Desk officer at all times kim jong un sends a threat to the u. S. Signals a desire for better relations with south korea. Just Political Party calls for the annexation of the occupied west bank plus i. Once the celebrations are over in many places a new year brings new laws will tell you about a few of the. Iranian state media reporting that at least ten people have been killed in antigovernment protests and a Government Back channel says Security Forces repelled the protesters who tried to take over Police Stations and military bases reports havent been independently verified it follows a statement by the president has some rouhani urging people on sunday to demonstrate peacefully. Has more. A social media blackout didnt stop protesters from gathering on irans streets for a fourth day and posting these videos. The iranian government says people have the right to express their discontent but violence is unacceptable the Iranian State media says some social media sites and messaging apps such as telegram have been blocked to keep the peace. On saturday there were also progovernment rallies our own who take it we cannot predict the time when the protests will come to an end but the protests will shake the people in power who must give priority to peoples demands and needs. To know what im going to find the state of the economy and rising prices sparked the initial protests austerity measures after years of sanctions have led to a twelve percent Unemployment Rate but anger has also shifted to Foreign Policy protesters are critical of the Government Support for the Syrian Regime of Bashar Al Assad has bought a lot in lebanon and hamas in the occupied palestinian territory. The iranian government says foreign entities are fomenting violent and deadly clashes among the dead two people one a boy hit by a fire truck in whats been described as an accident Authorities Say it was stolen and abandoned in the heart of the through investigations we came to know there is a clear rule played by the foreign intelligence agencies and the government open session in these killings the police never opened fire on the protesters now did cloven a great role in the in washington d. C. Outside the white house people called for the removal of president has and rouhani President Donald Trump tweeted that people are quote getting wise to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism rouhani fired back. Of all you can do is doubt on this man who today in america wants to simplify as a people has forgotten that a few months ago he called the nation of iran terrorists. These are the largest protests in almost a decade although sundays protests were smaller than the previous night there are calls for people to continue with the demonstrations natasha aljazeera. Is the director of iranian studies at Stanford University and he says president rouhani is facing opposition not only from the public but from within the government i think they are very worried clearly they are worried one of the points that i think needs to be added is that mr rouhani did an interview with Iranian Radio Television he was supposed to be broadcast tonight they decided not to broadcast so they censored the president of the country they did not allow him to talk because i think some in the regime dont think that. Approach to appease the people is right they want to use that arent just a natural the iron fist is going to work i think some of them know that using the iron fist might well infuriate more people and these are not the kinds of people that the regime can afford to lose these are the working class these are the poor these are the most as after that they have now claimed for thirty seven years to be champing. South korea is welcoming a new year message from north koreas leader has raised the possibility of talks kim jong un said the path of dialogue is open and he hopes ties will improve but he also said hed only use Nuclear Weapons of threatened though the launch button is on his desk floor and slowly reports from seoul. This is how north korea welcome to the new year with a fireworks display much like the rest of the world but it is leader kim jong uns new years day address that is drawing all the attention if two thousand and seventeen was marked by fiery rhetoric and rising tensions because of north Koreas Nuclear ambitions two thousand and eighteen may bring more of the same. Colors from the to the u. S. Mainland is within the range of our Nuclear Strike and the Nuclear Button is put on the desk in my office at all times they should clearly understand that this is never a trash what are reality kim has called for the mass production and deployment of more Nuclear Warheads and missiles but weapons experts agree that north korea may not yet have the technology to miniaturize a Nuclear Warhead and mounted a missile that could be entering the atmosphere while kim speech made no mention of the new kid atmospheric test he reiterated the claim that north korea is now a Nuclear Power in stark contrast to the hostile remarks to the United States is the conciliatory overture from kim jong un to south korea hes even suggested dialogue between the two sides something south korean president proposed several months ago and which north korea ignored. Means. We should actively create an atmosphere to move forward with the National Reconciliation and reunification improving ties between the north and the south is an urgent issue that not only the north and south want to see what everyone else wants he suggested north korea is prepared to send its satellites to participate in the upcoming Winter Olympics and paralympics in next month south korea has responded to these proposals positively saying it hopes communication which has been severed between the two sides for nearly two years can be restored to more than south koreas president ial office wall comes north Korean Leader kim jong ils new years speech today which expressed willingness to send a delegation to the counter olympics and proposed talks as he acknowledges dont need for improvement into korean pies but analysts say the olive branch may be a ploy to gain some political ground north korea wants to drive a wedge between seoul in washington at the same time tried to dialogue the impact of economic sanctions north korea is facing its toughest sanctions yet including a cap on petrol imports as punishment for its nuclear and missile tests last year kim jong un speech while it seems to lay open a path to dialogue with south korea is proof that north Koreas Nuclear ambitions are here to stay Florence Li Al Jazeera seoul. Campaign is in hong kong all holding their annual march to the mom their democratic rights are protected and votes for all they accuse government leaders and china of eroding freedoms which were guaranteed when British Colonial rule ended twenty years ago hong kong all freights on a different political system to the chinese mainland activists accuse beijing of interfering in the Territories Affairs division of holland has more from hong kong. The marshes and did here in civic square this is right in front of the government buildings and this is a very important place for the protesters as this is where the twenty fourth scene prodemocracy Umbrella Movement broke out now this square has been closed for the past five years the three student leaders broke into the square and thats what set off that seventy nine day protest thats where was open for the first time this week many protesters were unsure whether that be allowed in here so for them its somewhat of a triumph to be in right here in front of the government buildings but what you see here is people surrounded by police everywhere you look the police are just waiting to remove them from here and them off them to leave that half a nap and get so theyre just biding their time making speeches the numbers of the protest this time gathered pace and started off small many people thought this would be this one be a big significant march but i think came through word civic square here people started joining in and there are. A few hundred now many have left and gone they came with their families and small children but adults adults right the local media saying there are about ten thousand people. The Palestinian Authority is recalling is envoy to the u. S. Following president trumps decision to recognize jerusalem as israels capital the Foreign Ministry says his psalms overloads his return to discuss future palestinian strategy it insists he will return to washington d. C. To resume his duties off to the holiday season. The Largest Party in israels governing coalition has passed a resolution urging the partys leaders to push for israeli sovereignty over parts of the occupied west bank thats land the palestinians want for a future state. Has more from west jerusalem. The fact of the matter is that Prime Minister netanyahu has not issued any statement has not given any kind of reaction to this vote that took place last night one of the more interesting aspects about the run up to this vote is that before it happened many members of the Likud Central Committee had hoped that the Prime Minister netanyahu would actually show up for their conference last night for that meeting where the vote took place in the run up to it in the hours before it there were reports in some Media Outlets here that in fact the Prime Minister. Would be attending that didnt happen and then the fact that that he didnt make any kind of statement leaving a lot of people to wonder is this something that mr netanyahu supports or is he against it now the fact that he actually allowed the vote go through that he didnt try to block it leads some to suspect that its what mr netanyahu actually wants but many of the analysts that ive been speaking with here of saying this is just too much of a political headache for Benjamin Netanyahu at a time when hes under investigation when theres so much condemnation of israel from so many countries around the world in light of u. S. President Donald Trumps decision to formally recognize roussillon as the capital of israel and that mr netanyahu would not want to risk alienating the u. S. Giving them a headache if he were to try to push this resolution through to the knesset and pass it as a law and that also that it wouldnt play for him domestically as well. Our protests demanding the resignation of the president of the democratic republic of congo have turned violent least seven people were killed and dozens arrested by Security Forces after catholics called for Peaceful Demonstrations shallop ballasts reports. The in the democratic republic of Congo Catholic worshipers pray this sunday they pray with a political purpose they want president Joseph Kabila goal crackling was asked was very basic these guys nothing to do was find it was was their prayers were heard by Security Forces in kinshasa twenty seventeen ended as it began kabila second term as president ended in december twenty sixth saying he refused to step down and the un says congolese Security Forces killed forty people who protested the decision four hundred sixty were arrested. One year on they marched after mass twelve a lot of boys and priests were among the dozens arrested tear gas was fired into churches was the hospital is filled with protesters once more so it goes so you might not always see if your term is over give opportunities to others to run your son of the country you belong in the senate gives others the opportunity to lead maybe theyll do it better than you did. Catholic bishops brokered peace talks between the opposition and government but the agreement that could be low would leave office at the end of twenty seven tame but hes still in power and now the catholics and the opposition are united you see me coming in shook england because it is not just simply because we are coming we have come here in order to the way to pray for all we mission. Opposition voices can be heard by ending the fractured country from all corners even in the troubled atheist a thriving battleground between rebels Security Forces say they use of force is justified one Police Officer was killed and this Police Station was torched by protesters it really comes down to some of what we are in need of peace i assure all of our government authorities that our City Government is in peace people should sleep calmly because we as professional police we are doing our job the. President says he will stay in power until december twenty eighth because of delays in voter registration. Meanwhile mosts appeared to becoming increasingly impatient dallas aljazeera. Still had an aljazeera losing their faith in south korea churches and temples trying new ways to bring people back to religion plus. Two thousand and eighteen is Election Year here in brazil and a country that struggling with its corrupt politicians and economic strife will be hoping that something is going to change. How the weather looks recently quiet because a good parts of northeast at the moment we do have a fair amount of snow in our forecast over the next couple of days this little area of cloud here will bring some snow flurries into a good part of as we go searches i south of that as you can see tell themselves is there full of soka and also for tokyo of the Korean Peninsula basically cold had temperatures struggling to get anywhere near freezing on tuesday and the similar pictures to go on into weather same by wednesday night is how that snow does sink its way down coastal impossible she says the over the mountains you can expect it to turn. Rather white and wintry in the coming days tokyo does dry temperatures here at around nine degrees celsius and try to to the far south of China Hong Kong quite nicely at around twenty three degrees but this cloud that we have into central areas at all thicken up tuesday into wednesday a fair amount of cloud and rain thats some snow there with the northern flank of it does turn increasingly wet in shanghai where the top temperature of around twelve degrees celsius starting increasingly wet at the moment across central and southern parts of the philippines mindanao again in the fall. Maggie watching out the zero time to recap our headlines Iranian State television says ten people have been killed in antigovernment protests and thursday thousands of been rallying against poverty and corruption in the biggest demonstrations and two thousand and nine south korea is welcoming a new year message from north koreas leader has raised the possibility of reopening talks about reconciliation and reunification kim jong un said the path to dialogue is open and improving ties and urgent issue the Largest Party in israels governing coalition has passed a resolution calling for the alex ation of large parts of the occupied west bank that sly and the palestinians want for a future state Prime MinisterBinyamin Netanyahu is not bound to follow a vote by his likud party. Over the start of two thousand and eighteen south koreas clergy are going to have to start paying income tax religious leaders had been exempt for more than six decades some priests and monks have been paying income tax on a voluntary basis but others are resisting calling it interference in religious affairs the reforms are coming into force at a time when South Koreans are moving away from religion with the church seen as archaic and out of touch this Terry Berkeley reports from seoul us its being made to reverse that trend. Its no bigger than an office but this is the soul that is church there almost eighty thousand protestant churches in the country many a small is this for the last fifty years christianity has been a big part of south korean life along with the United States south korea is the biggest exporter of missionaries in the world more than ten thousand south korean preachers are active in one hundred sixty countries for me and for my my own and for my pastor miller said in dream. To preserve the first in the planets first then next one is that we tried to communicate. In south korea though that message is being ignored christianity is the major faith followed by buddhism but young people are moving away from all religions the latest survey shows that fifty six percent of the population now describe themselves as nonreligious. One of these or that i think people need someone to rely on but i usually go to my Family Friends and girlfriend so i dont really feel the need to be religious. Some believe Church Leaders and priests live affluent lifestyles with no financial transparency and are out of touch with modern society. It seems south korean religions have failed to maintain the moral and Ethical Trust of the border and many especially young people have decided to leave their religion that thats one of the main reasons for all denominations in south korea wrestling with the problem of how to stop the religious decline and how to adapt to a fast changing World Without sacrificing their principles and values thats wont be easy but faiths are desperately searching for ways to modernize and become an important part of Korean Society once again. Less archaic methods are being adopted including discussions and lectures in informal settings and technology is being introduced. Phone apps have been developed so sermons and scriptures are easily accessible and more and more modern thinking churches are using Live Streaming video of services. Buddhism once more popular than christianity here has suffered the most only fifteen percent of the population actively follow the faith now temples are offering temple stays for people to enjoy good food and meditation in peaceful surroundings as a way of reintroducing them to the faith. They may be considered gimmicks and gadgets but it may be the last chance for faith to stop koreans from losing their religion completely Tony Berkeley aljazeera seoul. To a world first now in iceland it started the new year by becoming the first country in the world to legalize equal pay between men and women companies and Government Agencies face fines if they cant prove pay parity firms with at least twenty five employees must have government certification of equal pay policies icelands been ranked by the World Economic forum as the most gender equal country for the past nine years but in other Countries Worldwide discrimination is getting worse the World Economic forum says for the First Time Since two thousand and six parity gaps widened in the workplace as well as Health Education and politics. In the door to pin this is a board member of the icelandic womens Rights Association she says previous equal pay laws have been unsuccessful. This legislation is basically a mechanism that companies and organizations that are. Employing twenty five or more people so the employers have to evaluate every job thats been done and then they get a certification after they gone through the process if they are paying men and women equally so its really just a mechanism to ensure that women and men are paid equally the reaction has been a little bit mixed during the last ten years now but i think now people are starting to realize that this is a systematic problem we have to tackle with new methods and i think people are becoming more positive moment especially because i think women have been talking about this for decades. And i really think that. We have managed to raise awareness and we have managed to get to the point that people realize that the legislation we have had in place is not working and we need to do something more in the next part of our series looking ahead to two thousand and eighteen we had to brazil the countrys emerging from a recession and struggling with the fallout from corruption scandals but there is hope elections could bring renewal john home and reports from received in brazil. Brazilian politics is in the doldrums forty percent of the congress are under investigation for corruption the president s ratings are in Single Digits and his reforms a stuck but this year brings elections on the promise of change. Aid to many of brazils poor little feast that means hope for the return of former president Luis Inacio Lula providing he can be corruption charges his leftist government was known for helping the working class examples of one leader for us with lower income the best president with. He did more for us he offered us social programs like bosso familiar improvement in the region schools for the children and peace. In more affluent south paolo many echoed the view of months ago they see both lula disclosed his chum and judge i had balsa not a right winger whos progun an anti gay is dangerous populists. But imo it was like the biggest concern is the polarization these days i work in the Financial Market and all that really a fact shares in commodities prices and were worried because so far there is no other candidate that could challenge those two. That worry has reached professor cram of the sousa as he walks the corridors of power in the Brazilian Congress he sees a stagnant political scene so we need hill personally offhand then about all of these corruption and about the fact that all of these called all of these speeches up all talk a and your kind of society ideal kind of brazil one you kind of perspective it it all feels that ok deadline this is only the third decade of democracy in brazil after a military dictatorship and people say that in the early years Election Night was like a huge party but corruption and mismanagement of really ground that down and now. Many here the countrys political dinosaurs have taken over that party for themselves. It was the will footage is trying to get fresh talent vote he said a program which Public Policy experts who trained would be congressman from all walks of life its paid for by entrepreneurs crowdfunding the only rule though career politician of the political system is very entrenched so our plan is through this program is to help to challenge the status quo and break this vicious cycle of decline in brazilian politics. That will be tough the candidates from still have to run with this stablish parties in brazil the pendants are allowed but if a discredited Political Class is to change diski it could at least be the start john homan now does it or. At least eight people have died when a ferry sank off in the uneasier many of the boats fifty one passengers have been rescued but thirteen people are still missing near kalimantan island injured people have been taken to Hospital Police are investigating the cause of the accident. Two thousand and eighteen is being welcomed with spectacular fireworks displays across the globe. This is the scene from last vegas just a few hours ago although a little late to the policy compared to the rest of the world people rang in festivities with music im looking forward to two thousand and eighteen both old chris and salome takes a look at some of the most colorful celebrations. Two thousand and eighteen got off to a colorful start down under in new zealand and australia they are a rainbow of fireworks lit up the sydney harbor bridge in celebration of that countrys legalization of gay marriage. In tokyo the color was white japanese revelers released helium balloons each one containing a wish or a prayer for the new year. They were looking ahead to the two thousand and eighteen winter Olympic Games in south korea and hoping for peace with their neighbors to the north where Ballistic Missile tests have aroused International Fears of a fireworks display of another kind its one of Many International conflicts the United Nations secretary general called on World Leaders to solve. I mean its a red alert for our worlds conflicts and the point a new they have emerged global in science is about Nuclear Weapons are the highest since the cold war and Climate Change is moving faster than we are inequalities are growing and receipt. Of human rights i urge readers everywhere to make these new years resolution narrow the gaps bridge the divides rebuild trust by bringing people together around common goals unity is the best. There were a few signs of conflict on this holiday in the middle east just a spectacular laser light show in dubai. And no obvious divisions in europe for hundreds of thousands of people came together to party from london to Rio De Janeiro with its party on the copacabana beach. Or mexico city with its fireworks. I. I and no one knows how to celebrate new years like New York New York revelers braved bone chilling cold terrorist threats and a blizzard of confetti to ring in two thousand and thirteen sharing one thing that is universal this holiday the hope of even better days to come kristen so many aljazeera video. Lets take you through some of the headlines here now to syria now Iranian State media are reporting at least ten people have been killed in antigovernment protests and sunday thousands have been rallying against poverty and corruption and the biggest demonstrations since two thousand and nine a Government Backed channel says Security Forces repelled armed protesters who tried to take over Police Stations and military bases their ports havent been independently verified. South korea is welcoming a new year message from north koreas leader has raised the possibility of reopening talks about reconciliation kim jong un said the path to dialogue is open he also said hed only use Nuclear Weapons if threatened and that the launch button was on his desk. We should actively create an atmosphere to move forward with the National Reconciliation and reunification improving ties between the north and the south is an urgent issue that not only the north and so want but everyone else wants its a grave matter to which the entire korean nation needs to put its efforts towards resolving contacts and dialogue between the north under south will expand exchanges on cooperation and we should dispel mutual misunderstanding and distrust and take responsibility and our role as the main agent for the unification of the Largest Party in israels governing coalition has passed a resolution calling for the annexation of large parts of the occupied west Bank Palestinians want the land for a future state but israels Prime Minister isnt bound to follow the vote of the liquid party. Police in india have arrested two managers of amman by restaurant where a fire killed fourteen people from days blazing gulf the four Story Building including the rooftop restaurant in less than thirty minutes. Two thousand and eighteen has been welcomed with spectacular fireworks displays across the globe vegas was one of the latest cities to welcome in the new year people in new york braved the cold weather to join in celebrations in times square. Those the headlines of these continues here on aljazeera after inside story stay with us. Eighteen be the year when the war in syria finally and said hes confident his wisdom is no longer fights and off to russia helps him turn the tide of the military gains what kind of political settlement is possible this is inside story