hello and welcome to bbc news. president biden has warned the russian leader, vladimir putin, of "swift and severe" consequences if he invades ukraine. the two men spoke over the phone amid western fears that an invasion could be imminent. the white house said it was ready to engage with diplomacy, but was equally prepared for "other scenarios". the kremlin attacked the "hysteria" of the west and complained that its demands weren't being addressed. our north america editor, sarah smith, is in washington. there is a pessimistic mood in washington tonight, as a senior administration official says there has been no fundamental change

in the dynamic after that call between presidents biden and putin. the us says it is unclear whether russia is interested in pursuing its goals through a diplomatic solution rather than through the use of force. so president biden was blunt about his intention to impose punishing economic sanctions — "swift and severe costs", he called them — if russia does further invade ukraine. and after the call, the kremlin�*s top foreign policy adviser said, "hysteria has reached its peak." now, as america believe that president putin is in a position to order an invasion any day now, they're warning about the possibility of a manufactured attack on russian forces that could be blamed on ukrainians and then used as a trigger for military action. new details about what the us calls a false flag operation were discussed in an emergency meeting in the white house situation room two nights ago. they say it could involve russian operatives with explosives carrying out attacks on russian forces that would then be used as a pretext for an invasion of ukraine. so tonight, the us says it has not ruled out

the possibility of further talks, but they are now also planning for a worst—case scenario. crowds of protesters opposed to covid restrictions in canada are reported to be building up again near the ambassador bridge, linking the province of ontario with the us state of michigan. police managed to clear the area of big trucks but a small number of pick up vehicles are still there. the standoff has continued even after a court on friday ordered an end to the demonstration. jessica murphy reports from ottawa. horn honks. it didn't take that many vehicles to block the busiest land border crossing in canada, but it's taking hours for police to clear the ambassador bridge blockade. for the moment, the officers are trying negotiation tactics as they try to get protesters to leave peacefully after six days of demonstrations. their message that they tried to send from the very beginning

has clearly lost its way, and i don't think the people here — notjust the police, but i don't think the people in our community or on the other side of the border are interested in hearing it any more. who are you protecting? with a vital trade route interrupted, the province of ontario declared a state of emergency on friday that brought in penalties like heavy fines and possible jail time for those participating in the blockades. that came into force hours later, alongside a court—granted injunction to remove the protesters. it took just day for the blockade on the ambassador bridge to put a squeeze on supply chains and cause anger on both sides of the border. it's an economic link between the us and canada. hundreds of millions of dollars in trade cross the border there each day. copycat protests in europe and around the world have sprung up in recent weeks, with supporters calling for an end to covid—19 restrictions. this is a grassroots people with their children and their grandparents and parents coming together saying, "hey, you know, like, my rights and my freedoms are being infringed and denied here." drop the mandates, we go home.

15 minutes, we're gone. facing growing pressure from the white house at home, prime ministerjustin trudeau made this vow on friday. so, make no mistake, the border cannot and| will not remain closed. but despite efforts to get dug—in protesters to leave, demonstrations continue nationwide. protests in ottawa are entering their third week now, with demonstrators and their trucks continuing to block much of the city centre. government officials are meeting to discuss these ongoing protests, but for the moment, there is no clear end in sight. jessica murphy, bbc news, ottawa. as you heard there, there have been copy—cat actions in other countries. french police on saturday fired tear gas on demonstrators protesting against covid restrictions in the capital paris. there were scuffles between police and protesters

near the champs elysees. earlier police stopped hundreds of cars that arrived in convoys from across france to take part in protests. the demonstrators say they've been inspired by the blockade in canada. protests have been held in several towns and cities around the uk, to highlight the impact of the cost of living crisis on workers and theirfamilies. the austerity campaign group, the people's assembly co—ordinated the demonstrations, supported by trades unions. inflation, the measure of how quickly prices are rising, is at a 30—year high, amid steep increases in the cost of fuel, heating and food.

charlotte jessops, a money—saving blogger. she hosts a monthly zoom session, passing on tips. thank you for coming. we're going to be talking about the rising costs of food. i'm only set a budget for £60 a week with two teenagers and myself, and it's gone up to nearly £75 depending on what shop i do go to. i have noticed whilst - going around the store that a lot of the products have increased, including - squash, fizzy drinks. have you changed your sort of shopping behaviour? we're definitely cooking from scratch a lot more| now, because itjust works out cheaper. i we'll buy a really massive laundry detergent and washing liquid that we will then decant into smaller containers. and that lasts for months. i have started doing online shopping to stop me froml picking up the impulse buys. according to the official stats, food inflation is running at 4.5%, but that doesn't tell you the full story, because many everyday staples have gone up way

more than that. take spaghetti — no brands, just the standard range. it's gone up by an average of 41% from last year. a standard tin of tomatoes has gone up by 29%. of course, every shopping basket is different, and the supermarkets can't prevent inflation. but how they keep a lid on it will have huge consequences for millions of households. this is a once—in—a—generation moment forfood price inflation in this country. the supermarkets are incredibly competitive. it's a real dog—eat—dog situation here. and they can'tjust put up prices without people noticing. shoppers will shop around. here's a business hoping to nab some of them. this is poundland's biggest store, opening in nottingham today.

this feels like a supermarket. well, i'd say it feels like the best of poundland. are you after the weekly shop? absolutely, absolutely. we serve millions of customers. there's lots of categories, such as fresh foods, where we hadn't previously provided it to them. well, now we're doing that. but he's got rising costs across his supply chain too. is being launched by nhs

england aimed at saving thousands of lives. doctors say lesser known symptoms of a a heart attack can include sweating, feeling faint or dizzy, as well as a cough, shortness of breath or nausea. the survival rate is 9 in 10 for those who receive early hospital treatment for a heart attack. you can see more information about the nhs campaign — on our website — bbc.co.uk/news a reminder of our top story. joe biden and vladimir putin have held an hour—long phone call, in which the us president warned his russian counterpart of "swift and severe" consequences if he orders a military invasion of ukraine. the white house says it's ready to engage in diplomacy but is equally prepared for other scenarios. the kremlin, for its part, attacked the hysteria of the west and complained its demands to limit foreign powers�* military reach in the region were not being addressed. now on bbc news, catherine byra—hanga reports on the human price of ethiopia's civil war, through the eyes of the civilians caught up it.

ethiopia's civil war has been hidden in the form of misinformation. in the last months of 2021, the capital addis ababa seemed at risk of falling to the forces of the two great people's liberation front marching south towards the city as the conflict intensified. but within a few weeks, the prime minister reportedly travelled to the front lines, halting the offensive and seemingly turning the tide of the war.