welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm mariko oi. our headlines this hour... nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe is due to be reunited with herfamily in britain after finally being freed by iran, where she's been held for nearly six years. her husband, who led the campaign for her release, called it "the beginning of a new life". we'll look back in years to come and be a normalfamily, and this will be a chapter in our lives, but there are many more chapters to come. also in the programme... ukrainian officials say a theatre in mariupol that was being used as shelter for civilians has been destroyed. russia denies attacking it. president biden brands vladimir putin a war criminal, as the us pledges a further

$800 million of military support for ukraine. russia counts its dead in the war, but vladimir putin insists the invasion is going to plan. live from our studio in singapore... this is bbc news. it's newsday. hello and welcome to the programme. after nearly six years of being held in iran, nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe is returning home to london. she's expected to land within the next hour or so. the british—iranian aid worker was arrested in 2016 and convicted of plotting to overthrow the iranian government — a charge she's always denied. another british—iranian national has also been released after serving a ten—year sentence. our diplomatic correspondent,

caroline hawley, has the very latest. the sheer relief, the joy are written all over her face. this is the moment nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe and her relatives have dreamt of for almost six desperate years. gratitude for those that made it happen, as she arrived from tehran in oman, then she boarded another plane, carrying her back to the uk and her excited family. it's the beginning of a new life, a normal life. and there'll be bumps, no doubt, and all the normal squabbles we had before, but, yeah, we're really looking forward to seeing her. gabriella was not yet two when her mother was arrested. now, she's nearly eight. there have been so many false dawns for the family that richard says she won't believe this is real until she's back in her mother's arms. there's a recovery process. you can't get back the time that's gone, that's a fact, but we live in the future, not in the past, so we'll take it one day at a time.

day after day, week after week, richard ratcliffe waged a tireless campaign for nazanin, working around the clock, and last year went on hunger strike for nearly three weeks — an act of desperation to pressure the government to do more to get her home. he's always said she was being held as a bargaining chip, to get the uk to pay its long—standing military debt. i think it's wonderful news, and i think we must always realise that, sadly, the regime in tehran is capable of holding people in this way. i think people do need to recognise that. and i'm glad that, after a great deal of uk diplomacy, we've been able to get her out, get her back to her family. it was back in april 2016 when nazanin was arrested as she prepared to leave for london after visiting her parents. months of solitary confinement followed, along with blindfolded interrogations and psychological torture.

in september that year, an islamic revolutionary court judge sentenced her to five years injail at a secret trial. she's accused of working against the iranian government. and last spring, when she's completed that sentence, she's immediately sent is again to another year injail on charges of propaganda against the regime. but finally today she's heading home, along with anoosheh ashoori, a retired engineer arrested in 2017 while visiting his elderly mother. he was serving a ten—year sentence for alleged spying, also after an unfair trial. we brought him his favourite beer... i his daughter elika told me the family had also got in champagne and cake and could hardly believe the news. it's been nearly five years i of being inside a prison cell, so to suddenly, in a matter of 24 hours, have that - turnaround completely - and to come back to normal life is very daunting - as well as it is amazing.

so, you know, we still havel challenges ahead, but we're going to face it together as a familx _ there'll be adjustments, too, for nazanin and herfamily, who haven't been all together for six long years. homecoming's a journey, not an arrival. i don't think it will be just today, there'll be a whole process, and hopefully we'll look back in years to come and be a normalfamily, and this will be a chapter in our lives, but there are many more chapters to come. this is how it's been for the past few months — precious moments of parenting from thousands of miles away. but very soon now, she'll be back with them. richard says she'll want him to make her a nice cup of tea and perhaps to tidy the flat. caroline hawley, bbc news. officials in ukraine say russian forces have bombed a theatre in the besieged port city of mariupol, where it's

thought more than 1200 civilians were sheltering. the number of casualties is not yet known, and russia denies it's responsible. in the capital, kyiv — currently under a 35—hour curfew — emergency services say russia shelled a residential building. advancing russian troops have faced serious logistical problems, with many vehicles reportedly running out of fuel, as well as strong ukrainian resistance. this report is from jeremy bowen in kyiv. a warning — it contains some flashing images. just after dawn, another attack at a residential area in kyiv. ukrainian forces say they're keeping russian artillery out of range, but missiles can be fired from russia, and they are harder to stop. it was another harsh day. in the besieged city of mariupol, a theatre was hit, where the deputy mayor says

civilians were sheltering. it isn't yet clear how many were in there when it was destroyed. siren blares. and by mid—morning in kyiv, sirens and smoke on the horizon from the ukrainian counter—attack, trying to push back the stalled russian offensive to the north—west. that was why there was a curfew — making it impossible to check out the sounds of battle. ukraine's president zelensky dropped more hints about a ceasefire. but decisions, he said, had to be in ukraine's interest. perhaps the missile attacks on kyiv are to pressure ukraine to offer concessions for a ceasefire. so far, the attacks are isolated, threatening how bad it could get. for residents cleaning up before the curfew, even a single missile is terrifying. "i'm so stressed," she says.

"i can't even tell you anything, i'm still shaking." but really big tests of ukrainian resolve in the capital have not yet happened. more missiles could be that test. ukraine's will to resist, though, is still strong. workshops have switched to war production, strengthening fortifications. the ukrainians say they're part of the reason why russian troops are not able to break into kyiv. this was filmed before the curfew. what they're working on here is a tyre ripper. the idea is that anyone driving over this will get their tyres destroyed, and they've even got little extra bits that go into the tyre to make it even worse. after three weeks, is a ceasefire possible?

if not, will russia punish this city? would that break ukraine's will to fight? jeremy bowen, bbc news, kyiv. the us president, joe biden, has announced a further $800 million of military aid to ukraine. it comes after its president, volodymyr zelensky, used a rare live address to the us congress to make an emotional appealfor more help from america to fight off the russian invasion. 0ur north america editor, sarah smith, has more. straight to the heart of american democracy, a plea for the us to defend democratic freedom. a hero's welcome, but these lawmakers will not answer his pleas for a no—fly zone over ukraine. translation: is this a lot to ask for, to create - a no—fly zone over ukraine, to save people? is this too much to ask?

showing a video of brutal russian bombardment, zelensky drew a direct comparison with pearl harbor and 9/11 — times when the us was attacked from the skies — then speaking in english to appeal directly to the us president. you are the leader of the nation. i wish you to be the leader of the world. being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace. with this impassioned plea, president zelensky is challenging president biden to defend the very idea of democracy against autocracy, increasing the pressure on the us to do more to support ukraine. but biden is adamant — to impose a no—fly zone would risk escalating this conflict into a world war. what's at stake here are the principles that the united states and the united nations

and across the world stand for. it's about freedom, it's about the right of people to determine their own future, it's about making sure ukraine will never be a victory for putin. later, and for the first time, he called putin a war criminal. 0h, ithink he is a war criminal. signing over an additional $800 million of military assistance for ukraine. hundreds of portable surface—to—air stinger missiles have already been sent there, with many more on the way, along with anti—tank weapons, guns and ammunition to help defend against russian attacks. the us is promising a total of $13 billion for ukraine, in weaponry and humanitarian aid. there is a deep cross—party commitment to help as much as possible, but also a firm resolve that us forces or aircraft will not, cannot get involved in this conflict. sarah smith, bbc

news, washington. president putin has insisted the invasion of ukraine is going to plan and described the attack as �*completelyjustified'. he also went on to detail extra support for russians, faced with sanctions and inflation. translation: we have no other option but self-defense for - the security of russia apart from carrying out the special military operation. all the goals set will certainly be achieved. we will reliably ensure the security of russia and our people, and we will not allow ukraine to serve as a springboard for aggressive actions against russia. in terms of the military tactics developed by russian ministry of defence and the general staff, they have been completely justified. and our lads, soldiers and officers have shown bravery and heroism, and they are doing everything that they can to avoid loss of civilian life

in ukrainian cities. there's a human toll being paid in russia, too, with thousands of soldiers being sent to ukraine to fight in president putin's war. our russia editor, steve rosenberg, has been to one military funeral in the west of the country. in russia, they are grieving, too. mikhail was killed in action in ukraine. angelika is his widow. how many russian soldiers have been killed in what the kremlin still refuses to call a war? one family's pain is being repeated across the country. it's a criminal offence in russia to quote anything but official figures.

and those are 498 russian servicemen dead. that was on march 2nd. there has been no update for two weeks. many russians rally around their leader in times of crisis. it's as if they don't want to believe their president may have taken a fatal decision. "we're doing the right thing," nikolai says. "nato wanted to set up shop right next to us "in ukraine, and they've got nuclear weapons. "well done, putin, for stopping them." the kremlin wants russians to believe that what their troops are doing in ukraine is both necessary and heroic. it's what the state media is telling them from morning till night.

because if people stop believing that, in large numbers, they'll start wondering why sons, brothers and husbands have been sent into ukraine for what's been called here "the special military operation". father ivan is wondering why. he recently delivered an anti—war sermon, and he criticised the kremlin�*s offensive on the church website. he was detained and fined under a new law for discrediting the russian armed forces. translation: i believe that any bloodshed, however - you try to justify it, is a sin. blood is on the hands of the person who spilled it. if an order was given, its on the hands of whoever gave the order, supported it, or stayed silent. on his finaljourney,

full military honours his country calls him a defender of the fatherland. and yet it was russia's army that attacked ukraine, on the orders of president putin, to restore russian power, and to force ukraine into russia's orbit. russian national anthem plays. but at what cost? steve rosenberg, bbc news, kostroma. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme... after yea rs of after years of campaigning and diplomacy, nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe is about to arrive home in britain. we will examine what led to her

release. today, we have closed the book on apartheid and that chapter. cheering. more than 3000 subway passengers were affected. nausea, bleeding, headaches and the dimming of vision — all of this caused by an apparently organised attack. the trophy itself was on the pedestal in the middle of the cabinet here. now, this was an international trophy, and we understand now that the search for it has become an international search. above all, this was a triumph for the christian democrats. of the west — offeringl reunification as quickly as possible — and that'sl what the voters wanted.

this is newsday on the bbc. i'm mariko oi in singapore. our headlines this hour... nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, who's been freed after six years in detention in tehran, is expected to land back in the uk soon. the british aid—worker's release comes after years of campaigning and diplomacy by herfamily and the uk government. here's our diplomatic correspondent, james landale. it's now almost six years since nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe was arrested at tehran airport. repeated attempts to secure her release failed, so why is she being freed now? ultimately, it's because iran's revolutionary guards and judges have decided they no longer need to keep a hostage to put diplomatic pressure on the uk.

and hat�*s in part because the uk has paid iran a long—standing debt. britain owed iran money for tanks sold in the 19705, but never delivered after the revolution. the uk feared paying the debt would fund terrorism and breach sanctions. but in a deal finessed by the gulf state of oman, £393 million was finally transferred to iran today, money the government claims will be used for humanitarian purposes, thus avoiding the risk of sanctions. it isn't a ransom, it's a debt, and the point about debt is, first of all, we're a country that pays our debts. and secondly, if you owe a debt, you have to pay it whoever you owe it to. mrs zaghari—ratcliffe's also been released because of diplomatic efforts — above all by her husband, using everything from publicity to hunger strikes to put pressure on iran and british ministers, who did not always help matters, such as when borisjohnson told mps this...

when you look at what nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe was doing, she was simply teaching people journalism, as i understand it. this was a false claim that was used against her repeatedly on state media. but other foreign secretaries kept up the pressure, likejeremy hunt, who visited iran in 2018, and then finally liz truss, who sent teams of diplomats to iran to do a deal. what has changed in the last six months is we do - have a new government in iran. and i was able, when i went to new york in september, i and met minister abdollahian to reset the relationship - and be clear that we were serious about resolving. the outstanding issues that . iran had, and they were clear they were serious about. resolving the outstanding issues we had. she also met her counterpart from oman, who played a key mediation role, facilitating the payment of britain's debt through his

country's central bank. i really hope what has been achieved here may stand as a beacon for future progress, notjust in the relationship between the uk and iran but also in international relations. certainly, broader international relations did also play a role. iran's economy has been struggling under international sanctions, less able to trade and sell oil, penalties it wants to see lifted as part of negotiations to secure a new deal, curbing the country's nuclear activities. that agreement is hanging in the balance. releasing detainees could help. for six years, politics kept nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe apart from her family. now it's played a part in her release. james landale, bbc news.

more now on ukraine, which has 15 nuclear reactors — eight are still operating and two are already in russian hands. one is in south—eastern ukraine. it's one of the largest plants in the world and it alone provides a quarter of ukraine's electricity. the defunct chernobyl site, which exploded in 1986, is also under russian control. so, how worried should the world be about russia's unprecedented take over of these sites? i've been speaking to associate professor tilman ruff from the university of melbourne. he gave me his assessment of the situation at the zaporizhzhia plant. well, the zaporizhzhia plant is under russian control. there are apparently 500 russian troops now controlling that plant. there is still unexploited ammunition from the attack on the 11th of march that is making the site very hazardous, and it's clearly very congested. clearly very contested. the russian nuclear

organisation apparently attempted to take over the facilities a couple of days ago, but it's still apparently being run by the normal staff. but it has really been unprecedented being subject unprecedented to be subject to direct military attack, which has clearly caused damage to notjust the training building where the fire occurred on the 11th of march, but also the administration building and some of the rest of the infrastructure. crucially, the power lines, the high—voltage power lines that supply the critical electricity nuclear reactors need at all times. two of the four of those were knocked out and a third has been malfunctioning since. so, it's a really dangerous and quite unprecedented situation. if russia was to take over more nuclear sites, how vulnerable would that leave ukraine to be cut off of all electricity?

it seems clear that part of the russian strategy is to really attack civilian facilities and infrastructure quite indiscriminately. if the laws and specific conventions on nuclear safety prohibit attacks on nuclear facilities, the 15 operating nuclear reactors spread across four plants in different parts of ukraine provide about half of ukraine's electricity. so, electricity is a really critical part of modern life, especially in winter for communications, heating, transport, distribution of goods and services. so, if russia were to strangle the power supply, it would aggravate the already terrible humanitarian crisis.

in other news — an earthquake injapan has struck off the north—east coast, knocking out power to over 2 million homes and killing one person. the magnitude was 7.3, and the epicentre was near that of the earthquake 11 years ago, which left more than 18,000 dead — and damaged the fukishima nuclear power plant. the earthquake shook japan for two minutes, causing a blackout in the capital, tokyo, and derailing a bullet train. none of its passengers were hurt. two british iranian dual nationals are flying home to the uk after being released from several years in jail. this is where they are due to land in the next a0 minutes or so, at raf bryce norton. nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe will be reunited with her daughter and her husband, richard. she was freed along with a retired engineer, anoosheh ashoori, who was also convicted for alleged spying. mr ashoori's family said they did not allow themselves to feel joy until the plane left iran.

he'll be landing in about a0 minutes. we'll bring you all the latest. hello there. there's going to be a different look to the weather on thursday and a change of fortune for much of the country as well. with the rain having cleared away, we had the sunnier skies across more western parts of scotland. there was almost an inch of rain in wiltshire and, for a while, we actually had some quite heavy rain here in lincolnshire as well. with that wetter weather clearing away out into the north sea and these showers yet to arrive from the northwest, we're going to have some clearer skies developing. so, by the time we get to early thursday morning, it could be quite cold and frosty in a few places. temperatures will be close to freezing, maybe down to —a or so in the northeast of scotland. we'll find those showers coming in from the northwest across scotland and northern ireland — notjust one band of showers, but two, and they could be quite heavy as well.

some sunshine in between. those showers tending to die out as they move over the irish sea, one or two in the afternoon for northern parts of england and wales. but for much of england and wales, it will be dry with more the way of sunshine this time and lighter winds towards the southeast — temperatures here making 1a, perhaps even 15 degrees. we do have some weakening weather fronts moving down from the northwest, bringing those bands of showers, but high pressure is going to be building by the end of the week, so it looks like it'll be dry on friday. could have some moisture left over from the earlier showers, giving this patchy mist and fog across parts of wales and the midlands. that will tend to lift, and we'll see a good deal of sunshine, i think, on friday, the breeze starting to pick up in some areas later in the day, but those temperatures are tending to climb as well. 13 degrees in the central belt of scotland, 15 or 16 perhaps in the east midlands and towards the fens. the weekend remains quiet and dry as well. a lot of sunshine around this weekend, but we're likely to have some stronger winds, too. after a chilly—ish start, i think, on saturday, it looks like a fine spring day — lots of sunshine around, dry day, but a noticeably

stronger east or southeasterly wind, which means the highest temperatures are likely to be along the coast of northwest england and around the murray firth — 16 or 17 celsius with. high pressure in charge this weekend. the centre of the high is drifting to the east of the uk, allowing these stronger winds to arrive and maybe threatening one or two showers in the evening on sunday in the far southeast of england. otherwise, sunday is a dry day. temperatures a little bit lower. we may see a bit more cloud on monday and perhaps one 01’ two showers.

this is bbc news. we will have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hour as newsday continues straight after hardtalk.

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.