hello and thanks forjoining us. it's a big night for anyone interested in the royals, because harry and meghan�*s highly—anticipated tv interview with oprah winfrey is just getting under way. it was recorded last month in los angeles. it comes after the duke and duchess of sussex decided to step back as senior members of the british royal family last year. our north america correspondent peter bowes says there is huge interest in the royal family as celebrities but the issue of racism is likely to be discussed. it is an issue but i think also, and just watching some of the commentary over the last few days, many americans are watching this because of the soap opera style interest in the activities of the british royal family. they have watched the crown here, which is raised on a fit dishes interpretation of real—life events. i think thatis that is the fishbone through which many people see the royal family. what they are looking at this interview for is some real life and real life stories and whether racism comes into that, it seems very unlikely that, it seems very unlikely that oprah winfrey will not address that issue head on but they are looking for detail. so what will american audiences make of the couple's interview and are they likely to be more sympathetic than a british audience? i think people will be watching for the way they come across, the body language, exactly what they have to say. but, yes, especially in america and especially in america and especially in america and especially in los angeles, this is where she was born and brought up on this, of course, is where she began to work in the entertainment industry as an actress. there is a lot of affection towards her in the city and across the board, across the country, you may find different views of this too as a couple as you recognise in the uk with public opinion especially of meghan since they have returned, at least she has returned to the united states. iii least she has returned to the united states.— united states. if you are interested _ united states. if you are interested in _ united states. if you are interested in following l united states. if you are l interested in following the progress of the interview we have a live update on their website. let's get some of the day's other news. hundreds of protesters demanding justice for george floyd have marched through the us city of minneapolis on the eve of the trial of a white policeman charged with his murder. mr floyd died in may last year after he was pinned down by the neck for more than eight minutes. swiss voters have approved a ban on face coverings in public, such as burqas and niqabs worn by muslim women. critics have called it absurd, pointing out that only a handful of muslims in switzerland actually wear face coverings. president emmanuel macron has led tributes to the french politician and billionaire olivier dassault who was killed in a helicopter crash today. mr macron described him as a captain of industry and said his death would be a great loss. barcelona football club has elected joan laporta as its new president. the lawyer and former politician, who was previously in the post between 2003 and 2010, won a convincing majority from club members desperate for a return to trophy—winning days. the first papal visit to iraq is drawing to a close, as the pontiff prepares to fly out of the country on monday. pope francis spent his last full day visiting parts of the country once held by militants from the self—styled islamic state. the pontiff then celebrated mass at a football stadium in irbil, the capital of iraq's kurdistan region. our correspondent mark lowen is travelling with the pope. from the rubble of war, a messenger of peace. face—to—face with the brutality of islamic state terror in mosul, pope francis came to appeal for unity to rise from its ashes. beside a church destroyed in the fighting, a powerful moment of reflection. rarely has the hand of healing been needed more than this. translation: today, . we reaffirm our conviction that fraternity is more durable than fratricide, that hope is more powerful than death, that peace, more powerful than war. the visit was a plea to iraqi christians to halt their exodus. killed or forced to flee by sunni extremists, they've fallen from 1.5 million to under 300,000, one of the world's oldest christian communities itself in ruins. and then another risk in the trips finale — a large public mass in irbil in the midst of the pandemic. it's what some had warned against — spreading the virus, notjust the word of god. but the papal fans were undeterred. i hope that this visit will bring a lot of peace to this country and to all religions and nationalities — to live together in peaceful life. the short—term impact of these crowds could well be a spike in infections, but from the warmth of his reception to the potency of his message, this is a trip that could have a long—lasting legacy, too, beyond simply the symbolism. that he came at all was, for many iraqis, a miracle. but a defiant pope has made history here, hoping to have given a balm to this injured land. mark lowen, bbc news, irbil. officials in equatorial guinea have appealed for international help following a series of explosions. the president said the blasts were due to negligence in the storing of dynamite at a munitions depot inside a military base. the government says at least 15 people have been killed and more than 500 injured. state tv showed video footage of traumatised people staggering to safety and attempts to rescue those trapped under the rubble. the health ministry said three hospitals receiving the injured had been overwhelmed, it urged people to donate blood and asked off duty doctors to help. a short while ago, we heard from the country's foreign minister. translation: the information we have is that _ translation: the information we have is that there _ translation: the information we have is that there are _ translation: the information we have is that there are 500 - have is that there are 500 injured and 15 deaths. the base that make the blast happened neara that make the blast happened near a military base in bata. the most important thing for us is to ask for help from friendly nations and international partners in this unfortunate situation. you are aware that we are facing a health emergency and now, on top of that, this new tragedy in the city of bata. this is why it was appropriate to inform you in this way so you can help equatorial guinea. let's talk to moises nvumba from independent equatorial guinea radio station, radio macuto. he's based in london and has been speaking to eye—witnesses in the country's largest city, bata. thank you so much forjoining us. tell us what kind of things people are telling you. particularly people are telling me that about two o'clock yesterday they heard several blasts, some of them the biggest and two o'clock and four o'clock and the blast were continuous and that is what people are telling me. in the beginning they did not know what was happening. they told me that they had been attacked by it seems it has been an accident. we are not 100% yet completely sure that what happened, we still don't know what has happened.— happened, we still don't know what has happened. what kind of ressure what has happened. what kind of pressure will _ what has happened. what kind of pressure will they _ what has happened. what kind of pressure will they be _ what has happened. what kind of pressure will they be on - what has happened. what kind of pressure will they be on the - pressure will they be on the government to carry out an independent investigation? the -ressure, independent investigation? tue: pressure, they independent investigation? tte: pressure, they will try to put pressure, they will try to put pressure on the government but at the same side we have what we're doing is letting people know what happened in the situation with the hospitals very, very bad. last week between ministers deputies and others they had been called to cameroon because the hospital, they had no quality to cope with more than the situation we're talking about today. the government — we're talking about today. the government has _ we're talking about today. the government has suggested it will: international help to try and understand what happened and understand what happened and to help people. what kind of countries do you think would be ready to offer assistance? t be ready to offer assistance? i believe spain has sent some surplus assistance and also tomorrow we will try to call for our people to come and help. for our people to come and hel. ., , for our people to come and hel _ ., , ., , for our people to come and hel, ., , ~' for our people to come and hel. . , ~' , help. has anything like this ever happened _ help. has anything like this ever happened before? - help. has anything like this | ever happened before? not, help. has anything like this i ever happened before? not, i must say _ ever happened before? not, i must say it— ever happened before? not, i must say it is _ ever happened before? not, i must say it is not _ ever happened before? not, i must say it is not happened i must say it is not happened because the negligence hasn't happened before, i believe what happened before, i believe what happened this time is that they have all these explosives, dynamite, ammunition in the same place, i believe, that is the main reason it is this big. thank you so much forjoining us. the saudi government has said a drone fired from yemen by houthi rebels hit an oil storage yard in ras tanura — a major oil shipment port — but did not cause any injuries or damage. meanwhile a saudi—led military coalition carried out several air strikes on yemen's houthi—controlled capital sanaa, according to state media. it's a new escalation in the six—year conflict between the rebels and the coalition, which is backed by the yemeni government. mark lobel reports. stroking this valuable oil facility in saudi arabia crossed a redline according to its government. it was part of what it called a cowardly terrorist attack from matt to matts supported by a run that make iran in yemen. the artillery and drone divisions conducted a wide offensive in the depths of saudi arabia with 14 the depths of saudi arabia with 1a drones and eight ballistic missiles. cross—border missile and drone attacks from yemen into saudi arabia are not rare and are usually intercepted. but the distance this one successfully travelled, into the east of the kingdom, was noticeable and worrying for thousands of civilians there. in retaliation, airstrikes followed on yemen's capital which is under houthi control. black coming from a military compound. elsewhere, the houthis are also advancing on the heavily strategic oil—rich town of murray with 90 deaths reported over 2a hours on both sides. the aim of the houthis appears to either capture this last government—held town or use the threat of doing so as a bargaining chip as the us and un call for an end to the conflict with peace talks. that is because it is a desperate situation across much of the country, including in this port town of her data. with tens of thousands killed, over six years of fighting, the un warns of the west famine the world has seen in decades. oaf after over one year of covid throughout the world, the economies are weak and those who are giving funding find it more difficult to give money. so we need to find a way to go beyond humanitarian assistance. an end to the fighting would be a start. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: campaigning to end period poverty — as international women's day is celebrated around the globe. the numbers of dead and wounded defied belief. this the worst terrorist atrocity on european soil in modern times. in less than 2a hours, then, the soviet union lost an elderly sick leader and replaced him with a dynamic figure 20 years his junior. we heard these gunshots in the gym. then he came out through a fire exit and started firing at our huts. god, we were all petrified. james earl ray, aged 41, sentenced to 99 years i and due for parole when he's 90, - travelled from memphis jail to nashville state prison. in an eight—car convoy. paul, what's it feel like to be married at last? it feels fine, thank you. what are you going to do now? is it going to change your life much, do you think? i don't know, really — i've never been married before! this is bbc news. the latest headlines: one of the biggest royal tell—all interviews is underway in the us, as harry and meghan talk to oprah winfrey about leaving the royal front line. the pope's historic trip to iraq draws to a close. pope francis says the country will remain in his heart. violence has escalated once more in myanmar, with at least 18 people killed on sunday alone in clashes between anti—coup demonstrators and police forces. huge protests broke out after an official of aung san suu kyi's party died in police custody. security forces near the ancient city of bagan fired rubber bullets on people, and in yangon, they carried out several raids, firing at apartment buildings and arresting activists. danai howard reports. instead of the now—usual sounds of gunfire and tear gas, a moment of silence filled the streets of yangon on sunday, in memory of protesters killed by security forces. khin maung latt is one of the latest — an official from aung san suu kyi's overthrown government. he died in police custody after being arrested on saturday evening by security forces in yangon. witnesses say he was violently beaten and kicked before being taken from his home. his parents were told he died after fainting. huge crowds of demonstrators took to the streets in response to his death. in some areas, police responded with gunfire, adding to the death toll. the un has condemned it as a gruesome day. when you look at what's going on on the streets of myanmar right now, you see exactly why it is so compelling for countries to take action. we simply can't afford in any sense of the word to sit back and turn our backs on the people of myanmar. some governments have started to take action. australia has suspended defence cooperation with the military and says its development programme will now be directed to the immediate humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable people. and china, whose cooperation is needed in the un to impose sanctions on myanmar, announced on sunday that it is willing to engage with all parties to ease the crisis. beijing's top diplomat, wang yi, says the situation in myanmar is absolutely not what china wants to see. translation: on the basis of respect for myanmar's i sovereignty and the will of its people, china stands ready to engage and communicate with the relevant parties and play a constructive role in easing the situation. as the week begins with international women's day, the protests will take on a new dimension. human rights activists say women in myanmar have long endured inequality and repression under past military regimes. many women activists have paid with their lives in their fight for democracy. women's traditional skirts have become another symbol of the protests. strung across streets like this, it's considered bad luck to walk under them. demonstrators say they're hanging them up to deter advancing soldiers and give the people time to run away. danai howard, bbc news. international women's day is being celebrated around the globe and this year, the theme is �*choose to challenge', encouraging individuals to call out gender bias and inequality and seek out and celebrate women's achievements. the australian charity, share the dignity, aims to do exactly that — bring dignity to women and girls experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, and period poverty through the distribution of period products. it's using the occasion to mark its biggest campaign to date. share the dignity founder, rochelle courtenayjoins me now from sydney. q. so much forjoining us. there is still a significant stigma. —— thank you so much forjoining us. t stigma. -- thank you so much forjoining us.— forjoining us. i do you change that? we _ forjoining us. i do you change that? we know _ forjoining us. i do you change that? we know trying - forjoining us. i do you change that? we know trying to - forjoining us. i do you change that? we know trying to and l that? we know trying to and period poverty is multifold. notjust period poverty is multifold. not just getting period poverty is multifold. notjust getting women and girls the products, but removing the stigma so they ask for the product to be and then we need to educate boys and girls and men to make sure we all understand menstruation at. how do we do that if nobody talks about it?— how do we do that if nobody talks about it? how do you do it, then? _ talks about it? how do you do it, then? we _ talks about it? how do you do it, then? we have _ talks about it? how do you do it, then? we have today - it, then? we have today launched _ it, then? we have today launched our _ it, then? we have today launched our guest - it, then? we have today - launched our guest campaign today cold period pride, and we are asking everybody to just talk about periods. but inside of that, we are asking that people could complete our bloody good survey, looking for the answers to the data that is needed to make the changes we have seen in scotland and new zealand for australia, where no girl should miss out on a day of education because herfamily cannot afford the basics essentials, orwomen cannot afford the basics essentials, or women turn up to hospitals and there is no access to sanitary items. we need that data so we can analyse it and get federal changes here in australia. share changes here in australia. are . irls changes here in australia. are girls missing _ changes here in australia. are girls missing days of the education because of this? australia is a lucky country but there are many girls who miss days of will because their families cannot afford it. and there are women who miss work because they cannot afford it as well. you know what? we know better so we should be doing better. we can get them the product that is needed but we cannot remove that shame and stigma unless we look at it in a different way and move into 2021 and beyond, removing that shame and stigma. haifa 2021 and beyond, removing that shame and stigma.— shame and stigma. how long miaht shame and stigma. how long miuht it shame and stigma. how long might it take? _ shame and stigma. how long might it take? we _ shame and stigma. how long might it take? we are - shame and stigma. how long j might it take? we are hoping shame and stigma. how long l might it take? we are hoping it - it may take — might it take? we are hoping it - it may take one _ might it take? we are hoping it - it may take one year, - might it take? we are hoping it - it may take one year, it - might it take? we are hoping it - it may take one year, it mayl — it may take one year, it may take ten years, but we will be there every single year to make sure that the girls that will be women one day will be able to talk about periods, that the boys will talk about periods and know that their sisters and their mothers and auntie is, and what they go through, instead of segregating boys and girls in education around menstruation, we need to make sure everybody is educated. —— everybody is educated. sure everybody is educated. -- everybody is educated.- everybody is educated. what should boys _ everybody is educated. what should boys and _ everybody is educated. what should boys and men - everybody is educated. what should boys and men do - everybody is educated. what should boys and men do to l everybody is educated. what should boys and men do to help? they should understand what happens to a woman's body, understanding that helps ensure they are better humans in the first place. but it is ourjob to ensure that we educate boys and girls accordingly, so that they all have an understanding of what menstruation is. which countries have _ of what menstruation is. which countries have got _ of what menstruation is. which countries have got this - of what menstruation is. which countries have got this right? l countries have got this right? oh, i can't say that there is a country in the world that has got this right. i think this is a global problem, notjust a problem isolated to australia. the problem varies amongst cultures and different places around the world, so we hope that this campaign that starts in australia around period pride will take off around the world and changes the narrative around menstruation of the rest of everyone's lives.— of everyone's lives. rochelle courtenay. _ of everyone's lives. rochelle courtenay, thank _ of everyone's lives. rochelle courtenay, thank you - of everyone's lives. rochelle courtenay, thank you very i of everyone's lives. rochelle - courtenay, thank you very much. thank you. israel has reopened its borders and parts of its economy, with more than 50% of its population now fully vaccinated against coronavirus. flights into the country are resuming and students can go back to schools and universities. restaurants, cafes, attractions and hotels also reopened again today. up to 20 people are now allowed to gather indoors, and 50 outdoors. in most places, people will need to show certificates new zealand's biggest city, auckland, has reopened after a seven—day lockdown, which had been prompted by one any more cases since and has been largely covid—free some restrictions, including limits on public gatherings and mask—wearing, remain in place. the opening races of the americas cup sailing competition, postponed from this weekend, will now begin on wednesday. a british—iranian woman imprisoned in iran since 2016, nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, has been freed after her sentence came to an end and almost immediately told she'll have to appear in court again on a separate charge. nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe was arrested after travelling from the uk with her baby daughter to visit her parents. she was accused of spying, a charge which she has always denied. the bbc�*s caroline hawley is following the story. a rare glimpse into what's keeping this family together when they're forced to be thousands of miles apart. ijust show you. it's still quite a messy house. for six—year—old gabriella, an image on a mobile phone can't replace the touch of her mother. she's been counting down the days till the end of her mum's sentence. this morning, nazanin's ankle tag has been taken off. nazanin said she was ecstatic and went to visit her elderly grandmother, but in a week she faces a different court case on another secret charge. so, by the time i was speaking to nazanin, the phone was going mad, "is she out?" and yes, she is. technically, the first court case is finished. at the same time, the second court case simultaneously has been evoked. so the foreign office were pleased that they've got the ankle tag off and there's been progress. and they clearly had issued a very formal note this morning saying, "you have to release her". so the iranians have done that. but they've kept it as leverage going forwards. and i find that my emotional reaction has been quite guarded about what this means and we're still in the middle of it, and we're in the middle of this game of chess. she was at tehran airport, preparing to fly home from a holiday visiting her parents, when she was arrested in 2016. since then, she's suffered months of solitary confinement, blindfolded interrogations and several false promises of release. nazanin's been told by iranian officials that she's being held as collateral for a debt owed by britain dating back to the 1970s. calls are now growing for the government here to take a stronger stand against iran's hostage diplomacy. it's clearly another trumped up charge, because hardliners in the regime are saying, "we've paid the diplomatic price for holding nazanin, now let's not lose the leverage of keeping her". and it is totally and utterly inhumane, because at the centre of this is an innocent woman, her husband and her daughter, and they're just forgetting that in all these grand power games, there are ordinary people who are paying a most terrible price. what's the first thing you're going to do with mummy when she comes back? first thing you're going to do together? go to a toy shop. but now their hopes have been dashed yet again. their mp's called it mental torture. for how much longer will they have to go through this agony of separation? only when she's safely on a flight back to the uk will they know their ordeal is finally over. i love you, baby. say goodbye to mummy. love you! that report by caroline hawley. a reminder of our top story: the first major television interview by the duke and duchess of sussex since they quit their roles last year as working members of the british royalfamily is being screened in the united states. prince harry and his wife, meghan, recorded the interview with their friend, meghan, recorded the interview with theirfriend, oprah with their friend, oprah winfrey. with theirfriend, oprah winfrey. relations between the new conduct and the rest of the royal family have been the object of intense media interest. lots more on our website. hello there. high pressure has brought largely fine and settled conditions to the uk during the weekend. it looks like this settled weather is going to last through monday and tuesday, but then it's all change. midweek, it's going to turn very windy with the possibility of severe gales developing through wednesday night into thursday. we'll also have some heavy rain as well, so some big changes to the weather as we move deeper on into this week. in the short term, though, we still have higher pressure to south of the uk, some weather fronts to the north of the uk. so monday is a north—south divide, it's a cold, frosty start across the midlands, wales, southern england, with some sunshine. clouds may tend to increase at times, and further north, we will see some showery bursts of rain, some of thatjust pushing into eastern england as well into the afternoon. but there will be some sunshine as well across central and northern scotland, and i think temperatures will be a degree or so higher than what we've had in recent days, 8—10 celsius. now, through monday night, many central and eastern areas will turn dry with clear spells, but we will have this weak front pushing into the western parts of the uk, so that will produce some showery rain. a bit more of a breeze here as well, so temperatures holding up around 4—6 celsius, some chilly spots, though, further east under those clear skies. by tuesday, we start to lose this area of high pressure. it declines and starts to allow this first area of low pressure to hurtle in off the atlantic, which will affect northwestern parts of the uk later on tuesday. for tuesday itself, it's a chilly start, central eastern areas, that weather front will fizzle out. in fact, for much of scotland, england and wales, it should be dry with some sunshine, but clouds will tend to build up further west later in the day with a few showers, and the breeze will pick up as well. we could see temperatures reaching 11—12 celsius now, the jet stream is really powering up across the north atlantic by the middle part of the week, and that will spin off some deep areas of low pressure. that's tuesday's low, this is wednesday and thursday's low, which could be even deeper. so for wednesday, we could see a spell of wet and windy weather spread across the country, and then it will be mixed with some brighter, sunnier, showery weather before the centre of this low arrives across western areas later on wednesday to bring even stronger winds and some heavy rain. there will still be some fairly mild air in the mix, but it might not feel like that because of the strength of the winds. and then through wednesday night into thursday, this is where we could see the strongest of the winds, potentially severe gale force, which could lead to some disruption. so do stay tuned to the forecast. this is bbc news, the headlines: the first major television interview by the duke and duchess of sussex, since they quit their roles last year, as working members of the british royalfamily is being screened in the united states. prince harry and his wife, meghan, recorded the interview with their friend, oprah winfrey last month. pope francis says iraq will stay in his heart — after attending the final public event of his historic visit to the country. he celebrated mass in northern kurdistan — home to most of iraq's dwindling christian population. thousands of people attended the service in the city of erbil. officials in equatorial guinea have appealed for international help after a series of explosions at a munitions depot left at least 15 people dead and 500 injured. the blasts in the bata destroyed many homes. now on bbc news, global questions