this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. us basketball star brittney griner is flying back to the us after being released from a russian prison as part of a prisoner swap with a russian arms dealer, her team mate tells us she's thrilled. iran carries out its first execution of a protester who took part in the recent anti—government demonstrations. we have a special report from the seychelles, on how vast seagrass meadows are being used in the fight against climate change. they can play an important role in reducing global warming. they can capture carbon that is heating up our atmosphere. argentina fans get ready to cheer on their team as they meet netherlands

in qatar later, for a place in the world cup semi—finals. hello and welcome. brittney griner, the basketball star who was jailed in russia for cannabis possession, is flying back to the us, after moscow and washington arranged an exchange of prisoners. ms griner�*s freedom came in return for the release from a american prison of viktor boot, a russian arms dealer. he has already arrived in moscow, flying in from abu dhabi, where the exchange took place. the terms were signed off by president biden, leading to criticism that he could have helped other americans detained in russia. with the story, here's our north america editor sarah smith.

still in the dark, brittney griner doesn't know why she's being led onto a plane. this footage, released by the russian authorities, shows her being given the news. do you know where you're heading to? no. no? no. you're flying back home... ..to the us. she's safe, she's on a plane, she's on her way home after months of being unjustly detained in russia. here on the tarmac in abu dhabi, the handover. brittney griner, in the red jacket, being released, and swapped for a notorious russian arms dealer, viktor bout. the basketball star had been detained in russia since february, when she was arrested at an airport in moscow for trying to smuggle vape cartridges containing marijuana into the country, something she described as an honest mistake. i understand everything that's being said against me, the charges that are against me and, therefore, i've pled guilty.

after that guilty plea, she was sentenced to nine years injail, and last month was moved to an extremely harsh labour camp. viktor bout, the russian arms dealer known as the �*merchant of death', has been injail in america since 2011. he's now also free man. the white house offered to swap bout for ms griner and paul whelan. he's an american who is being held on charges of espionage, which the us says are false. russia refused to include mr whelan in the exchange. brittney griner has become a real celeb in the us and herfreedom is being celebrated, but the president is being criticised for releasing a man as clearly dangerous as viktor bout. ms griner�*s wife campaigned tirelessly for her release. it's a happy day for me and my family so i'm going to smile right now! brittney griner will soon arrive back in america after ten months in russia. sarah smith, bbc news, washington. let's get some of the day's other news.

here in the uk, postal workers at royal mail have begun a wave of strikes in the run—up to christmas in a row over pay and conditions. the walkouts involving 115,000 workers will hit deliveries across the uk, unions say millions of pieces of mail have already piled up. the uk, japan and italy have announced they will jointly develop a next generation fighter jet by 2035. the new fighter jet will use artificial intelligence and can operate without a pilot on board. rishi sunak says he hopes it will create thousands ofjobs in the uk and and strengthen security ties. the uk government is set to announce what it describes as one of the biggest overhauls of financial regulation for more than three decades. it is expected to loosen rules on banks introduced after the financial crisis in 2008 when some banks faced collapse. and we'll have more on this in the business news

in about 30 minutes from now. there has been widespread condemnation of the first execution of a protester in iran, who took part in the recent anti—government demonstrations. at least eleven protesters have so far been sentenced to death, with many more killed in the unrest which has gripped the country since september. tom brada reports. this is mohsen shekari. on thursday morning, he was hanged, guilty, according to a revolutionary court, of enmity against god. he was accused of blocking a street in tehran and injuring a member of a paramilitary force with a machete. human rights groups have condemned the process, which decided he should be killed as a sham. the trial process lasted around seven weeks without lawyers present. what is really worrisome is that the even shorter time that it has taken the judiciary to issue an execute — a sentence of this nature.

more than 18,000 people have been detained since the unrest began, sparked by the death of the 22—year—old mahsa amini in police custody. the execution of mohsen shekari has many people concerned that the brutality of the state could get worse. with the lawlessness that we see in the iranian judiciary, they can basically sentence anyone they want to death and execute them unless the international community and people inside iran show a reaction. parts of the international community have spoken out. the uk foreign secretary tweeted: the german foreign minister said that: and later that day, they summoned the iranian ambassador.

for some, this response does not go far enough. governments and people all around the world are reacting on social media and through statements, but it is time for action. unsurprisingly, the iranian regime is not impressed by external criticism. translation: the west thinks iran is like other countries - who might give in to the rioters. here we have educated men and women. no, the iranian students won't let the protesters do whatever they want. iran's leaders are taking a gamble. by executing a young protester, they hope others will be too frightened to take to the streets. but with each repressive act, they risk more rage from the many thousands of people still desperate for change. tom brada, bbc news. an american diplomat�*s wife who caused the death of a british teenager in 2019, has been given an 8—month suspended sentence.

harry dunn, who was 19, died when anne sa—cool—as drove on the wrong side of the road. she left for the us shortly after the collision, claiming diplomatic immunity. she later admitted causing death by careless driving. harry's family is calling for a review of the uk's extradition treaty with the us. daniel sandford reports. more than three years after harry dunn died, his family came to the old bailey to hear the judge passed sentence on the american woman responsible. but anne sacoolas, the woman being sentenced, was not in court. seen on the right, she was appearing by video link with her lawyer from washington, dc. first, thejudge praised harry dunn's family for how they had campaigned forjustice for him. there is no doubt that the calm and dignified persistence

of these parents and the family of that young man has led, through three years of heartbreak and effort, to your appearance before the court, and the opportunity for you to acknowledge your guilt of a crime. please stand up, mrs sacoolas. for the offence of causing the death of harry dunn by your careless driving, the sentence is eight months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. harry dunn's mother said she'd now kept the promise she made to him in hospital after he'd died, to get him justice. job done, promise complete. properly, properly complete now. anne sacoolas has a criminal record for the rest of her life. that was something that, you know, she never thought she would see, the us government never thought they would see. anne sacoolas had turned onto the wrong side of the road as she left a barbecue and stayed in the wrong lane for 350 metres, hitting harry dunn on a blind bend. the prosecution told the judge that a passer—by who arrived immediately after the crash found anne sacoolas

looking disoriented with her two children on the side of the road. harry dunn was conscious and repeatedly said, "don't let me die." anne sacoolas said, "it's all my fault." "i was on the wrong side of the road." but using her husband job at the secretive us base at raf croughton, anne sacoolas claimed diplomatic immunity and left the country 19 days later. she also works for a sensitive branch of the us government. we're concerned over how much it would appear that sometimes the uk are continuing to pander to the us. it's like, they continue to choose to be a lapdog. and that needs to stop, that needs to change. but the family say that three years on, they can now remove the signs calling for justice on the blind corner where harry dunn died. daniel sandford, bbc news.

in a watershed moment for the gay rights movement in the united states, the house of representatives has voted in favour of same sex marriage. the right will be protected nationwide, once president biden signs the bill into law. nomia iqbal reports. this is a real watershed moment for gay rights movements in the us, so at the moment same sex marriages protected nationwide due to a supreme court ruling in 2015. however if that ruling was overturned, then same sex marriage, the right to same sex marriage, the right to same sex marriage would be left to the individual states in the same way that has happened to abortion rights following the overturning of roe v wade over the summer. when roe v wade was overturned, at the time one of the supreme courtjustices the supreme court justices clarence the supreme courtjustices clarence thomas who was in favour of roe v wade being overturned basically said in his concurring opinion that other privacy based rights such

as same sex marriage could be reconsidered and so that caused democrats to move swiftly to try to codify same sex marriage and so now they have done it and so now they have done it and the important thing to note here is that it got bipartisan support, it got majority support, it got majority support in the house and the senate by both parties and that is really important, it is really significant because it shows just how much views have changed culturally on an issue such as same—sex marriage which was 0nce such as same—sex marriage which was once upon a time really, really contentious. the other thing to point out here is that this is likely going to be the last significant legislative accomplishment that the house democrats make before the house republicans take over next year. at last month's cop27 climate summit in egypt, activists and international bodies called for a greater drive to protect and use coastal wetlands, to capture carbon.

carbon capture is a way of reducing carbon emissions from industrial processes, which experts say could be a powerful means of tackling global warming. the republic of seychelles off the coast of east africa is leading the way, as dingindaba jonah buyoya reports. beneath these calm waters, these seagrass meadows are helping to fight climate change. there is enough seagrass and mangroves in seychelles to fill up hundreds of thousands of football pitches, and they can play an important role in reducing global warming. they can capture carbon that is heating up our atmosphere. seagrass and mangroves can take in many more times carbon than rainforest, defend against rising waters, and are a habitat for marine life. but globally, they have been neglected. here on seychelles's main island, residents held up a motel development that would build over a seagrass meadows. there are bound

to be a lot of loss when they are going and dredge to do reclamation for the hotel, so it is a loss for seagrass. a lot of seagrass meadows here. there's a lot of fishermen, so they depend on this area. despite the development plans, seychelles has committed to protecting all these ecosystems by 2030. now a project is accurately mapping all its seagrass, making it one of the first countries to do so. and it's taking thousands of sediment samples. scientists have been breaking them down to see how much carbon they take in over time. we would like to use these numbers as mitigation to climate change. we need to find resolution to estimate how fast the sediment accumulates this organic carbon from the seagrass. so the government could trade carbon with countries wanting to offset emissions.

the seagrass meadows of a small island nation are providing lessons in the fight against climate change. dingindaba jonah buyoya, bbc news, seychelles. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: we'll have the latest on the rare incurable disease that's forced singer celine dion to cancel several shows. john lennon was shot at the entrance to the dakota building in the centre of new york. there's been a crowd here standing in more or less silent vigil and the flowers have been piling up. the 14th ceasefire of this war ended at the walls of the old city of dubrovnik. this morning, witnesses said shells were landing every 20 seconds. people are celebrating the passing of a man. they hold responsible for hundreds of deaths

and oppression. - elsewhere. — people have been gathering to mourn his passing. imelda marcos, the widow of the former president of the philippines, has gone on trial in manila. she is facing seven charges of tax evasion, estimated at £120 million. she pleaded not guilty. the prince and princess of wales are to separate. a statement from buckingham palace said the decision had been reached amicably. welcome back to bbc news. we are going to talk about what is going on in undera �*s. —— honduras. this week, the central american country of honduras announced it would legalise the morning after pill, but only where the woman requesting it had been raped. honduras has one of the most restrictive female reproductive rights in the world with abortion illegal under all circumstances, and the emergency contraceptive pill has been banned

since 2009. women face jail sentences of up to six years for suspected termination of pregnancy. that's created a black market in abortion pills. as part of our bbc 100 women series, our gender and identity correspondent megha mohan went to honduras to investigate. maura is 25 and two months pregnant, and with little means to provide for a child, she is actively looking to terminate her pregnancy. even if that means taking illegal and risky decisions. women's rights groups say ponderings like laura are

turning to men who illegally buy and sell prescription medication that is misused for abortions. how much do you sell the pill for? you are showing me some of the text messages that you were getting from women earlier. they are asking you for medical advice as well, how best to proceed, but you are not medically trained. do you worry about having that responsibility of giving women advice when you are not qualified to give them advice when it comes to abortions?

across town at the largest public hospital, doctor carolina deals with the publications from illegal abortions on a daily basis. for today- -- _ abortions on a daily basis. for today... one, _ abortions on a daily basis. fr?" today... one, two, three... six today... one, two, three... six today. seven today.— today. seven today. seven toda ? today. seven today. seven today? a _ today. seven today. seven today? a colleague - today. seven today. seven today? a colleague tells i today. seven today. seven l today? a colleague tells me that even in critical cases, their hands are tied. this month, the country public health minister agreed to provide the morning after pill for victims of rape.

but as it stands, these reforms will not help women like laura. megha mohan, bbc news. much more from the 100 women series on the special section on our website. if you do want to find that, you can find interviews and features, everything about this series on the rise of the virtual k—pop princess. just log on to bbc.com/news or go via the bbc app. shall we talk football? after two days with no games

at the qatar world cup, the first quarterfinals take place later on friday. the fans have been keeping the excitement levels high, even without any balls being kicked. this was the scene at the centre of doha on thursday evening — unbelievable — plenty of argentinian fans in evidence. they have a name for the pre—game festivities — �*banderaso' — it looks like quite a lot of fun. their team plays the netherlands for a semifinal spot on friday. with the details, here's lydia campbell. atikamekw education cannock city, croatia will be hoping to pass one of the hardest tests in the world football —— education city. brazil has struggled with two goals draws on the group stages as they made penalties againstjapan to reach the quarter—finals. against brazil, they will need to be about at their best, and here is why. priscila the most successful nation in world cup history. they have lifted the trophy five times in all, but

not since 2002. at this time around they look more like the brazil of old with name are leading his team of youngsters to some dazzling displays. and it is clear the confidences high in brazil. translation: ., ., translation: the mood in the team is excellent, _ translation: the mood in the team is excellent, no _ translation: the mood in the team is excellent, no problems| team is excellent, no problems at all, so we hope to reach the final, and, god willing, winning the title.- final, and, god willing, winning the title. this could be the last _ winning the title. this could be the last world _ winning the title. this could be the last world cup - winning the title. this could be the last world cup for i winning the title. this could l be the last world cup for this footballing legend. his 100 one thousandths career appearance. he can produce a magic we have become accustomed to seeing over the last 20 years. the netherlands will pose a different type of threat altogether, and add some spice to this one, van gogh has provided an interesting reaction to argentina's de maria who described him as the worst manager he had ever worked with from their time at manchester united.

translation: ., ~ ,, manchester united. translation: ., translation: now we kiss each other on the _ translation: now we kiss each other on the mouth. _ translation: now we kiss each other on the mouth. that - translation: now we kiss each other on the mouth. that is - translation: now we kiss each other on the mouth. that is on . other on the mouth. that is on the mouth... he doesn't want it, but this is fine. the mouth. .. he doesn't want it, but this is fine.— it, but this is fine. with the semifinals _ it, but this is fine. with the semifinals in _ it, but this is fine. with the semifinals in their - it, but this is fine. with the semifinals in their sites, i it, but this is fine. with the | semifinals in their sites, the four teams on friday will soon become two. everything is now on the line. lydia campbell, bbc news. how exciting! so, let's recap today's quarterfinal matches. first up is croatia against brazil with argentina against the netherlands a couple of hours later. full details and features about the world cup on our app or through our website — bbc.com/news. the canadian singer celine dion has revealed she has been diagnosed with a rare, incurable disease. it's affecting her movement and her voice, which has forced her to reschedule next year's tour of europe and the uk. wendy urquhart reports.

# here, far, wherever you are... , ., ., , # here, far, wherever you are... celine dion has topped the charts — are... celine dion has topped the charts all _ are... celine dion has topped the charts all over— are... celine dion has topped the charts all over the - are... celine dion has topped the charts all over the world | the charts all over the world and her songs have won countless awards, but her lifestyle is about to change drastically. the 54—year—old fought back tears on thursday as she told her 5.2 million instagram followers that she is suffering from stiff persons syndrome, or sps, a rare neurological disorder with autoimmune disease symptoms which have around one in a million people worldwide. unfortunately... the spasms affect every aspect of my daily life. sometimes causing difficulties when i walk, and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way i am used

to. , ., ., , to. celine dion was due to touring europe _ to. celine dion was due to touring europe and - to. celine dion was due to touring europe and the . to. celine dion was due to j touring europe and the uk to. celine dion was due to i touring europe and the uk in spring next year, but fans will have to wait a bit longer to hear their favourite songs live while she concentrates on getting better. but cancelling those concerts is clearly breaking her heart. i those concerts is clearly breaking her heart. i have to admit- -- _ breaking her heart. i have to admit... it — breaking her heart. i have to admit... it has— breaking her heart. i have to admit... it has been - breaking her heart. i have to admit... it has been a - admit... it has been a struggle. all i know... is singing. it is what i have done all my life. and it is what i love to do the most. # i am... am... she is working with a team of is and gaining the strength to carry on from her family, but she had this sweet message for herfans. family, but she had this sweet message for her fans. i family, but she had this sweet message for herfans. i love you guys so much. and i really

hope i can see you again real soon. thank you.— we have business is coming up soon. see you soon. bye—bye. well, it looks like this cold weather is going to stick around for quite a few more days. it's not desperately cold during the day. it's the night—time that's especially chilly, with temperatures perhaps getting as low as —10 in rural spots in the next few nights. but snow showers, icy stretches, sharp frosts — those are the main points as this cold air arrives and has indeed arrived from the northern climes all the way from the arctic. but we'll see subtle changes in the wind direction over the coming days. so that means that snow showers will be affecting perhaps different areas. but the northerly winds have been bringing in quite persistent snow showers to scotland. we've had some grazing the eastern counties of england as well,

even reports of hail showers in places. and through the course of the night, icy stretches in some areas. it's also going to turn quite cloudy across parts of the midlands, east anglia, the south—east. maybe a few flakes of snow from that as well, but really not an awful lot. these are the inner city temperatures, so —3, “4. but in rural spots, as i indicated earlier on, it will be a good deal colder than that. so here's the morning — lots of sunshine right from the word go, but not necessarily in the south—east. could be really quite raw and dull for a time before the sun arrives. wintry showers continue in the north, in some western areas, northern ireland too. and again, briefly in the afternoon, temperatures for most of us touching around about 3 to 5 degrees celsius. and then the following night, so friday night into early saturday, again, these are the inner city values with lower temperatures expected in rural spots. so this weekend, of course, it's staying cold, but freezing fog — lingering freezing fog

could be a problem. now, let's have a look at the forecast map then. and you can see a low pressure establishing itself across the uk. that means lighter winds if we're in the centre of the low. that will help the fog to form. and also notice that blobs of blue, white are starting to appear in other parts of the country. that's an indication of the winds shifting around the uk and perhaps pushing in some of the wintry showers to areas that haven't seen anything so far. so, yes, the outlook staying cold, not desperately cold by day, certainly not subzero for most of us, but chilly nights. and of course, you can track the weather as always on our fabulous weather app. bye— bye.

this is bbc news with the latest business headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. america watches closely as china and saudi arabia sign a series of deals to expand their already strong relationship. it's the biggest change in uk banking regulation for 30 years — we'll explain big bang 2. and the value of office property in london is expected to fall dramtically over the next three years, as flexible working takes over. but what will happen to all that empty space? we ask a property expert.