Nonstop flights are available from most major airports. More information for your vacation planning is available at aruba. Com. And now, bbc world news. Laura this is bbc world news america. Reporting from washington, i am laura trevelyan. Taking sides in iran. The u. S. Praises the courage of the demonstrators and denies claims by irans Supreme Leader of involvement. Continued existence of serious, widespread poverty represents the threat to the very legitimacy of a communist party that came to power promising to help communities like these, not leave them behind. Laura and here is a page turner. This bookstore in scotland is letting anyone take over, and the move is proving a bestseller. Laura welcome to our viewers on Public Television in america and around the globe. In iran, protesters took to the streets for the sixth day in a row in the biggest challenge to the countrys religious leaders since 2009. Irans Supreme Leader says that enemies of his nation are stirring up unrest, a claim dismissed as complete nonsense by the u. S. Ambassador to the united nations, nikki haley. She also praised the courage of the iranian demonstrators. State media in tehran says nine people died overnight in the violence. Heres our middle east editor, jeremy bowen. Jeremy in tehran, squads of Motorbike Police are cruising the streets to break up groups of demonstrators. The protests have changed since they started last thursday. To begin with, they were about the economy. Most of the protesters are young men. More than 50 of iranians are under 30. Perhaps 40 of them are unemployed. But pentup political frustration is spilling out, and much of it has been directed at this man, the Supreme Leader, ayatollah ali khamenei. He is the powerful figurehead of the islamic republic. Attacks on his posters will be seen as attacks on the islamic system. He is blaming irans foreign enemies. Ayatollah khamenei following recent events, the enemies have united and are using all their means money, weapons, policies, and Security Services to create problems for the islamic republic. Jeremy it is not just ayatollah khamenei, the Supreme Leader, who is blaming foreigners. The former president , a reformist, says iranians have the right to protest, but he blamed irans enemies, led by the United States, for inciting people to destroy public buildings and insult religious values. President obama in 2009 was careful not to give the last big protests his backing. But President Trump has tweeted his support. The people of iran, he declared, are finally acting against the brutal and corrupt iranian regime. The americans are encouraging to protests, but they denied they are behind them. Ambassador haley we all know that is complete nonsense. The demonstrations are completely spontaneous. They are virtually in every city in iran. This is the precise picture of a longoppressed people rising up against their dictators. Jeremy the last big protests in iran were in 2009 at for a after a disputed president ial election. Back then, they were defeated by the power of the state, even though they were led by top politicians and faced a badly divided islamic leadership. The new streetlevel protests dont have national leaders, and may run out of steam. This is not a new iranian revolution. Though it is clear that many iranians are fed up with increasing poverty and years of repression. The fact that protests are happening at all is very significant to iran, its allies, and enemies, in a chaotic part of the world. Jeremy bowen, bbc news. Laura for more, i spoke a brief time ago with Karim Sadjadpour from the Carnegie Endowment for international peace. Karim, how much of a challenge are these protests to leaders . Karim the protests are significant, because if you look at a map of what is taking place , almost the entire area of western iran is in a state of near insurrection. Towns and provinces along the border. These are important places because the inhabitants are ethnic and religious minorities, iranian kurds, iranian arabs, some of whom are sunnis. That is also an area where iran has a lot of its oil wealth. If these protests are to hamper irans oil production, that hurts the government deeply. Laura the protests began in mashhad, a city of pilgrimage. Can you how significant that is can you explain how significant that is . Karim it is very significant. I liken it to protests happening in a u. S. State like kentucky, really a red state. Mashhad is thought to be a stronghold for the iranian government, and the fact that the supporters began there and the slogan seven so strident, not just calling for reform but an end to the regime, has taken everyone by surprise. Laura when President Trump tweets that the world is watching and the u. S. Ambassador to the u. N. Praises the courage of the demonstrators, does that help them . Karim i think u. S. Officials are always going to voice support for protests which are against the regime whose official slogan is death to america. The question is what is the most constructive way to help. Any u. S. Statement must be very carefully crafted, on message, not freewheeling. But more important is what the u. S. Does, and the key is to mobilize International Support to inhibit the iranian regimes ability to repress and censor en masse. Laura how long do you think the iranian government will let these protests go on before it really cracks down . Karim the playbook of Supreme Leader ayatollah khamenei, one of the longestserving autocrats in the world, is always to crush any type of protest, not to give an inch, because his philosophy is if you compromise if you are under pressure, that projects vulnerability and invites more pressure. I expect in the coming weeks and days that the Security Forces are going to assert themselves. But the big question they may be able to do that in tehran, but how do you do that in smaller towns throughout the country, especially at a time when iran has been focused on fighting wars in syria and yemen and iraq . They have not been focused on fighting insurrections at home. Laura and how much anger is that causing within iran, particularly iranian involvement in syria . Karim that is one of the slogans of the people, forget about syria, think about us. Iranian government, the numbers are negative, but according to some estimates, they spent tens of billions supporting Bashar Alassad since 2011, and people are naturally angry about that when their living stances have just circumstances have deteriorated. Laura Karim Sadjadpour, thank you for joining us. Karim thank you. Laura of course we will continue to follow that story of the iranian protests, which are about to enter the third week. Chinas government aims to lift 43 Million People out of fixing poverty in just three years. President xi points to close the wants to close the gap between chinas urban rich and the countrys rural poor. As John Sudworth reports from a remote Mountain Village in the southwest, it is an ambitious goal. John it is best not to look down. Stepbystep, heavily laden, this is the only way to the village at the top. But the 2hour, 800meter climb is easier and safer than it used to be. The old homemade wooden ladder, still visible here and there, has been replaced by a spectacular series of steel ladders. Remote mountain communities like these, languishing so far behind chinas big cities, now find themselves on the front line of a massive antipoverty campaign. The improved access to these clifftop village has won praise from none other than president xi jinping. But life here remains tough. While president xi may be promising to the 43 million to lift 43 Million People out of this kind of extreme poverty, not everyone is convinced. We have no income. We are poor. We grow corn and potatoes, nothing else. John the government says it wants to wipe out poverty in the next three years in china. Do you think it is possible . I dont really think so. John china has a more radical solution, though. In the past 12 months alone, more than 3 million of chinas poorest people have been relocated to new homes. A smiling president xi looks down on the new school rooms. This family has now left its remote Mountain Village for good. You no longer live close to your animals. Do you miss those things, those traditions . We dont miss the old way of life or the unhygienic things like having a pigsty near the door. John meanwhile, the antipoverty slogans are everywhere. Even the new ladder is a National News story. This is poverty as propaganda. It is an issue that is now dominating the domestic news agenda, and it is driven by the vision of just one. President xi jinping knows that the continued existence of serious, widespread poverty represents a threat to the very legitimacy of a communist party that came to power promising to help communities like these, not leave them behind. Even if china can help all those living below the extreme poverty line, tens of millions more will be left languishing just above it. But while there are many challenges, no one can doubt the sheer scale of chinas ambitions. John sudworth, bbc news. Laura chinas journey out of poverty. In other news from around the world, the United States says it is hearing reports north korea might be preparing for another missile test, and says it will bring tougher measures to bear on pyongyang if that happens. The u. S. State department, meanwhile, expressed skepticism over an offer of talks by north korea to the south, saying that kim jongun might be trying to drive a wedge between washington and seoul. Israel has told thousands of african migrants to leave the country or face jail. The government is offering nearly 40,000 failed asylumseekers, mainly from eritrea and sudan, up to 300,000 each, but only if they leave the country in the next 90 days. 2017 was the safest year for Civil Aviation in the u. S. Since statistics were first compiled in 1946. Last year the Aviation City network reported a total of 10 crashes of civil planes. President trump hailed the results and credited his own administrations very strict stance on aviation for the positive data. Now, the u. S. Has confirmed that it is withholding more than 250 million in aid to pakistan and has accused islamabad of playing a double game in shielding terrorists. This comes a day after a tweet by President Trump led to protests in pakistan, with demonstrators shouting antiamerican slogans and burning american flags. In his first tweet of 2018, mr. Trump said the United States has foolishly handed pakistan more than 33 billion in aid the last three years and have been rewarded with nothing but lies and deceit. Earlier, my colleague katty kay spoke to Daniel Markey, author of no exit from pakistan. She began by asking him about the differences between President Trumps approach and that of his predecessors. Daniel yeah, this looks like a much more coercive approach than anything we have seen before. I would suggest that both president s bush and obama before also had the hope that by providing incentives, the United States could gradually win pakistan over katty so were looking at less carrot and more sticks . Daniel exactly. Katty what would that look like . Daniel cutting off the carrots that have already been flowing likely cutting 255 million in military assistance that was being held in a kind of escrow account to see if pakistan would come forward on attacking groups like the haqqani network, and a the determination apparently is that they have not. First, the downsizing of existing aid. And one could imagine racking up threatening of existing moves on afghanistan. Targeting of sanctions, loans from the imf, even more kinetic operations across the border from afghanistan into pakistan. These are the kinds of ways we could ratchet up pressure on pakistan. Laura that was Daniel Markey speaking to katty kay on her show beyond 100 days. You are watching bbc world news america. Still to come on tonights program. China on the rise and other trends of 2018. We will look at Geopolitical Uncertainty facing the world in the year ahead. More than 300 of the top women in hollywood have teamed up to tackle Sexual Harassment in the workplace. The campaign, called times u p, includes the stars such as Cate Blanchett and jennifer lawrence. It follows revelations about harvey weinstein. Reporter fullpage ad in the first New York Times of 2018 beginning dear sisters, a literature every women who has had to fend off sexual advances. Women across the Entertainment Industry are determined to kick off the new year with changes to their industry. They call it times up. In 2017, hollywood was overwhelmed with allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct by some of the most powerful players. It began with a flood of allegations against harvey weinstein, one of the film industrys biggest producers. It led to me too, a Global Initiative with women and men sharing stories of abuse and harassment. The movement shows no signs of slowing down. Oscar winners natalie portman, blanchett, and cate are among supporters of times up. Do is tohey want to us help those who may be facing Sexual Harassment and misconduct and have reported it and face backlash. Many of these women in these circumstances do not have the money to fight. That is where the Legal Defense fund would come in. Reporter hollywood is entering award season, and on the red carpet this year, organizers are as the actresses to wear black. The central promise of the movement lies away from the clamor a end to gender inequality and rebalance of power and a final sign up in solidarity. ,aura well, it is a new year and alongside our hopes for 2018 comes the reality of an insecure world. The Eurasia Group has been its annualthis for top risks report, highlighting the dangers that Global Investors and the rest of us should be aware of in the year ahead. Topping the list is china and how it could fill what it calls the Leadership Void created by the planning u. S. Influence. Then there is the risk of accidents which could trigger conflict potentially in a north korea and syria. A global tech cold war is also want to watch, as our u. S. Iranian relations. A brief time ago i spoke to cliff kupchan, chairman of the Eurasia Group, and we spoke about the evolving relationship between the u. S. And china. Cliff the risk has been developing under president obama but really got on jet skis under President Trump. The u. S. Is in retrenchment, and china loves a vacuum. President xi jinping has declared that china will be a takeraker, not a rule moving forward. Trade, writing checks, lashing out at big companies. Not imposing their values on other countries. It is an increasingly appealing model. Laura you say that it is more appealing, chinas political model, than americas. What could that mean in the coming year . Cliff first of all, there is polling data to show that. As china rises, america and its allies are going to start to bristle as to whether it is in trade, the south china sea, there are lots of potential flashpoints. Chinas systemic structural rise creates preconditions for conflicts in a number of areas. Laura you also talk about accidental risk, how this retreat by america could lead to things happening, and you particularly talk about north korea. What are you worried about there . Cliff in north korea, things we routine, mundane, like kim jongun shooting a missile over japan. Nothings happened. Well, the japanese could react badly to that, and it could escalate. Also in north korea, a simple fact that is often overlooked, there is a lot of hardware, north korea, south korea, american, in very close proximity to each other. They could start shooting at each other and miscalculate, escalate. Laura when you talk about that risk of something happening inadvertently, you also highlight the risk of u. S. Iran relations, and you look at syria. What is it that you think could go wrong there . Cliff syrias problem is the one i worry about the most, because in syria you have lots of hardware owned by countries that really dont like each other. U. S. And russia russian bombers almost daily violate the demarcation zone between the u. S. And russia, the airspace. Moreover, u. S. And iranian troops are embedded with our allies, and u. S. And iranian weaponry is very close to each other. We see what is going on. Trump is supporting the protesters in the street today. That could spill over and escalate in a very dangerous way. Laura closer to home, you also highlight mexico as being a big political risk. It is a big year for them. They have a president ial election. We also have these highstakes north American Free trade agreement talks. What is the risk if those talks fail . Cliff if the nafta talks fail, there will be unprecedented uncertainty and Downside Risk for tremendous trade flows in the worlds most prosperous region, a. B, mexico will get clobbered economically. Very dependent on trade. C, the mexican election is 1 july of next year. Obrador, a statist, is likely to win, very bad for investment climate. Laura cliff kupchan, thank you. Cliff it was my pleasure. To getnow, if you want away from current events, if you love reading and dont mind cold weather, how about running your