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. these patients now face a 20 hourjourney these patients now face a 20 hour journey to the west of here with the kind of injuries they have it. and what that tells you is the critical need the ukrainians have to free up hospital space. 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 seven in the morning in singapore, and 2 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 frontline, 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 is just. 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.

professor charles miller is a lecturer in strategic studies at the australian national university — he joins us from canberra. listening to my colleagues report there, it is clear that ukrainians are not going to give up this conflict without a fight, certainly in eastern ukraine. what is your sense of how different the conflict might be there in comparison to what we have seen in other parts of the country? as reported touched on, the conflict in eastern ukraine is likely to involve much more expensive, open plain armour on the armour engagement, similar to what transpired in the second world war. and i would be much more concerned about

open combat and wider spaces, and rapid movement, fast paced and rapid movement, fast paced and hopefully fewer civilians in the way as well. so, basically we will see things more akin to the second world war in the same region as compared to others. in war in the same region as compared to others. in terms of either sites _ compared to others. in terms of either sites capabilities, - either sites capabilities, either sites capabilities, either side better placed in the kind of battle environment that you're describing? does one have an advantage over the other? i one have an advantage over the other? ~ , ., other? i think it is important tot other? i think it is important to try and — other? i think it is important to try and view _ other? i think it is important to try and view things - other? i think it is important to try and view things as - to try and view things as objectively as possible. very difficult for most of us looking on the outside and ukrainians, we have to perhaps discount some of the information that we are receiving in that regard and i

do think there's pretty good objective evidence that ukrainians are going to hold an advantage especially if they receive heavy weaponry from the west. so, one thing that the russians have shown this inability to combine the different arms of warfare. armour, infantry and air power. they have not shown themselves, and that kind of fighting in the war so far. that is the kind of thing that they're going to need to do in order to win in the region. moreover, the russians have a very highly centralised control system for the military and grants very little leeway to lower level commanders to make decisions as they see fit. and because we have seen in military history, the second world war, if you want to win in a fast, fluid, open armoured battle like this,

you have to have that and ukrainians have shown a much greater ability in that regard than the russians have so far. they are fighting in many ways. professor, it sounds to me like you're saying that ukrainians will have the advantage in eastern ukraine and they will be able to fight off the russians? is that your sense? but also to say is there is one source of uncertainty which is ukrainians coordinating all of the arms as well and so far, but it'll do is defend against russians in small unit engagements where they'll have some infantry soldiers and tank weapons in small groups of casualties on the russians.

below are not sure about is the extent in which they will be able to provide arms and warfare offensives encounter offences against the russians. if they can do that, then i would be quite more optimistic about the chances of them being able to thwart the russians, especially if they get heavy weaponry from the west. thank ou for weaponry from the west. thank you forjoining _ weaponry from the west. thank you forjoining us _ weaponry from the west. thank you forjoining us on _ weaponry from the west. thank you forjoining us on the - you forjoining us on the programme. 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 withdrawalfrom 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? 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. you are watching newsday on the bbc — a reminder of our 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. away from ukraine — i want to bring you a special report now, from sri lanka. doctors there 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. 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 byafar—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. 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 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 theirfamilies, 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 wasl 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. that's all for now —

stay with bbc world news. hello, there. for much of the country easter sunday was a fine, dry, and sunny day, quite warm again across the south—east, but we have seen some changes out west with the weather front pushing in, bringing outbreaks of rain and cloud and also increasing breeze. and that is how it is going to be for easter monday, a cooler fresher feel to things with a few showers dotted around. here is the frontal system continuing to work its way towards the east of the country during this evening and overnight. barely anything on it by the time it reaches the eastern side of the country, but it will leave a legacy of cloud, a few showers dotted around, particularly across the northern half of the country where it will be quite blustery as the winds will be a feature. further south, we should see some lengthy clear spells. so, low pressure to the north—west of the country for easter monday, more isobars on the chart, it will be

breezy, and we are also dragging in some cooler air off the atlantic around the area of low pressure, as you can see from the blue hue there. so, a fresher start to easter monday but there will be quite a bit of sunshine around. into the afternoon, we could start to see the cloud beginning to build up pretty much anywhere with the odd shower developing. most of the showers across the north—west of the country, the weather will be quite blustery as the winds will be a feature here, particularly for the northern and western isles and into northern ireland. the winds a little bit lighter further south and east. so, temperatures will be noticeable, we've been used to the low 20s across the south—east of the country, 16 or 17 degrees for easter monday afternoon and the low teens further north and west. now, through monday night, further showers continue across england and wales, there will be some clear spells, too, this weatherfront pushing into the north—west of the country to bring outbreaks of rain. it is going to be a chilly night, ithink, northern and western areas under clearer skies, could even see a touch of frost, so gardeners, farmers, just take note. so, into tuesday, we are in between weather systems,

this area of low pressure pulling away to the north, it means the winds will be turning lighter again so, it is a chilly start to the day for tuesday, we'll have that weather front across western scotland, northern ireland, bringing thicker cloud, outbreaks of rain. england and wales, some sunshine through the morning but then into the afternoon, a few showers could develop, some of these could be heavy and they will be slow—moving because the winds will be light. and a cooler day to come as well, 12 to 15 degrees. looks like high pressure wants to take charge again from wednesday onwards so there will be a lot of dry weather around towards the end of the week, winds coming in from the east so it will tend to be a little bit warmer towards the west of the country.

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. what i find funny, you might find offensive. comedy challenges taste and convention and it can rouse strong reaction, as we saw at this year's 0scars when a joke earned comedian chris rock a slap in the face from the actor will smith. my guest today has spent more than 25 years finding laughs in sometimes unlikely places, 0mid djalili was born

in london to iranian parents.