A top priority also coming up. The largest protest since two thousand and nine from iran the from tehran student clashed with police and two demonstrators are shot dead and the rest of the country. I know donna welcome to the program. Where the world starts ringing in the new year and New Zealanders were among the first to celebrate the capital started the new year off with a bang with one of the worlds first major fireworks displays of twenty eighteen and tens of thousands gathered as a dazzling show of pyrotechnics lives up the skyline around the citys iconic sky tower. On the camp and to midnight is underway here in germany in berlin tight security measures are being put in place at the Brandenburg Gate at the main festivities will take place the mass sexual assaults in cologne that took place on new years eve two years ago still high over the celebrations the finishing touches on preparations for new years eve in berlin and the Brandenburg Gate is getting ready to host hundreds of thousands of people a Massive Party and an even bigger security concern. Course there will be police at the event especially outside as well as five hundred security personnel. We have strict admission policies will be checking all visitors and their bags and no fireworks glass bottles large bags or suitcases will be allowed and there will be concrete poles outside the event as well as vehicle road blocks. And. The blocks are to prevent truck attacks like the one on a Christmas Market at brightside plots last year but another major concern is womens safety during the celebrations. For the first time organizers in berlin are setting up a place for women to seek help at attention run by the german red cross volunteers will be on hand to help anyone who has been sexually assaulted or just needs a place of refuge celebrations are also planned at the cologne cathedral near the citys main train station this is where hundreds of women were assaulted or robbed on new years eve two years ago many of the suspects were recent immigrants or Asylum Seekers fueling criticism of chancellor Angela Merkels decision to let more than a million migrants into germany. But after the masses salts in cologne do women feel less safe. Im not the kind of person to be afraid and so honestly i havent really thought about it i wont be at the clone cathedral but i live in cologne and i go out at night without any worries. Because im not worried about it i think there are enough security measures after what happened. Yeah i dont know something should be done about this but i think its clear that you wont be safe anywhere. Germany isnt taking any chances its beefing up security with more police on the streets and Video Surveillance cameras hoping to usher in a happy and peaceful new year. Germans must come together in twenty a scene thats the message from chancellor Angela Merkel in her i knew a new years eve address to be broadcast later today has a preview for merkel highlights the challenges ahead shes struggling to form a government after the most recent elections failed to produce a clear coalition. It was a difficult Political Year for chancellor Angela Merkel at the very beginning of her speech she addressed the social atmosphere in germany and the tensions also filed i think as i know from many conversations and meetings during the year that many of us are worried about social cohesion in germany long ago but weve not seen such differences of opinion about this in a long time some even speak of a rift in our society. Merkel mentioned the worries over whether the government would be able to organize and direct immigration into germany but she also spoke of the fears and doubts of People Living in the countryside who feel left behind those are her obligations as for Foreign Policy she look to europe and says she is expecting decisive years ahead for the european union. Plans you know this geminis future is in the extra could be linked to europes future the twenty seven states in europe must be urged most strongly than ever to stick together as one community that will be the decisive question in the years ahead the question will be whether we europeans can stay true to our values in the global and Digital World we salute darity and selfconfidence expressing them both internally and externally but european policymakers are also waiting for germany to form a new federal government for chancellor merkel that will be the most pressing task in the coming months. As bring in our Political Correspondent there for more on this. Because that in government for twelve years she openly speaks about a rift in society here is this her failure well thats what her critics are certainly saying she is mentioning a rift shes talking about the years ahead of making germany fit for the future needing more investment also on infrastructure and the question of course that then is hanging in the room what has she been doing for more than a decade and she very much so you can see there is somebody who works down a list of actual challenges when they are posed shes not like him on a macor somebody whos going to throw out that big vision of where to go and thats what many critics still hold against her but his shes also been quite clear that this european project thats still the way ahead for germany and that she wants to build on that. How likely is it that were going to see america cobbled together governments and lead us well for now there are Coalition Talks on the cards those are due to begin with the social democrats the Current Coalition that we still see in this category are meant for now potentially could continue but the social democrats are trying to put a very high price on the continuation of that corporation and all i can tell you is that were bracing ourselves for very very tough talks indeed a lot of that will be drama the big question is will there be an outcome that can avoid fresh elections being called the next coming weeks will tell well were three months without a government here in germany how likely is when is there going to be whats your call if they do manage to government together all we heard from the sister party of under michael c. D. U. Horse the horse there a leading figure here in durham politics saying that they should really get their act together before easter that would be the beginning of april that anything before that would certainly mean that politicians on all sides are losing credibility and he doesnt really want to see the kind of so in dance that we saw with this failure of talks that we saw before with the democrats and the green party having said that horse the will for himself was someone who was making that very public indeed that infighting over a coalition yeah i cant tell you frankly but i think that certainly there is public pressure growing you can see it in the polls that the patience here in germany certainly is wearing when we get across there thank you very much for coming in studio today. And well be broadcasting im going to record full new years speech in english later on today and it will be going out at nineteen u. T. C. Now moving on to some of the other stories making news around the worlds. At least thirty six people have been killed and more than ten injured in a bus crash in Central Kenya police say a bus and a lhari collided on a dangerous stretch of highway close to the guru town more than one hundred people have died on that route just this month alone. A period president elect george promised to tackle corruption in the country in his first speech since winning the election he also declared liberia was open for investment victory works the first democratic transfer of power in the country in over seventy years. For indian soldiers and three suspected militants have been killed after an attack on a paramilitary camp in disputed kashmir Officials Say gunmen stormed the company or so there in that through or a village no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. And two people have been killed in the western irradiance says he of door roads as protests across the country state officials have denied Security Forces were responsible instead blaming foreign agents unconfirmed social media reports a police shot of the protesters states officials have warned that those stoking disorder will quote pay the price. Protests against unemployment inflation and corruption went into the third day in several cities across iran the capital tehran saw burning bins on a burning building. At the gates of the University Hundreds of students and others clashed with riot police. Earlier state television finally reported the demonstrations that have been spreading over the last few days the newsreader blamed what she called hostile websites and alien media for stirring up just as his faction called the protests illegal state television showed a peaceful demonstration but there were clashes earlier with police in the western city of come on show. The government does not like support tens of thousands of iranians took part in rallies planned for weeks they commemorate progovernment demonstrations eight years ago that put an end to unrest following a disputed election rallies were shuttled in more than one thousand two hundred locations on saturday but some supporters did acknowledge that there were valid reasons to protest and what people are protesting because they are under economic pressure the government must be responsive in the face of rising inflation and economic hardships. To get them out of it and the people have protested against inflation and other problems but that doesnt show that people have turned on each other or are against the ruling says time and the leadership. Security police are everywhere in the Islamic Republic so open political protest is rare but this crowd in the port of banda shouted we dont want a clerical regime that suggests that what began as frustration over unemployment inflation and corruption has become something more revolutionary. For more were joined by iranian journalists aides kalmadi dig on hes at the Guardian Newspaper in london say they you have been monitoring the situation what is the latest that youre hearing. I mean last night the demonstrations became bigger in provinces a lot of people went out in the streets in different cities across iran and what is interesting about this new wave of protests in iran is that its not focused in tehran the capital you know when we compare it to the two thousand and nine quarters for example its mainly happening in the provinces and of course there are some of the there were some clashes in some cities and in the lowest on province in the city of beirut as you mentioned two people were killed and there were no videos of the moment they were killed posted online if art is in iran today you know that they were not told by the antiriot police they were killed they blamed their deaths on you know Foreign Intelligence Services and three groups. But. Well its too soon to say. How the handling of the reign of floridas last night was heavy handed or not but there appears to be only does limited in the reports of deaths so far so u. S. President donald trump has he said that the world is watching the actions that there were any in regime is the real uranian government at this point worry debased pressure from the international community. I mean. Of course iranian authorities have always had the suspicion that the u. S. Once regime change in iran you know sometimes under described administration in washington theyve been very blunt about it that they want regime change in iran so there is no i mean of course what trump said is not going to go down well among the authorities in iran i have to say from my understanding from what i see iranians themselves by large also do not approve of the policies of trauma who impose a travel ban on all iranians a blanket travel ban on the only run ins. But of course these are difficult times for the iranian fire this is a big challenge for damn for the president rouhani was imperent iran as the president is the biggest challenge to the iranian leadership since two thousand and nine from the chance the rare chance at last night that they were deaf to hominids Supreme Leader such chance such an act of resistance is quite rare inside iran the group images us are actually a harmony was for example taken down from the streets of tehran not a city at least so these are Interesting Times that was the update there from the arranger in the states can money take on thank you for that. Now the Central Japanese town of takayama is known for its unique ritual that sets the new year off with a bracing start guided by a shinto priest these brave men and women are taking part in a purification ceremony only. Picturing themselves as rubles ready to set on that journey into the new year begins as they did into things in cold river and a prayer for glass house. And just a reminder of the top story that were following for you new zealand has become one of the first countries in the world to bring in the new year tens of thousands gathered as a dazzling show of pyrotechnics the skyline around the citys iconic tower. Thats in europe for now is to join us again at the top of the hour to change. Is going. To. Change you know the banks. And to watch the language of a bank with money