but he added that the roman catholic church couldn t permit same sex marriages. and who ll claim the major prizes at this year s grammy awards? all you need to know about music s biggest night. hello, welcome to bbc news. iran s supreme leader is pardoning a large number of prisoners, including some of those arrested during the past months of protests. the pardon by ayatollah khamenei comes on the eve of the anniversary of the islamic revolution in 1979, a date on which he regularly offers an amnesty to some prisoners. but the iranian state media says it excludes those facing charges of spying for foreign agencies, murder and bodily harm, as well as the destruction or arson of state property. taraneh stone from the bbc s persian service says those freed have several conditions attached to their release. the supreme leader has agreed to pardon and commute sentences of tens of thousands of people who are in prison or who are waiting for sentences. the letter from the judiciary
rebel held suburb of ghouta as fighters announced that forming a new united front. i m happy new year fifty s across the world go fireworks crazy as they ring in twenty eighteen. month on how most with all the sports news including manchester city s record winning streak in the english premier league finally ends after eighteen games. we re getting reports that protesters on the back on the streets of iran for a fourth day the reuters news agency says police have fired water cannons on demonstrators gathering in central tehran protests have also been reported in two cities in the country s west. iran s government has one protest as a crackdown if they continued but the first public comments from president has on rouhani appear to be conciliatory he says protesting is the right of the people but it should not only to violent speech a shop reports. this video of protest posted on social media has been blocked by the rain and government the ban follows a nationwide demonstration
on tonight s pbs newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security. at carnegie.org. and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. woodruff: president trump is rejecting any allegations of wrongdoing, and also the need for a new, independent investigation. he spoke out today, as a special counsel began looking into ties between his campaign and russia. william brangham begins our coverage. well i respect the move, but the entire thing has been a witch hunt. brangham: the president
major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security. at carnegie.org. and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. woodruff: president trump is rejecting any allegations of wrongdoing, and also the need for a new, independent investigation. he spoke out today, as a special counsel began looking into ties between his campaign and russia. william brangham begins our coverage. well i respect the move, but the entire thing has been a witch hunt. brangham: the president s displeasure with the nam
jon stewart on his directorial debut of the serious film, rosewater. there s sometimes a misperception, i think, of satire, that it is clownish in the sense no disrespect to clowns but that it s baggy pants. it s not. it s a way of expressing ideas and synthesize information that you truly believe in, just using the tools of satire. mark she ds and david brooks analyze the week s news. sreenivasan: those are some of the stories we re covering on tonight s pbs newshour. moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. lincoln financial committed to helping you take charge of your life and become you re own chief life officer. and with the ongoing support of these institutions this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. sreenivasan: the long- delayed and much fought over keystone x-l pipeline is back on congress to-do list. it w