this is bbc news, i'm sally bundock with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. touching down for talks — ukraine and russia prepare to meet face—to—face — president zelensky says he's willing to adopt neutral status. translation: i understand - it's impossible to force russia completely from the ukrainian territory — it would lead to the third world war, and that is why i'm talking about a compromise. british police are expected to issue the first fines for government parties held in breach of coronavirus restrictions. unacceptable and inexcusable — hollywood star will smith says sorry to comedian chris rock for slapping him at the oscars. the british—iranian man freed from prison in tehran earlier this month tells the bbc about

the hell he endured. hello and welcome. for the first time in more than two weeks, ukraine and russia will hold face—to—face peace talks as kyiv pushes for a ceasefire. presidential advisors from both countries will meet in istanbul, although hopes of a breakthrough remain low. president zelensky says the in—person negotiations must bring peace "without delay" and that ukraine could make compromises, as our middle east editorjeremy bowen reports from kyiv. the russians attacked an oil storage depot in western ukraine. the war is settling into a deadly daily grind.

medics live and sleep at the hospitals. there's no time to get home. in one in kyiv, the patients include a ukrainian diplomat. viktoria said it was ironic that she was wounded in her own home when she came back from belarus, russia's ally. "but i won't lie," she said, "i'm very scared." gennady�*s home was also hit. "the russians thought they'd be greeted with hugs," he says, "but if we don't get weapons to take the offensive, "missiles and planes, the war is going to drag "on for a long time." president zelensky hinted at compromise to russian journalists on ukrainian neutrality and territory. translation: i understand it's impossible to force - russia completely from the ukrainian territory. it would lead to the third world war. i understand it, and

that is why i'm talking about a compromise. in kyiv, a few cafes are open, and it is less tense than a month ago. slava and katarina were intrigued by what the president had said. translation: nobody's saying we should give i up the territories, but there should be some compromise or concession. translation: we hope that putin is a sane person. - but it's a very small hope. but at the end of the lonely roads out to the frontline towns, the war feels feels much closer. in boryspil, people risk a trip to the market. but the mayor shows off his ukrainian—made assault rifle and says that nato's only choice is to give them the planes and the tanks they need to beat the russians. i think if putin wins this war, they don't stop.

next will be poland, maybe romania, bulgaria and other countries in the european union. i think. biden and some of the other leaders have said that if they intervened in the war, if there was a no—fly zone, it could be world war iii. maybe, maybe, but if they don't close the sky, they will be next. ukraine's president was right to talk about compromise. but it may never happen. ceasefire agreements that work generally require either two sides fighting each other to exhaustion, or the weaker side making concessions because it fears defeat, or an outside intervention. none of those conditions applies in ukraine at the moment. so the most likely option is a continuation of a war of attrition. jeremy bowen, bbc news, kyiv.

here in the uk, the police are to issue the first fines in relation to government parties that took place during covid—i9 lockdowns. it's thought 15 fines will be given initially and it could be as soon as today. there's no word yet on whether the prime minister will be among those receiving one. from westminster, here's our political correspondent david wallace lockhart. before the war in ukraine, politics in the uk was largely dominated by what became to be known as partygate — those parties taking place in downing street and in whitehall while covid restrictions were in place — and all looks like it could come into the limelight once again, because westminster sources have told the bbc that the first fixed—penalty notices, the first fines for breaches of the rules are expected to be announced today. let's remember, an internal report by the civil servant sue gray looked at 16 of these gatherings taking place between may 2020 and april 2021.

she concluded that rules had been broken. the metropolitan police went on to look at 12 of these gatherings, three of which were attended by the prime minister borisjohnson. he's always said he did not break any of the covid rules. ioo questionnaires going out, of course, to people who the police believe may have been involved in all of this. injanuary, borisjohnson did — though he says he did not think he broke any rules — he did offer an apology for spending a short amount of time at a bring—your—own—booze party in the downing street gardens. downing street has previously said it will confirm if the prime minister gets a fixed—penalty notice, gets fined for breaching covid rules, though it's very important to stress at this point, we don't know who's expected to be given a fine today, and we don't know what events they will relate to. now, a lot of the political

pressure perhaps had eased off a bit, off the prime minister, in recent weeks because, of course, the war in ukraine was taking a lot of the political oxygen at westminster at the moment. some of his own mps who had previously called for him to go over the issue of lockdown parties eased off on those calls, feeling now was not the appropriate time to be discussing it, but with the issuing of the first fixed—penalty notices, with these fines potentially being announced, it's possible that some of that pressure comes back as partygate rears its head once again. more on that later as to date progresses. hollywood actor will smith has apologised to chris rock for slapping him during the oscar ceremony on sunday night. in a statement posted on his instagram account he describes his behaviour as "unacceptable and inexcusable" — and said he "deeply regretted" his actions.

lets go live to la and speak to our correspondent david willis. david, this time yesterday we were trying to assess whether this was a prank, what on earth was going on. it has dominated the conversations ever since. what is the latest with yellow yes, this is a fulsome apology and some yes, this is a fulsome apology and som— yes, this is a fulsome apology and some would say it coming almost 24 _ and some would say it coming almost 24 hours _ and some would say it coming almost 24 hours after - and some would say it coming almost 24 hours after the - almost 24 hours after the academy awards got under way here, it is not a minute too soon. well smith had apologised in public to the academy, to his fellow nominees, but had left one person off the list, chris rock, and this posting on instagram is directed at chris rock, and he says that he was wrong and out of line, and he says that will smith's violence in all its forms is destructive. my behaviour at

the awards was unacceptable and in excusable. in that speech, he blamed his actions in part on his love for his wife, and the pressures of fame, but he then went on to dance the night away, behaving almost as if nothing had happened. he must have woken up this morning to sense that the collective feeling of disbelief and shock here over at that very violent and very public assault in front of a worldwide audience. disbelief, shock, and a lot of criticism worldwide. it is a conversation going on all over the world, but in terms of his regret the day after, the academy are saying they are looking into this and investigating this now, i'd say? investigating this now, i'd sa ? , . ., , say? they are indeed and they have said _ say? they are indeed and they have said they _ say? they are indeed and they have said they condemned - say? they are indeed and they have said they condemned the violence that took place on sunday night and they are, as you say, carrying out an inquiry. it is debatable what

will come of that, because in theory or they could do, really, is censure will smith or expel him from the academy, withdraw his voting rights. but this is quite a test for them, i think, and this is an organisation that of course has been under the spotlight for other reasons in recent years. it's now really has to decide whether it will stand up to one of the most powerful men in hollywood, one of the most influential members, over the sort of violence that has been condemned by so many. there is a feeling that if they don't do something, if they overlook this, then they will be together regretting it because it will be together regretting it because it will he basically saying that they come down as an organisation the sort of violence we saw on sunday night. violence we saw on sunday niuht. , ., , violence we saw on sunday niuht. , . , ., night. 0k, we shall see what ha--ens night. 0k, we shall see what happens next. _ night. 0k, we shall see what happens next. david, - night. 0k, we shall see what happens next. david, thankl night. 0k, we shall see what - happens next. david, thank you. david willis with the latest there on what happened at the academy awards.

a service of thanksgiving for the life of the duke of edinburgh, who died last april, is taking place at westminster abbey later on tuesday morning. buckingham palace has indicated a last—minute decision will be taken as to whether the queen — who's facing mobility issues — will be able to attend. here's our royal correspondent, daniela relph. it will be just as he'd wanted it. prince philip had requested many of the elements in the thanksgiving, and since his death the queen has overseen the service. much of today would have been part of last year's funeral — but covid meant restrictions, with just 30 guests, no singing from the congregation, and that image of an isolated, masked queen. that sense of loneliness is so desolate, actually, in the feeling. for the country and the whole commonwealth to be able to give thanks for this amazing marriage, for two people who devoted themselves to each

other and then to duty and service of others — a chance to say thank you, i think, will be wonderful — and healing, as well, at the same time. the thanksgiving service here for prince philip will be a celebration of his contribution to public life. westminster abbey will be full of family, friends, and those organisations he worked so closely with over the years. the service includes many personal touches. the congregation will sing the hymn guide me 0 thou great redeemer, as requested by prince philip. clergy from the royal estates will offer prayers to reflect his active role in managing the estates. and flowers will include sea holly, to mark his naval career and lifelong affection for the sea. as d of e ambassadors, we use our voice... also playing a key role today will be the duke of edinburgh's award scheme — created to empower young people, many of whom will be at the abbey to show their appreciation.

he was incredibly active in the award. he attended all of our gold award presentation, so he would... and that's one of the things i understand that he really enjoyed — he loved meeting young people and hearing about their stories and what they got up to on the award. and i think, just as a man, he was just a real champion for the power and potential of young people. the public servant, the naval commander, and the family man — all aspects of prince philip's life will be remembered today. daniela ralph, bbc news, westminster abbey. stay with us on bbc news — still to come... hell behind bars — the british—iranian man released from prison in tehran earlier this month tells the bbc about what he experienced.

the accident that happened here was of the sort that can, at worst, produce a meltdown. in this case, the precautions worked, but they didn't work quite well enough to prevent some old fears about the safety features of these stations from resurfacing. the republic of ireland has become the first country in the world to ban smoking in the workplace. from today, anyone lighting up in offices, businesses, pubs and restaurants will face a heavy fine. the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he had been addressing a trade union conference. the small crowd outside included his assailant. it has become - a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians| wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is- being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustav eiffel. i

this is bbc news — the latest headlines... for the first time in more than two weeks, ukraine and russia will hold face—to—face peace talks — as kyiv pushes for a ceasefire. anoosheh ashoori, the british iranian man who was freed from prison in tehran earlier this month, says he's pleased to finally be back with his family, but cannot understand why it didn't happen sooner. he'd been held in iran since 2017 on spying charges, and was released alongside nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, after the uk settled a historic military debt with iran. he's been speaking to our diplomatic correspondent, caroline hawley. finally free and back home. well done, well done. good girl. anoosheh ashoori spent almost five years in a jail he describes as hell. he can hardly believe

the nightmare's over. i'm trying to pinch myself, to see that this is the reality, and i don't want to wake up to my cell. he drew a sketch of one of the cells. this was where he was held after he attempted several times to take his own life. can you describe that hell for us? i know in your cell, you had bedbugs, cockroaches, there were rats, but what was it like? i mean, there are people there who are like zombies. theyjust go back and forth, and they are... sometimes, you see they're talking to themselves and gesticulating and they are in their own world. because of what they've been through? yes. when you're in your cell, you are always looking behind you, you are always trying to remember all the good memories that you had with your family. you're living in your memories, i think? yeah, in fact, you are living in your memories. and is it those memories that keep you going? yes. otherwise i would go insane.

why do you think you were arrested? you always ask, "why me?" it wasn't me who was important. i wasn't important to any sides. it was the passport that was being arrested, but the holder of that passport was me. anoosheh, who do you blame for what you've been through? well, most of all, my captors. but then again, the british government, at the leadership level, yes, for the procrastination that, infact, happened. they could have done this much earlier. nazanin could see her beautiful daughter much earlier. i could be back with my family. this was a debt that had to be paid. why didn't you do it earlier? why do you have to go through all these years? could they stand even one day of it at evin prison?

if they had actually experienced that, then they would have done it much earlier. sherry, how does it feel to have him back? i'm not usually lost for words, but i think, this time, i was. and has he changed much? he's developed a few odd habits. yeah, he keeps asking permission for stuff — to take mugs, to... i don't know, very normal things that you don't ask permission for. still, still, at night, sometimes i touch sherry�*s hand as we are asleep, to see if this is real, this is happening. and i'm very fearful that i may wake up, to wake up and see that all of it was a nice dream, and i'm still back and i still have to wait for another six years to finish my sentence.

what an incredible person. just recounting some of his experience while he was held in iran. each of the almost four million refugees who have fled ukraine so far has their own story — the threads of their past lives, their escape routes and their current places of shelter all interwoven. our correspondent nick thorpe sent this report from north—east romania, about iryna, herfamily, and the monastery which has taken them in. sihastria. the name of the monastery means a place of retreat, of prayer and meditation, away from the turmoil of the world. and that's what it means now for iryna, her mother—in—law, natalia, her best friend ira, and theirfive children. iryna drove them all here in her old ford transit

from kharkiv in eastern ukraine. my lovely car, my lovely van. i'm so glad that here i have a part of home, a part of my husband. sometimes i... she sighs. i want to sit in there just to smell — just to smell my husband. just to smell my house. this glass belongs to him. maybe it is funny. i have his gum here. part of an apple. no one must take it. her husband, like ira's husband, stayed behind in kharkiv — a city under russian siege — delivering fuel.

here at the monastery, the families have been given a house and told they can stay as long as they wish. last sunday, when i was praying at the church, i even prayed for putin. i wished him to become wiser. i wished him, stop killing our children in ukraine. only here at the monastery, i began to feel some sympathy to russian troops... ..and i stop hating them. only yesterday i saw some flowers in the yard, and i was so surprised because i didn't see them before! it's impossible even to breathe this beautiful mountain air.

when they fled ukraine, they thought they might be home for easter. now their best hope is by summer. nick thorpe, bbc news, sihastria monastery, romania. significant talks are taking place. we will have all the updates as they progress. this is our online life page updated all the time so do keep a close eye on that today as those talks get under way in istanbul. let's catch up with all the latest sports news. hello, i'm mark edwards with your sport. christian eriksen will captain denmark in a friendly match against serbia on tuesday when he plays at parken stadium in copenhagen for the first time since suffering a cardiac arrest there during last year's european championship. kasper schmeichel, who's been the stand—in captain for the national side in the absence of the injured simon kaer, made the suggestion

to hand the armband to eriksen, and it's set to be an emotional occasion for him — the brentford playmaker collapsed on the field at the stadium in the danish capital during the match against finland, and was later told he was gone from this world for five minutes. it's something that you can't prepare, i think. it's just going to be one of the moments. the reception obviously in holland was very big and my expecting, of course, it's going to be even bigger here. this is the place where it happened and people will see it. and then afterwards people will be talking about it, that everything is back to normal. they're going to have a new memory. and then, yeah, i know it's going to be special — if course it's going to be special — but i'm looking forward to it. meanwhile, cristiano ronaldo says he's confident ahead of his side's world cup playoff final against north macedonia on tuesday. ronaldo says he's sure of victory in front of a passionate crowd in porto. portugal were comfortable 3—1 victors over turkey in the last—four stage. he also fielded questions over his international future, and says he will decide

when to quit. translation: i am starting to see that many of you ask| the same question. the person who is going to decide my future will be me. no—one else. if i feel like playing more, i will play. if i do not feel like playing more, i will not play. i am my one boss. period. well, can portugal's opponents, north macedonia, produce one more shock result, though, and reach the world cup for the first time in their history? the team ranked 67th in the world know a thing or two about upsets, having won away at quadruple world champions germany in the qualifying group stage, and famously knocking out reigning european champions italy in the semifinal playoff. now, it's the second leg of world cup qualifying play—offs in the afcon section. egypt take a i—o lead against senegal in a repeat of the africa cup of nations final. a fourth—minute own goal by senegal saliou ciss in the first leg, giving the pharaohs the slenderest of leads to take away to dakar. a win for mo salah and his team—mates would see egypt featuring for just the fourth time in their history at football's showpiece event.

and some tennis news for you now. daniil medvedev powered past pedro martinez in straight sets to reach the fourth round of the miami open. the russian, who will move back up to world number one if he makes the semifinals of the tournament, overcame his spanish opponent ranked 46 places below him in an hour and 24 minutes. medvedev will play the american jenson brooksby, who beat 15th seed roberto bautista agut. in the women's event, the former world number one naomi osaka set up a quarterfinal meeting with australian open finalist danielle collins after seeing off alison riske. but it wasn't all plain sailing, though, for the four—time grand slam champion — osaka had to save four break points in the first game of the match. the japanese star then went 2—0 down in the second set before reeling off four games in a row to set up a victory. and that's all your sport for now. from me, mark edwards, and the rest of the team, bye—bye. goodbye to mark but don't you go anywhere, we will be back

with the top business stories next. we will be talking through all the key issues. i will see you in a moment. hello. there is a change on the way, and for some, it will come as a shock to the system, especially in those parts of the uk where temperatures on monday afternoon got up to 18 degrees, especially across some western areas. up to the north, in shetland, just 6 degrees, and that colder air will be sweeping southwards over the next few days. it will turn cold enough for some of us to see some snow. now, tuesday morning starting off with a lot of cloud, some mist and fog in places, rain for a time across southern counties of england. in fact, some showery rain will continue here through the day. rain with some sleet and snow mixing in in northern scotland. elsewhere, some brighter skies developing, a scattering of showers, although eastern counties are likely to stay quite cloudy. for most, temperatures will be between 9—14 degrees, but in northern scotland, just 4—7 degrees, the colder air starting to make more

progress southwards. the cold air tucking behind this band of cloud, rain, sleet and snow, which will continue to journey southwards as we go through tuesday night and into wednesday. behind that, the temperatures really dropping away, with a frost into wednesday morning. ahead of our weather front, still relatively mild to start the day. our weather front will be making some more progress southwards during wednesday, some rain along it, yes, but also some sleet and some snow. now, much of the snow along the weather front will initially be falling over the hills, but we could see some getting down to low levels, say, across parts of northern england. and behind that, a mix of sunny spells and wintry showers following on behind — in fact, mainly snow showers across northern scotland. temperatures across the north of the uk just 5—8 degrees. and that weather front ushering in the colder air continues to journey southwards during wednesday night into thursday. there could be a covering of snow, even down south, especially over the hills, possibly at low levels. we'll have to keep an eye on that.

sunny spells and wintry showers into thursday, a brisk north or northeasterly wind, so it'll feel cold. temperatures, at best, between 5—10 degrees. so, the days rather chilly as we head through the rest of the week. there will be some showers of rain, sleet and snow, some sunny spells as well. but i mentioned the chilly days. there will be some cold nights as well, with a widespread frost developing in many areas from midweek onwards. bye for now.

this is bbc news with the latest business headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the uk government gives p&o ferries one final chance to re—employ the 800 ferry staff it sacked, or warns it will face the consequences. spain fights back against soaring energy prices, by using emergency economic measures to calm unrest and aid its people. taxing the ultra rich! joe biden targets wealthy billionaires to finance his multi—trillion dollar budget. and an oscarfor the digital age — coda's victory for best picture is a game—changer for the likes of netlfix and apple tv, as the streaming giants dominate the academy awards.