with these gusty winds with us across all areas and in the showers they will be heavy, some thunder and quite a range of temperatures between 6 and 12 degrees. 0vernight, as we count down to the night celebrations, we will see further showers blown in on those strong winds. not as cold as it might have been though. temperatures around four and seven degrees. on new year's day, another band in the south, could cause problems with localised flooding and the weather being a problem. another area of low pressure bringing gusty winds to scotland and northern ireland along with outbreaks of rain. we have more unsettled weather coming on tuesday, as we return back to work. wet weather is pushing in and a quite windy day, coolness across the south—east but mild across the south—west, with temperatures into double figures. so looking at the week ahead.

strong winds, further bursts of heavy rain with fairly big changes day by day with our temperatures. that is your latest weather.