>> iran has seen what may be the biggest protests against the government in more than a year. the news agency is reporting one person was shot dead and several wounded. protesters came out in the 1000's to find the detention of several political leaders. the agency plans opposition supporters for the killings. >> listen to what they are chanting tonight in tehran, mubarak, now time for ali. that is the name of iran's supreme leader. it is a rare attack on the country's untouchable ruler. one man films this footage from a balcony. riot police take back the streets from protesters.

another man is taken away by the police. he is hit over the head as he walks away. earlier, a crowd of demonstrators went after a man they accused of being a government spy. they are trying to follow what they have seen in tunisia and egypt. >> we have seen hundreds of riot police and security forces. then they started to disperse people by force. people are starting to chance against the police. i could see a lot of clashes. we started to launch teargas. >> this protester has no fear of government or hikes. he waved banners from the top of a crane. demonstrators believe their own 2009 anti-government protests helped to inspire protesters

this year. now they say that the arab world protests have inspired them to try to have another go at facing down their own governments in iran. demonstrators are on the streets of another middle eastern country. this time the u.s. knows what it wants to said. >> they deserve to have the same rights that they saw played out in egypt and are part of their own birthrights. >> but iran's government defeated them in 2009 and will expect to do so again in 2011. >> the iranian security forces have been told to track down -- crackdown very hard on the opposition. but that does not necessarily mean the opposition movement will go away.

>> we don't know if one day protests by a few hundred people will make any difference, but the apposition has made one important point. it is still alive. >> and has been a day of war protesters as people demand better pay and conditions. police and transport workers are among those refusing to work. the military urged all egyptians to go back to their jobs. >> the freedom to protest brings with it all sorts of new challenges. a fight broke out at the gates of the interior ministry among police officers demanding more pay. the euphoria has been pushed aside by the tensions. there are still huge frustrations over low wages and

rising prices. >> there is seeping up pressure but the transition to a democracy depends on the same men who for many years -- >> the generals are pushing for some reform but are wary of the forces unleashed. >> there was a fit statement today urging people to return to work. but if there is work, the gods of the e egyptian pyramids are pleading for foreigners to return. the old government had pledged public sector employees a 15% pay rise. many give their support for the best organizers of the opposition movements. >> this has been a really big problem.

the mubarak regime destroyed the country in all aspects. >> with the economy under pressure, european governments were being urged to freeze the assets of the president and his family. >> they have to be judged. they have to return money. this is where the foreign countries can help. you are asking me if this includes the president? yes, it includes the president's family. they are very, very rich. >> recovering that money would be a huge vote winner. in the end, it is the currency of a new political system for which they wait impatiently. the longer it takes, more likely it is these demonstrations will

grow. >> the success of the progress in egypt and tunisia has ignited anti-government demonstrations in other parts of the middle east. in yemen, thousands protesters demonstrated. the president has offered some concessions including a promise to step down in 2013. police fired tear gas to protesters in bahrain. opposition groups were called a day of anchor in the states. they want them to transfer more decision making powers to parliament. it is official, china's economy has overtaken japan to become the second largest. it could soon overtake the u.s.- 15 years. for the average person in china is 10 times poorer than t he

average person in japan. >> china's success blazes across the sky. for the last week, a country has been marking the chinese new year. there is much to celebrate here. it is a country that has seen dazzling growth and is now the world's second-largest economy. ♪ china's growth has been built on exports making whatever the world wants. for this man and his wife, violins or a family trait. 13 years ago they sent up a company. at first they had three employees. now they hire 20 workers and own

a factory. >> in the past we would struggle like everyone else but now we have two cars and no longer live in a small house. >> the workers produce 200 violence every month. the cheapest is sold for $100. the most expensive is seven times more. it is time-consuming but profitable in a country where wages are still low. workers cannot afford to buy the violence that they make but the chinese government wants to increase salaries so people spend more. he has worked in the factory for a year. he lives in its dormitory and is one of the millions of migrant workers. there are rising consumer class the government hopes to tap. their determination to better

their lives. >> it does not matter where you live. all that matters is how hard you fight. as long as you have opportunities, and you can improve your life. chinese have been visiting temples praying for good fortune. the country's 1 billion people are getting used to better times. the challenge for the government will be meeting the rising expectations. >> it is recruitment season in japan. for those finishing university, the pressure is on. success means joining the next generation of salary men, but few companies will consider a graduate from last year.

they may never get a secure job. this man has invested in interview coaches. all the better to make a good first impression. in japan, getting a job is almost a full-time job. studying at university of plot is not worth the risk. >> the japanese are afraid of doing something different. we are lacking initiative. we like to follow in each other's footsteps >> the number of japanese going to foreign universities has fallen by one fifth since 2004. business leaders complained japan's young are becoming more inward looking even as china's economy surges ahead. this is a problem.

the population here is aging and shrinking. for growth, japan dates to look abroad. he wants to become the world's number one. they have told its employees to learn english by this time next year. >> we need to hire people everywhere in the world. we need to have one thing which is english. >> they schools -- this is another sign they see a need for change. they are learning the basics of sushi in a year. most want to open a restaurant overseas. >> i hope more japanese will go abroad. when i was growing up a lot of young people wanted to do that but that seems to have changed. people don't even want to take

business trips overseas. >> many believe this is doomed to relative decline. >> columbia is in talks with china to build an odd turn of -- build an alternative to the panama canal. the colombian president told a newspaper it the proposal was quite advanced. china has been increasing its investment in latin america. they have the raw materials china needs to feed its growing economy. a court in ecuador has ordered chevron to pay $8 billion for pollution that polluted the amazon region. texaco was accused damaging the jungle and contaminating thousands of people by using faulty drilling equipment.

chevron says it will appeal. let's get the latest on this from our correspondent. this is another stage in what has been a long process. it is not over yet. >> it is not the end of the story. they are planning to appeal. they say this is an illegitimate ruling. they disagree with the scientific measures that have been taken by the prosecution at the rise of this huge sum of money. they want to challenge that in more detail. even though the plaintiff represents 30,000 ecuadorian is, saying $8 billion -- they say it is not enough and they may bring about an appeal. >> environmentalists are hoping

this case will set a precedent. >> yes, that is what they are saying. this has been going on for an awful long time since 1972. they say this pollution by dumping waste into rivers in the amazon area -- they say this is being closely watched by other groups who believe it should set a precedent for other oil companies working abroad so they would apply the standards used in industrialized nations as in the developing world. >> this ruling is against chevron but it is texaco that is responsible for these problems. >> exactly. it was texaco at the time. texaco was acquired by chevron

in 2001. >> thank you very much. good to have you with us on "bbc world news." still to come, life on mars. men taking part in a simulation visit to the red planet. two security guards have been killed when a suicide bomber tried to enter a shopping center in the afghan capital. the explosives went off killing the attacker tonight we to killing the attacker as well. >> the target was a shopping center and hotel complex. the same place was hit one year ago. two security cards are at the entrance killed. >> i saw a man walking into the shopping center. there were two bursts of gunfire and then an explosion.

the police chief says the guards save the lives of those inside the shopping center. as soon as the bullets hit the suicide attacker, he exploded. >> this is the second attack in two weeks. one theory is the taliban group blamed for most attacks have been observing a unilateral cease-fire. intelligence sources also say there may be a new splinter group which is looking to make its mark. after a long time without suicide attacks they are now becoming a regular event. the afghan government tries to reach out for some who might want to talk. clearly there are others who don't want that to happen. >> at least 14 people have died

in an aircraft in honduras. a deputy minister is among the victims. the central american airlines jet crashed monday morning on a routine daily flight. it lost contact with air traffic control. the latest headlines for you, in iran at least one person is reported killed. china is now officially the largest -- second-largest economy. it surpassed japan its longterm rival. an assistant to the russian judge who handled the tribal of the tycoon has said the verdict and sentence were not his own. a spokeswoman for the court has said speaking out will probably get her sacked.

the judge immediately denied the allegation. the verdict came at the end of december. a few days later he had six years added to the eight years in prison. supporters pointed out they have conveniently kept him inside during crucial elections. the judge read the decision in a low voice. now his press secretary has claimed the verdict was not his but rather one that was dictated by more senior judges. in an interview with a russian website, an official said the judge came quite depressed by the end. >> he began to write a verdict. i suspect what was in that verdict did not suit his superiors so he received another verdict.

>> it is one allegation that reopens the arguments over the case. human rights campaigners and international figures have claimed the russian billionaire was put on trial after his actions. they say it was a political prosecution because of his support for opposition groups. this means that parts of the russian legal system are rotten to the court. although the judge said her claims were nothing more than slander. >> the crew are on board a space station -- space mission to march that wanted to find out how astronauts would cope on a real mission to the red planet. they have been locked in their castle for eight months. >> imagine coming on to land on mars. months of flying through space

leading to a touchdown. then emerging into this alien world and taking the first that. today in moscow two men prepared for what life could be luck. they put on a real space suits. it was heavy going but they pretended to be the first humans on the red planet. even acting as astronauts was not easy. a bad for equipment was knocked to the ground. this is a copy of a real part of mars. samples were collected as if a proper mission is underway. six men have been cooped up for 257 days. >> you have to be very careful and there is a lot of preparation. i am sure they are very excited.

>> what is the point of this strange experiment? just getting from the earth to the moon is a relatively short distance could take three days. that is nothing compared for the time for the spacecraft to reach mars. that journey could easily take eight months one way. that is why this experiment is valuable. the six men from russia and china and italy are only halfway through. getting along together is crucial. even more so if a real mission to mars is ever to happen. >> this is the most ambitious expedition. that is what we are talking about. huge distances and the huge risk. a constant threat to life. it must be unimaginably heart.

>> what chance of doing this for real? there is not the money for the moment. this is as close as anyone will get. >> an unexpected amount of light. the british intelligence service opened its doors to an artist. we have captured some of this work on candice to help market. an exhibition is about to open but details are mysterious. >> it was an unusual assignment. shrouded in secrecy. i was entering an undercover world. and was about to expose it. >> hello? i understand.

rendezvoused in three minutes. i went to the agreed location in london to meet my contact. it was an artist who had been given a tricky brief, to become part of the secret life of mi6. >> it was trying to get to grips with what it really like. it is quite willing dull, but then there is that twinjet the and where things become unreal. [unintelligible] he depicts the world not of dry martinis but brown deer or clandestine meetings. >> he has captured the atmosphere and projects the personality of service and people we have working with us

-- so you get that combination of very unusual things happening in everyday life. >> there were to be no identifiable faces. they chose the right artist. not only did he take on the job for free but his style owes much to impressionists'. his pictures are sketchy, more blur than detail. green paint is a constant motif. it is the color of pending used exclusively by the chief c. on thatl find much more any time at bbc.com. you can get in touch with me on twitter. he will see what we are working

on coming up on facebook. thanks for watching. >> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold, get the globe and click-to-play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. new man's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its

global expertise to work for a wide range of companies, from smallwhat can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was brought to you by kcet, los angeles.

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> ifill: good evening. i'm gwen ifll. president obama submitted a $3.7 trillion budget for fiscal year 2012. it shrinks some government programs while increasing spending on others. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, we talk to white house budget director jack lew and ohio republican senator rob portman about cuts, taxes, and the political battles ahead. >> ifill: then, margaret warner, just back from cairo, helps us look at the role social media and mainstream media played in the egypt uprising. >> brown: and we report on a battle that pits human champions against a machine. our science correspondent took the challenge.