this is bbc news. our top stories: the port city of mariupol remains under heavy russian bombardment. ukraine offers to send negotiators into the city. a guarantee of safe passage for ukrainians is the condition for an exchange of russian prisoners of war, as the people of mariupol try to flee to safety. translation: we need | a break after the shelling, after this whole nightmare. we have been hiding in basements for 30 days. russia shows off a new intercontinental ballistic missile, capable of carrying nuclear warheads. president putin says it will make the country's enemies think twice. crosstalk.

head—to—head for the only time before sunday's french presidential election. emmanuel macron and marine le pen clash in a tough televised debate. and, in a virginia courtroom, the actorjohnny depp says he felt driven to drugs and alcohol because of arguments with his then—partner, amber heard. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america, and around the globe. in his latest initiative to save the lives of thousands of people trapped in the ukrainian city of mariupol, president zelenskyy has offered to exchange russian prisoners of war for a guarantee of safe passage for his fellow citizens. the port city is still under heavy bombardment. the azovstal steel works has become the last centre of ukrainian resistance, as our correspondent mark lowen reports. in the fog of war, russia's

ferocious firepower is unrelenting. mariupol, once a thriving port city, besieged and broken. explosion the last bastion of ukraine's resistance is the azovstal steel plant, perhaps a few thousand soldiers and civilians in its bunkers and tunnels — a patch of land holding out against one of the world's biggest armies. and now, a rare voice from inside the nightmare. translation: this is our appeal to the world. - it could be the last of our lives, we are probably facing ourfinal days, if not hours. the enemy is outnumbering us io—i. but again today they refused russia's latest surrender deadline, and again an attempt at a humanitarian corridor failed. ukraine's president said he's offered moscow an exchange of russian prisoners of war for safe passage out of mariupol.

translation: we are ready for different formats - of exchanging our people for the russian people, the russian military they left behind. they both left corpses scattered and abandoned wounded people. across the country, in kyiv, it's all quiet on the western front. so, from a volunteer centre, they send supplies to the east — first aid, food and preparations for battle to those repelling the russian assault. among the staff is olena nicolena, whose cousin max is one of the last fighters in the steel plant. he's the pride of russian army here. they've gathered spoils of war from an invasion that has not gone moscow's way. this badge says that death is better than dishonour. olena hopes her cousin will return with more fragments of russian losses. do you feel proud of him? yeah, totally. i would never have imagined my cousin to become a true hero of ukraine and hero

of mariupol. there is obviously a very bitter sense of pride, in the sense that he is in a life—threatening situation. but i am very proud of him. i dream of the day when he will return and we will be able to meet again and i will be able to tell this to him. if you could give a message to max now, what would you say? max, i know that you are very strong, and your family loves you a lot, and we are waiting for you, and we are sure that you will come back and you will be our hero, and you will have a great life in the free ukraine after our victory. praying for that end are families across this nation — those like vladimir, whose only child, danilo, is also fighting in the steel plant. here in kyiv, they've fortified their monuments, but vladimir knows he can't protect what's most

precious to him. translation: it's very hard there. i they are running out of ammunition but they don't want to surrender, because they can't abandon the civilians they're protecting. i used to prepare him for the army, so maybe it's my fault he joined. i'm pretty sure i'll see him again, but until then, i want to say, danilo, i love you and i'm waiting for you. 500 miles from the front line, the emotional distance can seem further still. with the agony of helplessness comes the hope and dread of news. mark lowen, bbc news, kyiv. earlier, the russians released images of what they say was a successful test flight, of a new intercontinental ballistic missile, capable of carrying nuclear warheads. president putin said it would make anyone seeking to threaten russia think twice.

0ur russia editor steve rosenberg is in moscow. he explained the significance of the launch. think of this as a not—so—subtle hint from the kremlin. basically, russia is saying to the west, look, we have this very big, very powerful, very destructive new weapon — keep that in mind when you're dealing with us. so what do we know about this weapon? well, the sarmat missile, or satan ii as it is known in the west, has been in development for some time, so no big surprise then. plus, the pentagon said today that it had been notified ahead of the launch, it didn't see it as a threat, but the fact remains the fact this launch took place at a time when hostilities are going on in ukraine, that sends a clear message i think to russia's opponents and vladimir putin made that clear today. he said that this missile would provide food for thought for those who in the heat

of frenzied aggressive rhetoric try to threaten russia — threaten russia. this from a president who sent his troops into ukraine, who is attacking ukraine. vladimir putin still trying to create this alternative reality, turning everything upside down, making out that it is russia that is under threat from ukraine, from nato, from britain, from america, and making out that he is acting in self defence. steve rosenberg there. ian williams is deputy director of the missile defense project at center for strategic and international studies. it is important to keep in mind that this icbm, even though it is the first test of its kind, it's not certainly unique capability, that russia has other missiles that can do very similar things. this, for example, weapon, is replacing another missile, called the ss—18, which had almost the same capabilities

as what we see here, so it is really not a new capability. i mean, it is to be sure, one of the most destructive weapons ever created, but it doesn't really change the nuclear balance between the united states and russia. and we have little to gain by making a big deal about it or seeming like we are somehow intimidated. so i think the pentagon inaudible is perfectly reasonable. also, this missile that was fired from a site in russia's north—west and reached a target nearly 6000 kilometres away — tell us a little bit more about how you might expect russia to use a missile like this? well, iwould hope that they do not use it, and i hope the way that they use it is as a deterrent. right, this is why countries have nuclear weapons, they have them in order to deter nuclear use against them — it is why the united states and britain

and france keep a nuclear arsenal is to deter the threat of nuclear weapons. now, what russia does and what vladimir putin does, he knows — he has shown himself to be a fairly poor commander—in—chief of the russian military, during the course of this war, but he still i think very good at psychology, and he knows that nuclear weapons and the threat of nuclear escalation, creates a lot of anxiety in europe and the united states and so he uses that. nuclear weapons are really one of the few points of leverage that vladimir putin has anymore. his economy is in shambles, europe is moving away from his energy, his conventional military has been exposed as being very poor, so nuclear weapons are really one of the last things that russia can cling to and still convince itself that it's a great power.

what do you think about the timing of this particular germany has now said it will stop importing oil from russia by the end of the year , to make the impact of sanctions more effective. the german finance minister has admitted that stopping all russian oil imports now would hurt germany more than russia. he's been talking with our economics editor faisal islam. just after the invasion of ukraine, the western world clubbed together to isolate russia, its financial system, its biggest businessmen, and its war chest of hundreds of billions in currency reserves as never before. but it wasn't enough to deter the aggression. absolutely key to this is the role of germany — heavily dependent on russian energy, and effective source of hundreds of millions of euros being sent to the kremlin�*s companies every day. its finance minister, christian lindner, told the bbc it's russia that's responsible for the significant economic consequences of the war. there is an unprovoked,

terrible war in ukraine, and russia is responsible for all geopolitical and macroeconomical risks which have their origin in this war. so russia is responsible for food crisis, for example...? for example, inflation, food crisis, and the possible risk of a serious debt crisis in developing countries. at first, the stringent actions against moscow hit home, collapsing the value of its companies and its currency, the rouble, to record lows. but now, thanks to the flow of energy dollars and euros, it's recovered all of that lost value. when you hearfrom president zelenskyy last week that europe is sending $1 billion a day to russia for its oil and gas and that, "we don't understand how you can make money out "of blood," and he pointed the finger directly at germany and hungary for blocking an oil embargo.

no, we are not blocking, we are willing to stop all energy imports from russia, it's just a matter of time. when for the oil embargo? as fast as possible. this year? as fast as possible. it would cause a physical shutdown of your manufacturing sector, your car—makers, if you were to push the button right now? probably, and this is why we prefer sanctions which hurt him more than us as europeans and our single market. several ministers walked out today one russia intervened in the summit. there is the relationship between germany and russia,

absolutely key to the calculations of the kremlin. the minister admits this was a two decade miscalculation, and germany is now committed to independence with luton, but they say, doing so immediately is just not possible. faisal islam, bbc news, in washington. israeli aircraft have reportedly struck gaza with multiple strikes, in response to a rocket the israel defence forces say was fired from the territory by palestinian militants. police said a fragment from the rocket had landed near a house in the southern israeli city of sderot, but there had been no injuries. another four rockets were later fired from gaza. they were intercepted by air defence system, according to israel's military. in just a few days' time, the voters of france will choose their next president, and it's proving to be a bruising contest between the current head of state, emmanuel macron, and marine le pen, representing the party known at the national rally, formerly the national front. a few hours ago, the two candidates faced each other in their only nationwide televised debate. lucy williamson has more.

after weeks of sparring from a distance, tonight it's hand—to—hand combat — the first time in this election that emmanuel macron and marine le pen have fought face—to—face. bonsoir, marine le pen. bonsoir. with just two campaigning days left, and a quarter of voters saying the debate will shape their decision, they've been waiting for this. first up, the big one — rising prices and spending power, ms le pen's favourite subject. her slogan tonight, "give the people their money back." mr macron lectures her on why her economic plans won't work. and then goes for the jugular. her relationship with russia. "you're dependent on vladimir putin," he says. "when you speak to russia,

you speak to your banker." but what do voters make of it? across the country in reims this evening, voters from all sides, many still undecided, were watching the drama unfold. we see a very different debate from 2017. it appears that marine le pen is much more well prepared than in 2017. she is very calm. she decided to not attack frankly the president, emmanuel macron, and from my point of view, emmanuel macron seems a bit unstable. translation: so far, - it's a very balanced debate. i'm biased, but the arguments are good, and they may change my mind. translation: she is much better than last time, - but she's still too weak- in comparison with macron. he is far stronger on every subject. j marine le pen�*sjob tonight was to show that she was prepared for power. mr macron�*s task was to show that she was not, without looking too arrogant and superior himself.

around 10 points separate them in the polls tonight. four days separates one of them from power. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: the producers of the alex baldwin film rust, the western in which the film director halyna hutchins was shot, are fined $100,000 for safety failures. the stars and stripes at half—mast outside columbine high. the school sealed off. the bodies of the dead still inside. i never thought that they would actually go through with it. choir sings one of the most successful- singer—songwriters of all time, the american pop star prince has died at the age of 57. -

ijust couldn't believe it, didn't believe it, he wasjust here on saturday. for millions of americans, the death of richard nixon in a new york hospital has meant conflicting emotions. a national day of mourning next wednesday sitting somehow uneasily with the abiding memories of the shame of watergate. and lift—off of the space shuttle discovery, with the huddle space telescope, ourwindow on the universe. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: ukrainian officials have offered to travel to mariupol for talks on the evacuation of civilians and military personnel. russia shows off a new intercontinental ballistic missile, capable of carrying nuclear warheads. president putin says it will make the country's

enemies think twice. the actorjohnny depp has told a court that he felt driven to turn to drugs and alcohol because of constant clashes with his then partner, the actress amber heard. mr depp is suing her for defamation after an article in which she called herself a victim of domestic violence. he denies any abuse. david sillito has been following the case. all right. are we ready for the jury? ok. johnny depp, back on the witness stand, for questions about a relationship that he says was controlling and belittling. as he settled down, there was only the briefest glance across the court towards where his ex—wife, amber heard, was watching. i was sort of not allowed to be right. not allowed to have a voice. so, at a certain point, when that... what enters your mind is... you start to slowly realise that you are in a relationship with your mother.

day one was all about the big picture. his childhood, his lifestyle, his personality, his drug use. day two is focused rather more on the specific allegations. good morning, mr depp. he was asked if he had ever assaulted ms heard. he said no. rather, he was the one who was punched and beaten, at one point acting out what he said happened during an argument. she squared off at me in the doorway of our bedroom, and i said, "what do you want to do, hit me again, "would you like to hit me again?" and i said, "go ahead, hit me". bam. the court was shown photographs, one from an incident which left him with a severed finger, caused, he says, by a bottle he says that was thrown at him. another, an injury to his face.

the court was then played a recording. amber heard's recorded voice: you didn't get punched. i hit you like this, i did not take you, i don't know what the mission of my actual hand was, you are fine, i did not hurt you, i did not punch you, i was hitting you. what am i supposed to do, do this? i am not sitting here (bleep) about it, you are. that's the difference between you and me, you're a baby. this was, he says, typical, him retreating, trying to escape from a relationship that he said had become demeaning, aggressive, violent. throughout it all, his ex—wife watched. we'll hear amber heard's version of events in the days to come. david sillitoe, bbc news, fairfax, virginia. officials in the us state of new mexico have fined a film production company more than $130,000, following the fatal shooting of a cinematographer.

the actor alec baldwin was holding the gun when it went off on the film set. sophie long has more. halyna hutchins' tragic death rocked hollywood and left people demanding to know how the young cinematographer could have been shot dead on a movie set when clear firearm safety protocols exist to protect people. the scathing report revealed not only did the production company know those protocols were not being followed, but it failed to do anything about it. there were several management failures and more than sufficient evidence to suggest that if standard industry practices were followed, the fatal shooting of halyna hutchins and the serious injury to joel souza would not have occurred. they imposed the maximum possible penalty on rust movie productions. the person responsible for firearms was hannah gutierrez reed. her lawyer welcomed the findings, saying it

exonerated her, but that may be premature. the investigation is ongoing and criminal charges have not been ruled out. multiple lawsuits have been filed by those left traumatised by the shooting. i'll never forget what happened on the set of rust that day. i relive the shooting and the sound of the explosion and the gun over and over and again. i'm depressed, i don't feel safe, i feel like at any moment, anything could happen to me and those that i care about that are standing close to me. halyna hutchins left behind a young son and husband who is suing for unlawful death in a suit which alleges reckless behaviour and cost—cutting led to her death. alec baldwin's lawyer rejected that claim, saying he was told the gun was cold, meaning it was not loaded, but alec baldwin was not only the actor holding the gun, he was one of the film's producers, which could be key as to whether he is held ultimately responsible for halyna

hutchins' death. sophie long, bbc news, los angeles. he's a world—renowned biologist, environmentalist and veteran broadcaster. sir david attenborough becomes an official "champion of the earth" as he receives a lifetime achievement award from the united nations environment program. justin rowlatt reports. and let me just say that we are deeply honoured to... like so much of life today, this award ceremony was conducted over the internet, but there was nothing virtual about sir david's delight. oh, you have the award, wow! and i am truly, truly extremely honoured. you know, united nations, we are in a new era, the united nations, without them we will never solve the environmental crisis. the world has to get together. hidden beneath the waves, right beneath my feet, there are creatures

beyond our imagination. only a concerted effort by the countries of the world will do, so david tells inge anderson, the head of the un environment programme. we know what the problems are, and we know how to solve them. all we lack is a unified action. right. these problems cannot be solved by one nation, no matter how big that single nation is. we've also recognised an uncomfortable fact, the health of our oceans is under threat. but sir david has not lost hope. look how many whale species have come back from the brink of extinction, he says. the message is that it can be done. the message is this is possible, the message is that the natural world has more resources than we can possibly imagine. we've worked out how to kill them.

now we could give them a chance for them to come back and save themselves and save us. a characteristically rousing call to action from sir david, just weeks before he celebrates his 96th birthday. justin rowlatt, bbc news. congratulations. the barbie doll representing queen elizabeth will be released to commemorate her platinum jubilee. she is turning 96 and celebrating 70 years on the throne. characteristic features include an ivory gown, blue ribbon and a recreation of her wedding tiara. it will be sold and fetish stores including harrods and also selfridge's.

you can get hold of me and the team at bbc and also twitter. hello. for most of us, wednesday was a fine day, lots of spring sunshine around. temperatures widely 16 to 18 celsius, and the warmest spot was southampton, where we had temperatures up to 20. you can see the extent of the sunshine from the satellite picture from wednesday, but look at this area of low cloud. now, that really limited the temperatures through wednesday afternoon, and across the east side of scotland, not only was it cloudy and misty, it was chilly as well, with temperatures just around seven degrees. we still have that pretty big area of low cloud, mist and now fog affecting eastern areas of scotland, the cloud thick enough for an occasional spit of drizzle and at times could affect the coast of northeast england as well. 0therwise, these are the kind of temperatures that we had to start the day on thursday. for the next day or so,

we're going to see high pressure dominating our weather picture. the high pressure's north of the uk, the winds around the high pressure coming in from an easterly direction and will tend to strengthen over the next couple of days. as those winds blow across the cool north sea, so temperatures will start to ease a little bit over the next couple of days. nevertheless, thursday morning getting off to a sparkling, sunny start, for most, although there could be an odd patch of low cloud or mist across northeast scotland, a few fog patches slow to clear, and maybe one or two more coming onto the coastline into the afternoon. where that happens, temperatures just about seven celsius, but otherwise, it's another pretty warm day for the time year. but again, we are looking at some pretty high levels of pollen. for those of you that suffer from hay fever, that is something to bear in mind. there will be further changes in the weather picture on friday, subtle changes, in that the winds will be blowing a bit more strongly. that will knock the temperatures down. but also, there's going to be more cloud across the south of the uk, potentially thick enough to bring a few patches of rain, although not

amounting to much at all. temperatures, 1a or 15 degrees in the best of the sunshine across the northwest, maybe 16 in liverpool. but some of our north sea coast, 12 degrees will be close to what we will see. for this weekend, we've still got those easterly winds blowing, low pressure to our south. now, for the most part, a lot of the weekend will be dry with sunny spells, but i wouldn't be surprised if we saw some thicker cloud at times moving into the south or the east of the uk to bring a few patches of rain. but if we do see that, the rain probably not amounting to too much.

this is bbc news. the headlines: ukrainian negotiators have offered to hold talks in the besieged city of mariupol to try to save the lives of civilians and soldiers still trapped there. some civilians have been able to leave, but officials say there were far fewer than hoped. the government has blamed russian forces. the russian government says it's carried out a successful test flight of a new inter—continental ballistic missile, capable of carrying nuclear warheads. president putin said it would make those who seek to threaten russia think twice. the pentagon said they had been informed of the test beforehand. the french president emmanuel macron and his far—right challenger, marine le pen, have clashed over, sanctions on russia, a ban on the islamic headscarf, and the cost of living, during the campaign's only televised debate before sunday's presidential run—off.

mr macron remains ahead in the polls.