anchor: it is 10:00 p.m. in the french capital, here are the stories making world headlines. russia steps up attacks across ukraine ahead of a national holiday commemorating world war ii. moscow is set to commemorate victory day on tuesday. a new york jury hears closing arguments in a suit against donald trump, a woman accused him of raping her in a department store decades ago. accusations mr. trump has denied. we have the latest of elements from inside the courtroom.

and turks who live abroad already casting ballots in a crucial presidential and parliamentary election. tensions running high as a brawl breaks out at polling station in amsterdam. ♪ thank you for joining us on france 24. we begin in ukraine, where russia is stepping up attacks across the country ahead of victory day holiday in moscow. a huge parade is planned tuesday in the russian capital to commemorate the soviet union's role in defeat of nazi germany. russian forces launch more than 30 drones kyiv in kyiv monday, meanwhile people have been

evacuated from near the zaporizhzhia power plant. russia has also stepped up attacks on the city of bakhmut in the east, hoping to seize it in time for the celebrations. we get the very latest. reporter: the alliance that defeated nazi germany 78 years ago is now divided. an anniversary steeped in nationalism. in the midst of a full-scale invasion of its ukrainian neighbor and once ally, russians laid wreaths in commemoration of those who lost their lives. >> today, the main terrorists are americans. we should understand we continue the great work of the fathers and grandfathers. reporter: sunday, rehearsals for a military parade in moscow, and putin will address the nation from red square on tuesday. at least 21 cities have canceled celebrations for fear they could

be targets for ukrainian strikes. europe marks the anniversary on the eighth of may, while russia and ukraine have always celebrated a day earlier until now. on monday, president zelenskyy released a video saying ukraine would join european allies by recognizing the eighth of may as were member and state, distancing his country from is shared history with its now invader. >> we fought then and we fight now so no one ever again enslaves slaves other peoples and destroys other countries. and the old evil that modern russia is bringing back will be defeated just as nazism was defeated. reporter: he said the ninth of may would be you update, a day to promote peace and unity on the continent. anchor: in new york, a jury heard closing arguments this monday in a lawsuit accusing donald trump of battery and

defamation. a writer accuses the former u.s. president of raping her in a dressing room in a department store decades ago, accusations mr. trump has denied. the jury must decide whether he is liable and made to pay on a terry damages for casting doubts on his accuser and her version of events. for more, we go to our correspondent. how did the attorneys for both sides go about making final arguments to the jury? jessica: the prosecution asked the jury to hold donald trump accountable for raping and defaming e. jean caroll. she said in her closing arguments her point is credible and consistent in her account and emphasized donald trump did not even bother showing up to the trial. she said while he thinks he can get away with it, she

underscored the fact that no one is above the law. she also was keen to point out that donald trump has a pattern, this is what the prosecution are arguing. two other women testified they were also assaulted by donald trump in a similar way, grabbed by him in their private places in a semi-public place. and then disparaged in a similar way as not his type. she said this is his modus operandi, and urged that he be held accountable. the defense, trump's lawyer said they did not call any witnesses because there were no any witnesses to call and he argues that this is all fiction, the story was totally made up and went as far as to say that the account was ripped off from an episode of law and order. anchor: we should remind

everyone this is a civil trial, not a criminal one. what is at stake for donald trump? what kind of penalty could he face? jessica: due to the fact this is a civil trial, he could not face jail time. what he can face is monetary damages. it will be up to the jury to decide if you will face monetary damages. if so, how much. they will decide the amount. it must be pointed out that in a civil case like this, there is not as much of an onus on the prosecution to prove the fact, unlike a criminal trial, where it has to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. in this case, the jury just has to believe e. jean carroll more than donald trump, that she is telling the truth, and they will decide on the amount of monetary damages. i also have to point out it's

only because new york passed a temporary law allowing people alleged to have been sexually assaulted to bring charges against those they say assaulted them after a long period of time. it is only because of a temporary law passed last year. that's why despite the fact that these events allegedly happen some 25 years ago, they could come to trial. anchor: ok, jessica, thank you for that update. we turned back to the latest of elements on ukraine. for more, we are joined by a research fellow from king's college, london. thank you for being with us. ukraine said it was observing victory day today on the eighth along with the rest of europe, while russia has celebrations planned for tomorrow. can you talk about the significance of victory day for vladimir putin and how it reflects what is happening on the ground in ukraine at the moment? ron: sure.

for putin, victory day is his link back to the heroic struggle of the soviet union against nazi germany during the second world war. he sees a direct link between him as sort of the great successor of great russian leaders like stalin, he sees himself as the new defender in russia against what they see as the fascist regime in ukraine. it's very much him advertising the fact that he is standing up against fascism and it is his military on parade and showing the power also of the russian state, the military power, so putin is very important in this military parade. it's going on in moscow but not other cities because of security concerns. anchor: there are reports that

some ukrainian leaders are worried that the spring offensive will not live up to expectations. what kind of military position is kyiv in at the moment? rod: kyiv supposedly has something like 60,000 troops ready for an offensive campaign against russia, against really dug in russian defenses. for months, the russians haven't been doing that much offensive activity. the ukrainians have been building up capabilities,, gathering equipment and weapons that the west has supplied, but 60,000 is not that big a force if you look at the great scheme of things. they can only take on one element of the russian line and that's where they will concentrate. the problem for ukraine, this combined arms campaign they are trying to do now, it is very

hard to get it to coordinate. this is where the training is so vital. ukraine really hasn't mastered it yet. this expected offensive might be delayed by several weeks. anchor: let's talk about the evacuations near the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. how concerned should we be about the fighting in a potential nuclear incident? we are talking about the continent's largest nuclear power plant. rod: yes we are. it's an obvious offensive target for any campaign the ukrainians might launch, to get the powerplant back for the ukrainian economy. on the surface it looks like an offensive aim of them ukrainian military but if they do an assault around zaporizhzhia, the russians might cause an incident. remember the russians would use

zaporizhzhia to site rocket positions knowing ukrainians cannot launch their own artillery at those sites because of the fear of damaging the one power generator still running. anchor: let's also talk about what is happening in bakhmut. the head of the wagner military group has backed off threats he would pull troops out of the city, saying he has received assurances from moscow on shortages of ammunition. but it was a bizarre series of events that started on friday and the videos he released basically cussing out kremlin officials. how do you explain this apparent change of mind? rod: he has been putting pressure on the ministry of defense to supply him and his forces with artillery, to supply artillery support to his troops

on the ground around bakhmut. he is testing the waters by putting pressure on the military, and the military have caved in and they are supporting the wagner forces in bakhmut with artillery fire. he's got what he wanted. the military have been waiting for the offensive campaign by the ukrainians and for that they need artillery. the main armed forces don't want to waste artillery supporting the wagner force in bakhmut, they would rather use the artillery for where they think the ukrainian offensive will take place. was it the best use of finite resources? anchor: thank you, rod thornton, as always for joining us. turkey faces a consequential

presidential and parliamentary election coming up on sunday. the current president has been in power for more than two decades as president and prime minister. he faces a tough reelection b id. his opponent is leading in some polls and undecided voters are expected to pay a -- play a key role in the results. we have a report. reporter: should he stay or should he go? as president erdogan pulls out all of the stops on the campaign trail, a record number undecided about whether to extend the incumbent's stay. >> i'm thinking of not voting for them anymore. the opposition has not made any reassuring, convincing promises yet. reporter: the position is that the opposition is sensing the best chance of unseating erdogan

as within 6 million first-time voters cast their ballot. many turks think it is time for a change could >> like many young people, i felt ap olitical, but this party attracts me. i think rights can be restored and justice reestablished. reporter: a growing number of citizens blame erdogan for soaring inflation, especially in the region with earthquakes in february, where he was criticized for mishandling search and rescue operations. >> a flat cost up to 8000 and we are supposed to vote? reporter: his supporters say h is incumbent -- his opposition

could not fix the economy as well. meanwhile, complaints about the fairness of the vote when a rally was disrupted on sunday. anchor: turks abroad are already casting ballots. a brawl broke out at a polling station in amsterdam today and two people injured. our correspondent springs what happened. reporter: a simple as someone saying what are you looking at and then a chair was thrown and things quickly escalated with people kicking and shoving each other. some 300 people got involved. dozens of police officers deployed to break up the fight and even riot police getting involved later as it spiraled into the early hours, around 2:30 in the morning it became quiet on the streets around this massive venue. this is one of four places in the netherlands where

turkish-dutch dual nationals could vote. it seems that people observing the votes -- not the people trying to vote themselves but observers from the opposition and government, they are the ones that seem to have kicked off the fight. it was not the first fight. a spokesperson for the venue said there have been tensions all week and two fights already happened during the week and there were a lot of police around. two people injured but no arrests so far. really showing how intense these elections are even for those living far away. anchor: time to get an update on the world's business news. eu member states meeting in brussels to prepare an 11th round of sanctions on russia over the wharton ukraine, turning their attention to loopholes and trade restrictions. carys: brussels wants to crack down on these third countries

facilitating the re-exportation of sensible technology that can be used on the battlefield such as microchips. proposals made on monday include curbing exports to nations it suspects of helping moscow evade trade sanctions and blacklisting several chinese companies that sell equipment that can be used in weapons. one of those firms is reportedly a company that provides technology for cruise missile guidance systems. beijing says it opposes decisions that use russia-china relations as a pretext to impose illegal sanctions. >> if the reports are true, the eu's actions will sourcing undermine mutual trust and cooperation and aggravate the division and confrontation in the world, which would be dangerous. he urged the eu not to take the wrong path otherwise china will firmly defend its legitimate rights and interests. carys: the cost-of-living crisis

in turkey could harm president erdogan's reelection bid. inflation slowed to 44% in april although residents still complain about not being able to afford meat and other basic products. voters blame erdogan's refusal to raise interest rates as well as currency crisis. the lira fell to an all-time low against the dollar in march. we have more. reporter: for many turks eating ready to vote in sunday's general election, they will no longer cast their ballots for erdogan. for this barber based in istanbul, it is down to the government's economic policies. >> those responsible other ones governing us. making all the decisions about the economy and country, and i think it is the wrong decisions they have taken. i used to be there supporter but i don't think i will vote for them anymore. reporter: one facing the biggest

threat to his presidency since being elected. an economic program this all the government push for interest rate cuts instead of increases leading to a cost-of-living crisis as well as a weakened currency. the 69-year-old was able to maintain strong voter base in his first decade of rule but since his reelection in 2018, inflation has spiraled. in april, it dropped to 43.7% but peaked as high as 85% in october of last year. at the end of 2022, turkiye had the fourth highest level of inflation in the world, behind only zimbabwe, and is well and sudan. the turkish lira has dropped 78% during erdogan's latest term in food prices continue to be up 54% compared to last year. despite these factors not everyone blames the president. >> inflation is difficult for us but people are guilty of this,

it is not order one's -- erdogan's fault. reporter: some polls show him trailing although the gap has recently narrowed. carys: ukraine has accused russia of obstructing grain exports from the black sea. the reconstruction ministry has said moscow is refusing to register incoming ships, violating the terms of last year's lexie grain deal. according to the mistry, 90 ships, including 62, are waiting imports. the deal is due to expire may 18. let's look at how the markets fared this monday. on wall street, the major indexes little changed after the bell as investors prepare for a new round of u.s. inflation data this week, which could determine how central banks around the world act on interest rates.

the dow jones closed almost 2/10 of percent down and the nasdaq up by about the same amount while the s&p 500 finished flat. a winner has been announced for the concours lepine at a major retail expo. this year, the award went to a braking system for wheelchairs. the invention was a different wheel with its own backpedaling brake system, would stop users getting friction burns on their hands when they tried to slow down. the pair of wheels is being sold for 2000 euros. as a prize for winning the competition, they were awarded a vase, not cash. i imagine it is high valued. [laughter] anchor: thank you. it is time for our daily fact

checking segment. just as the arab league has reinstituted serious mentorship after a 12 year suspension, a video has emerged showing the syrian president wandering the streets of damascus and some users say this demonstrates his popularity. what do we make of it? >> don't believe anything they tell you about syria, it is all lies, that's what accounts on syria are saying, attaching this tiktok video of the president seemingly strolling unaccompanied through the streets of damascus without security guards or bodyguards. later in the video, seemingly greeting people inside what looks very much like a market. this did go pretty heavily on social media. we can see in this example, over 2.2 million views, it did quite a bit of damage online. many twitter users use this as

an opportunity to praise the syrian president, like this one calling him the lion of damascus walking among his people. this is useful to show his popularity amongst his people, calling him the lion of damascus and showing how loved he is by his countrymen. another theme picked up on social media, we can see traces in this one, comparing assad to other prime ministers and presidents and how they would not be able to do so because they are not as popular as he is paid -- is. even after that, assad is a "dictator." macron was the most used in the comparisons made and even to the extent where there was actually an edited video side-by-side showing the french president

going out to greet crowds or to official engagements and being slapped, pelted, things like that. someone put this alongside the video of assad walking seemingly without security. this is being used as a jab against the french president to show how free and loved assad is by the syrian population. anchor: but it turns out this video may be real but not recent, is that right? rovedika: i can confirm this i't recent. i went back to the original tiktok to find out the watermark and who posted it and that led me to this account. it must be noted this is an extremely pro-syria account and all of its content is very positive toward the regime in syria. they posted the initial video in july of 2022, but it was filmed

well before that. doing a reverse image search, i found it here in this tweet, from june 2017, quite a bit before. it mentions assad's visit to the made in syria conference. it was an official engagement, not just a stroll seemingly wandering the streets of damascus. this was further confirmed by news articles at the time. we can see 2017. many of these articles confirm location to us, where assad went to celebrate homegrown products in syria after years of war. to do more confirmation, i did a side-by-side of the hall from google maps and the screenshots

we see in the video and it is indeed the same place. we can see the same green paint, the same windows, assad's father on the wall as well. according to a specialist we spoke to, he believes that this as an official engagement would not be without security as they made us believe. he said this type of footage has always been part of his communication that creates a narrative that he would be close to the people. in this specific case, security has undoubtedly been reinforced with guards at the entrance and screening of participants. like i said, he believes as an official engagement, you wouldn't have the president strolling the streets without any security whatsoever and there were definitely people there to keep him safe. you never know, this could -- it might be old footage, but we could see assad out publicly in

the future, especially as he is back on the regional stage as syria has rejoined the arab league after 12 years of being blacklisted. while the footage might be old, the country is doing some rehabilitation and we might see more recent images of assad in the near future. anchor: as we see so often, context is everything. thank you. that's it for now, back in a few minutes with more world news from france 24. stay with us. ♪ ♪

>> france 24. your economy, explained. liberté, égalité, actualité. ♪ ♪ ♪

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♪ amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> not my king! >> not my king! amy: at least 52 protesters were arrested in london during the coronation of king charles iii. we will look at the protests and calls from groups in former british colonies for the king to pay reparations and apologize for britain's legacy of genocide and colonization.