rocky start. president biden has reiterated to his ukrainian counterpart washington's readiness to respond decisively if russia invades. the u.s. has requested an open un security council meeting to discuss what it calls russia -- russia's aggressive behavior. russia denies it is planning to invade. fighter jets have also been seen landing at belarusian airfields. nato has about 4000 troops near

russia, estonia, lithuania, latvia and poland. more are on high alert, prepared to deploy. russia's foreign ministry says the idea of war with ukraine is unacceptable but another official warned a nuclear missile crisis with the u.s. is inevitable if checks are not in place to turn down tensions. our diplomatic editor looks at whether there is a chance to avoid military confrontation through diplomacy. >> recent weeks have seen an unprecedented flurry of diplomacy. efforts haven't testified -- intensified. meanwhile, troops, tanks and weapons continue to mass in eastern europe. russian forces surround ukraine. nato -- its members, while some members, not germany, are sending antitank aircraft to

ukraine. is there now a way to stop this march to war? sven jurgenson is estonia's ambassador to the united nations. his country is a neighbor to russia and until last year served on the security council. >> there is always room for compromise. the question is, does russia want to compromise? if you look at the vance a have put forward, reading through them, it is obvious that this all this nonsense. this is deliberately drafted in a way that there could not be any compromise. >> the leader of another nato nation, again with a border with russia, norwegian prime minister has told me despite the difficulties, no efforts should be spared to find diplomatic solution. >> i simply state, now there are talks going on. there is a channel of communication and i would appeal to those who sit at those tables

, use those channels at a maximum. on the native side and the euro-atlantic side, there is strong unity on the principles and clear messages in mitigation. >> the problem is russia's sergei lavrov has made his country's demands in public and in writing. russia says ukraine must never join nato. and that poland and the three baltic states that are nato members must not allowed to be have troops or weapons from other nato countries on their soil. >> the main question is our clear message we consider further nato expansion to the east and weapons appointment that could threaten the russian federation unacceptable. >> when expert warrants there could only be a compromise if russia tables a new proposal, something that is more palatable to nato. >> that compromise could come if russia put something else on the table that the west was willing and able to provide.

if russia looks at the general state of unity between europe and the united states, if it looks at the kind of economic measures that have been promised in case an incursion and decide if the cost is worth it, that the need to maintain business and economic ties to europe is important enough for where were -- for where russia wants to be, that jeopardy -- jeopardizing that is not worth it. >> some believe putin has not decided yet whether he is going to invade. the first meeting of the un security council on the current crisis is expected monday. russia will be looking to the support of china. that is why some diplomats believe the russians may wait until china's beijing winter olympics is over. >> -- mohammed has been speaking to people in southeastern ukraine. >> we heard a lot of people,

there is a feeling that in the moment, really, the whole thing is going between russia and the u.s. ukraine wants to make sure it remains center to the conversation. certainly not a byproduct of that. that is our sentiment. we heard from many people who say that at the end of the day, this is a crisis going on between the two superpowers, u.s. and russia. it's about expanding influence in this part of the world. ukrainians want to make sure that they are not a consequence of that, but that actually the real threat they are living under is something that is going to be dealt with. >> burkina faso's military leader says the country will return to constitutional order when the time is right. -- has called on people to unite and take up arms to rekindle --

regain the country's sovereignty. >> haunted by those that did not survive, husbands, fathers, brothers and grandfathers, all killed by fighters affiliated to isil. gunmen shot the mall. the women and children were spared, but carry with them an unshakable fear of their return. >> i cannot go back. their bodies are still there, rotting in the ground. >> following the coup, henri sandaogo damiba put the country on war footing, calling on all to unite and take up arms against armed groups. >> the conditions arise, i commit to a return to a normal constitutional order. fellow citizens, people of burkina faso, while there are

many priorities, it is clear that main priority remains security. we must reduce the area under terrorist influence and the impact of extremism by giving security forces the will to fight. we must go on the offensive. >> the burkina faso army suffering many losses despite french forces. this is a propaganda video recorded by fighters attacking security forces last november. dozens were killed. that provoked a public outcry for what was seen as a humiliating defeat. damiba deposed --, accusing him of being unable to protect the country. >> this military camp, lt. col. henri sandaogo damiba is meeting with leaders from the trade unions and members of their government. the members he was once accountable to are now under his orders. his objective, to rebuild the military so that they can go from defeat to victory.

and regain control of lost territory. damiba suggested russian missionaries, but the president dismissed the idea. since the cucumber russian missionaries from the group operating in the central african republic, say they are ready to help her get a faster too. 2 million people have been forced from their homes in a country scarred by what feels like an endless spiral of violence with no peace inside. -- no peace in sight. >> let's bring in the publisher firm u.s. africa online. we have heard from the countries military leader, what did you make of what he had to say. >> thank you very much. i think there are two significant things. he is trying to buy time.

the most important thing is that the country is moving in the -- direction of the democratic reforms. he can only stay there for a short time. the other thing is international players, -- are becoming progressively more interested in what is happening in burkina faso. nick: he said he would only return to constitutional order when the conditions arise. that leaves the door open. that could be any time. >> it is not up to him to speak on behalf of the entire people of bricking a vasso republic -- burkina faso republic. there will be efforts that will bear on him, whereby they do not have to stay there longer -- [indiscernible]

-- the fact of the matter is also there are persons who are supporting the regime because of the failure of -- government, to aggressively and strongly reduce the capacity of the radicals behind this to kill, maim and destroy the structure of the land. nick: we have been hearing a lot about russian influence present in the region. will damiba turned to russia in his bid to attack the armed groups? >> i think that russia is coming in where they can to put pressure on the rest of the west. it is certainly where the united states has interest. that is far and wide why they are coming into bricking a vasso

-- >> as you call them the cold war years, russia is also determining working in concept with china to be as disruptive as possible to be -- as possible. and where they can minimize the western powers which includes france. nick: i appreciate your analysis. still ahead, americans are told to avoid traveling to the uae. >> on the polish side of the border of belarus where construction has begun on a to keep migrants and refugees out.

♪ >> look forward to brighter skies. the weather, sponsored by cutter errors. >> in east asia, war winter weather. we are expecting to snow -- we have seen flurries stretch down to western areas. saturday, we will see some of that what snow and rain pushing its way into southern areas of japan. further west, rather bitterly cold in places. it is a similar story for northern areas of china. they -- beijing coming in 40 degrees. . we are seeing snow in china. that rain pushing across eastern areas. we will see the rain last of the

weekend and we are going to see what the weather shift further south for taiwan rain through the weekend. south asia, target storms for sri lanka. further north, sunshine. 17 degrees celsius on friday. out at to cut the weather by qatar >> a four hour climb. for four minutes of practice. but to achieve their dream of becoming of guinness and'first winter olympians, they will have to overcome many mountains. carving a path of hope and

inspiration, where the light shines. witness on al jazeera. ♪ ♪ top stories this hour i, president biden has reiterated to its ukrainian counterpart washington's readiness to the -- to respond decisively if russia invades ukraine. russia's foreign ministry says the idea of the war with ukraine is unacceptable but another official warned a nuclear missile crisis with the u.s. is inevitable. if checks are not in place to

turn tensions down. burkina faso's new leader says the country will return to constitutional order when conditions are right. the new primitive has addressed the nation for the first time since seizing power after a coup on monday. the u.n. says this month will almost certainly see the highest number of civilian casualties of the seven-year war in yemen. the saudi led coalition has launched air raids to follow drone and -- raids. nearly 100 people were among the casualties striking a yemeni prison. irresponsibly attacks, the u.s. is urging americans to reconsider traveling there and have been warned of the threat of further missile attacks. >> this is a revision of a warning that horror -- that had already been existence. it is a travel level four, do not travel.

that is because of the ongoing covid pandemic. the release was updated thursday because of the recent missile attacks launched from houthi territory in yemen against targets in the uae. this is not unexpected. the u.s. issues these travel warnings to its citizens for countries all around the world all the time because it feels that it has a primordial duty to keep americans out of harm's way. it should not have any impact on the relationship between the countries. earlier in the week, after both of these houthi attacks on targets inside the uae, the u.s. was very quick to say that it was continuing its strong defense relationship with the emma rathi -- military to help them intercept attacks from houthi territory.

the big thing is that the civil war in yemen has not yet been resolved and it is trying to push for a quick resolution of that war while also reminding allies, notably the saudi's who have been leading the pushback, to refrain from doing anything that would harm yemeni civilians. >> honduras has sworn in their first female president. xiomara castro swept the vote, promising to restore democratic institutions. a great rift in congress throughout -- threatens to derail her political agenda. >> celebrations are cross -- as xiomara castro, former first lady of honduras was sworn into become the country's first female president. >> sisters and brothers,

honduran people, the presidency of the republic had never been received by a woman. 200 years have had to pass since the declaration of our independence. >> city streets throughout the capital closed for a parade to celebrate the historic inauguration. many express their hopes the country may finally turn a page after more than a decade of single party rule, mired by scandal and turmoil that fueled historic migration. >> we hope that she will deliver that which we have been hoping for for years. that people will no longer migrate to other countries. that people will stay and have decent employment. we all have a right to that and it is what the majority of the people expect. nobody wants to be away from their home. that is what she will accomplish. >> dozens of high-profile guests were in attendance including vice president harris.

who seeks to address root causes. >> poverty has increased by 74% to turn our country into the poorest in latin america. this statistic explains the caravans of people who flee north towards mexico and the united states for cash united states. [applause] [indiscernible] >> under a backdrop of a political crisis. >> legislators appear to have temporarily put aside the political standoff to allow citizens to celebrate the peaceful transfer of power. president castro ran on an anticorruption platform, promising an overhaul of the legal system. her ability to govern collectively will depend on finding common ground through her political opponents.

nick: president biden has confirmed he will nominate the first black woman to the supreme court. i did not say who nominee will be but pledged to announce his decision per for the end of february. he praised stephen breyer for his years. kimberly harkin reports. pres. biden: i am here today to express the nation gratitude to stephen breyer. >> he served on the nation highest court for more than a quarter century. presiding over its most controversial cases. from abortion to the environment here thursday, president biden announced the 83-year-old supreme court justice stephen breyer was stepping down. pres. biden: he is a model public servant and a time of great division. >> breyer was nominated to the court by bill clinton in 1994.

as he reflected on his years on the bench, breyer concluded united states is a complicated nation. >> it is a kind of miracle when you sit there and see all of those people in front of you. people that are so different and what they think. and yet, they have decided to help solve their major differences under law. >> breyer plants to step down this summer when the supreme court completes its term. his replacement, biden affirms, will fulfill a campaign pledge, to make history. pres. biden: the person i will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications of a character, experience and integrity. and that person will be the first black woman ever nominated to the u.s. supreme court. it is long overdue. >> biden says he is betting candidates and will announce his nominee next month. one that won't alter the

ideological makeup of the court their current elite lengths conservative. but, the decision to nominate a qualified black woman is delivered. biden is eager to please black voters whose support he relied on in the 2020 election. with midterm elections for the u.s. congress coming up in november, biden needs to deliver something to motivate voters. >> he needs a win. to be honest, president biden has not been able to get his agenda passed, the policing reform from the george floyd bill, he has not been able to pass voting rights. >> the new justice is expected to be younger and could sit on the court for decades. the senate has promised to take up biden's nomination quickly. president biden wants a quick confirmation of his nominee, while democrats still control the senate. after congressional elections in

november, that is no guarantee. republicans could take control and block any future by nomination to the supreme court. nick: china demanding the u.s. immediately improve its trade practices with beijing or face retaliation. at follows a ruling by the wto all -- allowing china to take action on wonder regards as unfair u.s. duties. >> this states back to a case launched by beijing against washington in 2012 under the previous obama administration. at the time, washington had imposed tariffs on a number of chinese goods including solar panels, citric acid. washington's argument was that the firms were partially owned by state owned by government entities. therefore, china was not abiding by market principles.

so, they slapped tariffs. now, the wto is saying that china has the right to impose $645 million worth of retaliatory tariffs on the u.s.. there's two things to remember about this. number one, this, though it sounds like a lot, is much less that what china originally asked for. china asked for $2.4 billion worth of tariffs against washington. secondly, this amount is really paling in comparison to the amount of tariffs since imposed on chinese goods by the previous trump administration. the serifs have equaled 110 billion dollars under this ongoing trade war. nick: prime minister boris johnson intends to release a report to the parties. a top civil lawyer has been

investigating -- allegedly in breach of coronavirus restrictions. they are also connecting their -- and's are conducting an inquiry. >> are you denying this? >> absolutely not. i am afraid you have got to let the independent inquiries go on. >> when you think it will be published? >> i cannot say any than what i said yesterday. >> will you publish it in full? >> [indiscernible] nick: doubt is being cast on whether poland's new border will prevent people from belarus. this after a migrant crisis last year. those meant to be deterred say they have little choice but to try anyway. >> once complete in the summer, poland's wall will be 186 kilometers long, almost half the

length of the border with belarus. will it stop almost daily attempts by refugees and migrants to make the illegal crossing? rubble be not, according to a kurdish immigration lawyer who spoke to al jazeera. especially if, as is widely alleged, they get help from belarus and border guards. >> i think it is not as -- not at all useful. we note immigrants can find another way. [indiscernible] >> -- put us in touch with a kurdish refugee who with his family and young children is among hundreds living in a warehouse on the belarus side. i asked if he was aware that poland was building a to keep him out. >> what can we do? we have to wait.

we can't go back to our country. we are not part of the political problem between belarus and poland. we just want to cross the border and get to safety and the european union. >> it is a familiar story told by desperate people fleeing circumstances they cannot longer tolerate. there may be, among them, purely economic migrants, but poland makes little distinction, putting hundreds into asylum, detention camps, and simply pushing others back. the crisis that flare last autumn is now much reduced. thousands were allegedly lord to the border on the promise of an easy crossing. it was both a cynical attempt by belarus to destabilize parts of the eu, and also a political opportunity for the polish government. nick: poland's wall being that -- expense, and also through forests that are protected, is

an sure neri answer. is it worth it to stop small numbers of people trying to cross the border from belarus? it is if you are a right-wing populace. >> state-run tv bulletins claim poland is doing its bit to protect the external borders of the eu from uncontrolled migration. public opposition to government policies does exist. >> we would just like to let people know that not everyone in poland is against people coming here from other parts of the world. we are here for them. >> but, their voices are barely heard. jonah hull, al jazeera. nick: as part of neil young's music, the rocks are asked the platform to choose between him and joe rogan. young accuses rogan of spreading covid misinformation.

-- has an estimated 200 million downloads a month. young condemned rogan's interview with a disease specialist. who opposes vaccines for children. for died in greece. -- temperatures lower than 40 degrees celsius, part of a fish farm that were not able to be moved fast enough to allow them to swim to warmer waters. the eastern mediterranean has been affected by a

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