♪ mark: welcome to live in paris, world news and analysis from france 24. i am mark owen. russian troops are closing in on their main objective in the donbas, and a chemical plant is hit. the mayor warns residents who are still in the all but flattened city to stay indoors, reassuring them that reinforcements are on the way from the u.s. and germany to boost ukrainian resistance. hollywood actor johnny depp, defamed by his ex-wife over

allegations of domestic violence. a court awards damages to him of $15 million, but the jury in virginia finds partially in favor of his ex-wife amber heard, damages to her of $2 million. and, god save the queen. the u.k. it's ready to mark the platinum jubilee of queen elizabeth the second. pump, circumstance and many, many street parties. this is "live from paris." ♪ mark: thank you very much for being with us but significant developments in ukraine and the supply of arms on this, day 98 of the russian invasion. we started the donbas in

eastern ukraine where russian troops and separatist fighters are closing in on the city of donetsk. a chemical plant has been hit by russian shelling in the city's mayor is urgent remaining residents to stay inside. getting out of severodonetsk has been made dangerous to attempt because of the russian bombardment. we have our report from kyiv. reporter: today, the main military spokesman in kyiv said, let's not talk about this in percentage terms. fighting is still going on on the streets, but early, the regional governor here set about 70% of the city being in russian hands. the russians are advancing in the city. ukrainian mediaeportinghe russians have been consolidating positions in parts of the city. ukrainian forces in severodonetsk and elsewhere are

under huge amounts of pressure and also on the frontline. they are being shelled. several areas are being shelled. that is why the demand from soldiers on the ground, the rank-and-file, to the politicians at the top including president volodymyr zelenskyy, they are clamoring for ukraine allies to supply more heavy weaponry and do it quicker. a reservoir was hit yesterday. that presents considerable danger to health. people are recommended to stay in their shelters underground and keep gas masks near. there is no electricity. for two days, it has been impossible for ukrainians to get humanitarian supplies to severodonetsk. although authorities say the city is not technically surrounded, the road linking severodonetsk to the rest of ukraine is being continually shelled, so it is hard to get supplies in. evacuation operations have also been suspended since the death

of french journalist frederic leclerc-imhoff, who was killed while trying to make a report on evacuation operations. mark: we will have more on ukraine, including new arms from the u.s. and germany to boost ukrainian resistance. more on that as we progress through the program. next, amber heard the famed ex-husband johnny depp. $50 million damages awarded to death. in turn, heard was awarded $2 million because the jury found arley in her favor over her counterclaim. the trial in fairfax, virginia lasted six weeks and opened up a trod world of the rich and famous as well as accusations of a troubled marriage. miss herd was in court, johnny depp was not. johnny depp disputed allegations that he hit his ex-wife when they were together. the basis of the case was that johnny depp was suing amber heard for libel for $50 million over an article she wrote in

"the washington post" to 2018 over domestic abuse. she countersued him for $100 million. in the course, shocking evidence and counter evidence given. johnny depp played roles in such movies as pirates of the caribbean. he married anne burke heard in 2015. she filed for divorce the judge sent the jury back to consider the size of the damage after the verdict. the jury then came back with a berdych -- with a verdict that heard defamed johnny depp in that article in "the washington post." let's hear the verdict as it was red in the courtroom in virginia. >> do you find that mr. depp has proven all the elements of defamation? swer, yes. has mr. depp proven by a greater weight of evidence that question

, statement was made or published by ms. heard? answer, yes. the statement was about mr. depp? answer, yes. the statement was false? answer, yes. mark: our correspondent eric pape has more. good. are there any more accusations you can ing to us? eric: plenty of relief among johnny depp fans who have been incredibly supportive, almost an army of support, some big fans and some a little bit creepy in their desire to destroy a woman. so, there has been joy. that has been relief on the amber heard side. i haven't heard that many comments but the most insightful perhaps comes from a new york writer who is well known. you -- she said you can believe

that amber heard was not 100% on its, that the depp-heard relationship was harmful. and also that defamation cases have a very high bar and that depp only when the case because of profound misogyny. that is a response is going to be there, especially among the many people who think this will affect other people with intimate partner violence. mark: why was the case heard in virginia? eric: this is coming after a case in the u.k. against a newspaper that called him a wife bought -- a wife beater. he lost the case. the legal bar in great britain is quite high, and it is quite difficult. in the u.s., it could have been anywhere that they filed it in a court where they thought it could be favorable. it turns out that it was. why wasn't it here?

i don't know exactly what the answer is to that question. but i do know that it a big enough circus and swallowing up social media and internet for the past six weeks with every revelation of salacious interactions and alleged interactions. if it was here, it would only have been bigger. but this case is everywhere. mark: we can perhaps expect a movie to follow. reactions are come again, johnny depp saying the jury gave me my life back, amber heard expressing disappointment at the results. the awards are a lot smaller than the $50 million that cap was seeking and the $100 million amber heard was seeking. do we read anything into that? eric: johnny depp has made clear that this wasn't about money. this man has made huge amounts of money and has spent months of many. he put this another terms. he is front to get his reputation, show his children that he is in the clear and would never do something like this. last week during the trial, he

said, "no matter what happens, i did tell the truth and have spoken up on what i have been carrying on my back for six years. unimaginable, brutal, cruel and all false. all false." he has made clear in the last few minutes that he does not want this to be a case that is going to undermine other women, and that he feels like this is a unique case. he is glad that he was able to defend himself, is what he expressed. auntie wants to make sure that these sorts of cases and accusations, when they go to court, are based on evidence. that he feels the evidence cleared him, because it largely did. mark: eric, it is fair to say it is a damaging base for both sides, and perhaps saying being rich and famous is not necessarily a recipe for a happy life. eric: yes, i think anyone who is

familiar with the real lifestyles of the rich and famous in hollywood is not surprised by some of the excesses. and also, how far it goes when lawyers are drawn into divorce cases. in some cases, we have been strangely witness to having a camera in the courtroom, because it is a defamation case, but we have all been witness to the intense level of divorce therapy, where a couple keeps going at each other. this is hardly the only case in hollywood history. there is always at least one such case going on for this one is unique, one of the biggest stars in the world, or he was. this could bring him back in "pirates of the caribbean," which he was basically pushed out of. so, the stakes were big from a hollywood perspective, big from human interaction and the law on domestic partner abuse, and it is just lascivious and people love to focus on gritty, grimy

hollywood stories, for whatever reasons. mark: i am giving myself the final word. you mention she was pushed out of "pirates of the caribbean," but here in france, perhaps the way france is detached from that sort of thing but nonetheless, we thought advertisers might think again, but they did not, they stuck with johnny depp and eric pape, a pleasure speaking with you. eric pape, joining us from los angeles. let's move on to more news -- the u.k. and the british commonwealth is getting ready to celebrate the platinum jubilee of queen elizabeth ii. 70 years since her coronation p four days of events are lined up to pay tribute to her service. reporter: thousands of super

fans have been camping out for days, coming from far and wide in breathing london weather to secure the best spot ahead of the queen's platinum jubilee celebration sprayed this woman from america has been here since that day. >> i have a tent, sleeping bag, i am here early to set up my spot for when the queen goes down the ball. reporter: this mother and daughter made the journey from montpelier to celebrate with the queen. >> coming here was my present for mother's day. maybe i will get to see the queen. the queen is distinctive. we wanted to feel that. reporter: millions across the u.k. and commonwealth will be celebrating the queen' s 70-year reign. now the quest is on to find the best memorabilia for friends and family back home. >> the best souvenir. he is going to have something. >> we love the bobbleheads.

reporter: for the tourism sector, the occasion is a big hit. this hotel is nearly booked up. >> quite a lot of succumb to celebrate the queen. around 20% of our guests are french. reporter: the tourism industry is hoping to top the 2012 event which marked six decades on the throne. it brought in an estimated 145 million euros. mark: i am pretty sure i still have a bug from the silver jubilee way back when. let's bring in the professor for global development at the university of reading, goodie. a poll by a tabloid this week gave the queen a 91.7% approval rating, prince william getting 87.4%. the queen is still popular, isn'the?

rosa: the queen is still popula she is the figurehead of the country and as seen smuch change in the world and society and get strengthened the commonwealth and assured relative peace and stability during her reign. but she is seen very differently than the way her children are seen by the british public. mark: as the issue of ryne sandberg, for instance, denton the reputation of the royal family -- prince andrew, for example, dentedhe reputation of the royal family? rosa: prin and -- absolutely. prince andrew is a symptom where they think they can get away with anything. it is viewed by the british public that the queen is regal, does all the throne, a the rot in the royal family started even before her reign. but it certainly has reignited

around andrew. t also abt what happened around prince charles and princess diana. she was very much the people's princess and the divorce at the royal family treatment tougher put a big dent in the british trust in the institution. mark: going as far back as the duke of windsor and the application in the 1930's. diana and charles had an issue, what happened diana afterwards as well. what about prince harry and mean and accusations of racism within the royal family? rosa: very much goes on in the royal family and there is much speculation in the tabloids for the royal family have always been the object of intense scrutiny. and it is to clear that meghan has been differently than kate has been treated. when we look at that and think that there is likely to be racism as part of the reason,

there will also be classism within this. and there is also deep concern, been treated, but although the way -- but also the way he has been cast doubt given his service to the country in the armed forces in active conflict. mark: they can't take his military record away from him, because he did it. he was there. afghanistan, twice i believe. rosa, how are you going to spend the next four days? rosa: not in street parties or anywhere else. i will be spending four days addressing human rights abuses in this country and around the world. it is a great thing to celebrate the role of the monarch in -- over 70 years. there is great inequality, 2.5 million people rely on food banks in this country and i simply don't have time. mark: rosa freeman, power to you and well done. thank you very much. thank you for is that blunt and

to the point assessment about what the royal family means, the que's popularity and things the queen doesn't like -- popularity and things the public doesn't like. thank you. time for business. after weeks of wrangling, the you has agreed to ban russian oil imports, but there may be a more powerful up in hidden in the package of sanctions. yuka:, the eu's latest measures include a ban on insuring russian ships. that would make it difficult for moscow to sell its oil, even to other parts of the world. the ban was made possible left the u.k. agreed to coordinate the move as the most vital maritime insurance market is based in london. that market, lloyd's of london, says it is working to implement global sanctions against russia.

our reporter takes a closer look . reporter: the eu new sanction package on russia targets oil experts -- exports and parallel measures that increase pressure on the russian economy. >> there is a ban on insurance and reinsurance of russian ships by eu companies, a ban on providing russian companies with able reign of business services. reporter: the eu band on insuring russian oil cargo comes in coordination with the u.k.. the financial times reports russian exporters will be cut out of the lloyd's of london insurance market, leaving them to look for insurance in less developed markets. one analyst said it is hard to underplay how significant they move this is by the u.k. and e.u.. taking out insurance will have a huge impact on russia's ability to export its oil. it is one of the toughest sanctions europeas. when challenge for insurers is

establishing where oil cargoes have come from on ship years of complying with sections on iranian oil cargoes have provided a template. so far, moscow has been able to find alternative buyers for its oil -- in china, india and turkey as trade adjusts to the war in ukraine. yuka: the u.n. secretary general says he is hopeful the mobile food crisis triggered by the war in ukraine will ease. the senior u.n. official travel to moscow to talk government officials they are. the official, rebecca or his pain, is now a u.s. for talks with u.s. officials and said she had constructive talks with the russians to unblock shipments of rain and fertilizer. the u.s. ambassador says her country is prepared to send letters to shipping and insurance company to assure them there is no risk to handling non-sanctioned agricultural products.

>> these are not being sanctioned. but companies are a little nervous. at we are prepared to give them comfort letters, if that will help encourage them, as well as insurance companies, to support those efforts to get grain out of russia. yuka: let's look at writing action. wall street has dropped after releases of reports on the u.s. economy, including one showing manufacturing activity grew more than expected last month. but this you will concerned that the federal reserve will continue raising interest rates aggressively, despite lingering fears of a recession. the three major indices, as you can see, closed the day in the red. shares of facebook parent metta fell 4% after the longtime number two sheryl sandberg said she would leave the social media company after 14 years. sandburg made the announcement on facebook, saying she was not

sure what the future holds for her, but that she plans to focus on philanthropic work. she will, however emma remain on the company board. chief growth officer cobb vieira oliver -- officer javier oliver will replace her. the u.s. and taiwan launching new trade talks, u.s. officials say they will move quickly to develop a roadmap for bilateral rural agreement, with a chinese -- taiwanese delegation se -- allegation set to visit washington. joe biden is making an effort to counter chinese influence in the indo pacific region. the framework will not involve tariff cuts or market access but will aim to improve cooperation on a range of issues. finally, delta airlines has upgraded its outlook for the

second quarter of the year, saying revenue will return to pre-pandemic levels. global supply disruptions and the hike in energy prices have made flights more expensive, but the companies betting on pent-up demand and that travelers will be willing to pay higher prices. there are issues dogging the travel industry as a whole, staff shortages, covid cases among employees causing u.s. airlines to cancel more than 2500 flights over the memorial day holiday weekend. in the u.k. right now, there is chaos at airports across the u.k. and parts of europe. mark: thank you very much, yuka roy. truth or thinking, that is the question. good evening to you. the uvalde elementary school shooting where there were 19 children killed and teachers killed, some people on the

internet are climbing cnn and nbc, american broadcasters, aired staged interviews. tell us more. catalina: misinformation is still circulating online over the uvalde elementary school shooting. the twitter account censored no more claims cnn and nbc aired staged interviews by airing different interviews with fathers from the same victim. the post says to networks, same victim, different fathers, the caption reads, how does karzai have a different father on each network? the picture on the top is interviewed by anderson cooper and the bottom, the father interviewed by nbc news. it alleges the networks hired paid actors to play victims'

father, we are going to call it out as fake news posted by this account. we can verify this user's account on twitter, and this user is a fervent trump supporter, lots of the same trump rhetoric on the post. on the cnn thread reporting on the texas school massacre, the network reported garza is the father of 10-year-olds garza and the man interviewed in anderson cooper's segment was annerue' -- anemerie's stepfather. to be fair, they could have clarified that on the air. mark: cover next door, the new version of the pride flag. what is this about?

catalina: even though the pride flag has gone through various alterations, the colors of the ukrainian flag were not added to the pride flag 2022 version, which started as a prank. but satirical content was quickly taken seriously by some on social media. according to this report on this website dedicated to documenting internet memes, it was meant to be ironic and angered many on social media who did not realize that it was fake. the flight was created in response to this tweet that said the 2018 pride flag was more inclusive. in response, this twitter user such earthly created this version of the pride flag, adding the ukraine flag colors to it, saying the updated pride colors do not include some folks, for example ukrainians. the updated lexis 2022 is below with inclusive colors, referring to the stripes of the colors of the ukraine flag as a way of saying, how many more folks on

colors are we adding to the pride flag? there are more such erica flags created in response to the tweet, this user saying i am including swedish, chinese, spanish, albanian and lithuanian folks. if anyone has more, feel free to add them. or this flag, has nothing to do with anyone. let me add my own design. hopefully, these flag versions won't go viral. but of course, some users took the ukraine variant of the pride flag post more seriously. congresswoman marjorie taylor greene notably, the caption reads, do the nazis and the ukrainian army no? provocative content, mark. others took this such erica flag with more humor, this user saying, why do they keep adding bars to this thing, i think this isn't about gays anymore. this twitter user saying, i love the rainbow is disappearing. but this proves outcome even

though this version of the flag was fake, it did not take a long time for it to become viral and for people to add their own take. mark: some people get fooled and for some, it shows there true colors, because the underbelly of the internet comes out and very distasteful views are expressed as well. it makes you think the internet is to be avoided at all costs. seriously. except of course the france 24 website, which is always full of news straight down the middle. catalina, thank you, yuko for business, thank you. please stay with us. more to come on "live from paris." ♪

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