>> today the kremlin failed once again in his attempt. >> the eu accuses russia of lack mail after it cuts gas supplies to poland and bulgaria in retaliation for western sanctions. third increasingly dire situations at the steel plant and variable -- in ,amariupol.

millions of families hungry and desperate across the horn of africa which is suffering its worst drought in 40 years. from the cooperatives tortoises to the komodo dragon why species are threatened with extinction. russia has threatened to cut off gas to more european countries after turning off the tops to poland and bulgaria over the refusal to pay in rubles. the eu has accused the kremlin of blackmail. russia's president vladimir putin has warned foreign powers against interfering in his two month warmi promising a lightnig response. >> if anyone would want to interfere with what is happening in ukraine now from the outside,

they have to know russia's response will be swift and fast. we have tools the west cannot obtain. we will use the weapons if need be and i want everyone to know that. >> the head of the u.n. has arrived in ukraine the day after meeting vladimir putin in moscow. despite bitter divisions, they have completed up prisoner swap. we begin with this report. >> it had been predicted by some feared by more that european leaders see russia's move to hold guest supplies to bulgaria and poland as aggressive. >> it comes as no surprise that the kremlin uses fossil fuels to try to blackmail us. this is not something the european commission has been

preparing for an close coordination and solidarity with partners. our response will be immediate, united, and coordinated. >> moscow says countries can still pay for gas imports in euros or dollars but only if they open russian bank accounts which then convert the currency and make the final payment it's thought some countries have already done so but bulgaria which gets the vast majority of its gas supplies from gazprom is not one of them . we will not succumb to such a racket bulgaria is reviewing all agreements with gazprom including the agreement on gas transit through bulgaria because one-sided blackmail is not acceptable . the polish president has promised to take legal action but the prime minister is insisting there's no immediate threat saying storage facilities are three-quarters full higher than in most

of europe. >> as i've emphasized many times poland had previously prepared to diversify supplies and obtain gas from various sources even before the baltic gas pipeline is launched we'll be able to protect our economy to protect polish households from such a dramatic step by russia some warsaw residents if not all seem reassured this man says shutting down gas supplies might end up harming russia he says his country has reserves while this woman wonders how much polls like her will have to pay for developments linked to the ukraine war saying things are already incredibly expensive the eu's biggest economy germany has been the most reluctant to end gas imports from russia but on wednesday it said it was speeding up efforts to find alternatives including liquefied natural gas. >> i can say that our russian gas dependency which was at 55 before the war and dropped to 40 a few weeks ago is now at 35 percent >> so for now the common message

is there's no need to panic but it's hard to say how russia's move will play into the existing energy price crisis across europe nadeem baba al-jazeera >> russian president vladimir putin says ukraine was pushed to clash with russia and moscow's reaction was just and fair speaking to politicians in st petersburg he warned that any country that interferes in ukraine will face consequences >> there are 600 men and women with different levels of wounds. they need medical attention and health care. there are also wounded civilians. hundreds of people, dozens of children many have limited mobility. the situation is very difficult. there huge problems with water and food. today is not 1940, it's 2022. people will simply die here. >> city officials say airstrikes

have not ceased despite vladimir putin declaring that there are no military operations underway in the city. some of called it a humanitarian catastrophe with about 100,000 people still trapped in the city. the news agency says a number of rockets have hit the center of a southern city causing power explosions near television station. earlier, russian forces fired tear gas. people have been rallying against what they call a sham referendum. they say russia is planning to hold a state sport. it is been occupied since early in the conflict with them holding demonstrations against their presence. spoke to someone earlier who described what life is like in the russian occupied city.

>> now we have situations, we are occupied for months and we can't move to another ukrainian city. we can only do it by car and it is extremely unsafe. the situation is really unsafe. right now, to get food is really unsafe for the male gender to go out side because you never know should russian troops take you to the russian army. what will the situation be. we hope that the ukrainian army will win this war and it will be

a ukrainian city. >> international criminal court's prosecutor says he has received no reply from russia about the courts investigation into war crimes. speaking at the u.n., he said the world is holding its breath waiting for resolution to the violence. >> this is a time when we need to mobilize the law and send it into battle. not on the side of ukraine against the russian federation or the side of the russian federation against ukraine, but the side of humanity to protect, preserve, to shield people who are children. for women and men who have certain basic rights. at that age whether they are russian or ukrainian is irrelevant. their families and their lives have been torn apart. if this is not a moment for us to come together, what moment will we wait for?

will we be allowed to see it? >> on the front line, russian forces continue their slow advance. thousands of ukrainians have fled as the fighting gets closer. the thousands that remain rely on workers to get their food. >> natalia has worked in this bread factory in eastern ukraine for 13 years. russian forces are slowly getting closer. their first firing artillery shells and rockets then having an on nearby villages. the closer they get, the more tempted she is to leave. >> i am very worried for myself, for my family for my children for my job. it is frightening going to and from work because i hear the explosions in the distance. i have many friends, i don't want to leave them. the bread factory is the largest

and oldest business in town employing around 200 people they supply bread to many surrounding villages but the amount of customers is shrinking as they flee the slow russian army advance. volunteer delivery driver andre is a brave man after loading up his van with freshly baked gloves he heads out of town towards the front line we follow him along isolated empty country roads to a village near the russian army controlled town of kolivka. the village shopkeeper and few people still living here have been waiting for his delivery for three days >> over there closer to taurus the whole field has been shelled so heavily it looks like they're digging it go have a look but it's so loud there and there's still people living there. i don't feel particularly afraid people need bread they have to eat if they shell me so be it this is war.

>> the village sits in between the advancing russian army and ukrainian military defense dug in across the fields. the trains stopped coming here in 2014 when pro-russian separatists seized control of the next city down the tracks. >> it's terrifying there are explosions constantly getting food to us is dangerous and there's never enough. we feel surrounded because they shoot from this side and that side all of those who are left here are old there are no medicines available no buses no transport here. >> we drive to touretsk swerving between piles of soil heaped on the road to try and slow down any russian army advance. in a nearby village we find homes destroyed. the ukrainian army tell us that this village has been hit by russian artillery a number of times in the last week they say at least one civilian has been killed in these strikes

the most recent strike was this morning a number of civilians injured the soldiers here tell us that the russian positions are around seven kilometers from here ukrainian soldiers say russian forces are trying to destroy a radio antenna but so far have only succeeded in destroying lives. charles stratford al jazeera eastern ukraine. >> the regional governor says a fire and ammunition debt but was extinguished and no civilians were injured. a top official described it as karma. russia accused ukraine of attacking a fuel depot. russian backed hackers have been destroying data to produce a chaotic information environment. that is according to a report from microsoft. that includes at least six nationstate actors who have

launched 230 operations against ukraine since before the invasion. microsoft says it shows hacking is playing a bigger role than previously known. groups allied with russia had been preparing for the conflict since as early as march of last year. microsoft executive also says the company has seen limited espionage activity targeting nato and the seas. still to come on al jazeera. from the frying pan into the fire, why a bid to stabilize the cost of cooking oil could push food prices to a boiling point. in india, the hottest march since records began. ♪

>> we have what whether in the forecast. thursday not too bad. elsewhere largely dry. a disturbance up to the northwest toward christmas island. that is going to become a next hour. you can see the wetter weather moves across southern australia through the heart of the country down toward the western side. more showers in the forecast for sydney as we make our way

through the weekend. ahead of that, it stays dry and settled. spring weather for japan on thursday. this is what's next. a massive cloud will push out across the east china sea. increasingly wet and windy for friday. >> when the war on ukraine commenced, people in power reached out. a rare glimpse at life under the bombs. ukraine a city under siege.

♪ a reminder of our top stories. russia has threatened to cut off gas to more european countries after turning off the taps to poland and bulgaria over the refusal to pay in rubles. vladimir putin has warned that any countries attempting to interfere in ukraine will receive a swift nolan turner response. russian forces have continued japan the last known stronghold in mariupol bank. conditions are said to be growing worse.

despite being deeply divided over the ukraine war, russia and the u.s. have completed a christmas war. >> the release of trevor reed, a former u.s. marine serving a 19 year jail sentence and russia follows a lengthy negotiation process. the 30-year-old was released as part of a prisoner exchange for a russian pilot convicted of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the u.s.. he was arrested in liberia in 2010, but extradited to the u.s.. in a statement, president joe biden praised the safe return of him as a testament to the priority his administration places on bringing home americans held hostage and wrongfully detained abroad

adding it required difficult decisions that i do not take lightly. the timing is unexpected. u.s. russian relations are at their lowest point in decades following russia's invasion of ukraine. the joe biden white house has maintained there is value in dialogue with adversaries. >> for example, american and russian cosmonauts are flying together in the international space station. that continues despite the war in ukraine. the u.s. and russia carry on a number of different activities some of which are not always related.

there has been a protest by this family in front of the white house and it is something that uh led to a meeting with the president very recently and perhaps even escalated this in the minds of the president uh leading perhaps to this release what we can tell you is that the family had been very concerned about his condition and his health his family says that in recent weeks he had and months he had contracted tuberculosis he had been in solitary confinement he had 2:26 been working in prison camps and they were gravely concerned that if he continued in detention that he may not >> israeli forces have shot dead palestinian man after rate in the occupied west bank. it is the second killing following deaths in recent weeks.

doctors in sudan say 213 people have been killed and more than 200 injured in gun battles between nomadic arab tribes. the fighting started in west dart for after two bodies were found on thursday. unrest spread to the capital. the u.n. is warning that parts of kenya, ethiopia, and somalia are facing their driest conditions in 40 years. millions of people are at risk of starvation. good security has been impacted by poverty and a locust invasion. 40% of somalia is population faces hunger with a risk of famine. humanitarian catastrophe was

averted in 2017 thanks to early assistance. donors have pledged 1.9 billion dollars at convention in geneva. around 3.5 million people are already suffering after years of drought. >> they arrayed about the baby boy. he is seven month old and sick, weak, hungry. there isn't enough food because of the drought. his mother cannot get enough food to eat and cannot produce enough milk for him. they lost another child in february. they say he starved. >> he got sick and died. i don't know what to do about my other child. he might also die because he is hungry. >> millions of families are hungry and desperate. they are facing the worst

drought that the region has seen in 40 years. in kenya, more than 3.5 million people need immediate help. eight agencies say nearly 300,000 of them are children. the animals are also dying as it gets hotter and drier. >> people drive around looking for food and water. the nearest hospital can be hours away. some of the women say they have to leave early in the morning and only get to the clinic later tonight. cases of malnutrition are rising. at this health center, health workers are struggling to cope. they say that when some of the children get here, their serial -- severely malnourished. >> myself i can say it is chronic malnutrition. but it is worse because of the drought. we have not received rainfall. >> many children are going to school hungry.

she says the drought is the worst she has ever seen. >> some of them are dying. we have nothing. what little water is left in streams and rivers may soon run out. >> fears that global food prices will search even further. a ban on cooking oil experts implored the navy to stop shipments. it could lead to a global hunger crisis. >> in jakarta, some of the most popular dishes can be found in the small kitchen. fried chicken, fried fish and

fried tofu. almost everything on the menu has one ingredient in common, palm oil. they opened this restaurant 30 years ago now she's worried she could lose customers. >> the unstable price of cooking oil affects my business. it was difficult, now it is available but expensive. so challenging for small businesses. >> palm oil is the world's most widely used edible oil. for months, concerns about price and availability have been growing in indonesia. despite the country being the top producer. now the government is banning palm oil exports including crude and refined palm oil. >> i understand the state needs taxes along with foreign exchange and the country needs a trade balance surplus but meeting the people's primary needs is

more important it's a priority. >> the move has shocked global markets the price of cooking oil has been rising around the world for a number of reasons disruptions in production increasing demand for biofuels and the war in ukraine the world's largest exporter of sunflower oil. experts say the latest move by the indonesian government is likely to push prices even 1:28 1:28 higher. >> palm oil is also used in processed foods cosmetics cleaning products and more economists say the government's strategies to normalize cooking oil prices have been misguided focusing on supply rather than problems within the industry. >> it may not solve the problem because again the problem with the with the cooking oil in the in the in the indonesian market right now is actually the in the distribution uh channel there's a bottleneck you know because the of this complex and long you

know distribution channel. >> the indonesian farmers association says its members will also suffer. >> this time period should give momentum to the government to reform the palm oil industry and its production model right now it's run by big companies and they set the distribution of palm oil material according to the market. >> the government intends the ban to remain until prices reach around 97 cents per liter at traditional markets in indonesia but it's unclear whether this policy will achieve that. >> 11 people in india have been killed after their vehicle touched overhead power cables. three more people have been treated in hospital for burn injuries. the vehicle was taking part in a religious celebration in the southern state. firefighters are struggling to contain a massive blaze on a landfill site on the outskirts

of india. the prime minister's warning there could be similar incidents as temperatures are getting too high too early in the year. >> flames burn for a second day at the landfill adding to the hazardous air quality in the capital. the plumes of smoke hard for anyone to avoid especially waste workers. >> there is a fire every year, it is not new. there is a risk to life and livelihood. many drilling's caught fire. what do we do? >> picking through rubbish to earn a living, their only option is to carry on and risk the smoke. the firefighters continue to fight the blaze. >> we are very scared. we inhale the gases that cause diseases. i feel pain while breathing and there are many others like this. >> indians are suffering a heat

wave that is adding to the risk of fire. march was the hottest month in more than a century. >> the prime minister warns state governments the temperatures are rising earlier than normal leading to wildfires. he is urging the implementation of safety checks. the landfill was supposed to close years ago. the waste produces methane gas that feeds the fire. instead of shutting the dump, the city adds tons of waste ÷÷ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■

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