Hello, Shackleton. Hello, Shackleton. This is the BBC in London. Donald Milner calling Shackleton Base.

Are you receiving me? Over?

Is that a new host for News Hour? No, it's not. This is still Rebecca Kesbby with you live from the BBC World Service

in London, but we are still broadcasting to what was Shackleton Base at the South Pole in an annual

bespoke BBC programme that's been going for 70 years and we'll be hearing about the history

later. Also coming up, we'll be hearing from Tehran, where one resident tells us

why the past week of Israeli bombardment has been the best and worst experience of his lifetime.

First, though, today to Belarus, where a number of high-profile political prisoners

were released today, including the husband of the exiled opposition leader,

Svetlana Tickenovskaya.

Sergei Tikanovsky, he and many others, were arrested during protests in Belarus back in 2020.

Chance of long-lived Belarus there, well, 14 prisoners in total were released, and all are now in neighbouring Lithuania.

It comes shortly after US envoy Keith Kellogg visited Minsk and met with long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko.

But the release came as a complete surprise, including to Svetlana Tigenovsky herself,

who posted a video of the emotional moment. She was reunited with her husband.

Well, in the video, you can see Sergei step out of a white van and give his wife a long hug.

Later, Svetlana posted, I can't believe it.

What we've dreamed of for five years has finally happened.

Tonight, I'm taking the evening off to talk with my husband to let him see the children again after so many years.

Well, the BBC's Sarah Rainsford got through to Franak Vichalka.

He's the chief advisor to Svetlana Tikonovskaya,

and he was travelling in a car with three of the release prisoners as Sarah spoke to him.

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