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| | Russia seeks Mariupol endgame amid steelwork ceasefire plan | |  | | | | | | | | | The last place in the port city of Mariupol still under Ukrainian control is the Azovstal steelworks. People remain trapped - about 200, including children, are believed to be sheltering inside. Russia is intent on capturing it and, according to Ukrainian officials, a full-scale attack on the site has been launched. Following a successful evacuation of some civilians days earlier, Ukrainian forces inside the plant have been fighting "difficult bloody battles". Russian troops are said to have entered the site after days of sustained attacks. These reports, unverified by the BBC, have prompted Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky to reappeal to the UN to help save the lives of those who remain inside. Russia has also announced it’s planning a ceasefire later, and on Friday and Saturday, to allow evacuations.
In other developments, Russia’s been forced to comment on speculation that it plans to declare an escalation of military action - an all-out war in Ukraine. It’s denied it is at war until now. It’s dismissed claims that an announcement will be made at the 9 May Victory Parade - commemorating the defeat of the Nazis and World War Two - as "nonsense". Efforts to further sanction Russia have also gathered pace with the EU proposing tougher measures, including phasing out Russian crude oil within six months and penalising war crime suspects. The UK’s targeting Russia with additional sanctions by banning it from using British management consulting, accounting and PR services. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's also meeting his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida later, with a view to discuss new ways of putting pressure on Russia.
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| | Polling day for UK-wide elections | | | | | | | | | It's polling day which means it's time to vote in this year’s elections. They’re UK-wide with millions of people expected to vote across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland throughout the day. Elections are being held in 146 of the 300 local authorities in England while votes will take place in all councils in Scotland and Wales. People will also be casting ballots to pick 90 members of the Northern Ireland Assembly in Stormont. You have until 22:00 BST, when polling stations close, to cast your vote. Some councils in England will count overnight but the rest - along with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - are expected to start on Friday. Most results should be declared that evening.
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| | Heard testifies against ex-husband Depp | | | | | | | | | Johnny Depp's defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard is now in its fourth week. She's been on the witness stand where she’s alleged that a pattern of violence began in 2012. Mr Depp is suing Ms Heard for $50m over a story she wrote in which she described herself as a domestic abuse victim. She's countersuing for $100m. During her testimony over several hours in a court in Virginia, Ms Heard said Mr Depp repeatedly struck her during drug and alcohol-fuelled rages that turned him into an "awful thing". Mr Depp denies any wrongdoing and has previously told the court he never struck Ms Heard and characterised her as having "a need" for conflict and violence. The trial continues. Read more here. | | | | | |
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| | | | | | | | | | | At precisely 47.5 years old, house carpenter "Polydore" - surname absent - is cited as a "good workman" and the property of His Majesty King George. So reads a 1785 register of enslaved Africans in Antigua in which Polydore appears among hundreds of others. Polydore's real identity of course was erased the second he was forced onto a ship in Africa bound for Britain's Caribbean colonies.
He was one of several thousand enslaved workers behind the construction and upkeep of Nelson's Dockyard, then a safe harbour for Royal Navy warships protecting imperialist Britain's prized sugar-producing islands. Today it's a yachting hub, Unesco World Heritage Site and thriving tourist attraction. Local historians recently embarked on a ground-breaking project to formally identify the faceless people who built it, whose stories have been wiped from history. | | | | | | | | | | | | Gemma Handy | | English Harbour, Antigua | | | | | | | | | | | |
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| | | | | | | Football and the Falklands War feature on the front pages of the papers we’re reviewing this morning. The Sun’s reporting England’s football anthem Three Lions faces the axe as the country’s official World Cup song. Meanwhile, another football World Cup-related story leads the Metro - the £7.1m sale of the shirt worn by Diego Maradona when he scored the infamous Hand of God goal against England. The Daily Telegraph opts for a different story altogether. It covers calls for an inquiry into the missile that caused HMS Sheffield to sink during the Falklands War. Read the newspaper review in full here - this is limited today because of how the BBC reports polling day. | | | | | |
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| | | | | | | | | Shopping High Street isn't dead, says new Sports Direct boss | | | | | | | Seasons Spring shifts by three weeks | | | | | | | Football Real Madrid comeback stuns Manchester City | | | | | | |
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| | If you watch one thing today | | | | | | | | | | |
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| | If you listen to one thing today | | | | | | | | | | |
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| | If you read one thing today | | | | | | | | | | |
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| | Need something different? | | | | | | | | | She’s no stranger to the music scene but it was a sucker punch for Norwegian pop star Sigrid when the pandemic hit. She found herself back at her parents' home waiting, and waiting, for the music industry to restart. The past two years were a scary time but she’s back and feels on top of the world. Find out why here.
Lockdown reflections are a key part of this next one. Photographs taken during the pandemic feature in the 37th Association of Photographers Awards. A cold water swimmer and a portrait of Mayor of London Sadiq Khan are some of the highlights. Take a look.
And finally, we’re not sure how easy it was to take this picture but all of the world’s only nonuplets are in shot. They’ve turned one and we’ve spoken to their father who explains how they’re doing and what life's like looking after five daughters and four sons, as well as their older sibling. "It's not easy but it's great," he says. Here’s the full story. | | | | | |
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| | On this day | | | | | | | 1980 More than 30 masked SAS commandos raid the Iranian embassy in London to end a siege. | | | | | | | | |
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| | | Let us know what you think of this newsletter by emailing bbcnewsdaily@bbc.co.uk. If you’d like to recommend it to a friend, forward this email. New subscribers can sign up here. | | | | | |
