[000:00:00;00] ah ah, you're watching dw news. why? from berlin? russia steps up assaults on ukraine, including fire and cruise missiles at the southern port city of odessa. meanwhile, ukrainian officials say all civilians have been evacuated from the besieged. mario paul still works. also on the show. tensions rise ahead of world war 2 commemorations in germany with both pro ukraine and pro russia demonstrators taking to the streets and china cement it's control over hong kong. as it selects a new leader,

hardline former security chief john lee is set to become the territories new chief executive. but only a handful of beijing royalists could vote. and lee was the only candidates. ah hello, i'm clare richardson, thanks so much for joining us. russian forces have stepped up their attacks across ukraine, including fire and cruise missiles at the southern port city of odessa. they have also resumed the bombardment of the besieged steel plant in mario ball. after the remaining women, children and older adults were evacuated. observers believe moscow ames to make symbolic gains before monday's anniversary of the soviet union victory over nazi germany in world war 2. the most intense attacks have been in eastern ukraine,

where many people have been left homeless. clothes hang from blasted trees in the eastern ukrainian city of buck moot, a grim decoration for a war. nobody here is celebrating residence survey, the damage following another rush and asked strike svetlana has come to collect belongings from what was once her home. god was that that didn't. how can i survive with that? this was my parents house. my sister was living here. i was living here to thank you. people are homeless now and 2 of our neighbors were killed. yes, they're killing people. you get as ukrainian forces go on the offensive intense battles in the eastern done. it's gretchen have seen front lines shifting village by village 30 kilometers away in the town of coast hunting, yoga, vasily. but looks here. says he ran to protect his 3 children who were sleeping in another room. when shelling began to civilians like these. it makes little

difference whose ordinance is falling on their homes and schools. adela social worker could everything should be normal, like it is for everybody else. so what can we do now? who's guilty or i don't know. who should i blame for this? barrages of russian rockets also ran down on her keith destroying civilian targets, including a museum, even as ukrainian forces around the city drove the russians back. numerous russian rockets also struck civilian targets in the port of odessa. some observers save vladimir putin once a symbolic victory to celebrate on may 9th, the day that russia commemorates victory over nazi germany at the end of world war 2. the as of style factory complex. last question of ukraine's forces in murder you fall, looks like his most likely target. the last civilians had been trapped in the plants underground. bunkers have now been evacuated, and vast out of murray will fall. president zalinski says he wants to negotiate

safe passage out for all civilians who are still in the ruined city. i spoke earlier today the correspondent matches. belinda is reporting for us from kish. i asked him if put and had ordered a show of force ahead of one day celebrations. it's very likely that he will try to claim victory over maria. poland. it's also likely that this doesn't really depend on what is happening in the as of steel works, or we know that fighters are still in their wounded fighters, but as also active fighters and their did, the attacks on the steel works have intensified, but we do not really know, or whether, how far they have gotten and, or whether it's likely that they will or be able to control the whole plant within these 24 hours that we have until the 9th of may. and it's a very difficult to say and, but i don't see really what would prevent them to declare victory,

even if they are not in control of the steel works. have been saying a lot of things and they haven't been very, are very, very compliant to fax in these in this regard. i think the 9th of may's very symbolic and we are hearing that they're preparing for some kind of a celebration in murray. you pull into remains to be seen how these celebrations look like in this, an actual situation. but this is a high, highly symbolic city. and looking at the situation in ukraine, more broadly, are you seeing signs that russian and attacks are indeed increasing? definitely, definitely. there have been a number of rocket attacks on odessa yesterday and this night or this night we haven't confirmed whether it was rockets, but it was explosions and we can assume it was rockets because there are no, no, and there's no it artillery near by or anything so odd as a has been a target in the, in the past a few hours. and hm,

we're also seeing intensified fighting in don bye and the don barza regions. so it seems that they are trying to achieve as much as they can or to send a signs of string before this celebration and does appear ukraine. a ukrainian counter offensive is also advancing, sending, rushing troops, a flea from harkins or more. can you tell us about that? no, this is sir. the ukrainian troops have taken a quite a few villages north of hark. if that's important, because these were the positions from where the city was shelves. so this eases the pressure on the city as well. and it drives the russian troops further back to their, to the russian franchise. so we could expect her that her situation around harkins is easing while in don bass. it's intensifying. did of your correspondent matches

wire for us in case thanks as always. events are also taking place across europe to day to commemorate the end of the 2nd world war on the continent 77 years ago in germany anti war protests, but also pro russia rallies are being staged. alongside commemorative events, as the ongoing war in ukraine overshadows the anniversary. a spring indeed of the political correspondent and julia, so deli, she's reporting on the world war 2 commemorations here in berlin. a julia may 8th marks the defeat of germany in world war 2, but it is still a hugely important date here in germany. why is that? yes, sure. it does mark defeats for germany, but it also marks the end of world war 2, which was a devastating war for germany as well. and it marks the liberation of germany and the rest of europe from the national socialist dictatorship. so this commemoration

become became more and more felt in the country over the last few years, and it is normally marked with ceremonies and commemorations wreath laying in front of monuments like this one that you see behind me, which commemorates the soviet soldiers who died in world war 2, so in germany it is more of a commemoration of a reflection day than a celebration. but obviously this year, with the war on going in ukraine at it, it has taken on a significance of its own. you can see people, they're already starting to gather what are the main events planned for today, and how likely are we to see tensions between these different groups that are involved in the collaborations. there are quite a few demonstrations planned a between today and tomorrow. we've already seen a groups congregating here. they are not allowed to stand right in front of the monument, but there is a pro russian group and

a pro ukrainian anti russian group standing here. and there are many more of these kinds of demonstrations, both anti war, anti russia, but also pro russian. and there is some fear that tensions could occur between these different groups, protesting and commemorating across the city. and that the commemoration can be co opted to have more of a pro pu tina. and pro war stands in some instances. and berlin authorities have been facing criticism for banning the display of both russian and ukrainian flags and symbols are anywhere near the memorial sites. what can you tell us about that? yes, exactly. this applies only to of memorial sites in the city and officials of from, for example, the ukraine embassy and veterans are exempt, but from this rule, but it is indeed a band and we don't see any ukrainian or russian flags being displayed here. there has been a lot of criticism of,

of this new rule applied by the city coming both from ukrainian communities here in berlin, but also by the ukrainian ambassador here who called it a scandalous decision. julius, had eli reporting for us. thanks so much for that update was bring up to speed now with some other stories making headlines at this hour. irish, a nationalist party sion fain has won the most seats in northern ireland legislative elections. its leader in the british territory. michelle o'neill called the victory a defining moment. the mainly catholic party supports reuniting the north with the republic of ireland. tion. fain will now try to form a government across the united states. people have rallied in favor of abortion rights, including outside the supreme court in washington, dc. a draft opinion leaked last monday shows the court appears set to overturn the

landmark roe v wade ruling at legalized abortion nationwide in 1973. rescue and recovery efforts are continuing the site of an explosion at a hotel in the cuban capital havana. the blast at the saratoga hotel killed at least 27 people and injured 80 more. several people are reported to still be missing least suspect, a leak on a gas tanker truck caused the explosion and a hard line. former security chief has been installed as the new leader of hong kong. john lee won the approval of around 1400 pro beijing members of a closed election committee. he was the only candidate on the ballot. lee over saw a crack down on the territory democracy movement. you went out, replace outgoing liter carrie lamb in july. international observers fearless election will further tighten beijing's grip on, on call. and earlier i asked our correspondent in hong kong,

phoebe kong at what people there make of the territories new liter. well this is the thought county center was jolly, was just officially selected as hong kong next chief executive. so on our he, he was like a very highly controversial political faker in hong kong. or who oversaw the crackdown on hong kong. our 2019 very massive anti government tro test. and also he was a key fact go or to execute beijing's national security law in hong kong by arresting a numerous opposition, figures and silencing a many are independent media organizations. so i'm, he has earned to repetition as a heart liner, and that also makes him like kind of unpopular among the general public according to the popularity ratings factors that we have like observed throughout the past few years. so upto john lee have a managed to secure 99 percent off to support those 2. in this election there is only like less than

a $1500.00 are members of all black of the election. come to members can vote today which has only seo upon c o 2 percent of the population. so all outside of holding sation outside vote counting center ally outside hong kong on the streets. or we can feel a sense of indifference from the general public that the many people we have spoken to sat, da da, don't care about the election. or they have no expectation in the next leader, because simply they don't have a say on this. who the next day there will be as detail. you corresponded phoebe cong speaking to me earlier. let's go to afghanistan now where italy bon, have ordered women to cover up from head to toe. ideally with the traditional bircher that conceals the entire face. the hard line pivot is confirming the worst fears of rights activists as the latest in a series of harsh restrictions imposed on women since the taliban returned to power last year. these women just lost another right. they have right to be

seen in public. this could be the last time we see women's faces in afghanistan. as of now, they're required to cover their bodies from head to toe. whether it be a job that women who don't where the job firstly should be identified. and their guardian should be advised. that the women themselves should be punished. it's the latest move to police women's lives and has confirmed fears that taliban rule this time road likely won't be any different to that previous rule from 1996 to 2001 when women's rights were all but removed. women's voices a know to be absent from responses to the new law because they fear being punished for speaking out. only a few dare to talk about life and the taliban rule. the medical unhinged man. i know it is meaningless to live in afghanistan because you feel like a prisoner. i love to go. you can only eat and sleep and live according to the

taliban as well as the hopes on fish. but girls have also been barred from secondary education, though it's reported that many of the younger taliban, educating their girls in pakistan and cutoff. many afghans are infuriated by these latest injustices as the taliban continued to curtail women's rights in the name of shari'a law. attorneys update at this hour. i'm clear. richardson in berlin for me in the team. thanks for returning. ah so he wanted to know what makes the german here just in the gym. loved via and banning them away from that. but i'm not even know how to work my own car and everyone with later holden every day getting. are you ready to meet the german can