this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm nuala mcgovern. our top stories... ukrainian fighters in besieged mariupol ignore a deadline set by russia to lay down their arms. five people are reported to have been killed in russian shelling of the city of kharkiv. we have a special report from the east of ukraine, about those who have decided to stay put and face an impending russian offensive. also coming up — the archbishop of canterbury strongly criticises the uk government's plan to send illegal asylum seekers to rwanda. the details of for politics and politicians. the principal must stand the judgment of god, and

politicians. the principal must stand thejudgment of god, and it cannot. and a43 people are now known to have died in south africa — following heavy flooding — with a warning of more rain on the way. ukraine's prime minister says his forces are still fighting in the besieged city of mariupol, defying russia's ultimatum to surrender or be killed. denys shmyhal says the port city has not fallen, despite weeks of relentless attack by russia. fighting has also continued in other areas of the east — officials in kharkiv say five people have died and 13 have been injured in shelling in the city. our correspondent tom bateman is in dnipro where a rare evacuation by train has taken place of civilians wounded in the fighting. and a warning, his report contains some distressing images.

president putin said his goal is the liberation of this country's east. he is showing the world what that means in mariupol. street battles have intensified for days, pushing back ukraine's defenders to a last holdout in the giant steelworks. moscow's forces told them they had until 1pm today to surrender or die. but there is no sign they have submitted, and ukraine says it will pull out of peace talks with russia if their troops are killed. mariupol�*s fate could determine the next phase of this war. in the east, people had already been urged to get out over fears of russia's advance. but for some, the warnings came too late. on the platform in dnipro, tanya grieves for her eldest daughter marina. she was killed in a crash in their rush to escape the bombardment.

i'm scared for my children, says tanya. we didn't want to leave, and i'm very sorry for the price i had to pay for leaving my own home. now they have to bear a journey west on rail lines that have themselves been attacked, and they take with them the traumas of this invasion. on board soviet—era carriages, they flee russia's advance. many men have stayed behind, except those that have to hold their children alone. these patients now face a 20—hour journey to the west of here. with the kind of injuries they have. and what that tells you is the critical need the ukrainians have to free up hospital space here and to the east where they are getting ready for a major russian assault. and in the suburbs, i am told of an extraordinary story of rescue from mariupol. this woman drove 200 miles south

through russian lines in search of her parents trapped in the siege. it was seeing the hopelessness and despair that made her go, she says. she found a city in ruins, and people were reduced to scavenging to survive. the family managed to escape underfire. now her mother, oksana, safely in another city called her daughter a hero. when we were together in dnipro, i said i want to kneel before you. we hugged each other and cried, says oksana. she says their escape got them back from hell. control of mariupol tightens. tom bateman, bbc news, dnipro. ukrainian's foreign minister says the situation in mariupol is both

�*dire and heartbreaking'. dmytro kuleba has been speaking to margaret brennan from cbs news �*face the nation'. how long can you cranium forces resist russian control in that city? it is dire, militarily and heartbreaking. the city does not exist any more. the remaining is the ukrainian army and large of civilians are basically encircled by the russian forces. they continue their struggle, the russian forces. they continue theirstruggle, but the russian forces. they continue their struggle, but it seems, from their struggle, but it seems, from the way the russian army behaves in mariupol, they decided to raise the city to the ground at any cost. what city to the ground at any cost. what exactly are — city to the ground at any cost. what exactly are you _ city to the ground at any cost. what exactly are you expecting _ city to the ground at any cost. what exactly are you expecting in the coming weeks? in exactly are you expecting in the coming weeks?— exactly are you expecting in the coming weeks? in this indication of heavy fighting _ coming weeks? in this indication of heavy fighting in — coming weeks? in this indication of heavy fighting in eastern _ coming weeks? in this indication of heavy fighting in eastern ukraine . coming weeks? in this indication ofj heavy fighting in eastern ukraine in don basque, large—scale offensive of russia in that part of ukraine, and also desperate attempts of the russian forces, as i said, to finish

with mariupol at any cost. these are my expectations, and of course missile attacks on kyiv and other cities across ukraine seem to continue. as we have been hearing, russia is now focusing on the east of ukraine — and people living in these areas are under constant threat. since the war began, thousands have fled — but many, mainly elderly people, have decided to stay put. clive myrie has been to the village of serhiivka near donetsk to talk to some of them. there is a storm brewing in the east. the ukrainian military are on the move in defence of the homeland. the landscape flat, open country, perfect for heavy armour. as russia readies to seize the donbas region. the road signs proving

useless guides by design. it is mid—morning in the village of serhiivka. our presence piques the interest of the local territorial defence force. an army of volunteers ready for the russians. this man, aged 26, and the local commander born and bred in the village. are you worried about the coming battle in the east, in this area? are you worried that the russians are going to come here? we will be ready to greet the russians, he tells me. they came to us with weapons, not the other way round. we live in ukraine. this is our land. donbas is the ukraine, and i was born in ukraine. and i will die in ukraine. so many have left the village

since the start of the war. a population of 1,400 is now down to just 300, and the vast majority who remain are elderly, clinging on to what they know, despite the threat. this man is head of the local municipality. he has watched his village leach its young since russia invaded ukraine, but he understands why many older residents want to stay. they are afraid to leave their houses and households behind, he tells me. it is hard to go. people think that they have lived their share and want to die at home. this woman is one of the villagers who chose not to leave. clive.

the great absence in her life is her own sister who lives in donyetsk, closer to the russian border. her sister does not believe russia has committed war crimes in the conflict. she believes the invasion isjust. at the moment, i am not in touch with her due to political reasons. we didn't find common ground. we lost touch, so i don't know what she's thinking right now. since march 27, we haven't spoken. i haven't wanted to. march 27? that's very sad. translation: that's how it is. the local cherry blossom heralds the onset of spring, but no one is under any illusions that winter is coming. to the village of serhiivka, right across eastern ukraine. clive myrie, eastern ukraine, in donbas.

the bbc�*s anna foster is in kyiv. good to have you with us. we have been hearing the prime minister of ukraine talking about mariupol and that they expect their ukrainian soldiers to fight to the end and not surrender to russia. it is very dramatic, and i am wondering how easy or difficult it is to get information on what is happening in that besieged city. it is information on what is happening in that besieged city.— that besieged city. it is incredibly difficult, that besieged city. it is incredibly difficult. and _ that besieged city. it is incredibly difficult, and it _ that besieged city. it is incredibly difficult, and it has _ that besieged city. it is incredibly difficult, and it has been - that besieged city. it is incredibly difficult, and it has been for- that besieged city. it is incredibly. difficult, and it has been for weeks because most of what we here come from one side of the other. it is the narrative they want to release. and of course we do hear stories of people who have managed to escape from mariupol, but not many of the tens of thousands who have been trapped have managed to do that. what we do know, what the ukrainian government have confirmed, is that there are just a fairly small number of ukrainian troops holding out in that city, but that they will continue to fight. russia announced

last night that they would open this window for surrender this morning where they told the ukrainian troops who are still based in mariupol, is still fighting from places like the huge steelworks, russia said that if they came out during a certain period of time this morning, they would let them live and treat them as they should under the geneva convention. but that window came and went, and what we heard from ukraine is that the fighters who are still there continue to fight and will do until the end. this is a hugely symbolic and strategically important city for both of them. russia and ukraine both desperately want mariupol. it looks like this battle might not have too much longer to go. most people acknowledge that russia has the upper hand there, but until we know, we keep watching what is happening. it is a vital battle happening there in mariupol. i5 is happening. it is a vital battle happening there in mariupol. is it ossible happening there in mariupol. is it possible to _ happening there in mariupol. is it possible to know, because fighting to the end means that people will

lose their lives fighting against russia, but is there is still strong opinion for this fight to continue in that vein? do not think about in any way giving up territory or availing off potential corridors, as you mentioned?— availing off potential corridors, as you mentioned? president zelensky has said again _ you mentioned? president zelensky has said again today _ you mentioned? president zelensky has said again today that _ you mentioned? president zelensky has said again today that he - you mentioned? president zelensky has said again today that he has - has said again today that he has talked about the idea of giving up territory, those areas that russia is fighting for, the east, around the donbas, done yet. zelensky has said he is not willing to give up any of that territory to the russians. he has also said that if those remaining fighters in mariupol were killed, that would mean an end to peace talks as well. i think there is real resolve on both sides now. we have seen that russia have not taken from this war so far what they want to do. they did not manage to can check their capital, kyiv, and they have pulled back to the east, to mariupol to try and salvage something from it, to save face at

home, but the ukrainian resistance and resolve is still strong as well, and resolve is still strong as well, and that is why we still see this fierce fighting that continues in mariupol and the east end places like cash kyiv where people have been killed in shelling this afternoon. that really is the focus of this war now.— afternoon. that really is the focus of this war now. people returning to ukraine over — of this war now. people returning to ukraine over the _ of this war now. people returning to ukraine over the border _ of this war now. people returning to ukraine over the border from - of this war now. people returning to | ukraine over the border from poland, ukraine over the borderfrom poland, moving more people in that direction than the other for the first time. in kyiv, in the city, can you feel whether people are returning or whether people are returning or whether it is a place that people could begin to rebuild their lives again now?— again now? those areas on the outskirts of— again now? those areas on the outskirts of kyiv, _ again now? those areas on the outskirts of kyiv, of _ again now? those areas on the outskirts of kyiv, of course - again now? those areas on the i outskirts of kyiv, of course people have gone at an incredibly difficult time where we have been to places like butcher and others where they have to deal with rebuilding damaged homes and deal with unexploded ordinance and burying their dead. they have a long way to go. but here

in the centre of kyiv, that russian forces didn't quite reach, you do start to see some small sparks of life, places like the famous market, which started to reopen yesterday. there were a few traders there, and a few coffee shops and restaurants starting to reopen. you see people on the streets again here in kyiv, but the mayor has reiterated again as he had been saying for quite a few days now, that he does not want people to return to kyivjust yet. he says that while these russian attacks go on, there have been three strikes the last three nights here, where the russians have targeted what they describe as ammunition factories, places where anti—ship and anti aircraft missiles are made. so he said again last night, when you hear the air raid sirens, respect them, seek shelter and don't come backjust yet. it is not safe you just yet. stay in a place where you just yet. stay in a place where you will be safer until we call you

to come back. but of course he said he can only recommend that it is an individual put position. there are always people coming back every day because that pull to return home is always a strong one, isn't it? yes. always a strong one, isn't it? yes, home, of— always a strong one, isn't it? yes, home, of course. _ always a strong one, isn't it? yes, home, of course. thank _ always a strong one, isn't it? yes, home, of course. thank you - always a strong one, isn't it? yes, home, of course. thank you so - always a strong one, isn't it? yes, home, of course. thank you so much. despite warnings from the mayor of kyiv not to head back to the capital city, increasing numbers are returning — either to visit family or to go back to their homes. the latest figures from the polish border service show that on thursday, 26,000 people left ukraine, but 22,000 went the other way. danjohnson is on the border and has been talking to some ukrainians heading back. this is where millions have said goodbye. to their families, their country, and the life they knew. but some are now coming back, and being reunited. "my little boys," volodymyr says, after seven weeks apart. "no, dad, boris tells him.

"we have grown up now." because children are already in polish schools, they have no education for a few days because of easter, and we decided to choose this chance to see our family. but it's a return not without trepidation. i'm really afraid. when i talk to the kids and say we are going to visit father, they were also shocked. but we promised them that we will not go into other regions. but others are going further. this family back together and heading home to kyiv for good. yeah, we will go home. and we don't want to stay in poland for a long time. translation: it was a complicated decision but definitely, _ 100% we want to go home. in lviv, others are on the move, heading east, buying tickets against the tide. tatiana's ready to go

home, close to dnipro, after more than a month here. translation: we miss our home very much and we need to do _ some work on the garden. this morning we woke up and thought, shall we go or not? but we really had the tickets. are you brave? i was when i was young. i used to do parachute jumps for sport, but this is completely different. i'm really afraid of what's happened and what could happen next. and that's the point, these are journeys into the unknown. most aren't looking too far ahead. just being together, having it together, it's the best that we can have. what's it like to see your family again? it's a big value to have family, and to see each other today. sure, i love them. danjohnson, bbc news, on ukraine's border with poland.

a massive queue of trucks has formed on the poland—belarus border as russian and belarussian drivers rushed to leave the eu following a sanctions deadline on saturday. some drivers were stuck for up to 33 hours, after the eu banned lorries from the two countries from entering or staying in the bloc — except those carrying medicine, mail or petroleum products. here in the uk, the archbishop of canterbury has strongly criticised the government's plan to send some people who've arrived illegally in the uk to rwanda. in his easter sermon, justin welby said it posed serious ethical questions, and was "the opposite of the nature of god". but the cabinet minister jacob rees—mogg said the archbishop had misunderstood the government's aim, which was to combat people—smugglers. our religion editor aleem maqbool reports. happy easter to all of you, lovely to see you. in his most important sermon of the year, the archbishop of canterbury dealt very directly with the issues of the day, drawing attention to the pressures felt by many here struggling with the cost of living, and calling on russia to commit to a ceasefire

and withdrawal from ukraine. but he also talked of serious ethical questions about the government plan to send asylum seekers overseas. it cannot carry the weight of our national responsibility, as a country formed by christian values. because subcontracting out our responsibilities, even to a country that seeks to do well, like rwanda, is the opposite of the nature of god. in response tojustin welby�*s remarks, a home office spokesperson said "the uk has a proud history of supporting those in need of protection." but that "change is needed to prevent vile people smugglers putting lives at risk." in his sermon, the archbishop of york said that in law there is no such thing as an illegal asylum seeker.

he has been talking about compassionate immigration policy for years, so i asked him, is anyone listening to what the church had to say? i suppose i'm going to say with a smile, but it's hard to be held responsible for the fact that people don't listen. i think we've all woken up and thought, this is not how the world is meant to be. it's not how i to be. i wanted to be a different world. in the queen's absence from windsor, the duke and duchess of cambridge led the royals at their service. in his easter message, the prince of wales said he had been profoundly moved by those ready to open their homes to people fleeing conflict. the mostjoyous scenes of the day were in a st peter's square packed for the first public easter mass there since the pandemic began. but the pope's message focused on events in ukraine, calling this an easter of war.

translation: may there be peace in war—torn ukraine. so sorely tried by the violence and destruction of the cruel and senseless war into which it was dragged. may a new dawn of new hopes appear. tidings of hope this easter have undoubtedly been tinged with the sense that more empathy and understanding would be welcomed, both at home and abroad. aleem maqbool, bbc news. earlier, i spoke to our political correspondent nick eardley about the reaction to the archbishop of canterbury's easter sunday sermon — here's what he had to say this is not something the government would welcome. the opposition has been growing, from some backbenchers as well., not very many. the government knew this was coming, and in some ways they relish this, but because they want to be on the front foot when it comes to immigration policy. he wanted the public to see

that he had a plan to take that control and see that through. the argument i've been hearing from jacob rees—mogg today has been that the archbishop has misunderstood the policy and actually the uk is taking on a lot of responsibility and trying to deter people traffickers who are encouraging people to take the treacherous journey from the north of france to the south of england. so that is the argument from the government. i think we will continue to hear debate from this. mps are back from their easter break on tuesday. this is a debate that is not going away, but it is not one the government are shying away from. they want to talk about this. they want to be on the front foot when it comes to immigration, and quite frankly they think that this is popular. i frankly they think that this is --oular. ., .,, frankly they think that this is --oular. ., , _ popular. i wonder those comments by jacob rees-mogg _ popular. i wonder those comments by jacob rees-mogg that _ popular. i wonder those comments by jacob rees-mogg that the _ popular. i wonder those comments by jacob rees-mogg that the archbishop j jacob rees—mogg that the archbishop of canterbury did not understand what was being put out there, i wonder how it will go down with the

electorate. in wonder how it will go down with the electorate. , ., ., electorate. in his normal, quite affable tone, _ electorate. in his normal, quite affable tone, he _ electorate. in his normal, quite affable tone, he praised - electorate. in his normal, quite affable tone, he praised the - affable tone, he praised the archbishop of canterbury when he was on radio four this afternoon. i suspect that what you will see over the next few weeks is a lot of debate about the implementation of this policy, whether it gets caught up this policy, whether it gets caught up in the courts, seems pretty inevitable, the government thinks it will could be a long, legal battle, and then the optimal question is going to be did it work? there are many out there that think this is a stunt and that the government of trying to look tough. it's not going to make much of a difference. but remember that conservative government has the last 13 years now have all promised to get tough on immigration, particularly on those small boats crossing the channel. the test by borisjohnson will be whether this has any impact at all. he will be adamant and do whatever it takes to make it happen, but there are some who will be pretty sceptical. a43 people are now known to have died in devastating floods

in the province of kwa—zulu natal in eastern south africa. teams of rescue workers are continuing to search for dozens of people who are still missing, but their efforts have been hampered by yet more rain. pumza fihlani reports. this was no ordinary easter for the people of kwa—zulu natal. church services have been disrupted across the province after severe floods damaged scores of places of worship. south of durban, community members have gathered to pray with this grieving family who have lost two people. a week ago, five homes stood here, but injust minutes, everything was gone. this three—year—old and her mother were asleep when flash floods ripped through this homestead. the toddler's body was found days later in a nearby river, but the mother is still missing. translation: the lord

was showing off when he blessed me with this child. in the mornings, she would kiss me and ask me, am i your grandchild? and i would say, yes. you're my baby. i loved these children. thousands of people have been displaced by the floods. in the small village alone, 15 homes have been destroyed. a handful of families have found temporary shelter here. we are in a small church now that has been turned into a temporary shelter for about 25 people. these are people whose homes were washed away in the last few days by floods, who lost all their worldly belongings. they are currently being housed here. everything that we see, from the food in the mattresses, and the blankets that we see inside here were donated by neighbours who were lucky to survive what has happened. the local pastor says the need for extra support for this traumatised community is evident. we do have counselling.

we still need a lot of counselling, but people are together, are hands—on together to help those who are in desperate need. but the people here tell me that the church is not home. there has been no help for them yet from the state, and so they do not know where or how they will rebuild their lives. pumza fihlani, bbc news. thank you for that report. thanks to you for watching bbc news. hello there. it has been another glorious day for many places. we have a fine, dry, sunny day for easter sunday. a bit more of a breeze from the southeast, but we are seeing changes taking place out west. this low pressure seems to be pushing in through the day, bringing outbreaks of rain to western scotland,

northern ireland. that is travelling across the irish sea into western parts of england and wales and moving across the rest of scotland as we move through this evening and overnight. but it will be a dying feature as it pushes towards the east, barely anything on it by the time it reaches the east coast. behind it, there is clear skies, but also a scattering of showers particularly across the northwest. it will remain quite breezy as well. temperatures falling to lows of around 4—6 celsius. our easter monday, a little bit of a change to the weather. it will feel cooler for most of us and there will be some showers around, thanks to this area of low pressure which will be sitting to the northwest of the country. quite a few isobars around. it will be very breezy and even windy in the northwest. and it will introduce some cooler air to most of the country as you can see from the blue hue here. a fresher start to easter monday, barely anything on that band of cloud as it pushes its way into the north sea. and then it is sunny spells, variable cloud, one or two showers, most of the showers will be in the northwest of the country

where they will be blustery because it will be windy there. a breezy day to come further south. and temperatures a little bit lower. the low teens in the north. we could see something in the mid—teens across the southeast, probably highs around 16 or 17. as we move out of easter monday into tuesday, that area of low pressure pulls away to the north and then we are in between weather systems. it could be quite a chilly start on tuesday. the winds will be lighter, we will see a bit of sunshine around for england and wales. variable cloud. one or two showers developing into the afternoon. it will be slow moving and some of them could be heavy as well. for scotland, northern ireland here, weather fronts will bring more cloud and outbreaks of rain. temperatures 13—15 celsius. it will feel cooler particularly where you catch the showers. as we move beyond tuesday, high pressure wants to start to build in again across the north of europe and that should deflect this area of low pressure away towards the southwest of the country. i think from wednesday onwards, we will pick up more of an easterly breeze, variable cloud and a bit of sunshine. it will be cooler along

the north sea coast. probably the best of the sunshine and warmth the further west that you are.

this is bbc world news, the headlines ukrainian soldiers defending mariupol have ignored the russian deadline to lay down their arms in order to save their lives. ukraine's prime minister has insisted his country's soldiers will "fight to the end". elsewhere in ukraine,

five people are reported to have been killed, and 13 injured, in russian shelling