♪ abby: this is "dw news," live from berlin. 10 more people are killed in protests in iran, bringing the total number of dead to 12. as the demonstrations escalate, iranian state television says some protesters have tried to seize police stations and military bases, but have been repelled by security forces. also coming up, north korea's leader kim jong-un tells the united states that the nuclear launch button is on his desk. but to south korea, he offers an olive branch.

and what is it about new year's day that makes people want to jump into really cold water? we will take a look at that and some of the other things people get up to around the world on the first of january. plus, it's been a long time coming, but today, america's most populous state, california, legalized cannabis for recreational use. will this be a new high or a new low? opinions could not be more divided. ♪ abby: i'm abby kuhathasan. it's good to have you with us. reports from iran say more protests have erupted in the capital tehran. police say one officer has been shot and killed and three others injured. last night the country experienced its worst night of violence since the protests started last thursday. at least 13 people have now lost their lives. reporter: this footage has been provided by demonstrators.

people have been on the streets in various parts of iran since thursday protesting conditions in the country. and this is footage provided by iranian state tv which claims that protesters are violent and that some have damaged atm's, buildings, and other property. it also claimed some protesters have tried to take over police stations and military bases. on monday, iranian state tv showed president assad rouhani meeting with members of parliament to discuss the situation. he claimed protesters are happening because iran's enemies are angry due to the country's accomplishments and are therefore provoking protesters. state tv provided interviews with iranians who do not agree with the demonstrations. >> these protests should carry a message of unity. they should be held peacefully, not violently. that violates our well-being and safety. >> there are so many people who intend to exploit the situation and take advantage of the violence.

they are destroying our society. reporter: a pro-government rally took place in a northern city where protesters voiced their support for the government. they have asked for a peaceful solution to the country's problems. so far though, anti-government protests continue. the fear now is that the government might crack down hard on the protesters. abby: for more we are joined by ali noorani, a journalist with the afp news agency in tehran. ali, thank you for speaking with us. another death in iran. police say one of their own officers have been killed. could we now see the start of a general crackdown on protesters? ali: hi. this could be going down towards a crackdown, because sunday night was the most violent day of the protest in these five days of protests we have had now.

12 protesters and one policeman dead in central iran. broadcasters said that one protester used a hunting rifle and started shooting at police forces, injuring three and killing one. and you have also seen pro-regime rallies popping up across the country. officials, the president, the head of the judiciary -- all have said iran will not tolerate this and they will be confronted. also the intelligence ministry has id that we have identified the protesters and instigators and we will deal with them soon. so this is going towards a crackdown, i think. and it will end soon. abby: ok, you mentioned the violence comes despite president rouhani's message that rioters and lawbreakers will be dealt with.

but he also blames foreign enemies for provoking these demonstrations. who does he mean? ali: they may in particular, they have been referring to saudi arabia, iran's regional rival. his deputies and himself have mentioned saudi arabia indirectly. they say they are not happy with iran's progress and that is why they want to hamper iran's progress and to make iran look weak, especially in terms of economy. abby: ok, and these protests are the largest since 2009. at that time there was a clear leadership and demands, but it is different this time around. what happens this time around? ali: yes, exactly. this time there is no leadership. there is not even consensus as to who these people are. it's a real mix of different groups with perhaps different

goals. but this doesn't seem to be going to continue for a long time this time. this is much smaller compared to 2009. although there have been deaths and shootings, government buildings torched or attacked, police cars have been attacked, teargas was used against them -- but this is much smaller than 2009 and this does not look to be going as strongly as that was. abby: ok, it is much smaller than 2009, but this time we have been seeing and hearing chants from protesters against not only the government, but the regime and the supreme leader. so could that potentially be a bigger threat this time, even through they are smaller? ali: yes. this time i think that social media is playing a much important role and it is

exciting some opposition groups, especially some opposition channels on the messaging app telegram are inciting these crowds and that is why it is going viral and it has spread across the country. with a random pattern. and that is why maybe they are more erect, but maybe it will end sooner. abby: ali noorani in tehran, thank you. ali: thank you. abby: now to some of the other stories making news around the world. israeli authorities have filed assault charges against a palestinian teenager who was arrested after a video of her attacking an israeli soldier went viral. the 16-year-old has been in custody since the incident in mid-december. her mother and cousin also face charges. eight people have died after a

speedboat capsized off india's part of borneo island. 51 people were on board when it overturned and sank. police are investigating the cause of the accident, which was not immediately clear. people in the indian capital delhi woke up to dense fog this new year's day. it is said to be the thickest this season. commuters were left stranded after flight operations from the city's international airport were suspended. delhi's air pollution levels are many times the global safe limits. north korean leader kim jong-un says his country's nuclear program is now fully developed and that pyongyang will soon begin mass-producing nuclear warheads and missiles. the comments came in his annual new year's address. what kim struck a more conciliatory tone towards south korea, saying he was open to talks to sending a delegation to this year's winter olympics.

reporter: flowers for north korea's past leaders. a gesture of reverence repeated on every holiday in the capital of pyongyang. those who turn out can also pay homage to their current president kim jong-un during his new year's address. his speech included a range of threats against the u.s., but also, unexpectedly, an offer of dialogue with neighboring south korea. >> the winter olympics to be held in south korea will be a good occasion for the country. we sincerely hope that will be a success. we are prepared to take various steps, including sending a delegation. officials from the two koreas may meet to discuss the possibility. reporter: kim said that now was a good time to demonstrate the status of the korean people. in seoul, the government responded positively. >> south korea's presidential office has always stated our willingness to talk with north

korea anytime and anywhere if it would help restore inter-korean relations and lead to peace on the korean peninsula. reporter: but that is still a distant goal. north korea's leader peppered his speech with threats against the u.s. state tv superimposed pictures over parts of his speech. kim said -- >> the united states will never be able to start war against me or our country. the entire u.s. is within range of our nuclear weapons and a nuclear button is always on my desk. reporter: north korea's ballistic missile tests have been a source of concern for the u.s. and the rest of the international community. but the prospect of north korea joining in the upcoming nter olympics does offer some hope for people on both sides of the korean peninsula.

abby: let's go now to aidan foster-carter. he's an honorary senior research fellow in modern korea at leeds university. a happy new year to you. but the question now is, is it a new kim jong-un? in his speech it sounded like a stick for donald trump but a carrot for south korea. what do you make of these statements? aidan: yes, indeed. i'm kind of wondering what took him so long. needless to say this is not an outbreak of peace for its own sake or a change of heart by kim jong-un. he made very clear as you pointed out that for the u.s. it is very much the stick. but of course, it is very helpful to north korea to try to divide the u.s. from its south korean ally. his late father kim jong-il was very good at that during the sunshine era when south korea wanted to make nicwith the north fairly unconditionally, sort of bracketing off the nuclear issue which began at the

end of that period. and washington, even under perhaps more reasonable governments, were not too happy about that. i'm kind of wondering why the last six to seven months when south korea has had a left of center government, kim jong-un has ignored them until now. a complete change of tone from him. very interesting to see what happens next. abby: a complete change from him towards his neighbor, but it seems that 2017 and the way he has been speaking about donald trump has not changed. are there any indications this could change in 2018? aidan: well, i am even a little optimistic on that score, maybe just because i'm a hopelessly livered liberal. did that come out right? the very fact he said not for the first time in his new year's address that the great triumph of north korea the last year, the year just finished, was that their state nuclear force was completed.

if he means that, it could mean, one hopes it means there will not be as great a volume of tests as we saw in 2017 which stoked such a crisis. in that sense, it puts the ball, in a sense, in america's court as to what to do. but what it is just possible that tensions i think may ease a little in the new year. or maybe i'm just too full of the christmas spirit. abby: kim also made reference to domestic matters like the economy. briefly if you can, how is this country coping with the international sanctions which were further tightened in december? aidan: you would think on the surface they are coping quite well. you're right to point out come actually we picked out media comment across the spectrum about south korea and america. but there was a lot of boilerplate about the economy. i'm coming up to 50 years as a north korean analyst, which i don't know if is a triumph or sad. could have had another life.

but the tone he uses is about ethical -- it could have been his father, could have been his grandfather. north korea's economy will never thrive this way. that said, he has managed to produce missiles which work. somehow he is surviving sanctions. abby: aiden foster-carter, thank you very much. aidan: thank you. abby: you're watching "dw news." still to come -- >> it's beneficial. it's going to help a lot of people, a lot of different demographics in the long run. abby: today, california legalized recreational cannabis. will it be a new high or a new low in efforts to end the drug -- to end drug abuse? could venezuela be in for a new economic low? ben is here to tell us about that. ben: oil prices, political unrest, corruption has decimated venezuela's economy. shortages of food and medicine, inflation set to hit 2300% this year.

but the president is hiking it -- throwing a bone to the minimum wage, hiking -- but that won't help much as the local currency is worth next to nothing. reporter: president nicolas maduro made the announcement on new year's eve. >> i am announcing an increase of 40% of the national minimum wage and of all salary scales nationwide. of teachers, military, police, doctors, public workers. reporter: that's still only brings the full-time minimum wage to just under 800,000 bolivars a month, or a princely sum of seven dollars on the black market. that will only pay for about two kilos of pork. a venezuelan staple, when it is available. the wage hike comes after the government failed to deliver on a promise of lowering pork prices for traditional christmas meals. maduro blamed portugal for failing to deliver pork imports. last week, hundreds of people

took to the streets in the poor parts of the capital to protest the food shortage. millions of venezuelans are unable to afford the three meals a day. >> we are hungry now. the people are hungry. there's a famine. the government says the local food supply committee should hand out food every 15 days, but it doesn't arrive. reporter: economists say the wage increase will only fuel the rampant hyperinflation. opposition politicians say maduro's refusal to overhaul the economic model and stop excessive money printing will create more misery in the year ahead. ben: the gulf has long prided itself on its tax-free cradle to grave welfare system, but it cannot afford it anymore. though oil prices have ballooned budget deficits in 2018 has ushered in the region's first

value added tax. in the uae and saudi arabia, a big change for two super rich countries, where the mall is king. but the saudis are creating even more new year cheer for motorists with a midnight rising petrol prices. reporter: one last fill up before gas prices go up. now, even saudi drivers are concerned about prices. gasoline is rising in costs from $.20 a liter to $.45. most drivers are not happy. >> the increase will affect people whose lives depend on using a car most of the time. i work in a medical equipment company and on a normal day i drive between 300 and 400 kilometers. so it will affect me strongly. >> 100% ok. people are not going to accept it come anyway. but it is still cheap. cheaper than the other countries, i will say that. reporter: low oil prices means saudi arabia is scrambling for more income. the price of a barrel stabilized last year around $60, yet the international monetary fund

calculates that saudi arabia needs an oil price of at least $70 a barrel to balance its budget. higher prices for fuel are a clear sign that the government is serious. another sign -- the government has also iroduced a sales tax for the first time in the history of the country. a 5% value added tax is now charged for food and drink, textiles, and in the real estate and hospitality sectors. saudis have grown used to not paying taxes for anything, though, including income tax. so the authorities are implementing them gradually to ease the pain. ben: from today, social media companies in germany will have 24 hours to take down illegal material. if they fail to remove hate speech or fake news, they could face a fine of up to 50 million euros a post. critics fear the likes of facebook and twitter could overcompensate and over-delete

controversial but legal posts to avoid hefty fines. facebook has hired hundreds of new people in germany to comply with the controversial law. britain may impose new taxes on tech giants like google or facebook unless they do more to combat online extremism. the security minister wants them to take down material aimed at radicalizing people. the companies are accused of putting profit above public safety. he argues the government is forced to spend vast sums on deregulation programs and surveillance. time to get away from it all. and a popular way for many europeans and germans to spend part of the holidays. no, they're not just consumed by the idea of a tan. t fanortof t continent is bringg inore urists than eveand is mostly anks to a spectalar natural phenomenon. reporter: this is the spectacular result of electrically charged particles colliding with atoms in the upper atmosphere.

the northern lights, visible only in the nighttime skies above the arctic circle. this couple from germany spared no expense to come here to the extreme north of norway. >> for me it is more of an adventure here and it is something special. when we told our friends and family we were coming here for a week, they became very jealous. reporter: with the sun barely climbing above the horizon in the deep midwinter, days are largely cloaked in darkness. so the norwegians have come up with some rather special attraction for tourists. a hotel built out of ice, for example. king crab safaris. and close encounters with killer whales. in recent years, norway's tourism sector has gone from also-ran to leading light. >> last winter season we had the highest growth percentage-wise at nearly 28%. this makes me very happy. reporter: and visitors to the secluded but increasingly popular quarter of the world are

also getting a buzz, especially from those awesome night skies. ben: now here's a story that could also mean big business and maybe even a buzz. abby: yeah, big business. california has become the largest u.s. state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. customers lined up to be the first to take advantage of the change in the law, which now allows adults 21 and older to buy, grow, and possessed the drug. until now it has only been available for medical purposes. voters approved the change in a referendum in 2016. the broad legalization of cannabis is predicted to generate around $1 billion in tax revenue. to discuss this step in california, joe schrank joins me from los angeles. he is the founder and director of high sobriety, a rehab clinic that helps heroin addicts overcome their habits by using cannabis. it is good to see you. how do you feel about this development considering the work

that you do and the current opioid crisis in the united states? joe: well, the opioid crisis is actually helped when cannabis is available. all the research is clear on this. there are 25% fewer opioid deaths in states that have usable cannabis as opposed to states that don't. there is no sense in criminalizing drug use, so we are more than supportive of the recreational decriminalization and legalization of cannabis and we are actually hoping that the tax revenue will help people who have addictions. abby: ok, in terms of pot being potentially helpful, can you explain harm reduction for us a little bit? joe: sure, look, harm reduction is all around us. whether it is a bike helmet, a seatbelt or an airbag in a car, a condom -- we are constantly looking to reduce harm in our lives. there is no lethal dose of cannabis. unlike alcohol, which kills

88,000 americans a year, there are no american that die because of their use of cannabis. our hope and part of our mission at high sobriety is for people to use a safer form of intoxication rather than the shame-based "just say no," no drug use at all. it is just not realistic. the reason we advocate for the use of cannabis is because of the lack of harm. the truth is most people are safe using it. if they are fully formed adults and are in a controlled environment there is very little that can go wrong with the use of cannabis. that is not true with any other form of intoxication, whether it's alcohol, pharmaceutical drugs, cocaine. we are looking to eliminate the egregious harm of other drugs, but not offering people an alternative, it is wrong, not realistic, and doesn't work. abby: ok, and california is not the first state in the u.s. to enact this kind of legislation. do you see a trend happening here? joe: absolutely. states are following like

dominoes because the predicted drug anarchy is not true. colorado has reaped huge benefits. they were the first state to legalize recreational use of cannabis. california is now the largest market in the world for legal cannabis use. and in america, the land of the free, it is government overreach for the government to say you cannot use this form of intoxication. we will sanction the use of alcohol which is deadly and lethal, but not cannabis. so it doesn't make logical sense in any way, and other states will absolutely follow suit when they see the benefits that california and other states -- washington, colorado, oregon -- none of them have had the negative outcomes that were predicted. they have all had very positive outcomes. abby: joe schrank, founder and director of high sobriety, thank you for your insights. joe: thank you very much. happy new year. abby: much of the world has

spent today recovering from last night's party welcoming in the new year. but not everyone is nursing a sore head. those with get up and go, got up and went to all sorts of healthy activities. let's take a look. reporter: believe it or not this was london on new year's day. with all the cheerleaders and marching bands, it could have just as well been new york. in fact, many of the 10,000 participants were visiting from the united states. across the north sea in the netherlands, it was just as chilly. but that didn't put people off their annual new year dip. the water was warmer than last year they said, and they all believe they did -- a cold dip keeps you healthy. this tradition has been going for 70 years now. >> it's a tough thing to do. if you make the smallest mistake you can hurt yourself, and we don't want to hurt ourselves.

we want to go home and have a plate of spaghetti. reporter: in berlin, people were no less keen to get some exercise after the excesses of the night before. nothing too stressful, just six kilometers up and down the boulevard. if you find all this activity to o exhausting for new year's day, vienna had the ideal antidote. the annual concert given by the philharmonic. abby: and a reminder of the top stories we're following for you. state television in iran says at least 13 people have been killed in the ongoing anti-government protests. it is also reported that protesters have tried to take over police stations and military bases. the demonstrations began on thursday and has since spread to several cities across the country.

north korea's leader kim jong-un has delivered a new year's address, saying all of the united states is within range of his country's nuclear missiles. but he adopted a more conciliatory tone towards neighbor south korea, saying he believes talks between the two countries were possible. i'm anny kuhathasan and you are watching "dw news," live from berlin. more coming up at the top of the hour. and don't forget, you can get all the latest from our website, dw.com. thanks for watching. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] reyes: they have been living in honduras for hundreds of

years. now this minority group is struggling to protect its land. i'm elaine reyes in washington, d.c. and this is "americas now." the presence of the garifuna people in honduras dates back over 200 years, but the future of their land may be under threat. chamilio: so listen, to tell you the truth, right now we don't-- we don't trust no one. hadden: i understand. chamilio: especially white boys. hadden: us? chamilio: such as yourself, you know what i mean... hadden: us... reyes: correspondent gerry hadden reports on how development projects and increased violence could lead to their territory being taken away.