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viewers like you. thank you. announcer: and now, "bbc world news". laura: i am lan washington and this is "bbc world news america." negotiators from russia and turkey head for turkey for tin how to end the conflict. in the besieged city of variable, -- mariupol, 5000 people have been killed. president biden does not back away from saying that could not remain in power, saying he was speaking. now, the audience at the academy awards is condemning will smith. and shanghai china, going into a lockdown more thatwo years after the pandemic ban .

♪ laura: welcome to "world news america" on pbs and around the globe. fighting is raging across ukraine tonight as russia continues its assault against mariupol and ukraine appears to make some gains in the northeast. the fierce battle for control of the suburbs around kyiv, the capital, ukraine's army claims to have pushed russian forces back from a key town. meanwhile, president zelenskyy says his government is prepared to talk about adopting a neutral status as part of a peace deal with russia, though it would have to be put to a referendum. we start our coverage with this report from kyiv. >> the russians attacked an oil storage depot in western ukraine. the war is settling into a deadly daily grind. medics live and sleep at the

hospitals. t is no time to get home. at one in kyiv, a patient is a ukrainian diplomat. victoria said it was ironic she was we did in her own home when she came back from belarus, russia's ally. but i will not lie, she said, i am very scared. this person's home was also hit. the russians thought they would be geted with hugs, he ss, but if we do not get weapons to take the offensive, missiles, and planes, the war will drag on for a long time. president zelenskyy hinted at compromise to russian journalists on ukrainian neutrality and territory. >> i understand it is impossible to force russia completely from the ukrainn territory. it would lead to the third world war. i understand it. and that is why i am talking aba compromise. >> in kyiv, a few cafes are open

and it is less tense than a month ago. these two were intrigued by what the president had said. >> nobody is saying we should give up the territories, but there should be some compromise or concession. >> we hope that putin is a sane person. but it is a very small hope. >> but at the end of the lonely roads out to the front line towns, the war feels much closer. in one city facing the russians to the east, people risk a trip to the market. but the mayor shows up his ukrainian mate assault rifle and says nato's only choice is to give them the tanks and planes they need to beat the russians. >> i think it putin wins this war, they don't stop. next wl be poland.

maybe romania, bulgaria, and other countries in the european union, i think. >> biden and some of the other leaders have said that if they intervened in the war, there could be a world war iii. >> maybe. maybe. but if they don't close the sky, they will be next. >> ukraine's president was right to talk about compromise. but it may never happen. cease fire agreements that work generally require either two sides fighting each other to exhaustion or the weaker side making concessions because it fears defeat or an outside intervention. none of those conditions apply in ukraine at the moment. so the most likely option is a continuation of a war with attrition. jeremy bowen, bbc news, kyiv. laura: in this outcom ukrainian

forces have had some success in recent days pushing back russian troops, raising doubts over whether the kremlin will still try to seize control over the whole coastline. in odessa, the immediate fear of russian bombardment has eased, but people are still unsure whether it is a temporary lull in fighting. from there, andrew harding sent this report. >> somewhere out there is the russian navy. and on ukraine's black seacoast, no one is letting down their guard -- black sea coast, no one is letting down their guard. we have had a lot of incoming fire, he says. rockets, bombs, and the fear of an pbs landing. -- of amphibious landing. and yet in the nearby port city of odessa, clubs and restaurants are reopening. not exactly packed yet. but the mood here appears to be

easing. >> the city is coming to life. [laughter] >> why is that? >> i don't know. i think the fear is going away a little bit. >> people think that odessa won't be attacked? >> i think, yes. >> and here is why he may be right. along the black sea coast, russian hardware and russian plans lie in ruins. the kremlin's advance here has stalled, even being pushed back. which may explain these seams in a frontline city occupied by the russians. growing trouble controlling it. >> they started using this gas, smoke, and stun grenades, so i started running.

the things they are using are more threatening techniques and tactics. i think they are in a panic. >> back in odessa, ukrainians are still preparing for a russian attack from land, sea, or air. but what if this war is edging towards some kind of a stalemate. of course, anything is possible. but here in this outcome rainians increasingly are looking for reasons to be hopeful, maybe even confident. down indessa's ancient catacombs, echoes from the past. these vast tunnels once help families shelter from the nazis. there is some graffiti here from the 1940's. it read "hitler go, death to fascism." now the past and prese seem to mingle in the musty air. and yet, from its catacombs to its clubs, today's odessa is

embracing optimism as if that alone were a form of defiance against the kremlin. andrew harding, bbc news, and southern ukraine -- in southern ukraine. laura: here in washington, president biden took questions from reporters at the white house this afternoon and was asked if he stood by his weekend comments that russia's president putin cannot remain in power. with more, we are joined by a bbc reporter. u.s. officials have been scribbling to say the president did not mean regime change in russia. what is he saying that he meant? >> he is saying that he is not walking back on any of these comments. just a reminder, this speech in poland, he ad lib. these comments in which said "for god's sake this man cannot remain in power," talking about president putin. the walkouts quickly walked back his desk the white house quickly walked back his comments -- the

white house quickly walked back his comments. got quite agitated and said this was moral outrage he was presenting, not any kind of policy change or anything like that. but he also said the comment again today. he said, "he should not remain in power, just likbad people should not continue to do bad things," but then he went on to say this is not any kind of fundamental policy change. for a lot of his critics, it is a case of him trying to have it both ways. and also, he is presenting vladimir putin with a propaganda gift because putin is trying to present this to his people as a hostile push by the west. president biden was also asked by journalists, have your words escalated the conflict? but he was angry at that and said that nato has never ever been as strong as it is today. i think what effectively he was saying in this press conference today is that these are my personal feelings, what i personally think. but the question is, can the

leader of the free world ever present anything as a personal opinion without it being seen as political? laura: indeed. thank you. for more on wh is happening in ukraine, ware joined by a human rights lawyer based in kyiv. she posted a video of herself singing a lullaby calling for a no-fly zone in ukraine. before we come to her, let's just hear a little bit. >> ♪ if you don't close the sky i will die if you don't close the sky more will cry if you don't close the sky he would lose home if you don't close the sky if you don't close the sky ♪ ♪ laura: during that lullaby, you, a staunch defender of human rights, are actually calling for more weapons. what is it like find yourself in that strange position? >> it is a rather strange position because my basic

instrument for all of these years was no. but now i documented war crimes. for me as a human rights defender, it is a question not only how to provide proper documentation for future justice because future justice is delayed in time, but what ican do to stop the war crimes, to stop victims of the war crimes. this is muc more of a challenging question. laura: based on the information that you have gathered, do you believe that russia is intentionally targeting civilians and intentionally targeting aid routes in a way that would be a war crime? >> no doubt. unfortunately, pressure used war crimes as a method of conducting fear. we have a lot of evidence which proves that. like when we see the warm crimes -- war crimes committed, we have to speak about systematic and large-scale character.

it could not be done occasionally if we had systematic large-scale character and the crimes happen. laura: but what about the way the ukrainians are treating russian prisoners of war? is it possible ukrainians are also committing war crimes? >> unfortunately, war is the thing which can provide the most bad features from the people. it is why we try to monitor as well how the ukrainian side fulfills the traditional humanitarian law. the information bureau agreed to reach the power for administration. and this has to fulll the rules of treatment of russian soldiers. we provide access to them,

international organizations. i hope that with independent international monitoring, everything will be ok. laura: just tell us, what is it like on day 33 to be there in kyiv with the battle for the suburbs -- day 33 to be there in kyiv with the battle for the suburbs ranging around you. > it is difficult, hard to explain. i can just only repeat myself that i never wish any nation to go through the war because war is not only a violation of law. it is also a violation of morals. it is something that cannot exist at all. laura: thank you so much for joining us tonight from kyiv. >> thank you. laura: now, the oscars should have been a moment to celebrate. history was made by the first deaf man ever to win an oscar. instead to him with any after

has all been about a slap on stage during the ceremony. today, the academy condemned the actions of will smith, who hit comedian chris rock for making a joke about mr. smith's wife. >> will smith was always going to make news at the oscars, but he dominated the wrong reasons. and now the academy has condemned what happened and announced a full review. while presenting an award at the ceremony, comedian chris rock had made a joke about will smith's wife's lack of hair. chris: jada, love you. g.i. jane 2, can't wait to see it. >> what her reaction. it clearly got to her husband, who strode on the stage and delivered this. at first, it was not clear if it was an elaborate joke. but those involved were not laughing. tv broadcast muted the sound, but inside the dolby theatre shocked guests watched as will smith continued to abuse rock.

will: keep my wife's name out of your mouth! chris: i'm going to. jada: at this point, i can only laugh. you know i live with alopecia. >> jada pinkett smith has previously opened up on social media about her hair loss, so the joke was not in the best taste. but there is clearly story here. when he hosteauthors in 2016, chris rock mocked the couple after she announced she was boycotting the awards for a ck of diversity. chris: she is going to boycott the oscars. her boycotting the oscars is like me boycotting rihanna's panties. i was not invited. >> last night come along before the slap, one of the hosts, regina hall, said this. regina: will smith, you are married, but you know what? it looks like you are on the list and she approved you so come here. >> will smith laughed about that

joke but he was not laughing later. >> it was kind of hard to watch i guess because it is really the best night of his life in a way and it also might have some repercussions. >> and the oscar goes to -- >> and when the more peter to pull event of the night happened -- >> will smith! >>'s best actor win making -- his best actor win making him the fifth black actor to do so. the question was only if he would apologize. will: i kw to do what we do, you have to be able to take abuse. you have to be able to have people talk crazy about you get in this business, you have to be able to have people disrespecting you. and you have to smile and pretend like that is ok. i want to apologize to the academy. i want to apologize to my fellow

nominees. love will make you do crazy things. >> it overshadowed the glorious night, with a film about deaf culture making history, with the best supporting actor going to a deaf man. >> this is dedicated to the deaf community. >> the third woman ever to win best director for "the power of the dog." for the brits, finally and oscar after 7 -- finally an oscar after seven unsuccessful attempt. will smith appeared defiant after the ceremony, posting this video saying he and his wife got dressed up to chse chaos. he apparently partied into the night but may now have to face

up to the consequences of what he has done. bbc news, los angeles. laura: quite the night there. now to china. the city of shanghai, which is home to nearly 25 million people, is heading into lockdown as the country battles the new variant. shanghai is an important financial and commercial hub. it will be shut down over nine days while authorities carry out covid-19 testing. our china correspondent reports. >> panic buying led to fights. shanghai's residents preparing to go into lockdown. from today, the east side of the financial capital is a ghost town. the west side will follow on friday. across china, daily covert tests are mostly orderly but at times chaotic. in the third year of this crisis, the government's

complete elimination straty is under strain, signs of pandemic exhaustion. some are forced to make public confessions. here, a woman pleads to be allowed to leave home so her husband can receive urgent cancer treatment. from the northeast to the south, tens of millions of people are now confined to their homes. the city is not under lockdown, but if you live in this compound right now, you cannot lea. that is because there has been a case here. these are the deliveries of food and other provisions. you can see they are marked up according to the number. staff will take the provisions and deliver them to people. that way, everybody can stay inside for text two weeks. in hong kong, 6000 mostly elderly unvaccinated people died in two months. it is thought that nearly half

of the population is infected, boosting herd immunity. >> china, by learning from the mystic hong kong has made, they be upscaling vaccination. >> on the mainland, officials say the vaccine booster for those over 80 is 19.7%. one woman told us her husband and her have only just been > i am not worried. we just need to be careful. >> chinese people are taught to listen to the government. >> it is hard for the party to shift when it is making political mileage attacking other countries for sacrificing lives by opening up. >> if we chose to lay down now, our efforts will have come to nothing we insist on zero covid. >> communities under strict isolation. the world's covid emergency

started here and it looks like it will be the last country to emerge from it. laura: let's go back to ukraine now. in some parts of the country, doctors have seen a sharp rise in premature births since the company began. clinics are reporting double or in some cases triple the usual number of premature births because of stress and medical issues linked to the fighting. our correspondent lucy williamson has this report. >> the incubators at the clinic are home to some of ukraine's smallest refugees. victoria born weighing just 800 grams her mother believes the stress of spending days in a bunker in kyiv contributed to the early birth. doctors here are seeing a rise in the premature birth rate since the conflict began. and at one specialist clinic in e season city of kharkiv, it

has jumped to three times the normal rate,0% of all deliveries, a result the director says of the war. infections, lack of medical health, bad nutrition create risks of premature birth. the smallest child was born three days ago and weighs just over 600 grams. a girl called paulina. you cannot take a child of 600 grams to the basement. it would be a one-way trip. so we made the decision to stay with the children in the ward and live through the bombings together with them. victoria's tw sister has already left intensive care. when the air raid siren sounds, she takes her down he bomb shelter but has to leave victoria behind in the ward because she is too fragile to move. >> emotionally, it is really hard. it is like splitting my heart between them. one baby stays with me, another

with doctors, and my heart bleeds. but i understand that in this situation, we just have to be strong. >> hospitals like this have been hit before and staff are worried. they sandbagged some of the upper wards but are also building this new underground bunker to house the most fragile babies in incubators. olga fled here from kyiv. it took three days she says, during which she could not eat or drink in fear. >> it is a fear that makes your skin hurt. you are so scared you cannoeat or think. when i arrived, the doctor said i lost 3.5 kilos and my baby's life was in danger because development stopped. >> now starting to grow again, her five-year-old son asks her every day when his brothers will come. olga is russian, husband ukrainian, their family, a

refuge, their countries at war. lucy williamson, bbc news. laura: before we go tonight, music is bringing relief to people sheltering from the russian bombing of ukraine. ♪ laura: a classical music band turned a metro station into a concert hall where ukrainians are hiding underground. if it was not for the war, the musicians would have been playing at an international assic using festival in ukraine. now, their audience is below ground athe war rages above. the mayor of mariupol in southeast ukraine says 5000 people have been killed since russia beg its attack on the city almost a month ago. he said 90% of its buildings have been destroyed and 40% very badly damaged. i am laura trevelyan.

thanyou so much for watching "bbc world news america." ♪ narrator: funding for this presentati of this program is provided by... man: bdo. accountants and advisors. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ ♪ narrator: you're watching pbs. ♪ da-da-da-duh-da-da-da♪ ♪ da-da-da-da-da-da ♪♪

i'm judy woodruff. on the "newshour" tonight, the invasion at an impasse -- russian forces make no significant gains in ukraine territory, as they continue to pummel several major cities and peace talks are set to resume. then, the voice of the kremlin -- we speak to vladimir putin's spokesman about the future of russia's ongoing conflict with ukraine. and, struggle and stigma -- how people ocolor with eating disorders facedditional cultural and medical challenges in confronting their conditions. >> the lifetime prevalence of any eating disorder among women of color is about the same or greater compared to white women.