�*welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines. ukrainian fighters in the city of mariupol ignore russia's deadline to lay down their arms. the ukrainian prime minister says they'll fight to the end. in the east of the country, ukrainians prepare to counter the latest major russian offensive. they now face a 20 hourjourney 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 of hospital space. we speak to a former us ambassador to natoabout russia's warning to the west to stop supplying weapons to ukraine. also — coming up on newsday.

the archbishop of canterbury — the most senior cleric in the anglican church — condemns uk government plans to send asylum seekers to rwanda. and — a special report on the desperate shortage of vital medicines in sri lanka — as doctors warn of an impending medical catastrophe. it's six in the morning in singapore, and one in the morning in mariupol in ukraine — where ukrainian forces are still defying russia's ultimatum to surrender or be killed. ukraine's prime minister denys shmee—hal says the port city has not fallen, despite weeks of relentless attacks by russia.

fighting has also continued in other areas of the east — officials in kharkiv say five people have died in shelling in the city. 0ur correspondent tom bateman is in dnipro where wounded civilians are being evacuated away from the front line, by train. i want to warn you — his report does contain some distressing images. president putin calls his goal the liberation of this country's east. he's showing the world what that means in mariupol. street battles have intensified for days. the city's defenders are holed up in a giant steelworks, now told by moscow's forces to surrender or die. but ukraine says they'll fight to the end. mariupol�*s fate could seal the next stage of the war as it moves to the east. and those from the hardest—hit areas are running out of time to escape. in dnipro, even some of the wounded are being evacuated west. katya's mum was killed in last week's missile strike on a train station in kramatorsk.

"what i saw was like a nightmare," she tells me, "with blood everywhere. " "i somehow got to a bench, and police officers helped me. "they put me in a car and took me to hospital." where people once stood as colleagues or friends, the platform's now a place for the victims of war. tanya grieves for her eldest daughter, marina, killed in a crash in their rush to escape. "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." and now they travel with the trauma of this invasion, in soviet—era carriages, fleeing russia's advance. many men have stayed behind, except those that have to hold their children alone.

and others will need a lifetime of care. well, these patients now face a 20—hourjourney to the west of here with the kind of injuries that 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're getting ready for a major russian assault. and in the suburbs, i'm told of an extraordinary story of rescue from mariupol. nastia 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, a people reduced to scavenging to survive. the family managed to escape underfire. now, nastia's mum 0xana, safely in another city, calls her daughter a hero. and she tells her

daughter, "i wanted to "kneel before you." nastia says their escape got them back from hell. but tens of thousands remain trapped amid mariupol�*s last stand. tom bateman, bbc news, dnipro in central ukraine. as we've 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 elderly people have decided to stay put. clive myrie has been to the village of serhi—yeevka 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. 0ur presence piques the interest of the local territorial defence force. an army of volunteers ready for the russians. maksim is 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. valeriy duhelnyy 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. raisa is one of the villagers who chose not to leave. raisa, clive.

the great absence in her life is her own sister who lives in donetsk, closer to the russian border. her sister does not believe russia has committed war crimes in the conflict. she believes the invasion isjust. translation: at the moment, i am not in touch with her due l 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 27th, we haven't spoken. i haven't wanted to. march 27th? 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.

well as you heard there in clive's report — the ukrainians are not giving up without a fight. ee—vo daal—der is a former us representative to nato and now president of the chicago council on global affairs, and join me now to talk about all of this. on global affairs, and join me now from on global affairs, and join me now listening to my report from listening to my colleagues report there. i don't know whether you get the sense of any hopes of a cease—fire at this point. m0. you get the sense of any hopes of a cease-fire at this point.— cease-fire at this point. no, it doesnt cease-fire at this point. no, it doesn't really _ cease-fire at this point. no, it doesn't really look _ cease-fire at this point. no, it doesn't really look like - cease-fire at this point. no, it doesn't really look like were i cease-fire at this point. no, it - doesn't really look like were going to have a cease—fire. i think the russians are determined to recoup some the losses that they have had in northern ukraine and kyiv and the sinking of their battleship in the middle of the black sea and they're not going to stop until they get

something serious in terms of territory or whatever. and of course, ukrainians are trying to defend their land and i think some the people in your report show, they're going to be determined to resist the onslaught that is about to come. it's going to get very ugly, very significant fighting is to be expected. but neither side is going to be willing to settle for anything less than fighting for now. where did we go from here and are concerned are you about the fact that this is going to escalate? we've heard from president putin already that he is suggesting the threat is nuclear escalation, do you believe him when he says that? it’s believe him when he says that? it's ve hard believe him when he says that? it�*s very hard to believe anything the vladimir putin says but i think the reality is he has nuclear weapons and although the use of nuclear

weapons in the next few days or months would be the first time since august nine, 1945 the nuclear weapon has been used and we cannot rule it out. and i think the nato countries are thinking about what kind of response they might need to launch that case and a nuclear attack or deceive in a single nuclear weapon is fundamentally going to change the nature of this conflict and of the conflict today is about territory, about who controls what part of territory or indeed, who controls ukraine, once a nuclear weapon is used, the conflict shifts to a global security and global concerns and it won't be possible, it seems to me for a like the united states the united kingdom to say that this fight is for the ukrainians to fight we're going to stay out. i think at some point, and escalation is more likely by having a more direct

involvement by nato forces to ensure the vladimir putin does not succeed in whatever he is trying to achieve. so you see that as a distinct possibility in terms of where the conflict, the escalation goes from here. nato will eventually have to get involved? if here. nato will eventually have to get involved?— here. nato will eventually have to get involved? here. nato will eventually have to net involved? . ., , get involved? if chemical weapons in lane get involved? if chemical weapons in large numbers _ get involved? if chemical weapons in large numbers are _ get involved? if chemical weapons in large numbers are to _ get involved? if chemical weapons in large numbers are to be _ get involved? if chemical weapons in large numbers are to be used - get involved? if chemical weapons in large numbers are to be used for- large numbers are to be used for something like they'll be used, the calculation changes. nato countries have rightly said that this is a fight that they are willing to help ukraine defend itself and therefore, major weapon systems are being shipped out now into ukraine and there is an expectation that ukrainians have the morel on their side, they're up to some extent, at least until now, the terrain is on their side and they will be able to resist but if a nuclear weapon gets used for the first time in over 80

years that that would happen, that changes fundamentally but we are dealing with. we are not longer dealing with. we are not longer dealing with. we are not longer dealing with a conflict confined to territory, it is a conflict that affects all of our security that case, intervention is possible. i think because of that, it is less likely that vladimir putin will actually use a nuclear weapon because less than he needs now given how bad his forces are already faring in this fight is to have the united states and other allies intervene as well.— united states and other allies intervene as well. thank you for “oininu intervene as well. thank you for joining us- _ and there's lots more on our website on this story — including a live page with the latest developments and reports from our correspondents and teams on the ground. just head over to bbc.com/news or download the bbc news app. turning now to other news — away from ukraine: the most senior clerical figure in the anglican

church — 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 a cabinet minister said the archbishop had misunderstood the government's aim, which was to combat people—traffickers. 0ur 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 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 a response tojustin welby�*s remarks, a home office spokesperson said: in his sermon, the archbishop of york said that in law there was no such thing as an illegal asylum seeker, but he's been talking about compassionate immigration policy for years, so i asked him was anyone listening to what the church had to say? i suppose i'm going to say with a smile that... ..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 is not how i want it to be. i want it 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 focussed 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. the tidings of hope this easter have undoubtedly been tinged with a sense that more empathy and understanding

would be welcomed, both at home and abroad. aleem maqbool, bbc news. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. an arab— israeli party has suspended its involvement in israel's governing coalition in protest at days of violence at the al—aqsa mosque compound injerusalem. the raam party said its four members of parliament would resign if, as it put it, the government continued to act against the people ofjerusalem. riots have broken out for the fourth night in a row after the apparent burning of a koran in sweden by a far—right, anti—immigrant group. there've been several recent clashes in sweden between police and counter—demonstrators after rallies by the stram kurs, or hard line, movement. doctors in sri lanka are calling for the world to help, as they run out of vital drugs and equipment.

the country is going through its worst economic crisis in living memory — a shortage of foreign exchange means it is unable to import much needed medicines. 0ur south asia correspondent rajini vaidyanathan reports from colombo. already in a critical condition. sri lanka's now heading towards a medical emergency. doctors are running out of life—saving drugs. the future of this island nation becoming ever more fragile. at the largest children's hospital in the country, we meet a doctor who manages resources. these are difficult times. these surgeries, we need very specific things. sri lanka imports most of its medical supplies. a lack of foreign currency to buy them to blame for the shortages. stretched to the limit, operations continue at this hospital. others have already stopped some procedures. we don't know what would happen

if the dollars don't bring these things to the country. we might end up in a very difficult situation. this is a very stressful period. health official officials at this hospital agreed to speak to us, but i have spoken to many doctors across sri lanka who say that the government says they are not allowed to speak out in an individual capacity, but they tell me that they are worried that their hospitals are running low or running out of essential medicines, and that if something isn't done soon, sri lanka will face a medical catastrophe. with few doctors willing to speak publicly about the shortages, some have taken part in silent protests. while hundreds of medical students stormed the health ministry, joining anti—government protests against food and fuel shortages. this is a crisis of scarcity, with no clear end in sight. medical unions are appealing

to the world to help. we need supply to come in whatever the form, that is from any other country, government procurement, or in region donation. so if this situation continues, there will be a day in the near future, maybe couple of weeks or one month, i am afraid to say there may be a situation where we won't be able to save the patient life or limb. sri lanka's health ministry told the bbc it's working to overcome the shortages, and is getting help from nearby india and other donors. but this is a public health system in distress. no—one knows how or when sri lanka will recover. rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, colombo. 443 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 from durban. this was no ordinary easter for the people of kwazulu—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 this 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 and 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 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. let's return to our top story now — to ukraine, where for the first time since the start of the war there, more people have come into ukraine from poland than have left. that's despite warnings from the mayor of kyiv not to head back to the city. over 650,000 have now crossed from poland since the start of the invasion. danjohnson has been talking to some of those heading home. 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're grown up now." because children are already in polish schools, they have a vacation 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 is 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, its 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. 3.7 million people have fled ukraine

since the start of the conflict. that's all the time we have for you and thanks forjoining us on newsday. hello, there. for most of us, easter sunday was a fine, dry, and sunny day, quite warm again across the south—east, but we had seen some changes at west with a weather front pushing in, bringing outbreaks of rain and cloud and also increasing breeze. some cooler air working around this area of low pressure. 0ne frontal system has been sliding eastwards and not much rain left on that as it clears the east coast, some showers are parts of scotland in northern england and plenty of sunshine through the day but we will see some showers as well, especially more general showers and rain in northwest scotland where wind gusts will exceed 40 mph. 50 or 55 miles

per hour. 12 to 17 degrees but if you sunshine and it's not going to feel too bad. as we go through monday night, we'll see some showers continuing but large areas of clear skies, some and into northwest scotland and northern ireland and under this clear skies it's actually going to turn quite cold, touch of frost for some to start tuesday morning. an area of low pressure there be retreating northwards beliefs this little stray with her from behind that would generate some rain and parts of northwest scotland and northern ireland, some quite heavy into the afternoon and elsewhere, sonny's spells and scattered showers and some of the showers can be heavy and temperature is generally a little lower than they have been, 13 to 15 degrees. looking ahead to wednesday, some fine weather and temperature is generally a little lower than they have been, 13 to 15 degrees. looking ahead to wednesday, some fine weather is pleasant sunshine. if you showers popping up in the weather front towards the northwest trying

to push them towards northern ireland but it looks like you make very little progress temperature is around 11 to 16 degrees. the federal system towards the west for an area of low pressure and instead of sweeping across our shores, the slow ascent to retreat southwards and being fended off by this area of high pressure that is when be building to the north of the uk that would generate quite a brisk easterly wind and so it will feel rather chilly towards end of the week with some north seacoast with some shelter for their south and west, some relative warmth and i'll be mostly dry. west, some relative warmth and that'll be mostly dry.

hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the the papers will be bringing us tomorrow. with me are writer and broadcaster kate bevan and nigel nelson, political editor at the sunday mirror and sunday people. tomorrow's front pages... the times describes the prime minister as defiant as he gets ready to defend the party scandal in the commons. the telegraph also leads on the downing street parties and says the prime minister is accused of instigating a drinks party. the daily mirror has a similar story on its front page, saying borisjohnson encouraged

staff to let off steam