this is bbc news, i'm victoria fritz with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. are we closer to a peace deal? russia's president putin lays out his demands to turkey, including that ukraine neverjoins nato. the ukrainian army holds off the russian advance in the second city of kharkiv, even as it comes under heavy daily bombardment. we have a report from the frontline. they have tried to punch through here, again and again and again, and they have failed. ukrainian armed forces are keeping them at bay. as the war in ukraine dominates the upcoming

french presidential election campaigns, opponents of emmanuel macron claim the president has an unfair advantage. iam i am sorry to inform you that this means your employment is terminated with immediate effect on the grounds of redundancy. ourtrage from crew members on p&0 ferries, as they find out they have no jobs in a zoom call. and we speak to the formula one champion max verstappen on the drama and controversy of last season, as the new season starts in bahrain this weekend. russia's president vladimir putin has set out what he wants, in exchange for a peace deal in ukraine. he laid out his demands in

a phone call with the president of turkey, who's acting as a go—between in peace talks. mr putin wants guarantees that ukraine neverjoins nato, eastern parts of ukraine can break away and crimea be accepted, as part of russia. more on that in a moment. first an eyewitness report from the frontline. ukraine's second city of kharkiv has been under heavy bombardment but the ukrainian army is continuing to hold off the russian advance. for this special report, our correspondent quentin sommerville and camera journalist darren conway have been following the ukrainian army as they defend kharkiv. russia says it's demilitarising ukraine. instead, it's creating a wasteland. what it can't have, it destroys with vengeance. these were family homes on the edge of kharkiv.

civilians are daily targets in vladimir putin's war. by the back door, a dead russian soldier. suburban gardens have become battlefields from europe's past. but here, the men of ukraine's 22nd battalion have pulled off a miracle. they've stopped the might of the russian army at their city gates. ill—equipped and vastly outnumbered, three weeks on, they're still holding the line. russian boots have failed to gain hold here.

frustrated, they've sent troops elsewhere, leaving heavy artillery to bomb the city into submission. explosions. constantine, a former airforce pilot, has come out of retirement to fight. translation: this is the first line of defence for the city. . if they get through here, they will enter kharkiv. this road takes you from russia to the very heart of the city. but the heart of kharkiv, and ukrainian resistance, is still beating. just beyond this position, there's only open country, and russians. they've tried to punch through here again and again and again and they've failed. ukrainian armed forces are keeping them at bay. they've also tried

to encircle the city, but again, they failed. so, they're taking out their frustration with artillery, bombing notjust — you can hear it — bombing notjust these front lines, but also the entire population of kharkiv. a russian missile screeches above us. in this crater, six ukrainian soldiers died in a single strike. roman tells us, "they're chickens. "they won't show themselves again, "but we'll respond good and proper." and away from the front, no neighbourhood is safe. explosion and breaking glass.

russian grad rockets fall all around us. get in here! get in, get in! this is the reckless targeting of human life. to the south, the invaders are advancing, but here in ukraine's second city, kharkiv stands defiant while russia rages with incandescent fury. and russia knows hundreds of thousands of people are still living here. how do you keep out such horror? explosions. sasha and svetlana's apartment is now the front line.

for the men and women of the ukrainian army, she has a message. translation: i'm very grateful to them for defending our land. | hold on, guys. we will always support you. explosions. both of my daughters and a granddaughter are fighting for ukraine. quentin sommerville, bbc news, kharkiv, in eastern ukraine. since the russians started their attacks on ukraine, maria avdeeva has been documenting what is happening to her city kharkiv. the country's second largest city has faced continuous bombardment. let's have a listen.

iam i am staying in kharkiv for more than three weeks now witnessing how this vibrant, young, beautiful city now becomes a ghost town with no people outside, with families hiding in the underground, with constant shelling bombardments of the residential areas. here you see that almost all the buildings are without the windows. it means that this family that used to live here are now fully kharkiv or hide somewhere because they have no place where they can stay. you hear that shelling right now when eyes speak to you. it doesn't stop, day and night. russia continues terrorising my city. lets speak to maria now, from kharkiv. thank you very much forjoining us today, maria. describe the last few days in your city? good morning, the last few days

were very intent, because of the cons and shelling that doesn't stop, so it goes on throughout the day and we can see reports coming from different districts in town that one or other residential areas was hit by russian shelling and i'm myself live quite close to the city centre and i saw on the street that the results of these shelling is, a cluster munition rocket actually was laying just on the pavement inside of it. so one of the historical buildings very close to where i live was destroyed and on fire because of that shelling and yes today the market in kharkiv not on fire and there was smoke all around the city throughout the day and the firefighters tried to fight the fire but actually

today in the morning i again can see the smoke because probably they didn't manage to completely stop it. so the situation is very intense and it looks like russia is now using these tactics of terrorising civilians and threatening the population all the time. i have been to the metro station yesterday and saw people hiding their for three weeks and they are all living there in the underground with their children with no possibility to go outside only for a quick walk to the shop to get some food and get back down to the metro station. we get some food and get back down to the metro station.— to the metro station. we were 'ust to the metro station. we were just looking — to the metro station. we were just looking at _ to the metro station. we were just looking at is _ to the metro station. we were just looking at is there - to the metro station. we were just looking at is there and - just looking at is there and i'm reminded of your words in your report, a ghost town, completely empty. how was this situation changing because as you say people are still going to have to queue for food, they still have to come up at some point forfood and still have to come up at some point for food and water. yes,

lots of my _ point for food and water. yes, lots of my friends _ point for food and water. yes, lots of my friends and - lots of my friends and colleagues are not now at the moment here because at some point it became a very, people understood that it will take much time to get back to normal life here, even if the war or ceasefire is now, even if the war is stopped right this moment, kharkiv is now completely destroyed, the kharkiv city centre, very difficult to get to normal life and that is why people continue to leave the city, searching some places where they can start their life from the beginning. it is very difficult for people to leave everything here, everything they knew in the city stopping the situation with food supplies is better now because there are less people atjulie in the city and there are humanitarian, cars with humanitarian aid coming into the city which is

distributed to people but then when you go outside and stand in line in front of the shop it means that any moment you can become the target for another russian missile attack. it is terrifying. _ russian missile attack. it is terrifying, the _ russian missile attack. it is terrifying, the idea - russian missile attack. it is terrifying, the idea that - russian missile attack. it is terrifying, the idea that you could be in dangerjust queueing up for brad. what impact is all of this having on you? the constant days and days of shelling and compartment? it is difficult but i myself see my role in providing the information about what is happening here on the ground in kharkiv because aca huge wave of disinformation that russia spreads through state media and social media, they claim, they continue claiming that this is ukrainian forces who shall their own positions and their residential areas, they deny neither losses among ukrainian civilians and they deny the losses among russian soldiers, so that is why i think this is

so that is why i think this is so important to bring the exact information, on the ground information, on the ground information about the real situation in the city from someone who is living here, thatis someone who is living here, that is why i stay here and provide this information so that people will see from the first—hand experience what is it when russia is committing war crimes in your city where you used to live and had all your life connected with this city. your life connected with this ci . . ., city. maria, we are most grateful _ city. maria, we are most grateful for _ city. maria, we are most grateful for your - city. maria, we are most grateful for your effort i city. maria, we are most l grateful for your effort and your bravery, thank you so much forjoining us from kharkiv. through all of this fighting of course has been the hope of a peaceful outcome, and now what appears to be an outline of a peace agreement seems to be emerging. in a phone call between president putin and turkey's president erdogan, the russian leader set out his demands. mark lobel reports. life ripped out of the capital, scenes that make it hard to

imagine the prospect of peace is on the horizon, but turkish officials say it could be weeks away. with global power is keen to see white smoke emerge between russia and ukraine, turkey's president spoke to an apparently calm president putin on thursday who outlined his demands for peace. despite dishing out this destruction, putin once avenue crawl ukraine to shauna nato — one without heavy weapons, protecting the russian language within its borders, and to see its so—called denazification. but trickier demands include the formal recommendation of crimea in the south and east and ukraine, all currently occupied ljy ukraine, all currently occupied by russia. president putin wants to meet face—to—face with president zelensky, who has already said he is willing to talk. on thursday he met with this family after russian soldiers opened fire on their family car as they tried to

flee. 16—year—old katarina was thanked for shielding her eight—year—old brother who remains unscathed. translation: it remains unscathed. tuna/mom- remains unscathed. translation: , ., translation: it is not the time to reveal our _ translation: it is not the time to reveal our tactics _ translation: it is not the time to reveal our tactics and - to reveal our tactics and negotiations as well. negotiations for peace, sovereignty, territorial integrity for our state, our freedom. working more in silence than on television, radio, facebook. i think this is right. the human cost of this war is impossible to ignore. the un says over 700 civilians have been killed so far. us intelligence estimates russia's military has lost more than 7000 soldiers, with many tanks and aircraft destroyed, but it appears russians back home may be the last to know the true figure. hello, everybody, thank you for sharing your time with me. i am sending this message to various

different channels. my different channels. my russian friends. arnold schwarzenegger _ my russian friends. arnold schwarzenegger the - my russian friends. arnold schwarzenegger the latest | my russian friends. arnold i schwarzenegger the latest to appeal to russian troops to stop. citing someone who regretted doing so for hitler, his dad. my his dad. my father arrived in leningrad, he was all pumped up under the lives of his government. when he left leningrad he was broken — physically and mentally. he left the rest of his life in pain — pain from a broken back, pain — pain from a broken back, pain from the shrapnel that always reminded him of these terrible years, and pain from the guilt that he felt. one way out of this deadlock may be with chinese help. president biden will speak to his chinese counterpart on friday amid speculation they could still help armour russia after declaring a limitless partnership with them, just as president xi was hoping for a smooth ride towards a third term in power. but this creates some sand in the gears here. it could actually, you know, because

people in beijing think once or twice. you know, how did we get lined up with this guy who is the head of the evil empire? the pariah of the world. meanwhile, british intelligence is as russia's invasion of ukraine has largely stalled, but any decision to stop the fighting still seems a long way off. mark lobel, bbc news. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: we will talk drama and controversy with the formula i champion max verstappen ahead of this weekend's new season. today, we have closed the book on apartheid and that chapter. more than 3,000 subway passengers were affected. nausea, bleeding, headaches and a dimming of vision — all of this caused by an apparently organised attack.

the trophy itself was on the pedestal in the middle of the cabinet here. now, this was an international trophy and we understand now that the search for it has become an international search. above all, this was a triumph for the christian democrats of the west, offering reunification as quickly as possible, and that's what the voters wanted. this is bbc news, the latest headlines:

russia's president vladimir putin has set out what he wants in exchange for a piece deal in ukraine in a phone call with the president of turkey, including a guaranteed that ukraine neverjoins nato. the ukrainian army has continuing to hold off the russian advance in high gear even as it comes under heavy bombardment. —— kharkiv. now, just imagine the company has made the decision that its vessels that its vessels going forward will be primarily crewed by a third—party crew provider. therefore i am sorry to inform you that this means your employment is terminated with immediate effect on the grounds of redundancy. your final day of employment is today. that's a zoom call made to 800 crew members working on p&o ferries here in britain. while listening to the call informing of their dismissal, replacement workers were already on buses outside

on the quays. needless to say the sackings, and the manner in which they were done, has sparked outrage here in the uk. i'm joined now by mick lynch, is the general secretary of the rail, maritime and transport workers union. thank you forjoining me. about are you and what do you make of this? iam in this? i am in london, this? iam in london, we this? i am in london, we are getting ready for demonstrations down in devon and other ports such as hull and liverpool today. it is outrageous that people can be treated in this way. this is a version of gangster capitalism. the company has acted in a way that has complete disregard for the employment laws of the uk, for standards of corporate behaviour and common decency. many of our people have worked for decades in this company, they have given loyal service during the pandemic and services going, communications

with our european partners going in ireland, france and holland, and now they have been chucked on the unemployment queue and we won't accept that. we are going to take the action that we can — legal action. we will be demonstrating and shaming them as a corporation. we want our members to get theirjobs back and we want them to maintain a standard of decency that they have so far failed to display. you call it gangster capitalism but you have stopped short of calling this move illegal. why is that and what legal advice have you been given as a union? no, it is illegal. they failed to consult under employment legislation. they should have given as 45 days notice that they intended to make these changes. they should have also informed the secretary of state and the british government that they had this proposal in mind. we know they informed the government informally the night before but they failed to inform us, so there are clear consultation laws in british

law, and we will be defending our members and taking them to task, legally, infront our members and taking them to task, legally, in front of court whenever we can. we are talking to our lawyers at the moment to see what we can do to prevent this. they have acted in a way that has circumvented the legislation and is morally bankrupt, as far as we are concerned. this is absolutely outrageous to treat people in this manner. this is a heavily unionised workforce. i listen to the whole call yesterday when this news broke. they are being advised to sign up they are being advised to sign up packages as soon as possible, and piano are saying that they are far more generous than they otherwise would be in terms of severance pay, so what are you advising staff to do who are caught in the middle? they are not that generous. they are not that generous. they were conversation passages we negotiated before this. they arejust we negotiated before this. they are just above the very minimum legal standard. they are doing

a version of blackmail. if you do not sign this packages within the next two weeks, you can end up with nothing or the statutory minimum, so it is not generous. i have done this before. they are trying to stave off legal action by paying off a little bit more than what is legally necessary. what what they have done has flooded the law, they didn't consult trade unions and didn't stick to what normal companies would do, treating people at a level that is acceptable. we do not accept this and we will take action we can under the law, which is weak and the first place, but we will pursue them as far as we can on behalf of the members. we will leave that they are, thank you very much for your time from the rmt union. the formula one season kicks off this weekend, with the opening grand prix in bahrain on sunday. last season ended in drama and real controversy, with max verstappen, beating lewis hamilton to the title on the last lap of the last race of the year. our sports correspondent, natalie pirks, has been

speaking to the world champion, in dubai. when you were a kid you must have dreamt of that moment of winning the world championship. how does the reality match the fantasy? you know, of course i said to myself," one day i want to become a champion," but then i didn't think what celebrating would be like. so i have that mentality of we will see, and thatis mentality of we will see, and that is how it happened. also, nobody could have predicted how the whole season would go, stuff like that, so it orjust comes together. of course, once you win the championship the celebrations were a lot of fun. also for the whole team, you know, that whole year, leading up know, that whole year, leading up to that year, the constant drive to do better and wanting to close that gap and fight for a title, that was something that was amazing to see and be a part of. the way it happened, did it take the shine off the moment? i mean, iwas take the shine off the moment? i mean, i was very hung over at the time but it didn't. you

have to — the time but it didn't. you have to look _ the time but it didn't. you have to look at _ the time but it didn't. you have to look at it - the time but it didn't. you have to look at it through | the time but it didn't. ym. have to look at it through the whole season. overall it was just an amazing season for everyone, and are very tough and, you know, demanding season as well. it is even more rewarding to win it then. people have said they will always be an asterix next to your name but two people forget? are they forgetting that you were neck and neck coming into that final race — you have driven an amazing season! people always think about the last race, right? you need to think about the whole championship and for me that is the most important. do you think it is really now for the body to heal? a good opportunity to do that? i don't think this body is to heal, they arejust i don't think this body is to heal, they are just dramatic moments that are part of the spot. what about lewis, if you are in his shoes? i have commented on that before, i think what can heal the pain more is that he has already won seven, you know? business news coming up and

about five minutes. we will look at the legality or illegality of the decision by p&0 illegality of the decision by p&o ferry to get rid of 800 staff. gangster capitalism, morally corrupt — that is from the union. more on that later on. hello there. the weather is really settling down. there's going to be a lot of dry weather, probably, for the next week or so. now, on thursday, we saw more cloud mainly across northern parts of the uk, giving us a few showers. but we're going to see less of this and more of this — blue skies over the next few days, very colourful picture there in the centre of london. now, this was the cloud that gave us the rain on wednesday. that's well out of the way. this cloud is not really reaching our shores, and the speckle cloud, the showers in the north of scotland are tending to fade away. so, with clear skies, light winds, it is going to be a chilly start to friday morning with some frost, particularly across scotland and northern ireland. maybe a few mist and fog

patches across wales, the midlands, across the west country, too. these will lift in the morning, and then the sunshine comes out far and wide once again. the winds tending to freshen up a little bit in the afternoon, but it's likely to be a warmer day than it was on thursday. temperatures of 13 degrees in the central belt of scotland and newcastle, and a high of 16 celsius in the southeast of england. the weather's quitening down because high pressure's building across the uk on friday. the centre of that strong highs going to be pushing to the east of our shores with quite a few isobars on the chart on saturday. it's going to be dry on saturday, but the winds will be quite a bit stronger — that'll be a noticeable change for all parts of the country. so, no frost around, probably no fog around on saturday morning, but there will be lots of sunshine during the day. the winds coming in from the east or southeast means that the highest temperatures will always be across more sheltered western areas. across some eastern parts of england, temperatures maybe no higher than 12 or 13 degrees. could make 16 along the coast

of northwest england, but it's up towards the northwest highlands and perhaps even into the moray firth that temperatures could reach 17 or 18 degrees, and it could be the warmest day of the year so far. as we move into sunday, there are going to be some changes. it's going to be colder for a start and a bit more cloud around, too. there'll still be some sunshine around on sunday, but more cloud, especially for some eastern parts of the uk. it could just be thick enough to give one or two light showers in east anglia and the southeast of england. the winds won't be as strong on sunday, but temperatures are going to be lower, struggling to make double figures around some of those eastern coasts. but let's end on a positive note, because early next week, it's going to get warmer.

this is bbc news with the latest business headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. oil pressure returns. crude surges back above $100 a barrel, in the biggest one dayjump in almost two years, as fears grow about global supplies. thrown overboard. p&o ferries sacks 800 staff, with plans to replace them with cheaper agency workers. some were told by video message i am sorry to inform you that this means your employment is terminated with immediate effect on the grounds of redundancy. your final day of employment is today's.

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