ah ah ah ah, this is dw news lie from berlin, free at last after months in a russian prison, brittany griner is on her way home. the u. s. basketball player, seeing here on the left, is handed over in a prisoner's swap in exchange for a notorious russian arms dealer. also coming up international outrage and calls for

iran to face small sanctions after the religious regime executes a 20 to 23 year old man. for taking part an anti government demonstrations rights groups want more hangings are imminence. ah i'm glad off as well come to the program. you as a basketball player, brittany griner has been released from custody and russia. the to time olympic gold medalist was arrested in moscow in february and sentenced to 9 years in prison on drug charges. 3 recently had an appeal rejected and was transferred to a remote penal colony. her release is part of a high stakes prisoner swap. the west will hand over a notorious russian arms dealer in exchange a prisoner

swap on the top of the airport. it is here that captive dns for you as possible. stop brittany griner scene here on the left, and russian on the la victor boot on the right. us president joe biden spoke to grind shortly. i'll release. i'm glad to be able to say the brittany's in good spirits. she. she's relieved to finally be heading home. and the fact remains that she's lost months of her life experience. needless trauma, she deserve space privacy in time with a lovely recovery. he'll from her time being wrong through detain vice dryness. why sharon, thank dos involved in bringing brittany home. so over the last 9 months, y'all have been so privy to one of the dark is moments of my life. and so today i'm just standing here overwhelmed with the emotions. but the most important emotion

that i have right now is just sincere gratitude. right now we're still on our way to the u. s. which was already being welcomed by his family in moscow. he had been in the us jailed in 2012 serving a 25 year sentence for trafficking? yes, i mean, i mean i've seen it. so what i was hoping to grind, i was arrested at moscow, put in february and sentence to 9 years possession of cannabis by a russian court. these images published by the russian government show it being released from the penal colony. she was held in and put on a plane to app or w. a long idea. it's finally over washington correspondent carolina jemma has more about this deal. there has been a lot of public pressure in the united states to get greiner back home, despite a recent release. we know that the negotiations have not been an easy victory for the bite of administration. the u. s. government had to pay

a heavy price. they released victor boot a major arms dealer for al qaeda, the taliban, and to rebels in rwanda, but was sentenced to 25 years in prison. he would have been released in 2036. and in addition to greiner, the u. s. government also tried but was unable to secure the release of poll whelan . he is a us citizen who has been held in a russian prison since 2018 on charges of espionage, but according to the secretary of state antony lincoln, they had no other option than to do a one on one exchange. meaning, greiner for boot, he said the alternative would have been no release at all. we long will remain in prison. so this is a 2nd concession at the white house had to make. it's important to point out that the united arab emirates played a key role as a moderator in these along a difficult negotiations with russia at the exchange of prisoners to please in abu dhabi and president biden thanked the united arab emirates for their help. it's

also crucial to mention that the u. s. administration has made clear that getting this done does not mean that the us government minimizes the brutal war in ukraine and the russia attacks in ukraine coding at more than now. let's bring in almost coverage if you refer to is in riga because russia has closed down the w's offices that you are. the white house is claiming the release of the grant as a victory house return to boot being reported in russia. well, victor booths return is reported as a victory for russian diplomacy, of course, but the focus is on us concessions on other issues now, being possible for russia at state. secretary blinkin is quoted as saying that the u. s. can cooperate with russia could cooperate with russia on some issues. however, this would not change the basic your stance on the one you crane washing with this keeps main ally and nothing will change that. it's interesting that britney griner

is hardly reported anymore, even though the russian media reported almost hysterical about her as a very bad drug smuggler and criminal before the prison exchange. now no one seems to care about her, which means she has always been treated as a trump card in the hands of the russian and judiciary. now, i was moscow so keen on securing the return of victor boat to loose this man. while the to boot has been charged with a very serious crimes in the united states, he said to have delivered maryland just a salad and weapons to various countries such as that gander, stan galant, west, and african countries. he was even suspected of delivering chemical weapons to al qaeda. and oak is someone who does that or is accused of doing that must have very good contact connections. and he might be also connected even to secret services. when booth was arrested in thailand and extradited to the yes,

the reaction from moscow was a very harsh 2010. at that time, deputies of the doom, or the minister of foreign affairs, harshly criticized his extradition to the as may be because he just knew too much and knew too many high ranking officials personally in russia. and maybe he could have revealed some secrets to the americans. mother are the western prisoners being held in russia on rather dubious char, just like a poor whelan. for example, we heard about this in our report, one of their chances of release i think poll we linda, is a little bit different story of the drug smuggling is considered in russia, a serious crime and punishable with jack connie and penalties like we saw it in case of brittany griner, willen or mr. wilson is still accused of spanish, and that is much worse for the russian judicial authorities. but of course, that makes him all the more interesting for

a possible further present exchange. as so far as there is no sign that he will be traded, but i am, the russians are desperate for us sanctions to be east or lifted. that is the ultimate goal and who knows what concessions washing may make. and in the future, you re ritchie to the in a riga, thank you. you re let's have a look at some of the other stories making headlines today. china's president, she didn't being as met with saudi crown. prince. mom had been solomon in re ard. it's, she's 1st visit to saudi arabia in 6 years. and only his 3rd overseas trip since the coven pandemic began. he will need other regional leaders for a china arab summit on later today on the nation. one sick, the u. s. congress has approved a bill protecting same sex marriage. president joe biden is expected to assign it

into law quickly. the draft legislation passed the senate last week of the month of negotiation. lawmakers were concerned that the supreme court could reverse its 2015 decision to legalize same sex marriages. supporters of the rose ousted president pedro casteel half class with police backers of the left wing populace are demanding his release and the suspension of parliament. a peruvian court ordered his detention on the 1st day after congress voted him. germany's foreign ministry has summoned the uranian ambassador to germany after news that iran carried out its 1st known execution of the protest. us since anti government demonstrations began in september. or since shikari was hanged on thursday and octopus swore nath at least a dozen other iranians faced the same fate for their involvement in the demonstrations. behind the walls of the notorious evian prison most in shaker,

he was hanged on thursday. the death sentence against the 23 rolled, was only handed down in november and has now been very quickly carried out. waterloo, has iran's judiciary accused shake harry of injuring a militia member during the protest? human rights groups condemned the proceedings as a fast track show trial. lacking an independent defense intended to scare off other processes. bambrow hit on thursday morning broadcast. as close to the iranian regime, shed this video on social media. it was supposed to prove shikari is guilt, accompanied by dramatic music and the use of computer generated scenes of violence . the regime staged a dubious admission of guilt will observe, as believed that the confession was extracted under torture and duress, iranian turkish political scientists. the reef gaskin says that systematic in iran

minutia since the foundation of the islamic republic in 1979. the regime is repeatedly imprisoned, opponents tortured them and put them in front of cameras. and now they're doing that with the demonstrators. if we, they want to show them as fearful and weak people are normal. as people who break when they're put under enough pressure on little core cock. only a few days ago, a regime propaganda channels published a video with the famous rappa too much so les, he was who also faces the death penalty. in the video, extracts from one of his music videos were cut together with an interrogation in its delay, he apologizes for inciting people to protest. when on john, you irish gaskin believes the regime propaganda strategy is having the opposite of his intended effect to lay he and others. now heroes to many bruce, good people see these stage confessions gone really as

a sign of the weakness of this regime was trying to prevent its downfall. a regime that is increasingly under pressure because the resistance in a rollin shows no signs of going away. people in south africa currently don't have electricity for up to 10 hours a day because the pi utility has been scheduling blackouts to avoid a total collapse of the national grid. countries president has been pushing for green energy transition. something about germany's economics minister robert harbor, who's cargo on a visit to south africa as offer to support the south african renewable energy technology center at the university in cape town. germany's economics minister hoble habit himself a green party petition is visiting to promote the transition to cleaner energy production. amanda shy is one of the students here training to become a wind turbine service technician. so my favorite part of everything is just how

everything comes together. for the renewable energy, part of things, and i think sustainability because that's where you see that no matter how it can be, am no shedding can be i think of the past load shedding means no power checking the load. shedding schedule has become a daily ritual for south africans. they currently have to cope with levels 6 power cuts, meaning up to 10 hours a day without electricity. often, even traffic lights are effect, as many businesses and factories are forced to close than those who can afford it, get generators or they improvise. the electricity crisis has been brewing for decades. the state power utility as calm, has been accused of mismanagement and corruption demand has been steadily growing, but crucial investments haven't been made. and the power utility is heavily in debt despite several government bailouts. currently, most of south africa's electricity is produced with local coal. germany wants to

support a transition in energy policy and africa override this. if south africa is ready to reduce c o 2 emissions and change its reliance on coal, europe and germany are ready to help from the money for that is already made avail . i, christina, drawn, south africa's president has repeatedly called for such a green transition, but he is facing a position from within his own government. the energy minister is a former coal minor and union leader. the code is going to be with us for some time . and therefore, we must agree on the system and to whatever you call must listen to us. what do we think? how do feel about it? and not just push us into doing what they want bacon capetown soon to be wind turbine service technician, amanda shy says she wants to be part of the generation that provides both steady and green electricity for everyone in south africa watching the w news.

as a reminder of our top story, the united states as secure the release of basketball star, brittany greiner from russian custody as part of a prisoner swap. the u. s. has handed over the russian army dealer, victor boot an extra that's it from me and the news team for now i'll have an update for you. asked the top of the i don't go away though. up next is d w business with my colleague, rob, once i get out of those in of berlin from me, the whole new seat. thanks. watch. ah . we've seen a sex phone operator who wrote her master's thesis on the potato raring to read and not the turn on well, it gets more ridiculous from their.