Willem Marks

The protests originally began in late December with shopkeepers and traders in Tehran.

That's the capital's Grand Bazaar.

They essentially shut their shops to protest price rises and a collapse in the country's currency.

But they've since spread across the country, these protests.

Activists reporting that the death toll has climbed sharply, with hundreds of protesters now believed to be dead, thousands detained in the clashes between these demonstrators and security forces.

And protesters are not just demanding economic relief anymore.

Many are chanting anti-government slogans.

There are reports of clashes in cities.

The current set of demonstrations that have lasted two weeks are the biggest in years, and the Iranian authorities have promised to safeguard their existing system of government.

Meanwhile, President Trump has posted on social media that the U.S.

stands, quote, ready to help.

with Iran, quote, looking at freedom perhaps like never before.

Restrictions on internet access limit information from inside Iran, but as night fell Saturday, recently posted videos seemed to show fresh protests in parts of the capital city, Tehran, and several other cities across the country.

Reza Pahlavi, son of the last shah of Iran who was deposed in 1979, issued one of his frequent messages, urging protesters to expand their efforts so as to topple the country's theocratic leadership.

For NPR News, I'm Willem Marks.

The apology from BBC chairman Samir Shah came in a letter to a UK parliamentary committee.

President Trump had written to the BBC over the weekend, asking for it to, quote, appropriately compensate him for a documentary that the BBC said had misleadingly suggested he'd issued a violent directive to those protesting the 2020 presidential election results.

The BBC's director general and news CEO both resigned Sunday night, with the outgoing CEO, Deborah Ternes, insisting that the BBC was not, quote, institutionally biased.

The chairman, Shah, dismissed suggestions the BBC had failed to deal with criticisms raised by an external adviser, which was subsequently leaked to a newspaper.

For NPR News, I'm Willem Marks in London.