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>> and now, "bbc world news." >> one reported killed after clashes between police and anti- government protesters into around. the protests gets support from the united states. >> they deserve the same rights they saw played out in egypt, and that are part of their own birthright. >> egypt's protests continue. workers' strike to demand better pay from the country's military rulers. oil giant chevron us to appeal after being hit with an $8 billion fine for polluting the amazon. welcome to bbc news, broadcast on pbs in america. coming up, ordered to reach a guilty verdict, fresh clams over the controversial trial of russian divot -- russian dissident mikhail khodorkovsky.

eight months into a simulated mission to mars, a crew stage a virtual touchdown. the wave of popular protests in egypt and tunisia has reached the streets of tehran. irani and police are dispersing anti-government protests. there are reports of at least one death. access has been blocked to internet sites and satellite news channels. our correspondent james reynolds has been following developments from london. >> listen to what they are chanting tonight in tehran. mubarak, ben ali, now in iran's

supreme leader. it is an attack on the untouchable ruler. one man killed this footage from a balcony. riot police take back a street from the 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 accuse of being a government spy. they are trying to follow what they have just seen in tunisia and egypt. >> we have seen hundreds of anti riot police and security forces. they are starting to disperse people by force. people started chanting slogans against the police. i could see a lot of severe crashes.

police started to launch your guesses. >> these protesters had no fear of governments of -- governments or heights. demonstrators believe it is simple. there 2009 anti-government protests helped inspire protesters this year in egypt and tunisia. now they say the arab world protests every inspired them to have another go at facing down their own government in iran. demonstrators are on the streets of another middle eastern country. this time, the united states knows what it wants to say. >> they deserve the same rights they saw being played out in egypt and that are part of their own birthright. >> iran's government calls these demonstrators indigenous --

seditionists. >> iranian security forces have been told to crack down hard on the opposition. i am sure they will do that. that does not necessarily mean the movement is going to go away. >> we do not yet know if one day of protest will make any difference. iran's opposition has made one important point. it is still alive. james reynolds, bbc news. >> earlier, i spoke to a professor of political science at bennington college in vermont and former iranian ambassador to the un. i asked if he was surprised by the events of the last 24 hours. >> given the massive repression over the past year, 300 iranians have been executed over the past year.

47 since j re-one, the largest number of political prisoners in the middle east. the regime did not expect the people to dare defying the threats. it was a pleasant surprise for most iran observers. >> we spoke to an opposition journalist an hour ago. he said there is something very different about these protests compared to the others that have taken place in iran. do you agree? >> i do, in the sense that the demonstrations in tunisia and egypt comes from the people in the region at large. the overwhelming majority of the people resent the regime. this regime is not only a conventional autocratic state. it is totalitarian in the most

private-sector of life. in iran, opposition to the government might not be politically motivated. it is the cultural repression of the society. in that sense, the iranians were inspired by the success of the demonstrators in egypt and their ability to defy the threats and go to the streets. >> deal think these protests will be able to continue with the rank and fire -- and file of the revolutionary guard? >> the revolutionary guard is the apparatus of the state. they have an interest in maintaining this. they belong to the lower middle class sector of the society. it is a matter of time before

the resentment and satisfaction is going to influence the rank and file of the apparatus, as it did in iran in 1979. the iranian regime is extremely cruel. it has built a structure for the simple purpose of attacking demonstrators at any kind of public place for the dissidents tried to gather. it is difficult, but it is only a matter of time. the iranian regime is illegitimate. it wants to keep people uninformed and fearful. it is not possible to keep people uninformed because of the revolution in technology and education. persian language is the most widely used language on the internet. events that have been in other parts of the world, particularly

tenacious and egypt -- it tells people to overcome their fear. they act in the same way. breaking the wall of fear is the most important step in today's demonstrations. they make a significant contribution to this breakdown of fear. >> in egypt, thousands of state workers have staged strikes and demonstrations. transport workers, bank staff, and police officers gathered across the capitol to demand better pay and conditions. the military, a caretaker government appealed for an end to the latest unrest. we report from cairo. >> the freedom to protest brings all sorts of new challenges. a fight broke out today at the gates of the interior ministry among police officers demanding

more pay. the euphoria of the past few days has been pushed aside by the tension suppressed for years. there is still huge frustration over low wages and rising prices. there are strikes and demonstrations springing up all over egypt, keeping up the pressure. egypt's transition to democracy depends on the goodwill of the generals, the same men who maintained with an iron will the power of the mubarak regime. >> the generals are pushing some reform, but they are wary of the forces unleashed. there was a fifth statement urging people to return to work. if there is work, the guides of the pyramids are pleading for tourists to return. the old government pledged a 15% perez -- pay rise, but many

families have survived for years on a pittance. they give their support to the banned muslim brotherhood. >> this was a catastrophic regime and destroyed the country. >> european governments were today being urged in brussels to freeze the assets of the deposed president and his family. >> there must be accountability for these people. they have to be judged. the have to return money. this is where foreign governments can help. you are asking me if includes the president. it includes the president's family. they are all one. and they are very, very rich. >> for the opposition, recovering the money would be a huge symbol at a time when people are crying out for more.

in the end, it is the currency of a new political system for which there wait impatiently. the longer it takes, the more likely it is that the demonstrations will grow. >> the success of protests in egypt and tunisia has ignited demonstrations in yemen. it was the fourth straight day of protests in the capital. president -- the president has offered some concessions, including a promise to step down in 2013. police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protests in bahrain. opposition groups called for a day of anger in the gulf state, a key u.s. ally. the court in ecuador has a fine but chevron for polluting rivers and rainforests.

the fine is reported to be $8 billion after a long legal battle over claims the company dumped toxic material in the northern jungle. >> according to the lawsuit, the pollution took place over a 20- year time starting in 1972. best reaches of the amazon were damaged by the dumping of toxic materials into rivers. the case was brought against chevron on behalf of 30,000 ecuadorean. they said drilling practices by texaco, which was brought -- was bought by chevron in 2001, was responsible for widespread harm to the area. environmentalists have said they hope this will set a precedent, forcing companies to comply with the same standards in the developing and industrialized

world. plaintiffs describe the judgment as a great step toward justice. w3chevron has said it will appe, that the rulings are illegitimate and unenforceable. the company said it was a product of fraud. bbc news, los angeles. >> still to come, a candid portrait of a covert intelligence service. 14 people have died in a plane crash in honduras. the central american airlines craft crashed slightly before it was due to land in the capital. the deputy transport minister and former economy minister were among the victims. the honduran air force says weather conditions in the area were poor.

>> the immediate aftermath of the crash, the wreckage of the plain strewn across the hillside. 14 people were on board at the time. all of them were killed. the control tower lost contact just after 8:00. they immediately raised the alarm that something was wrong with the aircraft. afterward, plan was reported down in the area. because of the crash is being investigated, but there were reports of heavy fog in the area at the time. >> there had been a cold front for the last three days. we heard the plan as if it was trying to land. it could not land because it was very cloudy. >> the plan was on route to the airport. the approach is among the world's most dangerous because of its short run we come old

navigation equipment, and neighboring hills. news of the crash brought relatives and friends to the site to grieve for their loved ones. >> a colleague of mine was on board. she was coming to see about some paperwork. unfortunately, on valentine's day i have lost a great friend. >> the tragedy also claimed the lives of a symbol -- of a government official and a union leader. three days of national mourning have been declared in their honor. >> you are watching bbc news. let us bring you a reminder of the headlines this hour. after thousands of anti- government protesters clashed in iran's security forces, at least one was killed.

egyptians are striking to demand better pay and conditions from the country's military rulers. hundreds of demonstrations in nigeria i spoke to a journalist and activist from the capital. i asked whether there were similarities between what was happening in his country and the events in tunisia and egypt. >> we are the same people. we share the same affinities. we have some problems, the same sort of corruption, the same sort of authoritarian regime. the only thing different about how sharia is that algeria has just come out of a very bad civil war. it has seen at 200,000 people killed.

we are stuck. we want a change. people@wñ?ñ?ñ?ñ are tired of vi. the other major problem is the only opposition we have is working with the government. there is no one credible that people can look up to and say they want to change the situation. it is terrible. a lot of people want to change, but there is no one to lead this revolution. >> would you argue that perhaps the change was not necessarily about the removal of the president, but a change that goes right to the heart of government, like you alluded to, with the secret service? >> absolutely. it is not just about removing the president. there is a military system ruling the country.

>> is their space for protesters there? >> people are calling for change. after the events into nature, people were happy here. -- after the events in tunisia, people were happy here. mubarak went. it could not come at a better time. but the police state is still present. they are clever. they are giving a lot of concessions. the have lifted emergency rule, which has been present for the last 19 years. lately, the have given a lot of homes to poor people. they are trying hard. maybe this is the difference. algeria is not poor. the state has a lot of money. it is very complicated here.

>> there has been a further wrinkle in a case in russia involving the tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky. an assistant to the judge who handled the trial said the verdict was not his own, but taken to him. the judge denied the allegation. >> the verdict in the mikhail khodorkovsky king at the end of december. he had six years added to the eight years in prison he was already serving. this conveniently kept him inside during some crucial elections. the judge, viktor danilkin, read the decision quickly in a low voice. his assistant is claiming the verdict was not his, but had been dictated by more senior judges. in an interview, natalya vasilyeva said her boss had

become under pressure -- had been under pressure and depressed. >> i suspect that what was in the verdict he wrote did not suit his superiors, and therefore received another verdict which he had to leave. >> this reopens all the arguments over the case against mikhail khodorkovsky. senior international figures have claimed that he alone among russian billionaires' was put on trial over his actions in the 1990's. they say it was a political prosecution because of his support to opposition groups. if natalya vasilyeva's a decision are true, parts of the russian legal system are rotten to the court. judge viktor danilkin said her claims were nothing more than scandal. >> a group of cosmonauts has been attempting to recreate the

experience of a manned trip to mars. researchers hope to gain more knowledge about the effect a journey to the red planet would impose. >> imagine coming in to land on mars. months of flying through space leading to a touchdown. then emerging into the dust of the alien world and in the first step. at the moment, it is wishful thinking. today in moscow, two men prepared for a taste of what mars would be like. they put on real space suits. it was heavy going as they pretended to be the first humans on the red planet. the surface here is a copy of a real part of mars. samples were collected as if the proper mission was underway. it is all happening inside this series of chambers. six men have now been cooped up for 200 to seven days. watching the events today is a real astronaut. >> it is a challenge.

you have to be very careful. there is a lot of preparation. i am sure it is also exciting. >> what is the point of this strange experience? space travel takes ages. getting from the earth to the moon is a relatively short distance that took apollo astronauts three days. that is nothing compared to the time to reach mars. from earth, the journey could easily take eight months or one way, which is why this experiment is so vulnerable. >> the six men from russia, china, france, and italy are only have we through this cosmic version of big brother. etting along is crucial, and even more so if a real mission is ever to happen. >> huge distances, a huge risk, and constant stress. it is psychologically

unimaginably hard. >> what chance of doing this for real? at the moment, there is not the money. for a while, this is as close as anyone will get. >> britain's secret intelligence service has opened its doors to an artist. he spent a year inside the organization, becoming part of its daily life to try to capture its secretive existence. >> it was an unusual assignment shrouded in secrecy. i was entering an undercover world and was about to expose it. hello? ok. i understand. we will rendezvous in 3 minutes. i went to the agreed location in central london to meet my

contact. it was an artist who had been given a tricky brief to become part of the secret life of mi -- of mi6. >> it is every day and bill, until things become unreal and get a bit of an edge. >> there are no aston martins or saville row suits. it is a world of brown beard, clandestine meetings in parks. >> he has captured the atmosphere and the spirit, and somehow project the personality of the service and the sort of people we have working with us and what is on their minds. you get that combination of extraordinary and unusual things happening in everyday life.

>> mi6 wanted no identifiable places or faces. they chose the right artist. he took on the job for free and his painting style owes much to the impressionists, meaning his pictures are atmospheric and sketchy, more blurred than detail. green paint is a common motif. it is the color used exclusively by the chief, known not as m but c. >> let me bring you a reminder of our main headline. anti-government protesters clashed with police in tehran.

>> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold, get the top stories from around 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. newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank.