but he added that the roman catholic church couldn t permit same sex marriages. and who ll claim the major prizes at this year s grammy awards? all you need to know about music s biggest night. hello, welcome to bbc news. iran s supreme leader is pardoning a large number of prisoners, including some of those arrested during the past months of protests. the pardon by ayatollah khamenei comes on the eve of the anniversary of the islamic revolution in 1979, a date on which he regularly offers an amnesty to some prisoners. but the iranian state media says it excludes those facing charges of spying for foreign agencies, murder and bodily harm, as well as the destruction or arson of state property. taraneh stone from the bbc s persian service says those freed have several conditions attached to their release. the supreme leader has agreed to pardon and commute sentences of tens of thousands of people who are in prison or who are waiting for sentences. the letter from the judiciary
world, i m u.s. officials are tracking a suspected chinese spy balloon that s moving towards the east coast. we ll hear how beijing is trying to explain how it ended up floating above the united states. thunder, snow, fierce winds and temperatures reaching triple digits below zero. all part of the arctic blast that s hitting the u.s. northeast this weekend, and millions will feel it. meanwhile, in ukraine there are signs that russian troops are preparing for a spring military offensive. this is cnn newsroom, with kim brunhubber. a suspected chinese spy balloon will finally leave u.s. air space in a couple of days or could be sooner. some new weather models show the winds pushing it over the atlantic as early as today. the pentagon has been closely tracking the object and it s carrying a large payload of surveillance gear. military officials are advising against shooting it down now. china that has apologized and said the balloon entered u.s. air space by accident. bei
by the death of our late sovereign of happy memory, become our only lawful and rightful liege lord, charles iii. new details on the queen s state funeral it will be held in westminster abbey on monday 19 september king charles approved the day as a public holiday. a surprise show of unity as the prince and princess of wales arejoined by prince harry and meghan at windsor castle. attending a church service. and in other news ukraine says it has retaken several key towns and cities in the north and east as its offensive against russian forces gathers pace. it has been confirmed that queen elizabeth s funeral will take place on september the nineteenth. her body will lie in state in westminster hall for four days before the service to allow the public to pay their respects. earlier, king charles was formally proclaimed as the new monarch at a ceremony in london. he said he would strive to follow the inspiring example of his late mother. he told the accession council at
on friday gun salutes echoed across the country to mark the death of queen elizabeth ii. she died thursday at the age of 96. on friday the new king briefly greeted mourners outside buckingham palace and then delivered his first address to the nation as monarch. have a listen. wherever you may live in the united kingdom or in the realms and territories across the world and whatever may be her background or beliefs, i shall endeavor to serve you with loyalty, respect, and love as i have throughout my life. meanwhile, mourners continue expressing their condolences throughout the commonwealth with growing volumes of flowers and personal messages. king charles iii may be a grieving son, but is the new british monarch there are duties that he must perform. our correspondent has more now on his first day as sovereign and what lays ahead in the coming hours. reporter: a kiss of approval for new king. king charles iii, arriving to applause at buckingham palace. flowers laid feet