lam i am helena lam helena humphrey. good to have you with us. taiwanese voters have chosen william lai as their president in an historic election — cementing a path that is increasingly divergent from neighbouring china, who warned voters not to vote for the doctor—turned—politican. mr lai — who represents the democratic progressive party — won 40% of the vote, beating the other two opponents by a wide margin. he's broken new ground, winning an unprecedented third consecutive presidential term for his party, but the win could also increase tensions with china, who has called mr lai a troublemaker and separtist. china considers taiwan a part of its territory and has been calling for a "peaceful reunification" but has not ruled out the use of force. in recent months, the country has ramped up its military presence on the island, heightening fears of a possible conflict. rupert wingfield—hayes has more from the taiwanese capital, taipei. onto stage comes the man who will now be

taiwan's next president. in the end, william lai won the election by a larger margin than expected. china's president xijinping tried to intimidate voters here not to choose him, but failed. his supporters say if anything, it had the opposite effect. china warned the people of taiwan not to vote for this man. they said he is a troublemaker who will take the island closer to war. well, tonight they have given their answer by electing him their president. speaking to the international media following his victory, president—elect william lai was quick to offer beijing an olive branch. translation: over the last eight years we have tried -

continuously to extend goodwill. unfortunately, china has not responded to these gestures. we hope in the future china will realise peace serves the interests of both sides. it's notjust its democratic system that sets taiwan apart from china. five years ago it became the first place in asia to legalise same—sex marriage. today, for the first time, this couple got to vote together as a family with their three—year—old daughter. translation: this election is very important. _ we havejust come back from hong kong and people there are envious of us. they told us we must protect our democracy or we could end up like them. for taiwan's main opposition party, the kmt, today's result was another humiliating defeat. the whole party leadership bowed as they begged for forgiveness from their supporters.

the kmt�*s candidate hou you—ih had run on a platform of getting closer to china. that policy may have contributed to his defeat. instead voters gave the party xijinping loathes an historic third presidential win. now everyone is waiting to see how china's leader will respond. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in taipei. for more on the us response to taiwan's elections, the bbc�*s tom bateman sent this update. the us government has congratulated mr lai today while at the same time saying it does not support taiwanese independence. that is nothing new, it is the long—standing policy of the us but i think the way it is being reiterated so bluntly by president biden is meant as a message of reassurance to beijing because it is the very long—standing and official position of the us

of support for taiwan, including many years of military sales so grates on the chinese and worries them so much. remember, china has never ruled out the use of force if it came to it for what they call the reunification of taiwan and equally the us has never ruled out military action to defend taiwan as it sees it. we now enter a period of of uncertainty as everyone watches to see how the chinese will respond but from here, the last thing president biden once with two conflicts raging in the ukraine and middle east, is a further deterioration of relations with china over the flashpoint of taiwan. to talk more about this, i spoke to shirley martey hargis, the senior china policy fellow from third way think tank. president—elect william lai, what should we know about him? form at national taiwan

university graduate, former mayor, also harvard graduate, former physician now turned politician. as we know now, current president of taiwan. exactly and he said throughout the campaign, and in this speech as well, that he intends to keep the status quo when it comes to relations with china. he is now going to be in office though. what do you make of that? do you think he will? i think he will maintain status quo. i think he is focused on maintaining status quo on both sides of the strait, offering an olive branch to patient so i think we will see where that goes. think we will see where that noes. ~ . think we will see where that i oes. ~ ., ., think we will see where that noes. ~ . ., goes. we have had some displeasure _ goes. we have had some displeasure from - goes. we have had somej displeasure from beijing. goes. we have had some - displeasure from beijing. how do you think they might react

to this more long—term? beijing hasn't ruled out using force to take back taiwan. do you see that as a likelihood? i take back taiwan. do you see that as a likelihood?- that as a likelihood? i think china actually _ that as a likelihood? i think china actually starting - that as a likelihood? i think china actually starting a - that as a likelihood? i think| china actually starting a war with taiwan is not a high likelihood as close of time 2025, 2027 as some were saying. i think beijing will continue to restrict communications on both sides of the strait that morph firmly happened in 2016. however, i think beijing will see more of the same, more of the same of what we have seen however i do think beijing is concerned about william lai's previous comments. he seems much more pro—independence than the former president and i know thatis the former president and i know

that is a concern in beijing. we will see, however, his vp, she is a candidate that has earned much trust from the united states and washington as well. having a former diplomat next to him is what many think will keep that balance. jae will keep that balance. joe biden says _ will keep that balance. joe biden says he _ will keep that balance. joe biden says he sent a private message to iran joe biden has said he sent a private message to iran about houthis in yemen, following us airstrikes against the group. president biden said america was confident that it was very well—prepared for the current situation, without giving further details. houthi fighters held military exercises on saturday, vowing a "strong and effective response" to the american and british—led airstrikes in yemen. video released by the iran—backed houthi movement showed officials gathered at an outpost near the yemeni—saudi border. exercises included the dropping of bombs on sites marked with american and israeli flags. angered over israel's ongoing war in gaza, houthis have been disrupting international trade in the red sea. after warning houthis to stop

the attacks for weeks, the us and uk governments carried out what they called defensive airstrikes on friday and the us struck another houthi target early on saturday. 0ur middle east correspondent hugo bachega has more. before and after. these satellite images show the impact of the american and british attacks on houthi targets in yemen. the us says airfields and weapons storage depots were destroyed. 0vernight, the us carried out more strikes, targeting a radar facility in the capital sanaa. british forces were not involved. american officials say the strikes are designed to reduce the ability of the houthis to attack ships in the red sea and called them "legitimate and proportionate". the houthis, who captured a ship in december, say they are acting to support palestinians in gaza and to hit israel's allies.

iran gives them weapons and training and the houthis say the attacks will continue unless there is a ceasefire in gaza. the attacks have disrupted the key red sea trade route — commercial vessels are now travelling around africa. it means delays and extra costs. the houthis accuse the us and its allies of an escalation on israel's behalf. they say the attacks have had no significant impact on its forces and threaten with what they describe as a very harsh and painful response. so far, their reaction has been muted. they fired a missile yesterday which didn't hit its target. also yesterday, a huge protest against the strikes was held in sanaa. the americans say they don't want a major confrontation but are warning the houthis

they are ready to respond. hugo bachega, bbc news, beirut. pro—palestinian protests took place around the world on saturday, calling for a ceasefire in the fighting in gaza. marches have been held in at least 30 countries, including here in washington, where large crowds waved palestinian flags — as the mostly young protesters gathered in a show of solidarity on the 99th day of the war. pro palestinian marches have also been held in london. the metropolitan police said it had made six arrests "in relation to offensive placards." separately, in israe, thousands of people have started a 24—hour protest in tel aviv, calling for the immediate release of hostages in gaza. the demonstrators urged leaders to resume negotiations for the hostages�* release — on the eve of the 100th day of their captivity. israeli officials believe 132 hostages are still being held in gaza. let's turn to some important news around the world.

regions across ukraine were targeted by a barrage of russian missiles and drones on saurday. ukraine's air force counted a0 attacks, but said it had successfully shot down eight missiles, and used electronic means to ensure more than 20 other projectiles didn't reach their targets. russia's defence ministry said the assault focused on industrial military targets. indonesia's mount marapi has spewed huge columns of ash into the air as authorities raise the volcano's alert status to the highest level. it comes a month after the volcano erupted, leaving 23 dead. hundreds of residents have been evacuated to temporary shelters. it's the second occurence of major volcanic activity in indonesia this week. mount lewotobi laki—laki erupted on wednesday, spewing ash clouds more than 6,000 feet into the air. new zealand's former prime ministerjacinda ardern married her long—term partner clarke gayford in a small private ceremony in north island.

official photos showed ms ardern smiling in a custom ivory gown. the wedding was originaly scheduled for early 2022 but was postponed due to strict restrictions she imposed on the country during the covid pandemic. turning now to news here in washington. john kerry — the former us senator and secretary of state — is stepping down from his role as us special climate envoy. mr kerry served as president joe biden�*s top official on climate change since 2021 — and will reportedly depart from that role in the coming months. he's expected to help out with biden�*s re—relection campaign. mr kerry himself ran for president, winning the democratic nomination in 2004, before losing to george w bush in the general election. his decision to step down as climate envoy comes just one month after the cop28 climate summit, where he helped broker an international agreement for nations to transition away from fossil fuels. the biden administration

reportedly says no decision has been made on kerry's potential successor. from the new york times' climate desk now, i am joined by lisa friedman. great to have you with us. john kerry bowing out then. do we know why and was it a surprise? did it come as a surprise to you? did it come as a surprise to ou? , . , ., ., , did it come as a surprise to ou? , . ., did it come as a surprise to ou? , ., . you? this decision was not much of a surprise- — you? this decision was not much of a surprise. there _ you? this decision was not much of a surprise. there has - you? this decision was not much of a surprise. there has been - of a surprise. there has been talk ofjohn kerry getting ready to step down for some time now. the previous un climate summit, the previous cop in 2022 in egypt's did not go that well for him, he came down with covid and was down for the account for part of that summit. so the sense was that summit. so the sense was that he was very focused on the summit that just happened

that he was very focused on the summit thatjust happened in dubai. they saw that as a success and i think folks were really waiting for the moment when he would likely announce he would step down after that. you mentioned his role there at all the different cops. what you think his legacy will be this role?— you think his legacy will be this role? ., . ., ~ this role? having covered mr kerry through _ this role? having covered mr kerry through the _ this role? having covered mr kerry through the biden - kerry through the biden administration, the one thing that folks, whether they are admirers or critics of him, say is he is relentless and tireless and he has really put climate change at the top of this administration's agenda. he has circled the globe more than once, i am told he went to 31 countries in an effort to try to restore the us leadership on climate change which had really sunk during the trump administration, and to encourage other countries to do more. i think there is that sense of someone who won't quit

even when he is being told no. it is something thatjohn kerry leaves behind and secondly, he really championed working with china on climate change, something that was not easy doing the past couple of years when there were a number of tensions between the us and china on a multitude of issues. it is an election year. do you think it also had something to do with that? i think it also had something to do with that?— do with that? i am told by sources — do with that? i am told by sources that _ do with that? i am told by sources that he _ do with that? i am told by sources that he intends i do with that? i am told by sources that he intends to do with that? i am told by - sources that he intends to work on the campaign to tell the story of what he believes the biden administration has done on climate change and to raise that as an issue in front of voters in this election. i think that is certainly something ahead of him in the coming year. we something ahead of him in the coming year-— coming year. we know the administration _ coming year. we know the administration has - coming year. we know the administration has said - coming year. we know the l administration has said that coming year. we know the - administration has said that at this stage they cannot say who will take over what is a huge role, but are there any

potential names out there? any ideas floating around that you have heard of?— have heard of? there are, washington _ have heard of? there are, washington loves - have heard of? there are, washington loves to - have heard of? there are, washington loves to play | have heard of? there are, i washington loves to play this parlour game of who comes next. one of the challenging things is going to be canned the next special envoy get senate confirmed? john kerry was never confirmed? john kerry was never confirmed by the senate, this is a route that many administrations take to work around the lengthy amount of time you can take for congress to approve a president's nominees. but congress last year got a provision into a defence bill that says a special envoy must be set and confirmed. there are some loopholes to that but one question is can a big—name one name that gets voted around and i have no knowledge of this as an offer or not, but the

climate community talks about gavin newsom. can someone who is in anyway controversial get confirmed by a thinly divided congress and senate? talking about big names, _ congress and senate? talking about big names, john - congress and senate? talking about big names, john kerry i about big names, john kerry himself as you say, he was very well known and do you think that could be also a factor in the deliberations and is there any sense that his departure could actually dent climate progress, just the fact that he was such a force by his reputation alone? that's a treat reputation alone? that's a great question. _ reputation alone? that's a great question. all - reputation alone? that's a great question. all of - reputation alone? that's a l great question. all of these things are being discussed right now both internally and externally in the administration. does the united states need a special envoy for climate change? is there something that could be part of the state department, to have a role like this that is separate and bull's—eye for opponents? i'm sure if there is any republican administration that

wins the 2024 election, we might see a special envoy role being eliminated. isjohn kerry's departure, what does it say about climate change? my senseis say about climate change? my sense is thatjohn kerry will be a very strong advocate in the campaign and will be out there telling people what the biden administration intends to do if it wins a second term. the new york times's climate reported there, lisa friedman. very good to have your insights and reporting. thank you. here in the us, we're less than two days away from the iowa caucuses, where republican supporters will start the process of selecting their nominee for the 2024 presidential election. leading up to the big night, the headline out of iowa has not been candidates donald trump, nikki haley or ron desantis. it's been the weather. intense winter storms have caused major disruptions to republican presidential hopefuls campaigning in the midwestern state.

a blizzard dropped about 15 inches, that's 38 centimetres, of snow across iowa, causing some candidates to cancel events. so just how cold will it be on monday? some forecasts in des moines, the state capital, say the low will be negative 18 degrees fahrenheit — that's —28 celsius. it's expected to be the coldest caucus day on record. washington post columnist and associate editor karen tumulty is on the ground in iowa. i spoke to her a little earlier. we have to talk about the weather. any thoughts on who it might help or hinder?— might help or hinder? going into this, — might help or hinder? going into this, the _ might help or hinder? going into this, the polls - might help or hinder? going into this, the polls have - might help or hinder? going into this, the polls have alll into this, the polls have all shown donald trump with a huge unprecedented lead for any candidate in a republican contested primary at this point. 30 points. there is

another big poll due out tonight as well so there are two schools of thought here. one is that really donald trump's supporters are so passionate, so devoted that they are the ones who will show up they are the ones who will show up no matter what. but his rivals are saying, yes, but he is sitting on such a big lead that may be his will be the supporters that say, he has such a big lead, it won't matter if i don't show up. i get the sense having been to his events, having spent some time this afternoon at his campaign headquarters, his supporters do in fact seem very fired up. there is another big poll due out tonight but these temperatures are actually quite dangerous. the national weather service is calling them life—threatening, people who are out with exposed skin can get frostbite in five minutes.

the caucuses have generally been family affairs, people bring their children, so nobody knows what this is going to do and it's not just the temperatures. it's the wind. it is blowing really hard out there and that means all of the snow is blowing back and forth, and that is going to make the roads a real mess as well. wow. you have been there out talking to people braving the weather yourself. if we take a look at the latest poll, donald trump has over 30 points. do you see him retaining that just from those conversations you have been having in iowa? my gut tells me he is going to. the question is whether he tops 50% of the vote which is what some of the polls show him having. anybody who has watched his past two presidential

campaigns, in 2016 here in iowa they were very disorganised, he came in second to ted cruz. in 2020 he was running as an incumbent president so he didn't have to put in much of an effort but this campaign operation he has here now is highly, highly professional and very well organised. i do think that he is going to do well again, we are all in a situation that nobody here has ever seen before. for ron desantis, nikki haley, what kind of performance in terms of the numbers do you think they need to put in come caucus night, to be able to say, ok, that was a good enough night for second place, we can take it from here, we can continue onto new hampshire? if either of them can get within 20 points of donald trump, that will be

a spectacular performance, but one of the problems here is that as the two of them are battling for second place, they are really attacking each other, which means they are driving up to each other�*s negatives, they are pounding the airwaves with negative ads about each other and that actually, again, we are in a situation that iowa is always hard to predict because of this weird system they have and we are in a situation we have never seen before, but all of this would seem to logically be down to trump a's benefit. just over a week after the door blew out on an alaska airlines flight, forcing more than 100 planes to be grounded, there has been another mid air

issue for boeing. this time, the incident was injapan. a boeing flight had to be turned around after pilots discovered a crack in the cockpit window midair. the flight was being operated by all nippon airways, in a boeing 737—800 aircraft, going from the city of sapporo to toyama, onjapan�*s main island. a spokesperson for the airline said "the crack was not something that affected the flight�*s control or pressurisation", adding that there were no injuries to any of the passengers or crew. meanwhile, investigations on the grounded 737 max — 9 aircrafts are continuing in the wake of that in air incident on the alaska airlines flight. the us aviation authority is reportedly in no rush to lift its order to indefinitely ground the max 9s until a thorough investigation is complete. and finally — january 13th is the officially the end of christmas celebrations in scandinavia — and traditionally the day when many people throw out their trees. but in sweden, many of them get

a new lease of life... as a habitat for marine life. off come the tinsel and baubles, replaced by heavy rocks, before the trees are thrown off a boat into the freezing waters of the baltic sea. a kind of christmas present for the fish if you like. the initiative started in stockholm but has now expanded to other swedish regions, where it's helping restore the endangered ecosystem. stay with us here on bbc news. hello. we've had some fairly chilly weather over the past few days, but things are about to get colder, as we're going to see a blast of arctic air moving in for the next couple of days. so a drop in temperature and some snow showers which will cause a bit of disruption, particularly in the north. so we've got a couple of weather fronts shifting their way south, opening the doors to these cold northerly winds, bringing us that arctic air. through the next few hours, already some snow showers working in across parts of shetland, mainland north of scotland. also seeing a little bit of snowfall, a few light rain showers, further south. but actually most of us are dry and as the sun rises, i think, first thing,

temperatures are going to be just about either side of freezing. so through the day on sunday then we've got the snow showers packing in across the north of scotland. it's also going to be really windy, particularly up towards the northern isles where gusts could reach 70 miles an hour, so blizzard conditions there. further south, few spots of light rain, perhaps northern ireland, wales, into central southern england. but most places are going to be avoiding these showers and we'll see temperatures between about 3 to 6 degrees, but it'll feel cooler with the wind, especially in the north. now, heading on into monday, snow showers continue to pack in on that northerly breeze. they'll become more frequent across the northern half of scotland, but also for northern ireland, some snow possible here on monday and through some of these irish sea coasts, perhaps. pembrokeshire, one or two snow showers also possible for the likes of the north york moors towards norfolk as well. most of us, though, looking dry with some wintry sunshine. but look at those temperatures, just1 to 5 on the thermometer. but when you add on those brisk northerly winds, it's really going to feel bitterly cold. feeling around about —5, —6 around some of those east coasts, for instance. moving through into tuesday, and nowjust have a look

at these showers just moving in for northern ireland, perhaps southern scotland, perhaps one or two into parts of northwest england and wales as well. there is the potential for a little bit more disruptive snow on tuesday, especially moving in towards the central belt, i think, later on in the day. so we're keeping an eye on the snow showers in the north, but further south and east, i think you're going to be staying dry if cold again. so there's that area of low pressure bringing a bit of snow i think for some of us on tuesday. that clears away. this area of low pressure towards the south is most likely to be staying out across france, but if it does push further north into that colder air across southern england, it could bring a bit of snow. either way, i think next week we're looking at a colder week, a fair amount of dry weather in the south, some snow showers mainly in the north and sharp overnight frosts. bye— bye.

this is bbc news. we'll have your headlines at the top of the hour after this programme. the last of their kind. they have endured the elements...

..fought with nature... ..and secured a future for their children. this is their life's work. we joined them on one of their last treks to the great pamir, and witness as they struggle to keep their way of life, their language and their traditions alive. they are the wakhi shepherdesses. the last of them. deep in the karakoram mountains of northern pakistan, a centuries—old tradition is about to unravel.

she calls 0ut