welcome to bbc news. i'm nuala mcgovern. our top stories... russia signals a shift in its military strategy in the war — narrowing its focus to the east of the country. ukrainian troops successfully counter—attack 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 not just resisting, they're mounting a counterattack. 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. the duke and duchess

of cambridge on the last leg of a caribbean tour that's attracted crowds and some controversy. they were met with real enthusiasm on the ground at every stop they made, but the wider perception of some engagements was not so positive. and we meet the deaf actor troy kotsur — tipped for oscar success this weekend — as he returns to the deaf school inspired by his hollywood debut. 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 counter—attacking 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 frontline on the city's northern outskirts. on the northern outskirts of kyiv, burnt—out evidence of a russian defeat on this front line. ukrainian troops say russian forces tried to get through here four times this month and were stopped in their tracks. they are still firing from a few miles away. it's a grad rocket, says salim, the commander, showing us what landed overnight. he takes pride in what his men from the 72nd mechanized brigade have

done against the odds, and are continuing to do. there's plenty of outgoing fire against russian positions. russia. 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 will 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 not just resisting, they are mounting a counterattack. for troops here, the priority is guarding the approaches to the capital. more than a month on, russian forces are stuck on the outskirts, clearly not what president putin had in mind. at 62, valery can't recognise the world around him. putin came, he says, as you can see. our children and grandchildren are dying. i will stay here.

if needs be, i will die here. but i will not give them ukraine. then, in anger and in anguish, he kicks at the charred remains of a russian soldier. in a village nearby, more evidence of ukraine's suffering and russia's miscalculations. it fired two ballistic missiles at this tiny hamlet of no strategic value. well, you can see the devastation, and this massive crater was caused by a russian missile strike. remnants of the missile are still here. no—one was killed in this attack, but russian forces are not far away, and they've been flying a drone in the area in the last hour.

russia has bombed and destroyed more than it has captured — a poor return on a costly invasion that may now have to change course. orla gearin, bbc news, on the outskirts of kyiv. 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. on friday, 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 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. our 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 mariupol just 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 i that are currently 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, but 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. well, russia has said the first phase of its military offensive in ukraine has been mostly accomplished. i asked our correspondent mark lobel what this might signify. focusing on those pro—russian eastern breakaway states. the west reading it is the fact that the military strategy, the original one, has failed.

that is their view. this is how it was announced in a strategy presentation from a top russian general. let's have a listen. translation: the main tasks of the first stage i of the operation have been completed _ the combat potential- of ukraine's armed forces has been significantly reduced, which allows us to - focus our main efforts - on achieving the main goals, the liberation of donbas. so what could this all mean? there is the view of a russian military analyst, western diplomats and ukrainian politicians giving you the broad sweep, starting with the russian military analyst, there have been murmurings for a couple of weeks, that we have not heard from russian generals in public so that was just to answer that call, they covered it in the briefing, the military debt according to the russians, the relocations of ukrainians, hundreds of thousands to russia from ukraine, just some people concerned that is being seen as a kidnap, and this news. the second view from a western diplomat, if i remind you of the map of russian —controlled areas, this

was a multi—fronted invasion and so the western diplomat�*s diplomat�*s view is, it is not going to plan. if taken at face value, the east becomes the focus of the fighting. two big questions remain. what does it involve when you look at the route to crimea? does it mean taking mariupol and possibly odesa? is that still part of the plan and what becomes of the northern troops? do theyjust sit and wait until there is perhaps agreement, and finally, the third option from the point of view of the ukrainian politician, they don't believe president putin, it is reverse psychology, wishful thinking, and if anything they need to be ready for kyiv to be attacked, and still the view from kyiv is that you cannot negotiate away territory otherwise it will only encourage this kind of behaviour. an important point, but the language is so interesting and the interpretation, depending who we hear from. also, our colleague sarah smith talking about the us,

this plan to try and supply 10% of europe's gas which previously would have been served by russia but also, the eu have their own plan, we are hearing. talk us through that. they are dealing with a supply problem but there is a surging price problem being exacerbated by ukraine so the answer from the european commission is to buy gas on behalf of all member states, to use their enormous purchasing power and this is how the president of the european commission, who said that 75% of global pipeline gas market is coming from the european markets, put it. we will now use our collective bargaining power. instead of outbidding each other and driving prices up, we will pool our demand. also pressure from spain and portugal, i should say, to cap the price of gas so that they can control electricity prices, which is still under discussion. this is bbc news. the latest headlines... russia signals a shift in its military strategy in the war, narrowing its focus to the east of the country.

ukrainian troops successfully counter—attack around the capital kyiv. in the south of the country there are fears of starvation in the beseiged city of mariupol — more than 3.5 million people have left ukraine since the war began and millions more have been uprooted from their homes. for many, it's the country's trains that have delivered them from terrifying conditions, to safety. our special correspondent fergal keane along with camera journalist nik millard have been travelling with some of the railway workers, and their report begins in the western city of lviv. train horn honks it's the sound of reassurance in a world of chaos. horn honks the rescue express... horn honks ..rolling through the night... ..and the day, from lviv to the war zones of the east and back.

keeping these trains running, running on time as they do, takes the work of so many people at all different levels on the railways. without them, it simply wouldn't have been possible to evacuate millions of people from the danger zone. many are railway veterans who started work in soviet times and are now rescuing people from their own hometowns. translation: it is really terrifying. i i'm from kharkiv, and my native city is being bombed. i can feel it and i can see it, but i cannot believe it. this is what people are fleeing. explosion. home is no longer safe. the war has displaced over 10 million... military band plays

..and sent many fleeing onto trains heading west. dawn, and arrival at kyiv. this family are heading to lviv. translation: my heart is bleeding. _ i don't want to leave my home, but it's my duty to keep my children safe. when we will win the war, i'll take them back home. grandad hugs his wife, but he must stay behind to care for an elderly relative. the women carry

the burdens of exile. train whistle blows the family reached lviv eight hours later. but they've already caught another rescue train, west to peace and exile. fergal keane, bbc news, lviv. onto other news now and the us has strongly condemned houthi attacks on saudi arabia. the rebels targeted energy facilites close to thejeddah track where the saudi arabian grand prix is due to run on sunday. a huge plume of black smoke could be seen rising over

the city to the east of the track as cars went around the circuit during friday's first practice — which went ahead as organised. the city to the east of the track as cars went around the circuit during friday's first practice — which went ahead as organised. the authorities in northern ireland have detained a p&o ferries ship because of safety concerns. officials said the vessel wouldn't be allowed to sail again untila number of problems, including inadequate crew training, had been resolved. p&o has faced widespread criticism after sacking 800 staff last week without warning, and replacing them with foreign workers paid less than the uk minimum wage. william and kate, the duke and duchess of cambridge, have spent the day in the bahamas on the final leg of their caribbean tour. the couple left jamaica after a visit which attracted the usual crowds but also some criticism. the week—long trip, marking the queen's platinum jubilee, also saw the couple visit belize. our royal correspondent, jonny dymond, is travelling with the couple. perhaps not the bahamas they were expecting. as their caribbean tour is drawing to a close, weather they might recognise from home.

inside, a traditional tour event, a school closed, like so many, through the pandemic. kate paid tribute to parents, guardians and teachers. they, i'm sure, have found the pandemic equally hard, but they're doing one of the most importantjobs out there, nurturing your young minds and helping to shape your futures. we all owe them a huge debt of gratitude. our future society depends on it. the couple will hope that the criticism of their tour injamaica will fade here in the bahamas. they were met with real enthusiasm on the ground at every stop they made, but the wider perception of some engagements was not so positive. the couple were rapturously received at one event in downtown kingston. but the photo that circulated later had, to some, unfortunate overtones

of privilege and separation. this afternoon, in the bahamas, the couple even as the heavens opened, the joy was inescapable. kate had to take shelter from the storm. the tour has hit some choppy waters. the tour is back on track, but there will be hard questions asked about how future trips are planned and carried out. jonny dymond, bbc news, nassau, the bahamas. one of the most hotly—tipped films for best picture at the oscars this weekend is coda — a movie that celebrates deaf culture. its star troy kotsur is the first deaf male actor ever to be nominated for an oscar. our culture editor katie razzall spoke to troy and writer and director, sian heder, who s nominated for best adapted screenplay, at a deaf school in los angeles. and as you'll see, katie s report is subtitled.

don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter —

i'm @bbcnuala. 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 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 milder 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 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 has signalled a shift in its military strategy towards the ukraine invasion — narrowing its focus to the east of the country. moscow says the "first stage" of its campaign is over and it will now focus on the disputed donbass region. western officials say it's a sign of failure. in the south of the country there are fears of starvation in the besieged port city of mariupol as hundreds queued for food and water. authorities are hoping russian occupiers will allow un vehicles to bring in badly needed food and medicines. president biden has visited eastern poland to express his gratitude to workers dealing with the refugee crisis — and us troops defending nato's eastern flank. mr biden also announced a deal to provide the eu with more natural gas, to help reduce its dependence on russian energy.