this is a new state on the bbc. i'm rico hizon, in singapore. the headlines: iran says countrywide protests are being orchestrated by outside forces — the us says the claim is ridiculous. the long climb out of poverty — a special report on china's hopes to lift millions of people from their remote villages into a better life. the continued existence of serious widespread poverty represents a threat to the very legitimacy of a communist party that came to power promising to help communities like this, not leave them behind. i'm kasia madera, in london. also in the programme: the us warns of more sanctions, as it accuses north korea of preparing to carry out another ballistic missile test. and outrage on the internet after an american you tube star uploads a video of a suicide victim in a japanese forest. live from our studios in singapore

and london, this is bbc world news — it's newsday. good morning. it's 8 am in singapore, midnight in london and 3:30 am in iran where more protests have been taking place in cities across the country. the us has dismissed claims by iran that the country's "enemies" have stirred up days of anti—government protests. the united states says it wants an emergency session of the security council to discuss the situation in iran. our middle east editor, jeremy bowen, reports. in tehran, squads of motorbike police are cruising the streets to break up groups of demonstrators. the protests have changed

since they started last thursday. gunshots to begin with, they were about the economy. most of the protesters are young men. more than 50% of iranians are under 30 and perhaps 40% of them are unemployed. but pent up political frustration is spilling out and much of it has been directed at this man, the supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei. he is the powerfulfigurehead of the islamic republic, and attacks on his posters will be seen as attacks on the islamic system. he's blaming iran's foreign enemies. translation: following recent events, the enemies have united and using all their means — money, weapons, policies and security services — to create problems for the islamic republic. it's notjust ayatollah khamenei, the supreme leader, who's blaming foreigners.

mohammad khatami, the former president, who's a reformist, says iranians have the right to protest, but he blamed iran's enemies, led by the united states, for inciting people to destroy public buildings and to insult religious values. president obama, in 2009, was careful not to give the last big protest his backing. but president trump has tweeted his support. the people of iran, he declared, are finally acting against the brutal and corrupt iranian regime. the americans are encouraging the protests. but they deny they are behind them. we all know that is complete nonsense. the demonstrations are completely spontaneous. they are virtually in every city in iran. this is the precise picture of a long—oppressed people rising up against their dictators. the last big protests in iran were in 2009,

after a disputed presidential election. back then, they were defeated by the power of the state, even though they were led by top politicians and faced a badly divided islamic leadership. the new street level protests don't have national leaders and may run out of steam. this is not a new iranian revolution, though it's clear that many iranians are fed up with increasing poverty and years of repression. the fact the protests are happening at all is very significant for iran, its allies and enemies in a chaotic part of the world. jeremy bowen, bbc news. let's take a look at some of the day's other news: the united states says it's hearing reports that north korea might be preparing for another missile test. it's warning that would mean tougher measures against pyongyang. earlier, south korea

proposed high—level talks with north korea next week. it comes a day after the north korean leader said he was open to dialogue and was considering sending a team to next month's winter olympics in south korea. something the south korean president welcomed. translation: we welcome that the north korean leader kimjong—un expressed a willingness to send athletes to the winter olympics and to hold talks. this is in response to hold talks. this is in response toa to hold talks. this is in response to a proposal to make the olympics and opportunity to improve into korean relations and peace. but a short while ago the us state department expressed scepticism about the talks, saying kimjong un may be trying to drive a wedge between the us and south korea. more analysis on our website. in other news today: there've been huge protests in pakistan against comments made by president trump.

he accused pakistan of lying and of harbouring terrorists while receiving billions of dollars from the united states. the us has confirmed that it will withhold aid to pakistan. the administration is withholding 255 million in assistance to pakistan. pakistan has played a double game the years. they work with us at times and they also harbour the terrorists that attack oui’ harbour the terrorists that attack our troops in afghanistan. that game is not acceptable to this administration stop we expect far more operation from pakistan in the fight against terrorism. a bus has crashed in peru killing at least 36 people. it happened on a dangerous stretch of road, north of the capital lima. witnesses say the driver lost control after the bus was hit by another vehicle. it then plummeted nearly a hundred metres down a cliff. scientists in britain have developed an artificial intelligence system

which they say can diagnose heart disease more accurately than doctors. currently, cardiologists get one in five of their diagnoses from heart scans wrong, resulting in some patients being sent home and having a heart attack in another dramatic accident, these pictures are from the us state of florida. members of the us coast guard rescued a senior citizen from a car that plunged into the waters off panama city, over the new year holidays. they managed to pull him outjust moments before the vehicle sank by breaking through the window. the chinese government has set itself an extraordinary target of the lifting of 43 million people out of extreme poverty injust 3 years. president, xijinping, recognises the pressing political need to close the gap between china's urban rich and some

desperately poor rural communities. in our special report, john sudworth is in the southwestern province of sichuan, where some of the obstacles facing such remote communities will be challenging. it's best not to look down. step—by—step, and heavily laden, this is the only way to the village at the top. but the two—hour, 800—metre climb is easier and safer than it used to be. the old, home—made wooden ladder — still visible here and there — has been replaced with a spectacular series of steel ladders. remote mountain communities like these, languishing so far behind china's big cities, now find themselves on the front line of a massive anti—poverty campaign. the improved access to this clifftop

village has won praise from none other than china's president, xijinping. but life here remains tough. while president xi may be promising to lift 43 million people out of this kind of extreme poverty, not everyone's convinced. translation: we have no income. we are poor. we grow corn and potatoes, nothing else. the government says that it wants to wipe out poverty in the next three years in china. do you think it's possible? translation: i don't really think so. china has a more radical solution, though. in the past 12 months alone, more than three million of china's poorest people have been relocated to new homes. a smiling president xi looks down

on the new schoolrooms. this family has now left its remote mountain village for good. you no longer have the open fire, you no longer live close to your animals. do you miss those things, those traditions? translation: we don't miss the old way of life or the unhygienic things, like having a pigsty right at the door. meanwhile, the anti—poverty slogans are everywhere. even the new ladder is a national news story. this is poverty as propaganda. it's an issue that's now dominating the domestic news agenda, and it's driven by the vision ofjust one man. president xijinping knows that the continued existence of serious, widespread poverty represents a threat to the very legitimacy of a communist party that came to power promising to help

communities like these, not leave them behind. even if china can help all those living below the extreme poverty line, tens of millions more will be left languishing just above it. but while there are many challenges, no—one can doubt the sheer scale of china's ambition. john sudworth, bbc news, sichuan province. an american youtube star has apologised for a video that he posted showing the body of a suicide victim injapan. it was viewed six million times before it was taken down. logan paul and his entourage went to film at the aokigahara forest at the base of mount fuji, known to be a frequent site of suicides. as well as showing the dead man's body, paul and his friendsjoked about theirfind. one of his group says "he doesn't feel good". logan paul responds: "what,

you never seen a dead guy" and laughs. in response to the outrage, logan paul posted a lengthy apology on twitter and later issued this video on his youtube channel. i made a severe and continuous lapse in my judgement andi lapse in my judgement and i do not expect to be forgiven. i'm simply here to apologise. what we came across in the woods was unplanned and the reactions were raw. none of us knew how to react and feel. i should have never posted and feel. i should have never posted a video. should have put the cameras down and stopped recording what we we re down and stopped recording what we were going through. a lot of things i should have done if only but i did not. and that, from the bottom of my heart, iam not. and that, from the bottom of my heart, i am sorry. you're watching newsday on the bbc.

still to come on the programme: the plastics problem — why the uk is under pressure to find new ways to recycle waste, following china's new policy. also on the programme: will 2018 bring the world's first vaccine for malaria? and what about the growing resistance to antibiotics? we'll look ahead to the main health stories of this year. 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 0xfordshire 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 rico hizon in singapore. i'm kasia madera in london. our top stories: the us praises demonstrators in iran, but ridicules claims by iran's supreme leader that the protests are being orchestrated by outside forces. the us warns of more sanctions, as it accuses north korea

of preparing to carry out another ballistic missile test. let's take a look at some newspapers from around the world. the front page of the gulf news reports on what it calls foreign intervention in the iranian protests. it says western powers are pushing tehran to guarantee the right to protest as the crackdown intensifies. the financial times takes a look at brexit. it's reporting that talks are taking place on britainjoining the tra ns—pacific partnership. the uk would be the first member not to border the pacific ocean or the south china sea. and the south china morning post has a warning for pickpockets. the article says a new metro line has been fitted with cameras covering every inch of carriages in ultra—hd. those are the top story is of key

publications around the world. now, what stories are sparking discussions online? she took her son to court after he refused to pay for several years. the son argued it was wrong to demand a financial return for raising a child, but the court ruled the contract valid. more on that on our website. with the new year well under way, we look ahead to 2018 and what will be the most pressing health stories to watch out for. 0ur health correspondent tulip mazumdar has more.

these are the top global health stories you are likely to hear lots more about in 2018. the well‘s first ever vaccine for malaria is due to be rolled out in kenya, mullally, and done in the summer. malaria killed almost half a million people in 2016, the pilot scheme will involve around 750,000 children in those countries. the new vaccine does have limitations. it needs to be given for titans over two years, and even then it only protects a row fourin and even then it only protects a row four in ten children. however, there are high hopes that the vaccine could save tens of thousands of lives. there are so many health emergencies coming out of the well‘s complex owned as we enter 2018, and yet more urgent calls to ensure medical supplies can get to those caught up in the violence. the cholera outbreak in the yemen quickly became the worst in modern

history last year. there have been around 1 million suspected cases in just eight months, more than 2000 people have died of the waterborne disease. yemen is also teetering on the brink of famine. there are warnings that thousands of children will die warnings that thousands of children willdie in warnings that thousands of children will die in the early months of 2018 u nless will die in the early months of 2018 unless blockades at ports and airports are fully lifted and the fighting stops to let it desperately needed supplies through. and in bangladesh the rohingya refugees continue fleeing into the country from neighbouring myanmar, because of the cramped and an sanitary conditions where hundreds of thousands of refugees have gathered there are warnings of a potential outbreak of cholera here as well. vaccination campaigns for cholera have already been under way, but the world health organization says it will start rolling out the innocuous —— inoculations for children including measles, polio, and tuberculosis in the coming months. the ongoing crisis with antibiotics that no longer work was on my list last year and will no doubt be on my

list for some years to come, because antimicrobial resistance is one of the biggest global health threats of oui’ the biggest global health threats of our time. the antibiotics we have been using for decades to treat common infections aren't working as well as the used to. it has been predicted that antibiotic resistance good lead to 10 million deaths by 2050. however, there are a new drug trials planned for 2018 in eastern europe, for example, for multi— resista nt europe, for example, for multi— resistant tuberculosis. there will bea resistant tuberculosis. there will be a meeting of global health leaders in thailand next month. tulip mazumdar with some of the big health stories next year. i put some of them to michelle karvinen who is from the london school of hygiene and tropical medicine. i began by asking her what can be done against that resistance to antibiotics?m isa that resistance to antibiotics?m is a really tricky one. there is not just one driver of the resistance, there is obviously the overuse or

miss use from the human side and there is a lot of use on the animal side. then there is obviously, in certain countries, you can get antibiotics over the counter, in a loss of asian countries. people often aren't even aware that they are taking an antibiotic. theyjust go to are taking an antibiotic. theyjust gotoa are taking an antibiotic. theyjust go to a drug shop where there is an untrained provider that gives them something they believe will help them and they're not really aware what they are taking. in the uk, for example, it is much tighter, more difficult to get antibiotics. doctors are more reluctant to prescribe them. are you saying in some asian countries you can get them without a prescription? yes. you can get pretty much anything you wa nt you can get pretty much anything you want without a prescription. that is partly because there is a lack of trained healthcare provider, the public health infrastructure is limited, so people go to untrained, informal providers for a lot of the healthcare needs. that is something we are concerned about in terms of

organising a structure, you need investment, don't you? many of these countries simply don't have the investment in healthcare. yes, absolutely. countries like pakistan and myanmarare absolutely. countries like pakistan and myanmar are investing less than 196 and myanmar are investing less than 1% of theirgdp, and myanmar are investing less than 1% of their gdp, the government has, oi'i 1% of their gdp, the government has, on healthcare. it will not go very far. there is a lack of human resources, actual physical health facilities, people are having to turn to informal providers or self—care. turn to informal providers or self-care. even though we are talking about the first vaccine possibly for malaria being tested this year, because the infrastructure isn't there, people will simply not access it. it is a real shame. it is important to invest in new tools and technologies, but it is important to remember that vaccines can't fly to people, they have to be delivered by health—care workers, many to be healthcare facilities, and needs to bea healthcare facilities, and needs to be a trust between the population

and the healthca re be a trust between the population and the healthcare system so that people will seek care there and feel comfortable vaccinating their children. that was michelle khan from the london school of hygiene and tropical medicine speaking earlier. yesterday we reported that china had introduced a ban on recycling many types of plastic waste from abroad to try to reduce pollution. well, today we're going to look at the other side of that story. in britain, the recycling system is about to be put under severe pressure. until now almost half of what britain recycles every year has been sent to china. 0ur science editor david shukman reports. ever wondered what happens to our recycling? well, great streams of it are sorted in giant centres like this one in south—east london. the tins are extracted by magnet and are sold to food and drink manufacturers. a vigorous shake separates bottles from paper and cardboard. they're also in demand. the machines then try to pick out the plastic. the bags make this much harder.

but if all this can be sorted, it can be sold on, and the biggest market has been china, until now. this is the tip of the iceberg of what we send off for recycling. what the chinese have done is said that they're no longer going to accept anything that's difficult to handle. so anything that's dirty, or this kind of thin plastic that is hard to recycle. in fact, a mix of different types of plastic. this has sent shock waves through the recycling industry. already huge bundles of recycling turned down by china are piling up in hong kong. and mountains of unwanted plastic waste may build up in britain. i think it's a game change for the uk. i think for the last two decades, at least, all our collection systems have been geared up to having the chinese market. china take virtually half of everything that we produce in terms of paper and

plastics in the uk. so what will happen? well, there's now a rush to try to sell the stuff to india and other countries. but there's a limit to what they'll take. another option is to burn the plastic here. most incinerators generate electricity, so this wouldn't be a total waste. but the greenest solution is to turn plastic into the raw material to make new plastic objects, like milk containers, and we may see more of this. we've made incredible progress in terms of recycling in this country, but we're stalling now. and the chinese ban to import bad quality may be a great incentive and the best chance ever for this country. it takes a human eye to pick out what the machines miss. householders are often confused. most thin plastic film can't be used again. different councils have their own rules. and few products are designed with recycling in mind. there is now pressure for all that to change, and china's ban may

actually encourage that. david shukman, bbc news. you have just given you havejust given me you have just given me a you havejust given me a new you have just given me a new years resolution, more recycling in 2018. you have been watching newsday. stay with us. could this be the future of cars? we look at how renault is using virtual reality to take the stress out of driving. hgppy happy new year to all our viewers, and you as well. happy new year to you as well. a good nilla's resolution. —— new year's resolution. and just before we go, parts of the us are experiencing a record—breaking cold spell. and as disruptive as such extreme weather tends to be, it does look stunning. a very windy stormy night for some

and a stormy start to wednesday. the met office and the deep report at —— be prepared warnings for the wind likely to go during the early hours of wednesday. we are likely to see disruptions, power cuts, trees down in places because of this, storm eleanor, which brought in very strong winds across parts of ireland during tuesday evening. it is continuing its journey east was. the highly packed ice aboard across most of the country, away from the north of the country, away from the north of scotland, which will have relatively light winds. strongman was to stop when state across the north of england, southern scotland. 70- 90 north of england, southern scotland. 70— 90 mph gusts. 60 mph across england and wales with the risk of up england and wales with the risk of up to 80 mph across the south coast. likely to be some disruption from these severe gales for much of the uk across the early hours to start wednesday. a very windy morning delta force winds. the severe gale

easing down as storm eleanor mist out to the north sea. plenty of showers rattling through the morning and into the afternoon. the showers will be happy with hail and thunder, schoolie, gusty winds as they arrive. in between, there will be spells of sunshine. temp —— top temperatures around 10 degrees. plenty of showers further north. long spells of rain in northern ireland, central and southern scotland. he quite across the north of scotland, fairly light winds and suntan. we and wednesday on a brief respite that the wind will is down somewhat. plenty of clear spells. quite a cool night. we look to the south—west, to the next area of low pressure, which will make inroads during wednesday night and into the start of thursday. this area of low pressure will be further south. it looks like we will see the strongest winds across southern britain, certainly south wales, southern england thing gale force winds. 12—

13 degrees despite the heavy rain. the north cooler, maybe snow in the higher ground, outbreaks of rain. as we have through friday, transitional days. the weather front thinking southwards. heavy rain on it and behind it. the air turns much colder. increasing amounts of snow to the hills and to lower levels. that is a sign of things to come into the weekend. much colder air pouring down across the uk is likely to introduce snow showers in places and return to overnight frosts. i'm kasia madera, with bbc world news. our top story: the united states has ridiculed claims by the supreme leader of iran that outside forces are orchestrating protests. twenty—two people have been killed in the protests which began against price rises and corruption, but have broadened to wider anti—government sentiment. the united states has warned of further sanctions against north korea if it carries out further ballistic missile tests. it was responding to reports

that pyongyang may be preparing another launch. and this story is trending on bbc.com taiwan's top court has ordered a man to pay his mother almost $1 million for funding his dentistry training. he'd signed a contract agreeing to pay her 60% of his income after qualifying but later refused. that's all from me now. stay with bbc world news. just after half past midnight. now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk.