why countries in east asia and the pacific region are among the worst affected. we start in ukraine where a battlefield commander in the eastern town of bakhmut has told the bbc that the fighting is ferocious. a us official has said russian forces have made incremental advances around the town, with mercenaries from the russian paramilitary wagner group heavily involved in the assault. the battle has been described as a meat grinder with high numbers of casualties on both sides. almost all of the city s 70 thousand occupants have fled. russia is working hard to capture bakhmut in the hope it could lead to the fall of sloviansk and krama torsk as well the two most important cities in the donbas still under ukrainian control. but ukrainian forces are holding firm. the bbc s yogita limaye reports from the city. this is what the merciless bombardment of a city looks like. and how it sounds. once a quiet place known for sparkling wine, bakhmut is now a byword for war. and
been sentenced to 3.5 years in prison. and millions of catholics around the world prepare to say a final farewell at the funeral of pope benedict xvi. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. the us house of representatives has adjourned for a second day without electing a speaker, extending the paralysis at the heart of american politics. president biden said having a congress that can t function is embarassing for the country. republican kevin mccarthy has been stopped six times so far by a group of hardliners within his own party who refuse to back him. without a speaker the chamber is unable to swear in members, fill vital committee roles or adopt rules for passing legislation. let s speak to our north america correspondent peter bowes. what has just happened, what is going on? good question. another rollercoaster david the end result is the same, voting for the new speaker, in that there is no result, the impasse, the deadlock continues because kevi
a ukrainian military commander in the shattered eastern town of bakhmut has described to the bbc the fierceness of the fighting there. he said he hadn t seen russian forces fight anywhere else with similar determination, advancing under fire even when the ground was littered with their comrades bodies. a us official has said russian forces have made incremental advances around the town, with mercenaries from the russian paramilitary wagner group heavily involved in the assault. the battle has been described as a meat grinder with high numbers of casualties on both sides. almost all of the city s 70,000 occupants have fled. russia is working hard to capture bakhmutin the hope it could lead to the fall of sloviansk and kramatorsk as well, the two most important cities in the donbas still under ukrainian control. but ukrainian forces are holding firm. the bbc s yogita limaye reports from the city. munitons explode. this is what the merciless bombardment of a city looks like.
and fay weldon, the writer best known for her 1983 novel, the life and loves of a she devil has died at the age of 91. the prime minister, rishi sunak, has set out his programme for the year ahead, outlining five promises he says he wants the public tojudge his premiership on. they are halving inflation to ease the cost of living whilst also growing the economy, creating better paid jobs and opportunities across the country. he wants to ensure the national debt is falling to secure the future of public services whilst also cutting nhs waiting lists so that people get the care they need more quickly and passing new laws to stop small boats crossing the channel. he asked voters to judge his premiership on whether the goals were achieved. on the current wave of strikes in britain, he said he hugely valued public service employees and wants a reasonable discussion on what is fair for the country . let s have a listen to some of the prime minister s speech. i want to make five