>> hundreds are tested for radiation exposure in japan after four explosions at nuclear plant. the prime minister asks people not to panic. >> i request you act very calmly. >> amid the carnage, a survivor trapped for 96 hours, but pulled out alive. others call in vain for missing relatives. >> [unintelligible] >> powerful aftershocks are still rocking the country. one measures 6.4 and hit southwest japan on tuesday. welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast to our viewers on pbs in america, also around the globe. my name is mike embley. coming up later for you --

tensions are running high. two protesters are killed and bahrain declares a state of emergency. and desperate to leave libya. gaddafi's forces report gains. we have reports from refugees trying to lead the conflict. -- believe that the conflict. -- leave the conflict. hello. four explosions in as many days, and radiation levels at levels authorities acknowledged to be dangerous. the struggle to stop and knelt down at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant it is ongoing. cooling water is recovering smoothly. but the plant is 150 miles north of the japanese capitol.

there are still serious concerns. we have this from tokyo. >> it was built to help fuel and economics to work -- superpower. but now the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant is only adding to japan's was. the buildings house reactors, broken and overheating at risk of melting down. today, the latest in a series of blasts, the result of desperate efforts to cool them. amid the smoke, dangerous levels of radioactive substances. the levels are now 400 times the legal safety limit. they are falling to levels that are still abnormal, but not posing an immediate public health and safety risk. for six more miles outside this gordon, residents were told to seal themselves indoors --

outside this cordon, residents were told to seal themselves indoors. the prime minister is doing his best to reassure. >> i would like to ask the nation, although this is an incident of great concern, i request that you act very calmly. >> there was no panic. here in tokyo, there was concern today. would be radiation reached the capitol? it did not. but the empty shells are a reminder that this is a country confronting a crisis. the queues for petrol, too. more than an hour. unheard of in recent years. this banker wonders whether it is safe to stay here. >> unfortunately, we cannot leave.

i have a daughter in hospital at the moment for scheduled heart surgery. we cannot go anywhere. >> if you could, would you? >> i am thinking of getting the family out, yes. >> much of japan seems to be getting back to normal. but under the surface, there is real anxiety. people are not short of how much risk they face. the more fear there is about the nuclear plant, the more it worries them. bbc news. >> confirmed deaths are close to 2.5 -- 2500. many have had to leave their homes. and in sendai, they have to cope not only with aftershocks, but also the fear of radiation, of course. >> amid the devastation and destruction, a new concern. that is carried with the rain that started falling on sendai.

hidden in these drops, could soon be a new danger. tiny particles blanc from the nuclear disaster -- blown from the nuclear disaster. as at this place has not been battered and already -- first the earthquake, then the tsunami, now it's something new to fear. radiation. unlike the previous disasters, you cannot see it or hear it coming. the tsunami you could hear. it did all this. it even dumped a cargo ship high and dry on the key outside. more people fear that if radiation is released and the wind blows this week, the rain could make it fall here. so the tsunami evacuees whose homes were damaged or destroyed

are sheltering inside. those on the port of sendai are in this hold. this woman took her children and fled. she said she has been told not to go out in the brain. -- in the rain. she showed us her home. it is relatively unscathed, but there is no electricity. everything is still where it was left as the family escaped. >> i am it worried about the aftershocks. there could be another earthquake. it could all happen again. as for radiation, i can tell it is coming down with the rain. i am really worried about that. sendai, air over

life is still out of kilter. queues might be orderly, but they are still very long. authorities are trying to cope with the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami. >> the biggest problem is patrol. we do not even have enough for our rescue teams or to look deliver -- or to deliver food to the shops. >> the last thing displaced now needs is another disaster. the consequences could be unthinkable. bbc news, sendai. >> japan has appealed for expert international nuclear help. the u.s. has sent a team of 34 with specialist equipment to monitor radiation and advise on containing leaks.

they will also be considering how effective the japanese response has been. david shukman has been looking at the latest efforts. >> a day after day, new threats emerge at fukushima. multiple explosions, sudden rises and radiation have seemed so hazardous that only 50 workers are on site, trying to get things under control. here is what we think is happening. reactor one -- it's a housing exploded on saturday. there probably has been partial melting inside. reactor two is the most worrying. there is a potential breach inside it, the first possible damage to any of the reactors. it is thought this device which handles the pressure could have been breached, and this could be one source of leaking radiation. reactor three is also in trouble. the explosion in the outer

building -- it may be a partial meltdown. high-level radiation has been measured nearby. and reactor four poses a threat as well. in a tank storing old nuclear fuel, a fire somehow started. that could be another source of leaking radiation. this escalating prices is exacerbated by a reduced work force. they are having trouble with the pumps that are bringing in water. in cooling the reactors is the key task. it could not be more urgent. >> how critical are the next 48 hours to bring things under control? >> i think they are critical. if there is cooling in the court, the chances are the -- cooling and the court, the chances are they will not degrade further. >> there are doubts about the power company's ability to cope.

the japanese prime minister has taken charge and american workers are under way. >> we are going to help in any way we can the japanese government and power company contain and stop the leaking. >> and no one knows exactly how bad things are. the situation keeps changing. radiation monitors show levels serging and falling. david shukman, bbc news. >> for those who survived earthquake and tsunami, life is not getting any easier. they have no power, no food, where clean water. no communications. it is very cold, and many are now homeless. our correspondent is in one of the most affected areas of northern japan. >> as the tsunami tore down homes and swept everything away, this little village was just high enough up the hill to

escape the surging waves. they are still in shock. still unsure who is alive and it is dead. but there is work to be done. life is now about improvisation. they need water. all supplies are cut off. there is no power, no cellular phones. but they are organized. drinking water is rationed. resources are pooled. rice and fuel. everyone has their own jobs to do. he told me, and " we have 800 people to feed. but we have not even water clean enough to wash our faces." the government is starting to help them, but the scale of the task is immense. there are hundreds of small villages that will need supplies

for weeks. the priority is to help people get back to normal, he said. "but we never had anything like this before." this is as far as the tsunami got in this village. everything was destroyed, as was everything in the valley leading up to it. there were two people in this house, both quite elderly. she was rescued, but he was swept away. yukio sato's family home was on the right side of that line, but only just. the breed just stopped short -- debris just stopped short of the back door. >> [unintelligible] >> so the water got to this level? >> it was astonishing. there used to be lots of houses out there. and they are all gone. the buildings are probably all

washed up here and they were crushed. >> chance. the difference between home saved and many lives lost. life is just going to get harder and in this village. the japanese the week way of dealing with it helps a lot. for the children, it is something they will never forget. and neither will those who lost relatives and friends, homes and possessions, and will now have to begin again. bbc news, japan. >> stay with this -- with us if you can on "bbc world news." much more from japan, of course. plus, gatherings in benghazi calling for an end to infighting and political unity. first though, the government in egypt has dissolved its secret police who were blamed for decades of human rights abuses. abolishing the force known as

the state security investigation service was one of the major demands of the protest movement that forced president hosni mubarak to give up power last month, along with most of his key advisers. our correspondent is in cairo. what they work attack 10 days ago by protesters -- >> they were attacked 10 days ago by protesters about where they were destroying documents. people manage to get inside and retrieved thousands of documents that are being put up on websites and social network sites. people have discovered how intensely they were surveyed. there are documents referring to torture and methods of concealing it as well. getting rid of that state security intelligence service was seen as a vital step forward. it has not gotten rid of it all together. another body will replace it.

it is going to be called national security, and they will train new officers for that in the coming days. but this new body will focus on terrorism more than anything else, making it much more restricted. but human rights organization says that does not in all their concerns here. in recent days the army has been detaining a number of activists and protestors and putting them on very quick military -- >>. some of them have been given quite severe sentences. that is one concern. but what happens after the referendum on saturday to the amendments to the constitution? many activists who ran the demonstration said the military is running too fast to a military government and the elections are coming to stand. -- too soon. >> the latest headlines for you

this hour on "bbc world news." hundreds tested for radiation exposure in japan after four explosions and fire at the fukushima power plant. and and is pulled from the rubble 96 hours after the tsunami an earthquake. -- a man is pulled from the rubble. troops from saudi arabia were invited into bahrain's you help control anti-government protests. several thousand people marched on the saudi embassy. at least two died. from the capitol, we have this. >> this is the bustling heart of bahrain in normal times, but look at the financial district now. government officers are based here, as well as international banks. today, no one was being allowed in. every road to this area has been

blocked off. businesses are brought to a complete standstill. this is being done with just a handful of protesters. saudi troops are, for the moment, and nowhere to be seen. the government is now attempting to reassert control, a day after 1000 saudi troops poured over the border after a state of emergency was called, essentially martial law. and more forces may be underway. the u.s. has said they had had no advance warning of the move. hillary clinton has called for both sides to act with restraint. the protests have invert -- under all be countries in the gulf and they are treating them as a collective threat. >> this behavior will not go unpunished. i call on all citizens to be called -- calm.

cooperate with the security forces said they can achieve their mission, protect peace and property. >> bahrain was meant to post the grand prix this month, but now the military has been authorized to take all measures necessary to step up protest. bbc news. >> rebel-held sections of libya have come under attack from gaddafi loyalists. it is reported that his troops had taken over zuwara. there are growing concerns about the humanitarian situation in libya. hundreds of foreign workers are trying to leave. we have this report from there. >> colonel gaddafi may think he is winning this conflict, slowly regaining control of his country, but these african migrants are still desperate to

get out. at libya's international airport, thousands have been waiting in the open air for days. some four weeks. they often have no money or documentation. many have not been paid by their libyan employers. others, falsely accused by both sides of being paid mercenaries, these threats and intimidation. >> the police are not helping us. [unintelligible] they have taken everything from us. now we do not have anything. >> they have been sleeping outside the terminal for days, almost fighting to get inside for even a chance at a flight out. more than 100 million volunteers are here at the airport, trying to feed, clothe, and water some of these african migrants.

many have been here for days, even weeks, and victims of this conflict are trying to get back. it may not be much wind food is handed out, but these are desperate people. hand's reach out, hoping something may come their way. >> they want to hurt the government for their country. but they do not have anything. how we can get together our country? >> afforded little dignity or personal space, these refugees are stranded along way from home, caught up in the bitter conflict of the gaddafi regime and its opponents. bbc news, tripoli. >> inspired by the middle east uprisings, thousands are protesting in the palestinian territories, demanding an end to

the divisions between the two main palestinian factions. our correspondent was at one of the most prominent protests. >> palestinians finding their voice. unity, unity is there cry. it was not quite big enough to hold them here. for five years, palestinians have been politically and geographically divided. the secular party is in power on the west bank. the islamist movement, hamas, governs gaza. and people have had enough. >> we are demanding one thing. ending this division, ending this internal conflict, and demanding palestinian unity and palestinian democracy. >> elections were canceled last

year because of the split, and democracy is on hold. this is by far the biggest demonstration we have seen on the west bank since events in the middle east unfolded in recent weeks. palestinians want a piece of the action. what they want is that their politicians to stop the infighting. >> we want 1 percent. we fight together. this is our age. >> we also demand an end to the separation. we can see that -- it came after the unity of the palestinian people. >> these protests were nowhere near the same scale as elsewhere in the region, but you sense the palestinians feel inspired by those events and see an opportunity to make a change.

the question is, are their politicians are listening? bbc news, were mollah. -- ramallah. >> news that might tear up your day is been on the ground, frankly. but here is something. mike woods reports. >> there is a desperate reason 's parents were picking through the rubble today. there were looking for the post office where he worked. or maybe what was left of it. his mother says that he should be ok. it was only a short distance home. they are starting to lose hope. they eventually find the building, badly damaged, but it is one of the few still standing. hiroyuki's father calls out his

name, to no avail. this was one of today's brighter moments. a man was found alive and pulled from the rubble 96 hours after the earthquake. he is reported to have told his rescuers, "i was washed away by the tsunami, but i am all right." elsewhere, a 70-year-old woman was discovered in this building suffering from hypothermia. temperatures up and falling to near-freezing at night. a british search and rescue team and operating along the northeastern coast come up with other international teams. -- along the northeastern coast, with other international teams. >> we are working in a combined team with the united states and with china. the idea is to slowly progressed through all the buildings to

make sure there is no% missing in them. >> the challenge is integrating all the foreign workers in the face of the destruction. it'd be no greater anywhere but here. the shortages of food and water and much else. in this place, at least, people have been able to make phone calls for the first time since the earthquake. this woman making her first contact with her children. michael rich, bbc news. >> just a reminder -- for all the latest news and analysis of the situation in japan, and will find it on our website. there is a question and answer section there and also an interactive guide explain what went wrong at the nuclear power plant. we have video reports and images. all that on bbc.com.

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