this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm shaun ley. russia signals a shift in its military strategy in the war here, narrowing its focus to the east of the country. ukrainian troops successfully counterattack around the capital, kyiv — destroyed russian tanks are seen on the road north of the capital. and ukrainian troops have been able to achieve this against a much larger army, a more powerful army. in places now, they're notjust resisting. they are mounting a counterattack. but in the south of the country, there are fears of starvation in the beseiged city of mariupol as hundreds queue for food and water

amid the devastation. president biden visits poland to show support for ukraine's neighbour and announces a deal on gas to reduce european reliance on russian energy. reports from the us say the wife of a us supreme courtjudge repeatedly texted donald trump's chief of staff urging him to overturn the results of the 2020 election. the duke and duchess of cambridge on the last leg of a caribbean tour that's attracted crowds and some controversy. hello. we begin this hour with the war in ukraine. the russian military have signalled they are shifting the focus of their campaign in ukraine and will concentrate their efforts on the east of the country. it's being seen as a scaling back of the kremlin�*s war aims,

and it comes as ukrainian forces have succeeded in counterattacking russian troops on a number of fronts, especially around the capital, kyiv. according to the latest british military intelligence, the ukrainians have reoccupied towns and defensive positions 32 kilometres east of the capital while russian supply lines in that area are said to be overstretched. our international correspondent orla guerin reports from the front line on the city's northern outskirts. on the northern outskirts of kyiv, the burnt—out evidence of russia's defeat, at least for now, on this front line. ukrainian troops say russian forces tried to get through here four times this month and were stopped in their tracks. "it's a grad rocket," says salim, the commander, showing us what landed overnight. he takes pride in what his men from the 72nd mechanised brigade

have done against the odds, and are continuing to do. there's plenty of outgoing fire against russian positions. among the wreckage, a sleeping bag and a uniform from a russian soldier who perished. and what if the enemy tries again to advance here? "they may try," he says, "but i don't think we would let them through. we have let them know who the ukrainian armed forces are and who the boys from our brigade are. we have taken out four tanks and eight fighting vehicles, and killed about 60 of their people." well, this was a road of destruction for russian forces.

there's one burnt—out vehicle here, another one just up ahead. there are two more a short distance away. and ukrainian troops have been able to achieve this against a much larger army, a more powerful army. in places now, they're notjust resisting, they are mounting a counterattack. for troops here, the priority is to guard this approach to the capital, to make sure the enemy cannot advance. retaining the city is critical for ukraine. taking it is critical for russia. he wants things the way they used to be. "putin came", he says, "as you see. our children and

grandchildren are dying. i am 62, i can't leave this place. i will stay here. if needs be, i will die here but i will not give them ukraine. thanks to the english people for helping us." then in anger and in anguish, he kicks at the charred remains of a russian soldier. in a village nearby, more evidence of the damage wrought by russia and of its many miscalculations. this tiny hamlet of no strategic value was hit by two ballistic missiles. russia's invasion is not going to plan, and ukrainian forces are emboldened. orla guerin, bbc news,

on the northern outskirts of kyiv. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet is in kyiv. a short while ago, she gave her assessment on how the announcement from russia is being read in ukraine. we're waiting to hear their considered response, but there was no trust before this invasion started and

there's simply no trust now. it's been completely shattered and while there are still more than 100,000, close to 200,000 russian forces and heavy armour and russian warplanes are still in the sky, they are going to continue to try to defend their country and as we've seen in the past week, go on the counterattack. it's always been known that the primary objective, as we heard from moscow today, is the donbas eastern ukraine, and that land corridor connecting the donbas to the crimean peninsula, both areas that russian forces went into in 2014. some of the best ukrainian fighting units are there and the concern has been that russia would try to cut them off, eitherfrom resupplying them or allowing them to move to other fronts and certainly kyiv, from moscow today, they said this wasn't their primary objective, but they didn't rule it out, and so while we see russian forces are consolidating their positions on the outskirts of kyiv, digging in their artillery, it's the ukrainians who are going on the offensive pushing them back in the east, attacking in the north—west. this is not a country that will be at rest while this invasion goes on. no city in ukraine has suffered more than mariupol in the south, which has been virtually destroyed by russian bombardment. yet, the people of the city have held out despite a lack of food, water and electricity. this evening, president macron has

said france, greece and turkey are hoping to convince russia to help people to leave the city. the authorities in mariupol now say they believe around 300 people may have died when russia bombed the city's theatre last week at a time when civilians, including many children, were taking shelter in the building. the estimate is based on eyewitness accounts and can't be independently verified. 0ur correspondent wyre davies reports from southern ukraine. sergey scans the endless flatlands of southern ukraine — the rich, fertile farmland that russia wants for itself. the 62—year—old former fire engine driver never envisaged taking up arms against the might of moscow, but he knows full well what the russian army is capable of doing. translation: we can't see mariupol, but we know what's happening - there and we must not let that happen here. these people know that we are here for them.

these are the last ukrainian defensive lines in the south before the front line a couple of kilometres away, and, of course, all the while, russia continues to shell and bomb the city of mariupoljust down the road. the big question here is what does russia do next? and here, they say they are armed and ready. towns and villages across the region are targets for russian artillery. the bombs are getting close. nowhere in the south is really safe. but there are few words to describe the horrors inflicted on mariupol and the 100,000 people trapped inside the city, a catastrophic landscape shredded by russian artillery. starving residents emerging from shelters queue for food.

new footage, too, from last week's theatre attack in which 300 people died, according to ukrainian officials. there's no shortage of volunteers and reservists wanting to avenge what's happening in mariupol. translation: many of our fighters come from places that are currentlyj under russian occupation. all of them have parents, wives and families there, so each one of us is determined to win back our lands as soon as possible. but there's a reason these men are training underground in an undisclosed location. one thing they've learned in the last month is that the sky is full of russian drones trying to spot their every move. several military training facilities are reported to have been hit by russian fire. the road to mariupol is fraught with dangers, and it's a road and a destination

pivotal to how this war pans out. wyre davies, bbc news, southern ukraine. president biden is in poland, where he's been meeting american troops and refugees close to the border with ukraine. earlier, he announced a deal to provide more shipments of liquid natural gas to the eu to help reduce europe's dependence on russian energy supplies. our north america editor sarah smith reports from poland. every time air force one touches down, it's designed to send a message. president biden�*s trip to poland is notjust to reassure a nervous ally, it's to make clear the us will back military action if russia attacks poland or any other nato member. the men in the military barbers are his. the us has sent thousands of extra troops to poland. he's always said they're not headed to ukraine, as america fears sending forces over the border could start a world war, yet biden seemed to tell them they would witness the bravery of ukrainians "when you are there".

the average citizen, look at how they're stepping up, look at how they're stepping up. and you're going to see when you're there, and some of you have been there, you're going to see women, young people standing in the middle in front of a damn tank, just saying, "i'm not leaving." the white house quickly clarified that america has not changed its stance on sending troops into ukraine. what these forces might be asked to do if russia uses chemical weapons is a more complex question. mr biden says russia would pay a severe price and that nato would respond "in kind". the us will not go into detail about what the response to a chemical attack might be, but on the way here to poland, the president's national security adviser did say the us has no intention of using chemical weapons under any circumstances, while russia is accusing america of talking about an ephemeral threat to divert attention.

president biden and eu leaders know that russia will feel far more pain if europe buys less of its oil and gas, a tough ask for countries that are dependent on russian energy. i know that eliminating russian gas will have costs for europe, but it's not only the right thing to do from a moral standpoint, it's going to put us on a much stronger strategic footing. america is promising to help european nations wean themselves off russian energy supplies by providing large quantities of liquefied natural gas, but only enough to replace about 10% of the gas the eu currently buys from russia. in warsaw this evening, people watched the president sweep into town as many are calling for nato to enforce a no—fly zone over ukraine. poland is offering to transfer fighter planes to ukraine via a us air force base. america's blocking that plan. these close allies don't agree on everything. sarah smith, bbc news, warsaw.

in other news, text exchanges reportedly show the wife of a us supreme courtjudge urged donald trump's chief of staff to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election. virginia thomas, who is married to clarence thomas, is said to have sent 29 messages to mark meadows urging the trump campaign not to concede tojoe biden. i'm joined now by our north america correspondent david bowes. correspondent peter bowes. peter, ginni thomas is featured in a big new yorker take outjust a few weeks ago and there is now this is story circulating. it's been well known that she has been active on the clinical right but what is it about these latest claims that are potentially so damaging? i

about these latest claims that are potentially so damaging?- about these latest claims that are potentially so damaging? i think if the circumstances _ potentially so damaging? i think if the circumstances and _ potentially so damaging? i think if the circumstances and the - potentially so damaging? i think if the circumstances and the timing. | the circumstances and the timing. you are right, she is a well—known conservative activist. married to a very high profile member of the supreme court, a conservative member of the supreme court. but the timing is crucial here because these messages that emerged as part of more than 2000 messages that mark meadows came of the former chief of staff and provided for the congressional committee, but these back—and—forth messages are in that crucial time between the very controversial 2020 election and joe biden�*s eventual inauguration. in that period of time when the donald trump campaign was essentially trying to get the result of the election overturned it. as she texted mark meadows, i would just read a couple that are reported quite widely now. one text says help this great president stand firm, mark, clearly referring to president trump was up the majority, she writes, knows that biden and the

left is attempting the greatest heist of our history, claiming that heist of our history, claiming that he was taking the election unfairly or perhaps even illegally. there was one response of several that he wrote back to her saying that this is a fight of good versus evil. and clearly this raises all sorts of questions about the relationship between a spouse and member of the supreme court and potential conflict of interest. in supreme court and potential conflict of interest. , ., of interest. in terms of the connection _ of interest. in terms of the connection obviously - of interest. in terms of the connection obviously being of interest. in terms of the - connection obviously being married to clarence thomas, but there is a public note suggestion that she has influenced the exercise of his duties as supreme courtjustice, and indeed i think i'm right in saint the supreme court effectively closed down the various attempts were made to overturn the resort or cast doubt on the vision —— legitimacy of the result. on the vision -- legitimacy of the result. ., , ., result. that is right. in an interview _ result. that is right. in an interview she _ result. that is right. in an interview she told - result. that is right. in an interview she told with i result. that is right. in an| interview she told with the result. that is right. in an - interview she told with the fact that she and her husband never actually took about their work, whether it's her work or his work on

the court. and again, correctly, during that time they were a tenth of the donald trump campaign to take their case to the supreme court, and this is why it's controversial now because clearly he had a role in making decisions at that time. the court decided not to take up the donald trump cases, although thomas at the time wrote, justice thomas wrote that he was baffled by the decision of the majority chemically indicating that he would have liked to have seen the court take up those very controversial cases.— very controversial cases. peter in washington. _ very controversial cases. peter in washington, thank _ very controversial cases. peter in washington, thank you _ very controversial cases. peter in washington, thank you so - very controversial cases. peter in washington, thank you so much. | the duke and duchess of cambridge are visiting the bahamas on the final leg of their tour of the caribbean to mark the queen's platinum jubilee, but the couple's tour has been met with a mixed response, with engagments cancelled in belize and the jamaican prime minister using the visit to announce plans to remove the queen as the head of state.

jamaican campaigners also picketed several engagements seeking reparations from the monarchy for slavery. the tour was also overshadowed by what some are calling "pr missteps", including this trip to trench town, which resulted in still photos of the cambridges making contact with the outstretched fingers ofjamaican children pushing through a wire fence. i'm joined now by lisa hanna, a jamaican mp who has called for insitutions who have benefited from the legacy of slavery such as the british monarchy to do more than apologise for their crimes. thank you very much for being with us on bbc news. let's clear up something very quickly because there has been a lot of... your name has been controversial in the last few days because of suggestions that somehow you snub the duchess of cambridge. put on record for us if you would what is the reality of that. ., , ,

you would what is the reality of that. . , , ., that. the answer is no. the duchess and i had that. the answer is no. the duchess and i had a — that. the answer is no. the duchess and i had a very _ that. the answer is no. the duchess and i had a very amicable _ that. the answer is no. the duchess and i had a very amicable and - and i had a very amicable and cordial and polite interaction. she is someone that i respect. when you come to jamaica, we are a respectful country, and our interactions, there was no negativity at all. i think what happened if there was a two second video clip that perhaps was mutilated and that went viral and the british press pick that up. and that's where that came from, but at no time at all did we have any kind of difference or any kind of negativity. as a matter of fact, we spoke and if you watch many photos and videos that are viral as well online. ., ~' ,, and videos that are viral as well online. ., ~ i. ., and videos that are viral as well online. . ~' i” ., . and videos that are viral as well online. ., ~ ., ., ., �* online. thank you for that. i don't want the whole _ online. thank you for that. i don't want the whole interview - online. thank you for that. i don't want the whole interview to - online. thank you for that. i don't i want the whole interview to be about that but it was unfair to you to get the opportunity of a right of reply. let me ask you with the substance of this which is about the question of reparations and also the future of the monarchy in the caribbean. in a

sense commit whether they were missteps in the pr of it, that is sort of a second everything was of the substance of this is very important. what do you make of the reaction thus far you have had from the british government and indirectly from the british monarchy to this critique of the royal family's role and britain's official role in the enslavement of so many africans who are now the modern—day successors in as and other caribbean islands. ., �* , ., . islands. that's an excellent question- _ islands. that's an excellent question. and _ islands. that's an excellent question. and the - islands. that's an excellent question. and the truth - islands. that's an excellent question. and the truth is l islands. that's an excellent i question. and the truth is the generations that are now in the caribbean, certainly the generations that exist injamaica population, are a lot more socially conscious. and we are a lot more into to our historical past and the vestiges of slavery and the ingrained racism that took place. and certainly what happened to our societies because of slavery. and we feel that there needs to be a point in our reckoning

for atonement, needs to be a point in our reckoning foratonement, not needs to be a point in our reckoning for atonement, not only atonement from the perspective of saying sorry but atonement in getting everyone to the table and saying, well, how can we write the wrongs of history? and what do we need to do? but what tends to happen is because it has been such a long time, but you cannot disregard 300 years of bludgeoning a race. those things become systemic and what is now happening in modern—day and present realities. and we would like certainly the uk government to take a more proactive approach in recognising that their leadership on this is important. the caribbean and the reparations commission for example has a ten point plan in making sure that there is a way forward, but we cannot do it by ourselves in the west needs to be bold. it needs to be courageous and it needs to really understand that there has to be some reciprocity in this. if there is a reciprocity, and

there is always going to be this residual resentment that comes forward in trying to get our voices heard. 2, .,, heard. barbados left, ended the relationship _ heard. barbados left, ended the relationship with _ heard. barbados left, ended the relationship with the _ heard. barbados left, ended the relationship with the british - relationship with the british monarchy in november last year. prime minister ofjamaica and prime minister of jamaica and campaigned prime minister ofjamaica and campaigned onjamaica doing the same, with some criticising him and thenjoining the queen's same, with some criticising him and then joining the queen's privy council is a net might have sent a mixed signal. your leader also has said, mark golding, he thinks that should be the case and he also promised to raise this with the royals. as far as you know, did he raise it with them? i royals. as far as you know, did he raise it with them?— royals. as far as you know, did he raise it with them? i know that mark actually met with _ raise it with them? i know that mark actually met with the _ raise it with them? i know that mark actually met with the royals - raise it with them? i know that mark actually met with the royals in - actually met with the royals in trench town and he is a man of his word so he would have raised it to highlight it. and it certainly in a more elegant approach to have that conversation because one of the things that i think is important, especially for leaders around the world, is not to make pronouncements

that blind some people, but always sit around the table and say how can we get to a better part of this? and i think the visit to the caribbean by the royals, by duchess kathryn, the duchess of cambridge, and certainly prince william is an important visit and i don't want anyone to misunderstand that. it is important-- _ anyone to misunderstand that. it is important... i'm _ anyone to misunderstand that. it is important... i'm sorry forgive us commit we are at a time but is very good to speak to you and thank you very forjoining us on bbc news from jamaica. grateful to you for your time. the number of covid infections have climbed by a million in a week in the uk, according to data from the office for national statistics. there'd been a small drop in northern ireland, but rates in england and wales are up, and scotland has reached a record high. our scotland editor james cook reports. step inside this hospital, if you can find a space. this is monklands in airdrie,

but it could be almost anywhere in the country. these patients have come to accident and emergency hoping for urgent care. instead, they're stuck in a queue as the nhs struggles to cope. this is the most serious situation i've found myself with in my career. i think we would ask the public to remain patient with us, both from waiting for their appointments to happen, but also when they do have to come into hospital and know that we will see them as quickly as we can. and the danger there is that these patients might actually come to harm. that's what was always on our mind when we're trying to look after patients, it's that we want to minimise the time that they're here so that we can look after them safely. but with waiting times breaking records, the royal college of emergency medicine estimates that delays have led to the unnecessary deaths of up to 240 patients in scotland so far this year. we have record numbers in hospital with covid. if i look at our nhs staff absences due to testing positive for covid, they've increased by 100% over the last four weeks. so, the most immediate thing we can do, the thing that i think will alleviate most of the pressure from the nhs, is control the transmission of covid,

and that's why we ask people to follow the rules. the latest survey by the office for national statistics suggests that almost 11.3 million people in the uk had coronavirus last week, up1 million on the previous seven days. in scotland, it was one in 11 people with the virus, the highest level ever. in england and wales, it was one in 16. only in northern ireland did cases actually fall, although at one in 17, they're still pretty high. and yet from monday in wales, masks will no longer be the law in shops and on public transport. self—isolation rules will end, too. but with cases of the ba.2 variant of omicron driving this current surge, some safeguards will remain. one of the reasons why the ba.2 l variant may have been able to gain a foothold in wales and in the rest of the uk is because of waning - immunity, especially amongst - the older and the more vulnerable population.

mark drakeford ending that report from james cook. more on our website. hello there. there's going to be some major changes next week, and things could look a little different on sunday across some parts of the country. but on saturday, we've got more of the same. it's going to be a cold start, but there will be plenty of warm sunshine. temperatures early on saturday could be close to freezing in some rural areas. it'll warm up quickly. any mist and fog in northern ireland will lift. it will stay quite cloudy in the far north of scotland. otherwise lots of sunshine, just a bit of fairweather cloud once again and the winds will be light. and temperatures on saturday similar to what we had on friday, could again make 19—20 degrees in some northern parts of england. a reminder that on saturday night, the clocks spring forward by one hour as we move into british summer time. so, an hour or less in bed. for many people waking up across the eastern side of england,

it could be a cloudy start, though, on sunday. we've still got high pressure around, but there's more cloud coming in off the north sea. it could be quite low cloud, misty as well. it means it's going to be a mild start to sunday across eastern parts of the uk. a little bit chillier further west. there's the cloud that we've got across eastern areas. it will tend to filter its way through the midlands towards east wales. some of that cloud could linger all day through parts of the midlands, around some eastern coasts of england, but for many, i think the sunshine will come through. it may not be quite as warm as it has been of late. more sunshine, though, further north for scotland and northern ireland, so again here, temperatures are likely to reach 17 degrees or so. major changes, though, heading into next week. high pressure that's brought the fine, warm weather is no more. pressure's going to be dropping. and at the same time, we're going to find more cloud moving in as well. not everywhere, mind you. and many places are still going to be dry even though pressure is falling, but we could see some rain across these central areas. north and south of that, though, i think we are likely to find some sunshine.

and the temperatures are still reasonable for this time of the year. 16 degrees in the sunshine, won't feel too bad at all. but it is a downward trend, really, through next week. not only will be see more cloud and an increasing chance of getting some rain, those temperatures are really going to be dropping away as well. so, rather than being warmer than average, it will get colder than average, especially later on next week as the wind changes to more of a northerly. that brings the colder air and across some northern parts of the uk, it could even bring some snow.

this is bbc news, the headlines. russia's army says the "first stage" of its military campaign in ukraine is over and it'll now focus on the disputed donbass region. western officials say it's a sign of failure. russia has admitted that more than thirteen—hundred of its soldiers have died in the fighting. ukraine though has estimated russian losses at more than sixteen thousand, since its invasion. president biden has spoken of his gratitude to humanitarian workers in eastern poland for welcoming in more than two million ukrainian refugees. mr biden also told some of the nine thousand american troops

mr thousand american troops biden had