welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name's gavin grey. our top stories: more violence as iran's protests continue for a fifth day. president rouhani insists they're an "opportunity, not a threat". high time for a change. californians celebrate as cannabis is legalised for recreational use. and taking a stand against sexual harassment. stars launch a campaign to support women in the workplace. plus, no snow? no problem. confidence from china ahead of the 2022 winter olympics. hello.

in iran, a police officer has been shot dead and three others wounded, after a fifth day of anti—government protests. it is the first death of a member of the security forces and represents a significant escalation in the unrest. what began as a protest against the rising cost of living now seems to be taking on political overtones. a dozen protesters have been killed in the last 2a hours. our correspondent rana rahimpour, from the bbc‘s persian service, has the latest. once again, across iran, thousands of people have taken to the streets. a poster of the country's supreme leader, ali khamenei, set alight and then torn down. before the crowds pushed over the wall. they are angry at unemployment, rising prices and what many of them see as widespread corruption. it's the boldest challenge to the country's leadership in nearly a decade.

the demonstrations began in the north—western city of mashhad, a key base for the most outspoken critics of president rouhani. but it has quickly turned into a widespread movement against the establishment, including the supreme leader. 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 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. downplaying their significance, instead, accusing iran's enemies of instigating the unrest. translation: our victory against the us and the zionist 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. and tonight, iranian state tv is reporting that a police officer has been shot dead. it's the first reported attack on a member of the security forces since the demonstrations

began last week. a move that may escalate the confrontation between protesters and the state, and potentially, lead to more bloodshed. rana rahimpour, bbc news. earlier, we asked alex vatanka, senior fellow at the middle east institute in washington dc why there was such a disconnect between the government and the iranian people. if we go back to this year when president rouhani was re—elected with a lion —— landslide 2a million voters electing him, they elected him because he made simple but important promise, he said that if we elected him, there would be more political freedoms in this country. he has not done that at all, in fa ct, he has not done that at all, in fact, what he has done is turned away from the reformist movement and towards the hardliners. he has set

his eyes on the top job in the country, which is the position of the supreme leadership, the sitting supreme the supreme leadership, the sitting supreme leader —— when the sitting supreme supreme leader —— when the sitting supreme leader —— when the sitting supreme leader passes on, president rouhani would like to get thatjob. in this process, he totally forgot the people, he forgot the painful economic conditions of the country and what we are witnessing right now ina and what we are witnessing right now in a violent is a result of that neglect by president rouhani, but let me say it this, this is not really about president rouhani, this is about the system and about a0 yea rs of is about the system and about a0 years of grievances, in many ways, having built up. and the people are simply, as we are watching now on oui’ simply, as we are watching now on our tv screens, saying that the only way that seems to work with this regime is it so they can see you in the streets. otherwise, they do not pay attention to you. in the past, the romanian authorities have always blamed outsiders for some of the fate that has befallen them. ——

iranians. in no, the iranians have a lwa ys iranians. in no, the iranians have always been worried about what is happening in the neighbourhood in places like iraq, syria and elsewhere, happening to them. iran isa large, elsewhere, happening to them. iran is a large, multi—ethnic country with religious sects and so forth, so with religious sects and so forth, so they have always been that worry that such elements could come to run if the security of the country is put at risk, but at the same time, they have reached a level where they are asking themselves, apparently, from what i can tell watching iranian social media, at what point do we have to ask ourselves the simple question of how much longer can we put up with this? and it is a risky project to embark upon and come out to the streets as a way of getting the authorities's attention, let's do it that way. that is where we are today, but the idea that some

foreign entity in europe, america or elsewhere is the instigator behind all of this, i think spencer —— is fanciful. i think that is just the authorities in tehran putting their heads in the sand. california has become the largest state in the us to legalise the recreational use of cannabis. it promises to be a cash crop, and state and local governments could collect $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 where hundreds of people lined up to buy recreational pot, starting at 6am. ‘harborside' is one of the first shops in california to get their new city and state permits.

henry was the first customer. it's been a long time coming. california joined seven other states and the district of columbia, where recreational 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's going to send a message to other states that legalisation, regulation and taxation of marijuana is the correct public policy decision, and that it works. buyers have to be at least 21 years old and can only purchase up to one ounce of recreational marijuana. other restrictions include limiting the total amount of thc. recreational pot also costs more than medical marijuana because of a higher tax. users say they want to end the stigma surrounding pot use. i'm an employed, functioning adult and i also smoke weed,

and i don't think there's anything wrong with that. with the addition of recreational sales, the pot industry in california is expected to generate at least $1 billion in tax revenue annually. danielle nottingham, cbs news, los angeles. more than 300 women from hollywood's entertainment industry have launched an initiative to tackle sexual harassment in workplaces. the campaign is called time's up, and includes hollywood stars such as cate blanchett, america ferrera and eva longoria. it will produce legal support for women and men who suffer abuse. for more on this, here's peter bowes, our correspondent in los angeles. one of the main points this group of women wants to make, that it is notjust the entertainment industry. clearly the high profile cases focusing on key figures, men in the entertainment business, who have been accused of sexual harassment, but this is about women and men

in less famous jobs, shall we put it, less glamorised jobs, it could be cleaners or farm workers, who are sexually harassed in their workplaces as well. this is a group of women who have got together to raise money to help as legal aid for some of those individuals, if they are involved in a situation that eventually ends up in court. and to date, they have already ready raised more than $13 million. so they have raised the money, how else are they going to make their point? they have a voice because of their influence? they will make their point in lots of different ways. at next weekend's golden globe awards, they are encouraging women to wear black. a number of actresses, meryl streep, for example, said they intend to do that.

but they are also calling for wider changes, not only in hollywood but in the workplace. they want legislation to stop companies that seem persistently to tolerate sexual harassment in their organisations and they also want a number of other measures, legal measures, that they think will help curb the sexual harassment that goes on around the world in workplaces. the ending of nondisclosure agreements that can, in some cases, be used to hide the perpetrator of sexual harassment. bearing in mind this issue is now being opened up to other professions and industries, any from the president? well, we have not heard anything from the president on this issue today and, of course, it is well known he was accused during his campaign of sexually harassing a number of women. there were many allegations against him. he has been rather quiet on this issue of sexual harassment, certainly in hollywood and the wider workplace, ¥—

on france's atlantic coast, the new year was ushered in by the arrival of wild weather. strong winds and rough seas meant seaside cities cancelled traditional new year swimming events. winds exceeding 1a0km/h knocked out power to thousands of homes across brittany.

this man says the storm was stronger than expected, and had already done some damage to the roof. police say one man in his 60s was killed when a tree fell on his car near the french—spanish border. elsewhere, and across the atlantic, the united states is experiencing a record—breaking arctic cold. from texas to maine, the sub—zero temperatures and snow were unrelenting. at the chicago airport, there were long delays. it is brutally cold — i mean, five degrees and below, in the single digits. it was something else. and, for almost a week now, parts of canada have been colder than the north pole. niagara falls have become an icy spectacle. with temperatures falling below —30 celsius, even the penguins at calgary zoo have been moved inside.

there's widespread disruption on the roads, railways, and in the air. but, for these brave souls in pennsylvania, it's never too cold for a new year's dip. stay with us here on bbc news. still to come... four men are stabbed to death in london injust 2a hours. police have made five arrests. 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 bbc news. there's been more violence in iran as protests continue for a fifth day. but president rouhani says they're an "opportunity, not a threat". authorities in costa rica have now recovered the 12 victims of a plane crash in a mountainous area, near the beach town of punta islita. officials and witnesses say strong winds were a factor in the crash. those killed included ten us

citizens, five from the same family, and two costa rican pilots. virginia langeberg reports. for the family and friends of the two costa rican pilots, it has been a heartbreaking wait outside the facility. their loved ones are yet to be formally identified by autopsy, but that is simply procedural confirmation of what they sadly already know. there were no survivors when this single engined cessna crashed minutes after takeoff into a mountainous area of the beach town of punta islita. 12 people were on board the us flight. those killed included ten us citizens, five from the same family, and two costa rican pilots. with the body is now recovered,

officials turned their attention to the cause of the crash. witnesses telling them strong winds must have played a part. translation: normally be planes leave on the beachside, where we are 110w. leave on the beachside, where we are now. yesterday there was so much wind it came out on the other side and from the beach we saw it flight at the height of the treetops. witnesses ran to the scene, but the plane had burst into flames on impact. translation: we've had tons of explosions. when we reached the valley there was nothing we could do. the accident occurred just after 110011 on do. the accident occurred just after noon on sunday, near an area popular with tourists. the plane was reportedly owned and operated by domestic airline cabin nature air. costa rica's civil aviation agency said they were up—to—date with their certifications and had been inspected a air accident investigators in australia say it could take

months to establish why a seaplane carrying a prominent british businessman and four members of his family crashed into a river near sydney on new year's eve. richard cousins died along with his fiancee and her daughter. the pilot was also killed as well mr cousins' two grown—up sons. earlier i spoke to our correspondent phil mercer, whojoined me from rose bay in sydney where the plane's operator is based, and i asked him whether he thought the investigation was going to take so long due to the depth the plane was lying at. that is part of the issue. the air crash team don't see that as a major problem. but, of course, the aircraft that lies in about 13 metres of water in the hawkesbury river, which is about a 20 minute flight river, which is about a 20 minute flight from here, the aircraft, by the way, would have taken off from rose bay, that you see now on your

screens. and, of course, the aircraft will be the biggest clue forair aircraft will be the biggest clue for air crash investigators. their work will be slow, their work will be painstaking. and, of course, the maintenance, the age of the plane, the experience of the pilot, the behaviour of the pilot, and the weather conditions, all of these different factors will be coming into play as the australian transport safety bureau investigates this accident and it is theirjob to piece together those different factors to try to work out what happened and why. it looks quite behind you. they have stopped operating their seaplanes at the moment, half—day? operating their seaplanes at the moment, half-day? -- have they? this is the terminal at rose bay for syd ney is the terminal at rose bay for sydney seaplanes. on the door there isa sydney seaplanes. on the door there is a notice saying that the company has been operating since 2005, but that all services have been temporarily suspended until further notice because of this investigation. the company has also

said that it has had an unblemished safety record and that its pilots we re safety record and that its pilots were some of the most experience in the world. so it is extending its sympathies, the company, to the family of richard cousins, 88 years of age, a very prominent businessmen in the united kingdom. he died alongside four members of his family. as you say, at krass in investigators in australia say it could take some considerable time to come up with the answers that not only the family want to know, but the broader aviation industry, the broader tourism industry, and the community in general —— air crash investigators. four young men have been stabbed to death in london in a 2a—hour period either side of the new year celebrations. police say the deaths are unrelated. ben ando reports. late morning, enfield, north london — the victim aged 18. early evening, west ham — the victim 20 years old. three hours later, tulse hill, south london — a teenager of 17. and then, in the early hours of new year's day, a 20—year—old man killed in old street.

all four stabbed to death, but according to the police, none of the murders are linked. tragically, there are four families who awake this morning to the heartbreaking news that they've lost loved ones to the callous use of knives as lethal weapons. our detectives are working tirelessly, today and going forward, to bring those who've committed these murders to justice. the three murders before midnight take the total number of fatal stabbings in london for 2017 to 80. that compares with 60 in 2016. police say the reasons for the increase are complex, but it underlines the importance of stop—and—search. my mum needs me alive. she needs me alive. in november, a campaign to convince teenagers not to carry knives was launched. london needs me alive. one campaigner who lost a son to knife crime says youngsters need more help to make the right choice.

so i don't carry a knife. they are living in total fear. they weren't born killers. they didn'tjust become like that. it's a process. and now, what we've got to do is unravel that process, stage by stage by stage, to get to the core of the individual, which is the state of their heart and the state of their mindset. as work goes on at the scene of the first knife killing of 2018, the question is, will this worrying trend continue? ben ando, bbc news, south london. 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. 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. stephen mcdonell reports. 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—pipe world cup. it's a beautiful place. the pipe is good, snow is wonderful. so yeah, i'm glad to be here. chinese competitors are knocked out, in the face of the sport's best, but they are excited the winter games will soon be here for the first time. translation: the only difference is it'll be slightly colder here. the rest will all be the same. wind howls down from the mongolian plateau, and it is often below —10 during the daytime, prompting fears this could scare away spectators. then there is the enormous volume of artificial snow needed for the event. this is an arid region, which can have little winter precipitation. yetjoseph fitzgerald,

who has worked on eight winter games, says man—made snow will ensure the quality of conditions at various venues. these are comparable, and i would say probably our best—designed courses that we'll have, so it'll be comparable to any past olympics, if not better. australia's britteny cox is the current moguls world champion. she too is happy with what she sees. well, this is a world—class—standard mogul course. and people are wondering if china can pull this off in five years' time, and seeing the transformation they've made just over the last ten months, into the facilities here, it makes me confident that they'll 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 might be. a new, high—speed train link will even cut a 3.5—hour car drive from the city to just over an hour.

and there are also broader goals for the beijing games. the chinese government is hoping that, by holding the winter olympics, it will encourage many more people here to get involved in sports like 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. this is bbc news. good morning.

we have some very stormy weather to come in the week ahead — winds often touching up to gale—force, widely across the british isles, and some heavy rain to contend with, too. ahead of all that, actually quite quiet this morning. light winds overnight and clear skies mean for some of us it could be a frosty start. but we will then quickly watch this band of rain winging its way into the west, so the fine weather not set to last. a dry start, though, across eastern scotland, with some early sunshine. cloudy already, though, in the west, and some rain pushing in. a wet rush hour for northern ireland. still i think, at 8:00am, largely dry across northern england, but rain affecting many parts of wales, and also pushing into the south—west. the wind picking up across the midlands and the south—east. we'll start to see the rain pushing its way through here pretty quickly through the morning. and chances are, if you start the day with rain, your prospects will look a lot better by the afternoon, whereas if you start fine, quite a wet spell to come for you by lunchtime,

maybe even a wintry spell across the northern hills of england and scotland, as this weather front quickly whips its way across the british isles. strong winds accompanying it, too, but lighter winds through the afternoon, and there should be some spells of sunshine too. quite mild, as well, in the south. but the quieter weather very short—lived. here is our next low, waiting to come spinning in from the atlantic, overnight tuesday into wednesday. this is quite a vicious little feature. it could even bring even severe gales to a central swathe of the british isles. it'll be accompanied by some heavy rains, as well. those winds could be damaging, and even as the low starts to pull away on wednesday, behind it, we continue with strong winds, and the showers that get sucked in behind the low. very squally affairs — some heavy rain, hail and thunder. and i think quite a chilly feel in the wind, despite temperatures still managing to make it into double figures to the south of the british isles. and then, well, we'lljust continue really along the same line. as we look at the remainder of the week, perhaps a little bit quieter briefly first thing on thursday, and then another low,

which is going to basically cover the british isles for the latter part of the week. some more rain to come, more strong winds, and then potentially, at the very end of the week, turning colder. thursday, wettest and windiest towards the south and west. perhaps some drier and brighter weather towards the north—east, somewhat chillier here, however. and then friday, well, for all of us, strong winds. there'll be some heavy rain, as well, perhaps the worst of the winds across the central region of the british isles. but no matter where you are, i think, no escaping the stormy weather in the week ahead. this is bbc news. these are the headlines... there's been more violence in iran as protests continue for a fifth day. a police officer has been shot dead, and three others wounded. a dozen protesters have been killed in the last 2a hours. president rouhani has insisted the unrest is an "opportunity, not a threat". california has become the largest state in the us to legalise the recreational use of cannabis. it's thought the industry

could generate $1 billion a year in tax revenue. opponents say the new law will lead to more driving under the influence of the drug, and introduce young people to drug use. air accident investigators in australia say it could take months before they know why a seaplane carrying a prominent british businessman and his family crashed on new year's eve. richard cousins was killed along with his two sons, his fiance, her daughter, and the pilot. now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk.