happy new year. welcome to newsday on the bbc. i'm mariko oi in singapore. —— the headlines... as beijing bans the import and recycling of plastic waste, how will the rest of the work deal with millions of tons of garbage usually sent to china? south korea says it welcomes an offer from kim jong—un to send a delegation south to discuss possible participation in the olympic games. and i'm kasia madera in london. also coming up in the programme... california becomes the largest state in the us to legalise recreational use of cannabis. how do you hold a winter olympics in an area with barely any natural snowfall? we find out how china is preparing to stage the games in 2022. live from our studios in singapore and london,

this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning. it's 8am here in singapore, midnight in london and 8am in beijing, where china's government has introduced new restrictions on the import of foreign waste — much of it dirty or hazardous. the country has been importing large amounts of waste plastic and paper every year from europe, japan, and the united states to be recycled. it's estimated that china accepted 51% of global plastic scrap imports in 2016. but the new ban, ordered by the beijing government, is about to stop most of that, and it could have a significant impact on recycling industry worldwide. robin brant reports from shanghai. china has been recycling for decades. he's made a living out of bashing, breaking up, and disassembling. he's been doing it for five years.

it's hard work, he tells me. tiring. but he's not a green warrior. he does it because there's money in it. china needs the raw materials, so much so that chinese workers have been sorting through your waste shipped in from abroad. but the government is stopping that. china has long been the destination of much of the world's waste. it's imported 7.3 million tonnes of plastic alone in 2016. but most of that is ending, and here's why. china has become a much richer but much dirtier country. it's blighted now by home—made pollution and contamination on a vast scale. the government claims some foreign waste is dangerous and the last thing this country needs is even more of that. translation: china's ban is putting the onus back

on all the waste exporting countries. you need to shoulder the responsibility of disposing your own waste and your own sources of pollution. the ban presents a problem for china, though, because it still needs the cardboard, the paper, the high end clean polystyrene like this, that's easy to ship here, easy to turn into something to sell, and sometimes selling it back to the country it came from. the tough new restrictions on foreign waste will hurt some businesses here, but the government's view here is, tough. delivering a cleaner china is paramount for the communist party politicians. a green revolution, you might call it. robin brant, bbc news, shanghai. let's take a look at some of the day's other news stories. organisers of the winter olympics in south korea have welcomed the possibility of a north korean delegation taking part. this comes after kim jong—un said that he is willing to send athletes

to the event next month. his comments were an unexpected olive branch to seoul, but he also made it clear that pyongyang had no intention of abandoning the nuclear programme. kim jong—un said that if his country is threatened, he will not hesitate to target the united states. translation: the entire united states is within range of our nuclear weapons and the nuclear button is on my desk. this is reality, not a threat. also making news today... at least eight people have been killed in indonesia after a speed boat carrying almost 50 passengers and crew capsized. more than a dozen people are still thought to be missing. there has been no official word on the cause of the accident, off the island of borneo, but one news report says the vessel hit a piece of floating wood. president trump has accused pakistan of lying and deceiving the united states while receiving billions of dollars in aid in recent years. in a tweet, mr trump alleged that pakistan harboured terrorists sought

by us forces based in afghanistan. the us is considering whether to withhold more than $250 million in aid that it delayed sending in august. 2018 has already seen one record being broken: the world's largest firework. it exploded over ras al khaimah in the united arab emirates. this firework shell was hand made in new york. it took two months to build and weighed just over 1000 kilograms. it was twice the weight of the previous record holder, which was displayed injapan in 2014. now to iran, more anti—government protests have broken out in at least five cities. police say one of their officers has been shot dead, while iranian state television said that 10 people had been killed

during the demonstrations. this report from rana rahimpour. the fifth day of protests in iran. once again, thousands of people have taken to the streets. they're angry at unemployment, rising prices, and what many think is widespread corruption. it's the boldest challenge to the country's leadership in nearly a decade. the demonstrations began in the north—western city most outspoken critics. anti—establishment movement. this is the biggest show of dissent in iran since the post—election rallies of 2009. they were large in size but limited to urban areas of the country, like the capital, tehran. this time, the protests are more widespread, with towns and cities all over the country looking for social, political, and economic change.

authorities are continuing to suspend social media platforms out of the fear they'll be used to organise protests. the bbc has received reports of text messages, like this one, being sent to people urging them not to take part. a handful of pro—government marchers are attempting to counter the wider demonstrations, but with limited information coming out of the country, it's difficult to gauge how many people are involved. in the last 2a hours, president rouhani has spoken out twice against the protests. accusing iran's enemies of instigating the unrest. translation: our victory against the us and its regime is unbearable for our enemies. our success in the region is intolerable for them. they are after revenge and are trying to provoke people. but his words have failed to calm the situation. in certain areas of the country, unemployment is as high as 60%, and reports of extreme corruption

have iranians frustrated and hungry for change. at least 12 people have died since the protests began. and with no sign of stopping, that number looks set to rise. rana rahimpour, bbc news. california has become the largest state in the us to legalise the recreational use of cannabis. this promises to be a cash crop, with state and local governments potentially collecting $1 billion a year in tax revenue. but opponents say the new law will lead to more driving under the influence of the drug — and introduce young people to drug use. here's cbs reporter, danielle nottingham. a ribbon—cutting ceremony kicked off the historic day at the dispensary

in oakland were hundreds of people lined up to buy recreational pot, starting at six a.m.. this is one of the fur shops in california to get their new city and state permits. henry was the first customer.m their new city and state permits. henry was the first customer. it has been a long time coming. california joined seven other states and the district of columbia, where marijuana is legal. massachusetts is set to begin sales injuly, but california is the largest market in the nation and that has many other states watching closely. it is going to send a message to other states that legalisation, regulation and taxation of our one is the correct public policy decision and that it works. wires had to be at least 21 yea rs old works. wires had to be at least 21 years old and can only purchase up to one ounce of recreational marijuana will stop —— buyers. recreational pot also costs more than medical marijuana because of a higher tax. users say they want to end the stigma surrounding pot use.

iam end the stigma surrounding pot use. i am employed, functioning adult and they also smoke weed and i don't think there's anything wrong with that. with the addition of recreational sales, the industry in california is expected to generate at least $1 billion in tax revenue annually. california joins the likes of colorado — another us state that legalised recreational marijuana in january 2014. earlier i spoke with mason tvert, who played an integral part in the lead up to the drug's legalisation and now works for vs strategies — a government relations firm focused on marijuana policy. i asked him whether more people started using cannabis recreationally following the legalisation of the drug? well, what we're seeing is that really, marijuana is nowjust being sold out of licence, regulated businesses instead of on the streets. we are not seeing any sort of major increases in use. in fact,

tea m of major increases in use. in fact, team news is actually at its lowest rate in the last decade and what we have seen some money increases in use amongst the older adults, that is really not necessarily a problem seeing as we're not seeing any sort of increases in crime associated with marijuana use health problems associated with it. really, we are just replacing an underground market the licence, legitimate market where adults can purchase this product safely. what about driving under the influence of cannabis? because that isa influence of cannabis? because that is a particular concern one of the arguments that was raised against legalising it in california? well, thatis legalising it in california? well, that is something to be concerned about regardless of marijuana's legal status. this is a product that has been widely available and widely demanded for decades and decades, if not even centuries. and so, the notion that we were preventing people from driving under the influence of marijuana by keeping its possession illegal is silly. we need to have good laws that discourage people from driving while

they are intoxicated, those laws are already on the books in every state in this country, and they are on the books in colorado. what we're seeing is that really, the biggest problems on our roads at things that people not wearing their seatbelt or driving while distracted, we need to have public education campaigns, which we do now, that inform people they should not be driving while impaired by marijuana or any substance. but arresting thousands of otherwise law—abiding adult is not a good way to deter driving under the influence of our one. so you're saying that there have been negative association in colorado? what about cannabis tourism, for example? are you seeing more people come from other states to colorado, is that what california will see? come from other states to colorado, is that what california will see ?|j think that it is playing a role in some people's decisions. colorado's big tourist attraction is skiing, andi big tourist attraction is skiing, and i think there are certainly some people who may look at colorado instead of utah and say you know

what, it might be nice to go someplace where we could consume cannabis and not be treated as criminals. it is kind of like or people like to go to a resort where there is no alcohol available, they might otherwise prefer to go to one where it is and it has really not been any sort of significant problem. in fact, we have seen tourism increase and we have seen more and more conventions coming to town stop property values are rising, colorado's economy rebounded faster than just about the rest of the country. our unemployment rate is virtually lower than anywhere else in this country, things are going very well and the only difference is just that adults by marijuana in a store, instead of from their friends marijuana in a store, instead of from theirfriends on marijuana in a store, instead of from their friends on the street from their friends on the street from strangers. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme... desperate for a drink, how a group of new zealanders found a creative way of getting around the law. the most ambitious financial and political change ever attempted

has got under way with the introduction of the euro. tomorrow in holland, we are going to use money we picked up in belgium today, and then we will be in france and again it will be the same money. it's just got to be the way to go. george harrison, the former beatle, is recovering in hospital after being stabbed at his oxfordshire home. a 33—year—old man from liverpool is being interviewed by police on suspicion of attempted murder. i think it was good. you... just good? no, fantastic! that's better. this is newsday on the bbc.

i'm mariko oi in singapore. i'm kasia madera in london. our top stories. china's ban on the import of millions of tons of plastic waste has come into force. beijing is blocking materials it says pollute the local environment. signs of a thaw in relations — north korea's suggestion of talks over sending a team to this year's winter olympics receives a warm welcome from the south. china has long been one of the world's biggest markets for ivory, but as of 2018 all trade in ivory and ivory products in the country is illegal. the move is being hailed as a major development in efforts to protect the world's elephant population. that story is popular on bbc.com. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. we start with the south china morning post and new year's day

protests in hong kong. thousands voiced their concerns about a proposed new rail terminal, which could result in officials from mainland china being based in the territory. the china daily reports that xi jinping's new year's address to the nation has gone down very well. the video of the chinese president speaking of his plans for reform went viral in its first few hours on social media. it's has already been viewed more than 11 million times on weibo. and the new york times has an offer which is probably out of the reach of most of us. $500 million for a home in los angeles is what one property developer is asking. it boasts 20 bedrooms, four swimming pools and its own beauty salon. now, kasia, what stories are sparking discussions online?

mariko, a group of new zealanders and their creative way of getting around the law has caught people's attention online. they built an island out of sand in costal waters, so that they could have a drink on new year's eve. they did this because there's a ban on drinking alcohol in public in this part of the country. but they argued that their island was in "international waters" and exempt from the official liquor ban. you can read more on that story at bbc.com/news. video games have been around for years — but as their popularity has increased, so has debate around the problem of gaming addiction. many experts have long argued that video game addiction should be considered a mental health disorder. and now, the world health organization has decided that in some circumstances it should. later this year the health body will include gaming disorder

in its list of diseases for the first time. but when does playing video games turn from a hobby and a bit of fun — to something much more serious? with me now to discuss this is ray chua — a clinical psychologist who specialises in video gaming addiction. ray also plays video games himself. thank you so much forjoining us this morning. firstly, this debate has been going on for quite some time. what is your view on the world health organization's decision? there is still no agreement yet as to whether videogame addiction is a distinct disorder orjust a symptom ofan distinct disorder orjust a symptom of an underlying issue. it's clear from the various studies done that there is a minority of gamers between one and 9% that have serious

problem with video gaming. it also depends on who you are more concerned about, the majority, 90% who are not having difficulties or are you concerned about the 10% who are. asa are you concerned about the 10% who are. as a psychologist we have been working with this population, a bit ‘s and their families, working with this population, a bit ‘s and theirfamilies, for the past few years. my focus is on those who are having difficulties and we have kids who have dropped out of school. they failed exams. they sleep during the day and gaming at night and even being aggressive. one of my patients tried to strangle his younger sister because she distracted him from gaming. if our focus because she distracted him from gaming. if ourfocus is on this population i think the diagnosis is just going to be good for them because it will mean more resources will be devoted to deal with this problem. you play videogames

yourself. could this not possibly stigmatise the 90% of gamers who are just having fun? we had to carefully look at the diagnosis. it is not apologising gaming. it focuses on those who have issues. when you look at the criteria, these are people who have lost control over gaming, and whose gaming takes precedence over daily activities such as school, work or eating. last year, -- it school, work or eating. last year, —— it also includes people who continue to gain despised negative consequences such as continue to gain despised negative consequences such as expulsion or divorce. when such gaming affects oui’ divorce. when such gaming affects ourfunction in divorce. when such gaming affects our function in such a way, these are the people who are the subject of the diagnosis, not the 90% were

just playing games and able to balance in their life. i understand that the problem is quite a lot worse here in asia. why might that be? there was a documentary a few yea rs be? there was a documentary a few years back called web junkie and it follows a group of gaming at it as they were undergoing treatment in beijing. when you look at this group, you get a sense that they feel lonely because they were the only child in the family and their pa rents a re only child in the family and their parents are working and they have a lot of expectations on performance. so gaming becomes an accessible and convenient, cheap way to escape from problems. i wrote a book called virtual realms and the premise of my

book is that if people are unable to meet their needs in the real world, so meet their needs in the real world, so things such as social needs or need to escape, they will find and meet those needs in the virtual world. in just over a month's time, the world's attention will turn to south korea for the opening of the 2018 winter olympics. and yet, in china, questions are already being asked about the following 2022 games. but despite the concerns, china is already staging world championship—level competitions. the site is in the mountains to the north of beijing, partially in an arid region called chongli, so vast amounts of artificial snow will be required to host the event. our correspondent stephen mcdonell went along to check out the preparations. beijing is gearing up for the winter olympics. well ahead of schedule. it has already hosted events like this, the free ski and snowboard half pi world cup. it is a beautiful place.

the pipe is good snow is wonderful. iam glad the pipe is good snow is wonderful. i am glad to be here. chinese competitors are knocked out in the face of the sport's best. but they are excited that the winter games will soon be here for the first time. translation: the only difference is that it will be slightly colder here. the rest will be the same. the wind howls down from the mongolian plateau and it is often below —10 in the daytime, prompting fears that this could scare away spectators. then there's the enormous volume of artificial needed for the event. this is an arid region which has little winter precipitation. joseph fitzgerald has worked on eight winter games and says that man—made snow will ensure quality conditions. these are probably our best designed courses that we will have so it will be

comparable to any past olympics, if not better. australia's rigney cox is the current world champion in moguls. she is happy with what she sees. this is a world-class standard mogul course and people are wondering if china can pull this off in five years time. seen the transformation may have made over the last ten months it makes me confident that they will be able to do it. if there is one thing china seems to know how to do, it is to meet a construction deadline. leaving the international olympic committee less nervous than it may be. a new high—speed train link will even cut a 3—.5—hour car drive from the city to just over one hour we. there are also broader goals for the beijing games. the chinese government hopes that by holding the winter olympics it will encourage many more people here to get involved in sports such as skiing

and skating. the games will also be used to show off this country's capacity to host these mega— events. then there is china's big soft power push and the role of the olympics in presenting this nation in its best possible light to the rest of the world. you have been watching newsday. and we're not quite done with the new year revelry. let's end the first newsday of 2018 with some crazy new year day celebrations. it's called the loony dook, when more than a thousand people who've paid for the privilege dive into the freezing waters of the firth of forth estuary in scotland. good morning. we have some very stormy weather to come in the week

ahead. wind will often reach gale force widely across them british isles and heavy rain as well. ahead of that, quite quiet this morning with light winds overnight and clear skies meanings of us have a frosty start that we will then quickly watched this band of rain wind its way into the west. fine whether it is not set the life. a slow start across eastern scotland with some early sunshine. cloudy in the west and rain pushing in. eight we rush hour offer northern ireland. largely dry across northern england but rain affects many parts of wales and also pushing into the south—west. the wind picks up across the midlands and the south—east. we will start to see the rain push its way through their quickly through the morning. chances are if you begin the day with rain your prospects will look a lot better by the afternoon whereas if you start line, a wet spell becomes for you by lunchtime, possibly even windy and chilly across the northern hills of england

and scotland as this would set its way across the british isles strong when the company it but lighter winds through the afternoon and there should be spells of sunshine. mild in the south. that weather is short lived and our next load is waiting to come spinning in from the atlantic. overnight tuesday into wednesday. this is a vicious little feature that could bring severe gales to a central swathes of the british isles and be accompanied by heavy rain. that wind could be damaging and even as the low starts to pull away on wednesday, continually strong winds and shower was sucked in behind it. a squally affair with heavy rain, hail and thunder. a chilly feel in the wind despite temperatures reaching double figures in the south. and it continues along the same line. the rest of the week is perhaps a little quieter first rest of the week is perhaps a little quieterfirst thing on rest of the week is perhaps a little quieter first thing on thursday and then another low will basically cover the british isles for the

latter pa rt cover the british isles for the latter part of the week. more rain to come, more strong winds and at the very end of the week, potentially turning colder. thursday this wettest and windy as to the south and west and perhaps try and break south and west and perhaps try and brea k towards south and west and perhaps try and break towards the north—east. however on friday for all of us, strong winds with heavy rain is well and the worst of the wind across the central region of the british isles. no matter where you are, no escape from the bad weather in the week ahead. hello. i'm kasia madera with bbc world news. our top story. china has banned the import of many types of foreign rubbish, including plastics, and will no longer recycle 2a categories of overseas waste . it is the world's biggest market for waste, but beijing says the materials it imports often contain dirty or hazardous matter that pollutes the local environment. south korea welcomes the north korean leader's suggestion of sending a group to the winter olympics. kim jong—un also warned the us that the nuclear launch button was on his desk. and this story is

trending on bbc.com. hundreds of women in the us entertainment industry have started a campaign to fight sexual harassment. the group, called time's up, has raised millions of dollars to provide legal support for victims of abuse, particularly in low—paid jobs. those are the headlines. stay with us on bbc world news. now here on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk.