you're watching bbc news. the headlines... president zelensky has accused russia of crimes against humanity, addressing the un security council after russia wants a new missile strikes against ukraine cosmic energy infrastructure. the un despite us ambassador to the un accused president biden of weapon as in winter, to make ukrainians suffer. —— accused president putin of recognising. —— weapon arising. the race to find survivors after monday's indonesia earthquake — many of the 271 people who died were children.

joy injapan — fans celebrate their team's world cup victory over one of the favourites — germany — in qatar. before the game german players, the amounts for their team photo amid a clampdown by fifa on plans to wear rainbow armbands. a mother who killed a man who was charged with sexually assaulting her three sons is campaigning to stop those accused of child sex crimes from changing their names to hide their identity. sarah sands was jailed for seven and a half years for the manslaughter of 77 year—old michael plessted in 2014. our home affairs correspondent june kelly has the story. sarah sands back in silvertown in east london, where as a single mother she made a home with herfamily... took everything from me. ..and where eight years ago, she stabbed to death a neighbour accused of sexually assaulting three young boys. she'd originally befriended

michael pleasted, who was 77. what we can report for the first time is that all three children he was accused of abusing were her sons. reece, bradley and alfie have now all turned 18 and have waived their right to anonymity to speak publicly about seeing their mother go to prison. it wasjust, like, the little things you miss. when she was gone, obviously it was, like, difficult to come to her about, like, a certain problem. like, sometimes you just want to really tell your mum a problem. sarah, did you feel remorse? absolutely. and why did you feel remorse? i bring life into the world. it never occurred to me that i would be guilty of taking life out of the world. while he was awaiting trial for the offences against her boys, michael pleasted was allowed to live back on the estate. sarah sands was caught on cctv as she made

her way to his flat. she says she wanted to appeal to pleasted to plead guilty and spare her sons the court ordeal. she was carrying a knife. she says after he accused her children of lying, she stabbed him. she did this eight times. he bled to death. sarah sands was found guilty of manslaughter rather than murder on the grounds that she lost control. her original sentence of three and a half years was deemed to be too lenient and was increased to seven and a half years. the offender took with her- to the scene a knife which was used in the infliction of- fatal injuries, when the jury was sure that at the time - she intended to cause at least serious, grievous bodily harm. the offender, having fatally stabbed the deceased, - did nothing to assist him

in that she did not call. the emergency services. they absolutely have the right to demand answers from me. i had taken the law into my own hands. i had done that. after she killed him, it emerged that michael pleasted was already a convicted paedophile and had a long history of offending under his original name of robin moult. sarah sands has nowjoined a campaign calling for tighter controls on sex offenders who change their names. they shouldn't be able to just come out, change their name. it's like, "well, i'm not the person that touched those kids any more. "my name is this person and i'm a new man," and theyjust do it again. yeah. if he was in prison after 24 l convictions then we wouldn't be sitting here today. and despite what happened in theirfamily, her sons also have this message. if you are being abused or have been abused... try and talk. the sooner you say it, the sooner you potentially save more people from being

in the same pain that you're feeling. june kelly, bbc news. now on bbc news, talking movies: blockbuster special. hello from new york. i'm tom brook and welcome to our talking movies: blockbusters 2022 special edition. in today's programme, the big films that have been really bringing out the crowds. i really like going to the cinema now, out of covid, because everyone�*s getting excited and clapping when really good scenes are happening. going to the cinema as a guy, like, going on a date and have a nice time with someone, yes it's — it's making memories.

in talking movies, we'll be looking at the indian blockbuster rrr, the epic action drama that has been a big hit around the world. we'll have a special report from delhi. the biggest blockbuster of the year, top gun: maverick. people are standing in line for hours to get a glimpse of him, and screaming and yelling, and saying "tom, tom, turn around and wave at me". we hearfrom tom cruise and the legendary hollywood producer behind it. it's a big screen experience, it really is. and the indie world's blockbuster, everything everywhere all at once. the co—directors explain its success. we love that weird people feel less alone after seeing our movie. and one of the year's big music films, elvis — we hear from director

baz luhrmann on what he hopes his blockbuster tells us about the king of rock �*n�* roll. i loved elvis, just because the actors are really good in that movie, the storyline just presents something that i never really heard before. i like the newjurassic world film because i like dinosaurs. i saw top gun and i am a pilot, so what i likedl about it was the flying scenes. three, two, one... for decades, blockbusters have been the foundation on which the modern cinema industry was built. but these are uncertain times — nobody quite knows what's going to happen in the long—term for cinema—going. although there has been a return to cinemas around the world, admissions overall are still well below pre—covid levels. cinema chains have had to file for bankruptcy. although cultural snobs may turn up their noses at blockbusters, they really are the lifeblood of the industry.

there is no guarantee that a film will gain blockbuster status, but brand familiarity, a decent story and well—crafted special effects really help. interestingly, movie stars are no longer so vital to the blockbuster equation — it's the allure of the franchises themselves which count. but too many potential blockbusters feel too corporate, too franchise—driven. we need some originality. it's a real challenge. i remain an optimist, and this year, certainly, there were blockbusters that delivered. chief among them was top gun: maverick, starring, of course, tom cruise, and directed byjoseph kosinski. emma jones reports. good morning, aviators. this is your captain speaking. no—one believed that top gun: maverick would reach such glorious heights — yet,

put in storage because of covid for two years, when it was released, audiences flocked to see the film starring — who else? — tom cruise, in the role that made him famous in the 1986 original — that of pete "maverick" mitchell, called up to train elite graduates for a special mission. let me be perfectly blunt. you were not my first choice. you are here at the request of admiral kazansky, aka iceman. he feels you have something left to offer the navy. what that is, i can't imagine. to date the movie has made $1.5 billion in cinemas. i just want to manage expectations. 60—year—old tom cruise is back as a hollywood's most bankable action star. and the crowds that turned out for the premieres showed event cinema still existed. this is a celebration. it's beautiful. i will never forget it — never forget it. it was really lovely.

producerjerry bruckheimer, whose own career soared with cruise's when they made the first top gun, gave an exclusive interview to talking movies. so this was the year, basically, that top gun saved cinema? it's done very well. it certainly expanded the audience, because a lot of people who saw top gun were over 40, initially, then ended up in theatres. so that was an experience that they were craving, and finally found a movie that they wanted to go see — because i think they were in love with the first one. you're flying with the best fighter pilots in the world. you guys really are cowboys. love of that first film boosted potential us navy recruitment by 500%, according to figures at the time, attracted by the presentation of military life. the us navy has used both films as a direct recruiting tool, and the world premiere of maverick was held aboard the uss midway in california.

maverick offers an alluring vision for thrill—seekers — until you know what the actors put up with behind—the—scenes for the stunts. these actors were trained for four months to be able to get in those planes and handle the g—forces. the first time we did it, every actor threw up. we couldn't use the footage. it was a low—budget movie at the time. and this movie, tom demanded that everybody took those flying lessons. do you hope tom cruise will get an oscar nomination? he — he certainly deserves it. he — he's — not only for this movie, but for his body of work. you look at the movies he's made, what he's brought to audiences, what he's done for cinema. tom cruise and his recruits proved exactly the tonic event cinema needed — the trouble is, hollywood doesn't have much that's new that's ready to fly. although top gun: maverick certainly delivered on all

fronts of the studio picture, this wasn't so much the case with other blockbusters released during the year. although quite a few did make money, they seemed to lack a bit, at times, with originality. adam moloney has been surveying the field. after 29 years and six films, you would think that people would finally realise that humans and dinosaurs shouldn't mix. although with over $6 billion at the box office, it would take more than a meteor to make the jurassic franchise go extinct. we're talking about cascading, systemwide effects, ian. gosh, that's a drag. what is the matter with you? the major selling part injurassic world: dominion, the latest instalment of the ageing series, is the return of original trilogy actors sam neill, laura dern, jeff goldblum. the only play, now, is to take the time we have left and, like we always do, squander it. and action.

the big budget film was filmed during the covid pandemic, with even the film's director uncertain of how it would impact the release. two years ago, was there a stage where you were like "oh my god, is this ever going to happen?" "is this ever going to get done?" yeah, i — i think there was a sense that everyone in the world had that we weren't really sure if we were going to see the end of the year. and it was — it — scary and unsettling. i know you guys took a break. did that kind of inform how you came back and maybe kind of altered the film or changed the film at all? we made a film that is, in a lot of ways, about the way we were feeling when we were making it — which is not something that often happens, certainly not a movie of this size. we are racing towards the extinction of our species. you can feel the thread of fear of where the world was heading through the film. we not only lack dominion over nature, — we are subordinate to it. in this case, whhat we had

to say was something that was growing more and more relevant and fresh in every moment throughout the process of making it. while dominion did manage to gross over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, the film was seen as somewhat of a financial and critical disappointment for the series. wa kanda forever. one movie that didn't disappoint was black panther: wakanda forever. the revolution will be live. the original 2018 film was a huge hit, and became the first superhero movie to be nominated in the best picture category at the academy awards. my mother told stories about this place like this, a protected land, with people that never have to leave, and never have to change who they were. wakanda forever netted a whopping $330 million around the globe in its opening weekend. don't freeze. i never freeze. its success was bittersweet, given the death of the original film's lead, chadwick boseman. # no woman, no cry #.

at its la premiere, the cast were keen to honour the actor. i couldn't imagine moving forward without chadwick, but when our director and writer walked me through his idea to carry on with his story, i breathed a breath of relief, because what he did was he incorporated the loss into the story and so, as a person, and as an actor, i didn't have to pretend like i hadn't experienced such a loss — such grief. wakanda forever is the third marvel movie to be released this year, following doctor strange in the multiverse of madness and thor: love and thunder. this ends here and now. some marvel fans see the movies as a step down from previous efforts. but doctor strange star elizabeth olsen is keen

to praise the studio for trying out new ideas, and for engaging quality directors, such as sam raimi. he's very sure of how he wants to shoot things, and he's very creative with how he uses camera, and how he uses lenses, and i do think there's — that is part of the joy of watching the first doctor strange — is the kind of visual experience, as well as the story, and so i do think sam is — is not replicating something from the first, but he's kind of created his own lane. while the marvel year was somewhat mixed, dc started on a positive note with the new and yes, even darker version of the batman, in the guise of robert pattinson. i'm the vengeance. the studio continued with its darker theme, marketing the rock's turn as black adam as more of an antihero than your traditional superhero.

with a global recession on the horizon, and cinema attendance still well below pre—covid levels, the smart money has been on studios producing safe and easily marketable properties, and that means sequels, franchises, and superheroes — all coming to a cinema near you. and. . .action! one of my favourite blockbusters this year was elvis, which told the story of elvis presley, very much through the relationship with his manager, colonel tom parker. it gave its australian director baz luhrmann his biggest american hit, and the film, which starred austin butler and tom hanks, was one of the best performing musical biopics ever made. # went to a party in the countyjail... elvis presley was a performer who mesmerised millions around the world, really making an impact in the second half of the 1950s. in baz luhrmann�*s audio and visual feast, we see elvis

the musician, as young white man who grew up poor alongside black neighbours and took on aspects of their music. # i'm going to heaven! he's chanelling both black music, i mean, what the film goes out of its way to say, i think, is no black music, no elvis. but he also channels country music, he brings all of these elements together, and what he creates musically and physically is a language that the youth of its time understands. he speaks to youth in a rebellious way in which the adult world simply doesn't understand, and that is crucial. your future, mr presley, blazing before you. much of the film focuses on elvis�*s manager, colonel tom parker, and how he took advantage of him. you bled me dry and you still want more. i'm the promoter. that is what i do. parker is portrayed by tom hanks, almost unrecognisable under all the prosthetics.

we are two odd lonely children reaching for eternity. baz luhrmann benefited from strong leading actors, none more so than austin butler, who was outstanding as presley. i'm ready. i'm ready to fly. when an actor takes wings like austin, right, and you go, wow! you know, before elvis, austin not that well known. go where you want, play where you want, and if they don't like it, you go some place else. and not only was there a star is born moment in a sense, i guess, but it was a star born of a great ensemble led by tom hanks. i will work and i will worry. that's how you allow someone like austin to flourish in that impossible task. # you ain't nothing but a... when baz luhrmann�*s movie opened, it lifted the spirits of cinema owners because not

only did it bring in young movie goers, but older people who'd been hesitant to return to the movies in the wake of covid—19. i went to warner's and i said, this is being made to bring an original idea, not a franchise, but an original idea. i want to prove that we can bring in all kinds of audiences back to the cinema. that was my singular mission, even with the pandemic. i've been lost. and when you're lost, people take advantage. in many ways, the humanity on display in elvis is disheartening. elvis�*s mother dies early from alcoholism, colonel parker is full of nefarious tricks, and towards the end, elvis is a sad sight. baz luhrmann says ultimately what's uplifting in the story he's brought to the screen is the music. what remains is the music. like, the spiritual part of elvis is the part that goes on. # we can go on together...

now to a film from india that i really, really like. it's called rrr. it's an epic action drama. basically it's a story of the relationship between two heroes. it's made by the country's regional telugu film industry, yet it's been a huge hit across india and in much of the rest of the world, including injapan and here in the united states. from delhi, tariq vasudeva reports. energy, fashion, spectacle. these three words perfectly describe the brute force of rrr. a lavish movie with stunning visual effects, razor—sharp editing, memorable music and choreography. essentially it is a story of friendship, friendship between two giant heroes, you know. but what we did was, like, we kept their emotions

as grounded as very human, their strengths might be superhuman. but there's a beautiful friendship that's developing between them. rrr has become a worldwide phenomenon. audiences have been awestruck by the grand scale of the movie. the zestful nature of the performances and the vibrancy in the direction and storytelling has entertained and captivated fans everywhere. the global viewership has been nothing short of spectacular. when we started getting appreciation from westerners, initially we thought it was the friends of indians who went there, right. then the numbers started increasing into tens, into hundreds. then we realised, ok, we have made something big that we didn't realise! during the covid pandemics, when everything was shut down, people started looking at stories from other cultures, they were exposed to different

ways of storytelling. by the time the cinemas opened again and people started coming to the theatres, their horizons broadened much wider than before. rrr has created a euphoric fan culture for a new kind of action—packed and energetic cinema emerging from south india. there's a clear indication all over the world that fast—paced movies made for the big—screen experience are in demand, regardless of the language and the country of origin. the indie film world certainly had its very own breakout blockbuster success this year with the movie everything everywhere all at once. it stars michelle yeoh who gives a very impressive performance. the picture certainly doesn't lack in terms of originality. mrs wang...mrs wang... mrs wang, are you with us? i am paying attention.

set in california, this ingenious film is centred on michelle yeoh�*s character, a chinese immigrant and owner of a laundromat... i can see where this story is going. ..who's having a hard time with the tax authorities. it does not look good. without giving too much away, she ends up moving through alternate universes, often leaving her confused. the universe is bigger than you realise. do you think this is funny? it's a film with kinetic energy that really mixes up genres. there's no going back. of all the places i could be... ijust want to be here with you. it has literally every genre . in it, and it's about a woman who is just trying to finish her taxes and reconnect l with her family in the middle of the chaos of modern life. i yeah! very good! and i'd say, like, if you think the title, everything everywhere all

at once, sounds like a little too much, that's accurate. the movie's a little too much. and the film's form — the mixing up of genres — seems to be resonating with younger audiences. everything is happening on the internet constantly on a thousand times a second. we really needed to make a movie that would meet the culture where it's at in this moment without pandering, but to reallyjust engage the younger audience. i'm here because we need your help. very busy today. no time to help you. of course it's the performers in this movie who've made it into the hit that it's become. no—one more so perhaps than michelle yeoh, who's now tipped to earn a oscar nomination for her work in the picture. every time we said action, no matter how weird or uncomfortable the thing that the scene asked of her was, she would land in it, ground itand make it feel, like, relatable in a way that i don't think many actresses could have. so we were so lucky that we got michelle yeoh, and she killed it. we talk later?

what's redeeming about this indie blockbuster is that it isn'tjust clever. it deals with real people, real heartache, real difficulties and real emotions. we love that, like, weird people feel less alone after seeing our movie, you know. like, it's about, like, scary, dark thoughts, and how people bottle them up, and we wanted to make a movie that went there, that captured those feelings and then tried to give all those people who feel that way a hug. yeah. is that a theme — giving sad people a hug? well, that brings our talking movies blockbusters 2022 special edition to a close. we hope you've enjoyed the show. please remember you can always reach us online, and you can find us on twitter. so, from me, tom brook, and the rest of the talking movies production team, it's goodbye as we leave you with a very energetic sequence from the indian blockbuster rrr.

hello. there is more wind and rain in the forecast for thursday. a band of rain is going to be pushing its way eastwards. it's going to be moving quite

quickly so there will be a short, sharp burst of heavy rain and squally winds affecting northern ireland, western scotland, wales, the south—west of england and then sweeping eastward through the day. those are the wind gusts. we are expecting some western coasts could see gusts of 60—70 mph. sunshine and heavy showers following behind. temperatures between 9—13 celsius. the rain not getting into the northern isles or the eastern side of england until quite late in the day but it will sweep its way through. clear spells and showers take us through thursday night and into friday morning. many places actually start friday on a dry note, and friday is set to be a somewhat quieter day, with more dry weather, some spells of sunshine, showers particularly in the west. the weekend will bring some rain at times but it will be pretty mild with highs of around 1a celsius.

welcome to bbc news — i'm david eades. our top stories. escaping the blackouts. after yet further missile strikes against ukraine's energy infrastructure — russia is accused of crimes against humanity. ukraine proposes that the security council adopts a resolution condemning all forms of energy terror. the race to find survivors after monday's indonesia earthquake — many of the 271 people who died were children. the pentagon claims turkish airstrikes against kurdish militia in northern syria threaten the safety of american soldiers fighting islamic state militants. president erdogan warns of a ground operation against kurdish targets joy injapan — fans celebrate their team's world cup victory over one of the favourites — germany — in qatar.