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small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> he was a dreamer. >> she was a realist. with every word that he wrote, inspired the romance that would live forever. >> i must warn you of the trap that you're walking into. >> you know that i would do anything. >> "bright star," by jane campion. >> and now "bbc world news." >> the defeated iranian kennett it joins thousands of his supporters in the most visible sign of dissent. russia tells me to note it is ready to talk about shared defenses.

-- rushed it tells me to note that it is ready to talk about shared defenses. welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast to viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. is she keeping her cards close to her chest? back on stage for the first time in six years. the oscar winner rest -- wrestles with greek tragedy in washington. ♪ >> it was meant to be an official government-sponsored rally in tehran. despite warnings not to disrupt it, thousands of opposition supporters turned out. eyewitnesses' report government supporters were attacking

opposition leaders. the president of iran seized his chance again to describe the holocaust as a myth and sparked outrage in the west. we have more on the violence and its implications. >> it was the date staged by the regime. the opposition had been warned not to try to hijack this annual event. president ahmadinejad sought as a chance for another hardline speech. >> he said the holocaust was a myth and that combating israel was a sacred duty. as he was speaking, the opposition seized their moment on the street to use their mobile telephones to film it. green was the symbol of the reformists in the city presidential election in june was stolen by ahmadinejad.

this footage appears to show teargas being used to disperse them. they call on the president to resign. the prime minister also talked of skirmishes and arrests. since the disputed election, almost all attempts at protests have been crushed. dozens have been killed. thousands of been arrested. there have been reports of rape in jail. >> it seems like iran is going further to the right and ignoring the possibilities of international reaction. the attempts made by obama to bring some kind of peace or negotiations with iran, is making it impossible. >> the opposition has shown it is still a force to be reckoned with. it is a challenge to the regime that is not going away. >> moscow has said it will

respond positively to the american decision to scrap the missile defense system planned for eastern europe. the secretary general of nato has called for a strategic partnership with russia. >> the day after the obama administration announced that it would no longer try and station a missile defense shield in eastern europe, an offer came russia's way. it is part of a move to deepen cooperation between russia and nato. the new secretary-general of the organization suggested they share the missile defense system. >> we should explore the potential for linking the u.s., native, and russian defense missile systems at an appropriate time. >> he was short on details, but the offer was part of the speech the tending to warm up the frosty relationship between russia and the western alliance. afghanistan was another area where he said that russia and

nato could help it each other. he said it was a matter of necessity. it came on the heels of a thursday announcement about a missile defense shield. it could alarm some nato countries that border pressure. >> enhances the security of our nato allies. it enhances our cooperation with nato. it places more resources in more countries. >> the russian invasion of georgia last year sent relations with nato plunging to a post- cold war low. some in the alliance think that russia should not be trusted following such aggression. others like the secretary general believe the alliance must concentrate on the areas that unite rather than divide them. >> this was his attempt to

reshape the relationship that has gone sour over the past few years. there are many members of nato that fear russia and its motives. mr. rasmussen will have to tread carefully. >> the united nations has issued its strongest warning yet of an unfolding catastrophe in east africa. the world food program says the worst drought in almost two decades has left millions an urgent need of food aid. across kenya, uganda, somalia, and ethiopia, rivers have dried up and crops have died killing thousands of wild animals and cattle. a warning from the british general will soon take charge of troops in afghanistan that progress must be quick for any chance of success against the taliban. mr. carter says there is still an opportunity to make a difference. the government of sri lanka has set out a timetable to replace

people. u.s. envoy says he expects 70% to be resettled by the end of november and the rest by the end of january. the troubled northwest of pakistan has been hit by another attack. a suicide bomber drove a vehicle packed with explosives. it was also the scene of a bombing on thursday. the latest killed 33. more casualties are believed still trapped under the rubble. the bbc correspondent in pakistan reports. >> the bomb went off in a busy marketplace. there were shopping ahead of the muslim holy day. many were killed. a hotel and several shops collapsed killing others. >> this man says it was about 10:00 in the morning when a car drove by with the bomber inside. there was a huge blast. many were killed. many were wounded.

>> according to police, most of the dead and injured were members of the shia minority. this district of the northwest has suffered sectarian attacks in the past. it is an area where the taliban operates widely. one of the many radical groups that operate under the taliban banner says it carried out the bombing. earlier this year, the army of pakistan launched a major offensive against the taliban. an american air strike killed the leader of the group. bombings like to date show the militants still have the ability to hit back. >> it is a cruel act against this area. the taliban slaughter and harm people who have done nothing wrong. >> in spite of the gains that pakistan says it has made, there are dangerous signs that the taliban is trying to reassert itself under new leadership.

>> it was a fresh attempt to get the peace process rolling. once again, israel and palestinians have failed to reach a deal that would restart negotiations. the u.s. special envoy has been in the region trying to bring the two sides together. the main stumbling block is the israeli settlement activity on palestinian land. >> if smiles to create peace, he might have something to report. after months of diplomacy, he is not managed to persuade prime minister netanyahu to freeze building in jewish settlements. the americans want a freeze as well. if mr. mitchell cannot change minds, it is a serious blow for president obama's peace initiative. originally, the settlements were supposed to make israel safer.

but the u.s. is telling israel that its security now depends upon making peace and that it is time to live up to its promise to stop settlement building. israel has been building homes for jews in occupied territory in defiance of rocky -- international law for 40 years. roads are being built to the sides of future settlements. the settlement project has taken massive state resources and an iron will to ignore foreign sentiment. at the heart of the conflict is the idea that once jews with their, it makes it difficult or impossible to give the land back. in a town overwhelmingly populated by palestinians, a big military force projects a small jewish settlement. israel has a tight grip on the occupied territory. even so, the palestinian prime minister wants peaceful

independence within two years whether the israelis agreed or not. >> the occupation should be left up to israel to decide. it is a case of occupation that needs to end. >> for many palestinians, that sounds hopelessly optimistic. settlers and their supporters will be pleased to the israeli government has not given in to pressure. but everyone knows that the next move comes from washington. jeremy bowen for bbc news on the west bank. >> stay with us. still to come, 55,000 people are on the run from increasingly bloody conflicts. we will have a special report from yemen.

the bbc has learned that two police officers from northern ireland have been helping to train libyan officers. this development has come under heavy criticism because libya provided arms to the ira. >> been provided guns and rounds of ammunition. durin 3g the years of trouble, the ira use them to attack the police. the officers are now helping the libyans. they are training their police force. >> the first reaction is

shocked. at the least, it is insensitive that we're backing a police officers over there. libya was responsible for much of the trouble and tragedy in northern ireland. >> relations between the u.k. and libya have been transformed in recent years. there been trade deals and the controversial release of the lockerbie bombing. now comes news of the police linked up. one of the main reasons why this is such of sensitive issue in belfast is that victims of the ira violence have been trying to get compensation from libya. at the moment, libya it is saying "no." the police federation has called any collaboration in sensitive and is called for the cooperation to stop immediately. it is a difficult time for the police in northern ireland. the troubles may be over but there is still violence. five vehicles were hijacked last night. it is believed the trouble was

orchestrated by the continuity ira, the same splinter group that killed a police officer here six months ago. in spite of the peace process, parts of northern ireland remained volatile. the past still casts a long shadow. mark simpson in belfast. ♪ >> see the news unfold. experience the end up reporting of bbc news online. click to watch the latest news summaries. you can read the latest headlines, get the top stories from around the globe, and click to play the video reports. discover more about a subject that really interest you. find out what issues the world is talking about right now. for bbc world news online, and go to bbc.com/news

♪ >> this is "bbc world news." we have one main story this hour. the defeated iranian candid it has joined opposition supporters on the streets of tehran. "forbes" magazine has declared her the most powerful woman in the world. it is her popularity at home that will be put to the test next week in parliamentary elections. our correspondent has been considering why angela merkel still seems to be the case in the political pact. >> they often say that politics are like poker. if you want to be a winner, you need luck, skill, and must know how to bluff. around the poker table in germany, there is one player that is hard to beat. ♪

angela merkel is the poker- meister of german politics. she has outmaneuvered her opponents to become the country's most powerful politicians. >> she is the most skillful of a player and poker face in recent history here. you can never see what she feels. she has a very calculated charm. she has proven to be extremely successful at killing her opponents if necessary. >> was just a few days to go before the election, she enjoys some strong cards. the german economy is recovering from recession. four opel factories have been saved from closure. she is seen by many in a good light. >> she gives you the feeling that she can pull the country together. that is why they gave. the nickname "mummy."

>> you might think the election results will be a foregone conclusion. in germany, people do not vote directly for a chancellor. they vote for a party. her party is not nearly as popular as she is. that party is the christian democrats. even with her face on its posters, it might not win enough votes to get what it wants, a coalition. as for her main rival, he has problems of his own. his social democrats trail in the opinion polls. if they fail to rally, mrs. merkel is almost guaranteed a second term as chancellor. back in the casino, the black mamba believes that angela merkel will trump all of her opponents. >> she has made it to the top in a world dominated by men. i think the voters will reward her for that.

>> the end game has begun. we will soon see if she can convert her personal popularity into a winning hand. ♪ >> the government of yemen should face an official investigation, according to the u.n. high commission for human rights, over the raid on the refugee camp that left at least 80 dead. in the past month alone, about 55,000 people have fled the conflict in the north of the country. the bbc has been in one camp less than 8 kilometers from the line dividing government and rebel forces. >> the yemeni government operation is scorched earth. the air strike has left refugees killed, mainly women and children. the officials say it happened because the rebels put their

artillery nearby. the government denies bombing indiscriminately. >> i do not think anyone can prove this. doing that means you will turn the people against you rather than consider that this is a fight for their safety and security. >> the rebels look far from crushed. the shia muslims are fighting mainly a sunni regime. now, they want to overflow the government -- overthrow the government. the conflict is escalating. yemen is now suffering the worst refugee crisis of the civil war. we went to one refugee camp just a few miles from the front lines. of the tens of thousands of refugees who have fled their

homes in the past month alone, only a tiny fraction made it here to the official camp. most are stuck in the mountains, and beyond the help of international aid agencies, between rebel and government frontlines. many families were from towns just captured by the rebels. they fled on foot. the gunfire was ringing in their ears. >he says that they were taking away 10-year-olds to make them child soldiers. he said the rebels killed anyone who returned to check on their homes. he was loyal to the government. there were troubles supporters here, but they would not speak with so many armed guards around. this man criticized the government and was quickly shut down. the u.n. has launched an emergency appeal for $24 million

for the refugees. so far, no western government has offered to help. as the crisis worsens, some now talk of yemen as the world's next failed state, a place for a credit to find a safe haven. if this continues, the west may have to pay attention to the civil war that has ignored for so long. >> the giant british metals co. is spending tin purchases from the democratic of condo. many of the mines are enhance of rebels. the purchases are not illegal but play a significant part in ending the civil war. a gas explosion at a coal mine in southern poland has killed 12 miners. officials report that 15 others were seriously injured.

the had been working more than 1 kilometer belowground. the former morgan -- managing director of morgan stanley has been sentenced to the maximum possible sentence for insider trading. he was found guilty of buying shares in the company before announcing a major acquisition, netting more than $4 million profit. it is the biggest conviction for insider trading since hongkong made it a criminal offense in 2003. fashion week in the u.k. began today with a six day extravaganza. it will feature some of the biggest names in fashion. there will be 59 shows. how will the recession impact the designers and buyers? the bbc has this report. >> this event has always had a bit of a reputation for creativity and design. it is about big business. the u.k. fashion industry is worth nearly $4 billion pounds

per year and is one of the biggest employers. they are setting up a new venue. a host of british designers are returning to the capital to promote their wares. a short distance away, this designer is getting his collection ready for the catwalk. he says in the recession that buyers and customers are looking for value for their money. >> the recession has affected the industry. there is no doubt about it. the consumer does not want the same thing as last season or the season before. it has made as increase creativity and keep a certain commercial factor as well. >> at fashion week, the focus is on celebrating a quarter of a century of british fashion. they are also hoping that the collections will sell.

>> the oscar-winning actor is helen mirren is back one first . she is playing the tragic greek queen in a city better known for political theatrics. our correspondent had exclusive access to the final rehearsal. ♪ ♪ they say the neon lights are bright on broadway ♪ ♪ they say there is always magic in the air ♪ >> this could be broadway. he usually is. this exclusive american staging is playing in washington, d.c., launching a year-long collaboration with the national theater in london. this performance is intense. helen mirren is the great queen

who gives in to hurt illicit passion for stepson. it is about sexual longing, jealousy, pride, and rage. the tragedy lies in her loss of control. we joined the theater staff but the final rehearsal. tonight, these seats will be filled. the nine-day run sold out in just five hours. here is why. >> can i speak to you? >> i spoke to the directors launching the artistic partnership with the performance tonight. >> she is so emotionally available and rock. -- and raw. the experience she is having an uncontrollable desire for the least appropriate and available object is a universal experience. it is the universal human agony. >> looked at me!

>> one of the things that is wonderful about this production and that appeals to american audiences is the depth of emotion. a long time ago, we thought that english actors were unemotional. the english thought that america andns could not talk. it is a great moment for washington. washington has become a really great theater town. it is a real attraction for great company like the national theater. my hope is that -- i think that it has become a livelier and more cosmopolitan town. >> this collaboration will see the production shown live in movie theaters across the united states. for the few lucky enough to see it in person, it opens tonight. bbc news in washington. >> here's a brief reminder of our top story. thousands of opposition supporters have turned out of a

government-organized rally in the iranian capital despite the warnings not to disrupt it. there's been reports of fighting between the government and opposition leaders. thank you for being with us for "bbc world news." >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. the newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation.