i'm nada tawfik in new york and this is bbc world news america. russia says the first phase of its military campaign in ukraine is over, 30 days into the conflict. destroyed russian tanks north of the capital kyiv as ukraine successfully re—takes ground — we report on the toll it's taking. ukrainian troops have been able to achieve this against a much larger army, a more powerful army. in places now, they are notjust resisting. they are mounting a counterattack. as russia's relentless bombardment continues in the south—east, fears of starvation are growing in the beseiged city of mariupol, where hundreds of people are queuing for food and water. president biden is in poland in a show of support for ukraine's neighbour —

he's due to meet refugees near the border where 2.1 million have crossed in a month. and the who is blaming the "brutal" relaxation of restrictions for rising covid cases across europe. we'll speak to one of its experts. welcome to world news america on pbs, the uk and around the globe. as the war in ukraine enters its second month, there are signs tonight of a possible shift in russia's military aims. commanders in moscow have said they will now focus their campaign on the east of the country. it comes as ukrainian forces have succeeded in driving back russian troops on a number of fronts. the uk ministry of defence say ukrainian counterattacks, and russian forces having to rely on overextended supply lines, have meant ukrainian troops could reoccu py towns and defensive positions up to 35km

east of the capital. that's about 22 miles. our international correspondent orla guerin reports from front lines on the northern outskirts of kyiv. on the northern outskirts of kyiv, the burnt—out evidence of russia's defeat — at least for now, on this front line. ukrainian troops say russian forces tried to get through here four times this month and were stopped in their tracks. "it's a grad rocket," says salim, the commander, showing us what landed overnight. he takes pride in what his men from the 72nd mechanised brigade have done against the odds, and are continuing to do.

there's plenty of outgoing fire against russian positions. among the wreckage, a sleeping bag and a uniform from a russian soldier who perished. and what if the enemy tries again to advance here? "they may try," he says, "but i don't think "we would let them through. "we have let them know who the ukrainian armed forces "are and who the boys from our brigade are. "we have taken out four tanks and eight fighting vehicles, "and killed about 60 of their people." well, this was a road of destruction for russian forces. there is one burnt—out vehicle here, another one just up ahead. there are two more a short distance away. and ukrainian troops have been

able to achieve this against a much larger army, a more powerful army. in places now, they are notjust resisting. they are mounting a counterattack. for troops here, the priority is to guard this approach to the capital, to make sure the enemy cannot advance. retaining the city is critical for ukraine. taking it is critical for russia. he wants things the way they used to be. "putin came", he says, "as you see." "our children and grandchildren are dying. "i am 62, i can't leave this place.

"i will stay here. "if needs be, i will die here, but i will not give them ukraine. "thanks to the english people for helping us." then in anger and in anguish, he kicks at the charred remains of a russian soldier. in a village nearby, more evidence of the damage wrought by russia and of its many miscalculations. this tiny hamlet of no strategic value was hit by two ballistic missiles. russia's invasion is not going to plan, and ukrainian forces are emboldened. orla guerin, bbc news, on the northern outskirts of kyiv.

well, as we've said, russia's invasion hasn't exactly gone to plan — and increasingly moscow has turned to a war of attrition. no city has suffered more than the port city of mariupol in the south, which has been virtually destroyed. residents are facing a lack of food, water and electricity. and now ukrainian officials say they believe around 300 people died when russia bombed the city's theatre last week. the attack was shocking, not least because the words children were written out in giant letters outside to signal civilians were sheltering there. 0ur correspondent wyre davies reports from southern ukraine. sergey scans the endless flatlands of southern ukraine — the rich, fertile farmland that russia wants for itself. the 62—year—old former fire engine driver never envisaged taking up arms against the might of moscow, but he knows full well what the russian army is capable of doing. translation: we can't see mariupol, | but we know what's happening there, | and we must not let

that happen here. these people know that we are here for them. these are the last ukrainian defensive lines in the south before the front line a couple of kilometres away, and all the while, russia continues to shell and bomb the city of mariupol, just down the road. the big question here is, what does russia do next? here, they say they are armed and ready. towns and villages across the region are targets for russian artillery. the bombs are getting close. nowhere in the south is really safe. but there are few words to describe the horrors inflicted on mariupol and the 100,000 people trapped inside the city, a catastrophic landscape shredded by russian artillery. starving residents emerging from shelters queue for food. new footage, too, from

last week's theatre attack, in which 300 people died, according to ukrainian officials. there is no shortage of volunteers and reservists wanting to avenge what's happening in mariupol. translation: many of our fighters come from places that are currentlyi under russian occupation. all of them have parents, wives and families there, so each one of us is determined to win back our lands as soon as possible. but there's a reason these men are training underground in an undisclosed location. one thing they've learned in the last month is that the sky is full of russian drones trying to spot their every move. several military training facilities are reported to have been hit by russian fire.

the road to mariupol is fraught with dangers, and it's a road and a destination pivotal to how this war pans out. wyre davies, bbc news, southern ukraine. a senior russian defence official has suggested that moscow's initial goals in ukraine have mostly been achieved and it will now focus on — in his words — "liberating the donbas region". well, western analysts say the russian invasion appears to have stalled and moscow may now be looking for a different way forward. so is this a shift in strategy? caroline davies is in moscow. according to the ministry of defence here in russia, everything is going to plan and the first phase of the plan is now nearly complete, which means that russia can focus on what it always intended to focus on — the liberation of donbas,

in their words, in eastern ukraine. now, many might then ask, if this was always the intention, why are there russian troops in multiple places around ukraine that are not donbas? and why did president putin justify this about being about denazification and demilitarisation of all of ukraine? so are we seeing a potential change in strategy? i think it's possibly too early to say that for certain. during the course of this statement as well, the defence secretaries were talking about the fact that it is also important to make sure that president putin's aims are fulfilled. and of course, here in russia, there's been a consistent justification for russia being involved in ukraine because they say that they are supporting people in these separatist—held areas in eastern ukraine. but what many people in the west will be hoping from these comments will be that this is the first sign of where president putin might be willing to accept a line to be drawn, but at the moment, this is still very uncertain. caroline davies with the view from moscow. well, ben brown is in lviv, in western ukraine. hejoins us now. russia has not been able to seize any major ukrainian city and now this announcement. the

people in lviv make of it? i city and now this announcement. the people in lviv make of it?— people in lviv make of it? i think --eole people in lviv make of it? i think peeple across — people in lviv make of it? i think people across ukraine _ people in lviv make of it? i think people across ukraine would - people in lviv make of it? i think. people across ukraine would think that if this is a change of russian strategy, in a way, if it is a narrowing of russian war aims, it actually does not change anything, because if the russians are just saying they want to carve out a slice of the east of this country, the donbas, and keep that for themselves, in other words, a kind of partition of ukraine where they hold the east and some of the south and ukraine has rest of this country, that is not acceptable to the people in this country. they do not want a country that is partitioned. but if this is a change in russian or more aim, to focus on the east of the country rather than kyiv, the capital, it is a change forced on them, you have to say, because if you cast your mind back to the start of this war, there was that convoy heading towards the

capital kyiv of russian troops, and that got halted, now the ukrainian troops around kyiv are counterattacking, they're pushing counterattacking, they�* re pushing russian counterattacking, they're pushing russian troops away from the capital, so perhaps, and it is a big perhaps, the russian military high command in moscow is saying, "let's kind of put kyiv, the capital, on the back burner and let'sjust concentrate on the east." qm. the back burner and let's 'ust concentrate on the east." 0k, ben brown with — concentrate on the east." 0k, ben brown with that _ concentrate on the east." 0k, ben brown with that view _ concentrate on the east." 0k, ben brown with that view for _ concentrate on the east." 0k, ben brown with that view for us - concentrate on the east." 0k, ben brown with that view for us on - concentrate on the east." 0k, ben brown with that view for us on the | brown with that view for us on the ground. president biden is in poland tonight for talks with polish leaders and to witness first—hand the humanitarian crisis caused by russia's invasion of ukraine. earlier, he announced a deal to provide more shipments of liquified natural gas to the eu, to help reduce europe's dependence on russian energy supplies. our north america editor sarah smith reports from poland.

every time air force one touches down, it is designed to send a message. president biden�*s trip to poland is notjust to reassure a nervous ally — it's to make clear the us will back military action if russia attacks poland or any other nato member. the men in the military barbers are his — the us has sent thousands of extra troops to poland. he has always said they're not headed to ukraine, as america fears sending forces over the border could start a world war. yet biden seemed to tell them they would witness the bravery of ukrainians "when you are there". the average citizen, look how they're stepping up, and you will see when you're there, you will see women, young people, standing in the front of a damn tank, just saying, "i'm not leaving." the white house quickly clarified that america has not changed its stance on sending troops into ukraine. what these forces might be asked to do if russia uses chemical weapons is a more complex question.

mr biden says russia would pay a severe price and that nato would respond "in kind". the us will not go into detail about what the response to a chemical attack might be, but on the way here to poland the president's national security adviser did say the us has no intention of using chemical weapons under any circumstances. while russia is accusing america of talking about an ephemeral threat to divert attention. president biden and eu leaders know that russia will feel far more pain if europe buys less of its oil and gas, a tough ask for countries that are dependent on russian energy. i know that limiting russian gas left cost for europe, but is not only the right thing to do from a moral standpoint, only the right thing to do from a moralstandpoint, it only the right thing to do from a moral standpoint, it is going to put us on a much stronger strategic footing. america is promising to help european nations wean themselves off russian energy supplies by providing large quantities of liquefied natural gas, but only enough to replace about 10% of the gas

the eu currently buys from russia. in warsaw this evening, residents saw the president go into town as many are calling for a no—fly zone in ukraine. poland is offering fighter planes to ukraine via an american airbase. the americans are blocking the plan. they do not agree on anything. sarah smith, bbc news. lets move away from the war in ukraine to the pandemic — a story which may have fallen from the news agenda lately but is very much still with us in society. last week, we looked covid in the us, and tonight we're looking at europe, where cases are once again on the rise. take a look at this graph. daily cases in the uk, france and italy, which peaked injanuary, are once again rising, even as most of their covid restrictions are being lifted. then these are hospitalisations. you can see they're rising

in austria and the uk. scotland, for example, has the highest number of patients in hospital with covid since the start of the pandemc. well, last week, the who said countries — including the uk — lifted their restrictions "brutally". dr catherine smallwood is the covid—i9 incident managerfor who europe and joins me from denmark. thanks forjoining us. if we hear they're the restrictions were lifted brutally, how would you like to have seen it be done, and is there any country that got it right? goad country that got it right? good afternoon. _ country that got it right? good afternoon, and, _ country that got it right? good afternoon, and, yes, - country that got it right? good afternoon, and, yes, we - country that got it right? good afternoon, and, yes, we have| country that got it right? (emf. afternoon, and, yes, we have seen countries lift measures across the board. some countries have done so slower, more gradually. other countries have lifted many measures all of the same time, and this is really what who has cautioned against doing. we have called for countries to lift them in a stepwise manner and gradually, so that there is no flood of cases, and what we are seeing in some countries now is aversa giving rise in cases, even at

the regional level now, we are seeing all age groups see a rise in case notifications. in seeing all age groups see a rise in case notifications.— seeing all age groups see a rise in case notifications. in the uk, they are saying it _ case notifications. in the uk, they are saying it is _ case notifications. in the uk, they are saying it is time _ case notifications. in the uk, they are saying it is time to _ case notifications. in the uk, they are saying it is time to live - case notifications. in the uk, they are saying it is time to live with i are saying it is time to live with the virus, that we are not at a point where restrictions should be brought back. in your assessment, where is europe in the covid—i9 stage? is it near the end, the middle? ., ., , , stage? is it near the end, the middle? , , ., ., middle? the good news is that we are not where we — middle? the good news is that we are not where we are _ middle? the good news is that we are not where we are in _ middle? the good news is that we are not where we are in early _ middle? the good news is that we are not where we are in early 2020, - middle? the good news is that we are not where we are in early 2020, we i not where we are in early 2020, we are not even where we were in 2021. we are seeing a situation where a significant proportion of the european population does have some level of immunity from the virus, either through natural infection but mostly to vaccination, particularly in western europe, and that means that pandemic is having much more less of a public health impact that it would have been otherwise, but nevertheless, while we might tolerate high numbers of cases in our populations, when those cases

get very high, there will be an increase of pressure on hospitals, there will be increased mortality and, when people tend to forget we are in the midst of this pandemic still, with a virus that is still continuing to change and we are seeing that through this spread of a new sub—lineage of omicron, it will continue to put our public health at risk and specifically the health of people who are vulnerable to severe disease. so, older people or people with chronic diseases. irate disease. so, older people or people with chronic diseases.— with chronic diseases. we have not mentioned ukraine, _ with chronic diseases. we have not mentioned ukraine, but _ with chronic diseases. we have not mentioned ukraine, but of - with chronic diseases. we have not mentioned ukraine, but of course l with chronic diseases. we have not i mentioned ukraine, but of course the who is concerned about a rise in covid there as well, where the population is only 35% vaccinated, the war is raging, and what is the risk of a rise in other infectious diseases in ukraine right now? there is a very significant _ diseases in ukraine right now? there is a very significant risk— diseases in ukraine right now? there is a very significant risk of— diseases in ukraine right now? ii—ii” is a very significant risk of that, including further degradation of the situation with covid—i9. what war

does is it prevents people from accessing health care when they need it. it also places people in terrible conditions, where they are forced to flee for their own safety, but they end up in potentially unhygienic settings, where they are in crowded situations. we have all seen the images on the television. and it also puts populations in a situation where the control measures for infectious diseases or the prevention measures, such as vaccination campaigns, cease to be operating properly, so all of these are going to contribute to a higher risk of infectious diseases in ukraine, potentially ones that are already existing such as covid—i9, seasonal influenza, but also other epidemics ongoing in the country and other diseases such as tuberculosis that already had a high burden of disease. these are likely to get worse. i disease. these are likely to get worse. ., , disease. these are likely to get worse. . , ., ., worse. i have been at the un all week. or— worse. i have been at the un all week. or they — worse. i have been at the un all week, or they really _ worse. i have been at the un all week, or they really been i worse. i have been at the un all. week, or they really been pushing for more

relief for the people in ukraine —— humanitarian relief. can you give us a sense of how difficult it is to get access, to reach people in need, and particularly when health care facilities are being targeted? that's absolutely right. health care has come under very significant fire over the past month. we've seen 72 attacks on health care, and that is more than two a day if you count in the last month, so access to these facilities has become very, very difficult for humanitarian aid, and this is something that we really calling for the stop the attacks on health care, but also unable safe access to him —— humanitarian supplies and assistance to those facilities, some of which are not coping really well and on the verge of breaking down. dr catherine smallwood, thank you so much for your assessments. thank you

very much- _ north korea has resumed long range missile tests, including the launch of its largest ever weapon — a new intercontinental ballistic missile. it was announced with this extraordinary video which broadcast on north korean state television. kimjong—un — the country's leader — is front and centre. kim says the launch is intended to show the world the power of his country's armed forces. south korea responded by carrying out its own missile tests. the us has reportedly cancelled meetings with the taliban in doha two days after the hardline islamist movement reversed its decision to allow all girls to return to secondary school. they said the decision harms the group's prospects for legitimacy. secunder kermani reports from the afghan capital, kabul. when the taliban closed her school last year, this girl began to draw at home.

it has been more than six months now and her portfolio is filling up. this week she and her sister, like so many others, thought girls�* secondary schools would finally reopen. before starting this, i was dreaming in my sleep that we will be happy, be any class, study. when we heard this news, believe me, it's still like a nightmare for me to believe that we went back 20 years. a girl like me cannot continue her way in order to realise her dream. online, afghans have been sharing videos of sobbing teenage pupils. they arrived at school in the morning only to find out it was closing again. here, a tv presenter chokes up during a live segment. the western—backed government that used to be in power here was blighted by corruption.

but one of the most significant gains you can point to over the past two decades, even if it was not perfect, was real improvements in girls�* access to education. now, with this abrupt and confusing u—turn by the taliban on schools reopening, it feels as if there has been a national outpouring of grief. this man runs a charity promoting education in some of the most remote regions of afghanistan. he says even there, some people are now thinking of leaving the country to ensure their daughters can go to school. thousands of people say education is our right. afghanistan is not 1996, it is a new afghanistan, all people want to send their daughters

and sisters in school. even in more conservative, rural areas? yes. the majority of people. they want these activities in remote areas. protesting against the taliban is dangerous. this small group of women gathered at an undisclosed location. "you have taken work and food away from us," they say. "don't take education, too." secunder kermani, bbc news, kabul. this weekend is the oscars. and one of the most hotly—tipped films for best picture is coda, a movie celebrating deaf culture. and it's been a big week for the cast, who were invited for a personal tour of the white house by the first ladyjill biden — who even tried her hand at sign reading. the film follows a girl with a love of music who is the only person with hearing in herfamily. and there was a surprise visitor — you guessed it, president biden — who personally endorsed coda for the oscar.

we will see on sunday who takes the big prize. i'm nada tawfik. thank you for watching world news america. have a great weekend. hello there. the weather story's certainly been dominated by the beautiful spring sunshine and warmth just lately, hasn't it? but all that is set to change over the next few days. i've taken york as an example, but we are going to start to see the temperature trend from above average temperatures to below average temperatures for the time of year through the middle part of the week. so, you really will notice the difference. hopefully you can get out and enjoy the spring sunshine over the weekend. there'll be plenty of it on saturday. as you can see, some of us will see sunshine from dawn till dusk, with some thicker cloud in the far north of scotland, maybe the odd spot or two of light rain into the northern isles. there will be a little bit more of a brisk breeze, particularly running down through channel coasts, but also coming in off the north sea.

so, here, those temperatures may be a little bit subdued in comparison to the last few days. sheltered western areas will see the best of the warmth, highs of 18 degrees. and don't forget, when you're off to bed saturday night into the early hours of sunday morning, we put the clocks forward. yes, it's the start of british summer time on sunday. so, we lose an hour in bed, but hopefully we'll gain some daylight hours. as you can see, the high pressure is still with us. there could be a little bit of stubborn cloud drifting in off the north sea, though, on sunday, and that could be a bit of a nuisance across england and wales. a level of uncertainty how far west that cloud is going to feed in, but it could just suppress the temperatures a little bit here. so, the best of any warmth and sunshine is likely to be further west. underneath that cloud, we're likely to see temperatures down a degree or so in comparison to of late. but the high pressure still stays with us. we have got this little front on monday starting to move in from the far north—east, and that's just going to enhance the risk of some showers. so, first thing on monday,

there's perhaps a greater chance of seeing more low cloud, some stubborn mist and fog in the morning. a few showers across north wales and northern england as well. to the north of that, it's going to start to turn a little bit cooler, 6—11 degrees. to the south of that, with some sunshine, we still keep some warmth. but the trend for this cooler feel arrives really from tuesday onwards as the wind direction changes and it drives that colder air a little bit further south. so, as you can see, from tuesday into wednesday, starting to get noticeably cooler with some outbreaks of rain at times. take care.

it is chris and laura in the same studio. adam come as you know, if you've been listening on bbc sounds, still trying to shake off coded, and

hold up in stunning towers. i can brin: ou hold up in stunning towers. i can bring you some _ hold up in stunning towers. i can bring you some breaking - hold up in stunning towers. i can bring you some breaking news. just sent a pitcher of his negative covid test. . —— he will be in the building tomorrow, doing friday's newscast and then back here next week doing the telly version as well as the podcast version. so, laura, we should talk about, obviously the context remains colossal with what is happening internationally in ukraine and russia, but this week, that real sense of the domestic focus and what it means here in terms of bills and the cost of living and you throw in what is happening internationally to what was already a very difficult picture politically, as far as the public finances are concerned and then another big moment for rishi sunak, this guy who has spent a couple of years, whenever he can, saying that his instincts are to be very careful and fiscally conservative and wanting to cut taxes and yet these huge pressures for another big intervention when people are massively feeling the squeeze and if they are not yet,

they soon will be. that is right. he is the perma—crisis chancellor if you like, he has only known one economic emergency after another and, as you say, we have known for some time, haven't we, that inflation was on the way up. we have known that there was going to be huge pressure for people, particularly from energy bills. that was already going to be the case, that money was going less far before the invasion of ukraine, that, of course, has exacerbated and accelerated that, so the backdrop to the chancellor's spring statement, which is not as big a deal as a budget, tougher by the day. but what was fascinating about the set of political choices that rishi sunak made, because they are a set of political choices, was that any wriggle room he had, he held some of it back, for when things get worse, which people expect them to, but some of it all so he put towards tax cuts and the promise of a tax cut in two years time.

not real tax cuts, but the promise of a tax cut in two years time,