this is bbc news — the headlines: ukraine says russia has launched its anticipated large—scale offensive in the east of the country. president zelenskyy has warned the battle for the donbas had now begun. military experts say moscow appears to be trying to weaken ukraine's combat abilities in the region before an all—out assault. ukraine says missile strikes have killed at least seven people in the western city of lviv, which had largely escaped attack until now. three military warehouses and a car garage were hit in the assault. the european union has condemed what it called the "indiscriminate and illegal shelling of civilians" the south african government has declared a state

of disaster in response to floods in kwazulu—natal province. ten thousand soldiers are being deployed to the region as part of the relief effort. rainstorms and mudslides have killed more than 400 people. at least 60 people are believed to be still missing. more than 11,000 people, including some volunteers, who signed up to help deliver covid—19 vaccinations now have permanent roles with the nhs in england. they include former airline cabin crew members, gym managers and chefs. anisa kadri reports. by helping to deliver the covid vaccination programme, people like kazeem felt they were making history. he was previously a gym manager before adding vaccinator and now assistant service manager at guy's and st thomas nhs foundation trust to his cv. if you had asked me about three years ago, would i be working under the health sector? i probably would have said no. but when the pandemic hit and i was made redundant, i just chose that opportunity

to showcase my skills and, of course, my level of customer service and human skills. the nhs says it recruited more than 71,000 people for paid roles for its covid vaccination programme since december 2020, as well as thousands of unpaid volunteers clocking up more than 2.5 million hours in that time. more than 11,000 have now taken up permanentjobs with the health service. nhs england says this will help to tackle delays caused by the pandemic, but it comes at a time when the health service is facing staff shortages and record waiting times. i welcome these volunteers joining the nhs and i hope that we'll see many more volunteers choosing careers in the nhs. it will be a contribution, but only a small contribution to the overall workforce crisis. we have 110,000 vacancies in health and many more in social care, and that's why we have such big delays at a&e. the department of health says it has record numbers of staff working in the nhs, including thousands more doctors and nurses

compared to january 2021, and that it's commissioned the nhs to develop a long term workforce strategy. in east cowd rey. anisa kadri, bbc news. now on bbc news, lucy hedges heads to the city of naples to see how staff at pompeii are using four—legged robots and drones fitted with lasers to uncover what life was like in this ancient city. this week on the show, i head underground in naples to get a sneak preview of an amazing archaeological discovery. on my gosh! look at this! plus find out why a certain world—famous footballer has a shrine dedicated to him in the city. as restrictions are rolled back, cat is on the road in the uk to take a rollercoaster recovery ride. and we're heading to sri lanka to find out about a cleanup campaign along one of

the country's historic canals. this is one of the most archaeologically significant sites in the world. the roman city of pompeii was destroyed almost 2000 years ago in 79ad when nearby mount vesuvius erupted. metres of ash buried everything, freezing this catastrophic moment in time

until its rediscovery in the 16th century. walking through the streets of this ancient city, under the shadow of the active volcano that destroyed it, is actually quite unsettling. pre—pandemic, almost 2 million people came here every year, which put a strain on the site and lead to it almost losing its unesco heritage status in 2015. but it's come a long way since then, partly thanks to a new director, who's made it his mission to protect the site while also improving the visitor experience. it has always been a site evolving with the times and so it has always been a site to experiment and to try out new approaches — both for the conservation and for the dialogue with the public — and so this isjust continuing. and how — how do you think this

will change the perception of how pompeii used to be? it's really about the vision of the past. it's not only the big families, not only the senators and the ones who got the statues in the forum, and the local authorities, but it's also the slaves and women, who often have — do not appear the same way in the written and official sources, and children, and i mean to see all this complexity of an ancient society, that's really important. the challenge at pompeii is its exposure to the elements and climate change means the site is subject to sudden temperature changes from extreme drought all the way to heavy rain. today, new technologies are helping to preserve this invaluable record of roman life in the first century. drones are helping to map the site, robots are rebuilding frescos, sensors are monitoring seismic activity, and thermal imaging cameras are helping keep a check on humidity, helping staff to act quickly if potential danger strikes. but the real star of the show is, without a doubt,

this a—legged robot that, bizarrely, looks like a dog. good dog. so, paolo, i've got to be honest — i'm geeking out about this. this has got to be the coolest, most elaborate robot i have seen in my life. but tell me about what i am staring at. there is a lot going on here. it's a — an incredible piece of technology. yeah. it is a machine that is able to move around autonomously, and is able to bring with it some other technologies — other payloads. here, now, you see a computing power, where we can run our software and a laser scanner that's a special laser scanner that is able to scan while the machine is moving. and the robot itself is able to avoid obstacle, to move autonomously in an environment like — like this ones.

and also, since you can upload artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms on it, you can bring ai wherever it is required — it is needed. by using a combination of technology and a fresh, more inclusive approach to ancient history, the authorities here in pompeii are hoping for a successful tourist season in 2022 after being closed for almost two years. another part of naples set for a boost this summer is the la sanita district, an area that was once partly controlled by the mafia nicknamed la camorra, here in naples. but thanks to a concerted effort from locals, guesthouses are popping up, the art scene is thriving, and the neighbourhood is being transformed.

and the latest tourist attraction leads deep below the streets. it's an archaeological gem that's even older than pompeii, but up till now has been hidden from public view, beneath a private home, and i've been lucky enough to have a sneak preview before the site fully opens to the public later this year. but first, i'm meeting meeting the woman who spent years persuading her husband to share this unique family treasure. during this 26 years, i don't know how many people ask him to open it. but not only kings or prince or archaeologist, or isabella rossellini, i don't know how many people. so i say "maybe we have to open it." and he say "no, no, no — please alessandra, don't tell me, it is too difficult. come on — no, no, no." following our catch—up, alessandra took me to their property in a seemingly unassuming naples side street

to unlock the door to the hidden subterranean marvel. are you ready? an amazing network of tombs that are almost two and a half thousand years old, originally part of a necropolis built outside the city walls back when naples was an ancient greek settlement. on my gosh. yes. look at this. this is the start. the detail! it's full. so you've got to tell me more — this is unbelievable. yes. so this is maybe one of the most beautiful tomb in the world because everybody came here, the archaeologist, they had the some reaction. 0ne arrive and say "i want to live here."

and so say to my husband "there is an archaeologist that want to live in our tomb. maybe we do something — we must open it." and you see the colour in the architecture, everything is incredible, and we start the restoration from there. so this colour are still — are the same after 2500 years. there is colour everywhere. yeah, i can see. what about this — this person up there? who have we got here? is that medusa? she is the medusa, la gorgona, yeah. she's — she was bad. yeah. and if you go over there you can see that the — she's full of colour, and you can see the teeth and this incredible and it's really unique. and she's the start. it is amazing to think that these tombs lay undiscovered for over 2000 years. but thanks to alessandra's powers of persuasion and a lot of hard work, from thisjune, they'll be open for everyone to see here in naples.

right, back to the uk, next. we've been busy touring some of the country's biggest attractions as they prepare to deal with two years of pent—up demand this spring and summer. and this week promises to be quite a rollercoaster. as restrictions relax, i'm travelling across the uk to see how ready the country's top attractions are, to meet the people getting us excited about travel again, and hear their plans for the new normal. today's trip is to staffordshire. and to reach the gates of my chosen attraction, i'm taking the monorail. hello from alton towers, the largest theme park in the uk. now, it'sjust opened for the season without any government restrictions in place. and although it's been around for over a0 years, i have a confession to make — this is my first time here. so let's go. sprawling over 900 acres,

this was once the residence of the earls of shrewsbury. and being a themepark novice, i've enlisted some help. we're about to do the three rides that they've got up on the stratosphere. shawn sanbrooke is a full—time rollercoaster vlogger with a lot of followers. shawn, are you a celebrity? i wouldn't say that. i love sharing my adventures. but it's all good fun. i love it. i think can guess what we're going on, butjust confirm it. we are going on nemesis. nememis is a classic and is europe's first—ever inverted coaster. it also happens to be shawn's favourite. it's an aggressive start of the day. shawn, why are you laughing so much? i love it!

survived my first ride! it's intense, but it's great. i love it so much. four times, you go upside down on that ride. it's strange to think it was only a short time ago attractions like this fell silent. but this is a place that has a long history of embracing change. before it was a themepark, its main attraction was its gardens. during lockdown, it was an opportunity to get people back out into some fresh air, so we were able to clear some of the pathways that were not necessarily used previously, and people could come back to alton towers and revisit it as, you know, its intended purpose — a great garden. and for a little bit of escapism, too. of course, yeah, because obviously the earl of shrewsbury wanted to collect all of these elements

from around the world. we've got the dutch gardens behind us, the pagoda fountain which was of eastern origin, we've got grecian mixed in with the gothic architecture of the time. well, the gardens have been perfect to change the pace, but with over a0 rides and attractions, i better cross a few more off my list. i've been told there's one ride i simply have to try — it's called the smiler — and it's even collected its own following of superfans that cosplay in the colours of the ride. guys, you look fantastic. thank you. so, tell me about smiler. when i first saw the ride i was just completely awestruck with it. and from then on it became a big massive obsession. and now i — this is how i dress daily, now. i started a — a — like a group.

you started this website, and that's how you all became friends, because you organised meet—ups here. yeah. this is the first time we have met here. yeah, yeah. yeah. oh, really? yeah. this has been a long time coming, then. yeah. so i'm still not sure if i want to commit to this ride. it is the world's first 1a—loop rollercoaster and promises to challenge your body and your mind. meet instagrammer roller coaster rachel and her 10—year—old daughter sappy, who is yet to ride the smiler. but is she finally tall enough? we're hoping she is tall enough. hope so. now i have no excuse. wish us luck! scary! screaming.

after my day here, i can see places like this mean more to people than thrillseekers. i work in healthcare and elderly care and it was really tough during lockdown and to be able to come back, it was amazing. i class this as a little piece of heaven on earth. if theme parks are your thing, there is a lot going on this year. chessington world of adventures have new rides. paultons park has a new rides.

and if you're heading further afield, disney is celebrating some big anniversaries in paris. and if the last two years have taught us anything, it is the unbridled happiness that escapism can bring. so my trip to alton towers is done and i think i found a ride that is a bit more me. naples is a very catholic city. it has religious iconography everywhere and some revere in equal measure, the unofficial patron saint, diego maradona.

at a time when naples was suffering from unemployment, poor sanitation and organised crime, maradona, with his own troubled back story, joined the napoli team, giving the neapolitan people something to be proud of. and the owner of this bar claims to have a lock of maradona's hair at the centre of what has become a shrine to the man himself. so this is the famous lock of hair? tell me, where did you get this from?

to end toway, we are back with adventure and you may to end this week, we are back with adventure and you may remember that last year karolis mieliauskas challenged himself to drive this old banger the length of the lake by car and he made a good job of it. this time, he is leaving combustion engines behind him and opted for a cleaner method of transport. wejoin him in sri lanka, where he is about to begin a journey down the historic hamilton canal, heading for the capital, colombo. along the way, he will discover how pollution has taken its toll and how locals are doing their bit to clean it up.

long time no see, sri lanka! so humid already. hello, gentlemen. i'm looking for a traditional boat to rent for maybe four days or five days. i want to go down the canal. you have one? 0k, can you give me a street number? 0k, here's my number? house numberfour, if i understand right. i was following the track and someone told me to go right and then left and here i am. a small catamaran is here. adventure is the very first step and the trip starts. i hope to do it in three days.

ok, the first 100 metres is done! as i start myjourney i get a warm welcome from the people who live here. hello, hello, how are you? good? very good! very good. i'm going down the canal. goodbye! see you, all the best. and what does the sign say? "dear neighbours, keep the canal clean." no good. i was expecting to see some

rubbish but not that bad. not that bad. looks like the rubbish comes from these houses. tell me please, is that right, you are cleaning the tunnel? how many people like you are they here? six people who are cleaning? i think i can see one now, approaching, hello. that is nice. that somebody is doing this. there is also a local boat company that collects rubbish on their days off, run by a man called fernando. 0ur cleaning project is called captain fernando cleaning project and we started this in 2016, actually five years ago, so step—by—step,

we came to a very good stage. plastic pollution is a big problem these days. if you walk on these speech, it is very polluted and if you go now, the canal and lagoon is very polluted. now people are slowly, slowly changing. people through the rubbish into the canals but now i starting to think, little by little. so a long time ago, those canals were used for transportation but these days people are using them to dump rubbish. the easiest thing is not to throw rubbish into the canal and what we can do is educate your brothers and sisters so we can have a clean and healthy lifestyle. so, boys, thank you for coming, if you are not using plastic so we can make a better life for all. thank you. let's make some noise!

thank you, fernando! thank you. looks like fernando is doing a greatjob and i'm happy to see that someone like fernando is working on these issues, to make our world much greener. and now i'm approaching where i'm getting off. coming up next week, more from karolis as he continues hisjourney down the canals in sri lanka. and how a busy re—wilding project is bringing life back to some of the biggest national parks. it's a female deer and i can see her in the distance, camouflaged and a couple found one. in the mean time, check us out on social media at bbc travel show.

and we are also on the bbc iplayer with loads more fun from our recent trips. in the meantime, enjoy your travels and i will see you very soon. hello. for those of you who have extended your easter break into this week, there is some good weather news, in that there'll be a lot of dry weather around. admittedly, there will be some showers, more especially during the next 2a hours, and as the week goes on, an increasing breeze will turn eastern areas that bit cooler. 0ut there though to start tuesday, a bit of a chilly start as it is. a touch of frost in places, particularly in southern

scotland, across ireland and towards the borders of southeast wales and southwest midlands. a lot of cloud, though, across england to begin with, already producing one or two showers. a few lingering showers in the west from overnight. but through the day, the cloud starts to increase across parts of england into wales, and showers become a bit more abundant, some of those becoming heavy and thundery. showers throughout the day in the highlands of scotland. and whilst the odd ones possibly in northern ireland, southern and eastern scotland, a lot of dry and sunny weather to come here, and much more sunshine in east anglia and the southeast later. temperatures down in recent days, but at levels we should be this stage in mid—april. so, some showers then continue into the night, but notice how they're starting to track further westwards. a developing easterly breeze, most notable for england and wales. that could bring in some mist and low cloud toward some eastern coasts of northern england and east scotland, not only through the night, but into wednesday, where, again, we could start with a touch of frost in the north and the west. but for most on wednesday, actually a lot more sunshine around, away from those eastern coasts. a few showers dotted around in the west, but more of you will have a dry day. but with that east—to—southeasterly wind, you're going to notice temperatures along those coastal strips close to the north sea a good deal cooler than

you've been used to, whereas, sheltered in the west, we're going to see temperatures climb up into the mid—teens, maybe high teens for one or two. so, a big east—west contrast, whereas across europe, it's a north—south contrast. who would've picked norway out for your easter break? 20 degrees in oslo on wednesday, compared to wet and windy conditions and rather cool conditions across eastern spain. spanish costas not looking great over the next few days, due to this area of low pressure. as that pushes its way in towards the mediterranean, high pressure expands across the north atlantic, iceland and scandinavia. we're going to drag in more of an easterly wind for us here in the uk. it does mean a lot of sunshine around for thursday, a bit of cloud building up through the day. an isolated shower can't be ruled out, but most places will be dry. still that east—west split, though, as i mentioned, with temperature conditions, but as we go through into the end of the week and the weekend, it does look like whilst many in the north will stay dry, increasing chance of some showers spreading up from the south. take care.

this is bbc news. i'm david eades. ukraine says russia's large—scale offensive in the east has begun, with president zelensky warning the battle for control of the donbas region is on. translation: no matter how many of the russian troops i are there, we will be fighting. we will defend ourselves and we will do everything that we must to keep what is ukrainian. president putin says the west has scored an own goal by imposing sanctions against russia, but moscow's mayor says the downturn threatens 200,000 jobs in the capital alone. a us federaljudge throws out the covid—19 mandate forcing people to wear a mask in public buildings or on public tranport. prince harry speaks to the bbc about the invictus games, and how ukrainian

soldiers are taking part against the odds.