welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines... king charles is in germany on his first state visit as monarch. he praised germans for their "extraordinary hospitality" towards ukrainian refugees. over all these years and in so many ways, i have been struck by the warmth of the friendship between our nations. the vatican says pope francis has a respiratory infection, and will need to spend a few days in hospital in rome. outrage in mexico, as new details emerge about the fire that caused the death of 38 people at a migrant centre. and one of the biggest animals

ever to walk the earth — the skeleton of a patagotitan dinosaur — is the latest addition to london's natural history museum. live from our studio in singapore. this is bbc news. it's newsday. welcome to the programme. we begin today in germany — where king charles has arrived on his first state visit as monarch. he also became the first head of state since the second world war to be honoured with a full ceremonial and military welcome at the brandenburg gate, in berlin. the trip was originally due to begin in france, but protests against raising the pension age meant that visit had to be postponed. king charles has paid tribute to germany's "extraordinary hospitality" towards ukrainian

refugees and said both the countries must "stand together" with ukraine in "defence of freedom and sovereignty". our royal correspondent nicholas witchell has the latest from berlin — and a warning that this report contains some flash photography. white tie and tiaras for the state banquet. but don't be too dazzled by all the diamonds and decorations — the first state visit of king charles�*s reign represents a serious mission set by the british government. the focus is europe, the setting is berlin, and the king's language initially was german. es ist wunderbar heute in abend in so grosse gesellschaft su sein. then, in english, this commitment. throughout the time that is granted to me as king, i will do all i can to strengthen the connections between us. and this on ukraine. we stand side by side in protecting and advancing our shared democratic values.

this is epitomised so clearly today as we stand together with ukraine in defence of freedom and sovereignty in the face of unprovoked aggression. the king had received the first full ceremonial welcome at the brandenburg gate for any state visitor. he inspected the guard of honour, standard fare for a state visit, but it's the subtext on these occasions that matters, and that is very clear. state visits are all about the big picture, the core elements in the relationship between the host and the visiting nation. in this instance, of course, with the uk now outside the eu, it's all about the bonds, the links that remain. it's about shared histories and shared values. friendship between two european nations. i hope you don't have to stand here too long.

no, it's fine. it's a message which will be repeated when the king becomes the first british monarch to address the german federal parliament. nicholas witchell, bbc news, berlin. earlier, i spoke with miguel berger, the german ambassador to the uk. i think it's a very significant visit. it is, as the german president said, "it's a very strong european gesture and signal by the king" that his first overseas visit goes to the european union and, in this case, now goes to germany. in terms of relations between the two sides, though, what do you think is the hope of what might be achieved, in terms of repairing relations perhaps, or strengthening ties in some areas? you know, i think that now, with the windsor framework and having sorted out the discussions about

the implementation of the northern ireland protocol, we have a different and new basis. so at the state banquet this evening, the president said, "let's open a new chapter because we share values, we share cooperation." and i really hope that the signal of this visit of the king will be one of common values and strong cooperation. and when you talk about those strong values, ambassador, there's the issue of ukraine, which has been a big part of the conversation so far during this visit. how important is that as an issue between the two countries, as well as for the people of germany? it is a fundamental issue, and you know, we have worked together very, very closely from the first day of this terrible war

of aggression of russia against ukraine, we coordinated in the g7 and in nato. now the british challenger tanks arrived the same day as the german leopard tanks. so i think that gives a clear signal that both our governments are committed to continue the support for ukraine as long as it will be needed. what's the reaction been to the visit, ambassador, in germany amongst people there? the reaction has been very positive. you already mentioned, your correspondent, the fact that the king was, for the first time ever since postwar germany, received with military honours at brandenburg gate where the german public could be there, could see the king and queen consort.

when we passed by with the delegation, we could see along the streets many people filming, saluting the king. so i think that was also, for the population of berlin, a very welcome visit. pope francis has been taken to hospital after suffering from a respiratory infection. the vatican said the 86—year—old had breathing difficulties in recent days but he does not have. earlier, i spoke to davide ghiglione, our bbc rome producer, who gave us more information on the pope's condition. good evening from rome, where all eyes are on the hospital where pope francis will spend the night. we know that his condition

is stable at the moment, but he wasn't expected to be kept there by doctors. the doctors are keeping him at the hospital because they want to make sure he's fine. now his life is not in danger reportedly, and according to what the vatican said — but what people are mainly concerned about is the fact that he's now weaker than before, especially compared to when he started working as the pope, being the pope. and we also know that francis said repeatedly he would resign if he feels too weak, if he feels he didn't have the strength to run the church any more. so we will know more tomorrow, obviously, from the hospital, but at the moment his condition remains stable. we'll see what his decision will be. indeed, this is a pretty busy period though, isn't it, in terms of many events

and services scheduled ahead of the easter weekend? any sense whether they will go on with him involved? exactly, so we do know that all appointments and audiences for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow have been cancelled. now obviously it's the easter week, starting from next week, so we'll have the palm sunday mass this sunday, which is one of the biggest events for catholics all over the world. so it'll be a very busy week for the pope, and the pope will need energy. he will have to be fully operational — now we know he's been quite weak over the last few months, he postponed a trip to congo and south sudan. and even when he did it,

he was forced to use a wheelchair. he's very energetic, he's got a very energetic soul, but we know he's 86, so everyone has been worried, including the pope himself. we saw him leading the funeral of his predecessor, benedict, but now we'll see if he will feel strong enough to carry on. the bbc�*s rome producer speaking to me earlier. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. president biden is to visit the mississippi town of rolling fork on friday. the town was devastated by a tornado last week which killed 26 people. mr biden and his wife jill will meet first responders and people affected by the deadly storm. israel's prime minister has reacted angrily to a suggestion from president biden that he should abandon controversial plans for an overhaul of the judiciary. mr netanyahu stressed that, as a sovereign country, israel would make its decisions "by the will of its people and not based

on pressures from abroad". the reforms have resulted in weeks of mass protests across the country. some of the biggest names in technology are calling for the development of artificial intelligence to be put on hold in an open letter, citing potential risks to humanity. this follows us—based openai unveiling the most powerful ai system yet two weeks ago. the world football authority, fifa, has stripped indonesia of the right to host this year's under—20 world cup tournament, due to start in less than two months. it said the decision was taken after the governor of bali refused to host the israeli football squad. outrage is growing in mexico, following a fire at a migrant centre in ciudad juarez that

killed 38 migrants. unverified footage has emerged, which appears to show the moment the fire started at the centre run by mexico's national migration institute. i want to warn you — these pictures are distressing. uniformed officials seem to walk away as the blaze erupts in a corner, leaving a group of men behind in what appears to be a locked cell. the imprisoned men unsuccessfully try to open the barred door as smoke quickly spreads. the 32—second clip appears to come from a security camera inside the facility, which is located just south of the border crossing at the stanton—lerdo bridge, which links ciudad juarez with the city of el paso in texas. our correspondent in mexico city will grant has more. well, the footage isjust one of the questions, it's perhaps the key one at this stage. it appears to have been leaked to the media in ciudad juarez, and certainly the government hasn't denied its veracity — which i would've imagined they would've done that by now if there was any

doubt about it. it appears to show very serious questions about the behaviour of the guards in that detention centre. at one point, at least one of the migrants attempts to kick the door open, he's obviously not successful in that, and there are guards walking around outside the cell. they then leave when the flames get too severe, and that is the question that a lot ofjournalists are asking. and when they asked the president at his daily press briefing, he accused them of being more interested in sensationalism than in the pain and well—being of the trapped migrants. so yeah, that's one of the many questions swirling around — including, of course, why these people had been detained in the first place. many of them had been sent back to being trapped in mexico under the "remain in mexico" programme — part of the biden

administration's migration policy that states you must wait in mexico for your court date to appear in the us. will grant their reporting on that story for us. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: a colossus has landed in london. one of the biggest animals ever to walk the earth goes on show at the natural history museum. the accident that happened here was of the sort that can, at worst, produce a meltdown. in this case, the precautions worked, but not quite well enough to prevent some old fears about the safety features of these stations from resurfacing. the republic of ireland has become the first country in the world to ban smoking in the workplace.

from today, anyone lighting up in offices, businesses, pubs and restaurants will face a heavy fine. the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he had been addressing a trade union conference. the small crowd outside included his assailant. it has become - a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians| wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is- being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel. - this is newsday on the bbc. i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. our headlines... king charles is in germany on his first state visit as monarch. he praised germans for their "extraordinary hospitality" towards ukrainian refugees. the vatican says pope francis has a respiratory infection and will need to spend a few

days in hospital in rome. australians expect to vote this year in a referendum that would enshrine in the constitution a mechanism for indigenous people to advise parliament on policies that have an impact on their lives. the government is introducing legislation to parliament today, setting out the referendum and constitutional changes. i'm joined now by phil mercer, in sydney. phil, always great to get you on newsday. just talk us through what's expected to happen today. through what's expected to happen today-— through what's expected to happen today. well, the bill that would _ happen today. well, the bill that would trigger _ happen today. well, the bill that would trigger or - happen today. well, the bill that would trigger or allow i happen today. well, the bill| that would trigger or allow a referendum later this year has been introduced into australia's lower house of the federal parliament in canberra. the attorney general said that until australia recognised in its constitution aboriginal

peoples, this was a nation without its heart. so the government is pushing forward this plan for australians to vote in a referendum probably between october and december later this year. the referendum will ask australians if indigenous peoples should be recognised for the first time in australia's constitution, and also set up a voice to parliament — that's that representative party you referred to that would help to shape government policy. so the left of centre government of anthony albanese believes this referendum will be eight unifying moment for this country, but there is a significant amount of opposition to this plan across this vast country —— a unifying moment. this vast country -- a unifying moment-— this vast country -- a unifying moment. , ., , ., ., ., moment. yes, i was going to ask ou moment. yes, i was going to ask you about _ moment. yes, i was going to ask you about this. — moment. yes, i was going to ask you about this, the _ moment. yes, i was going to ask you about this, the reaction - moment. yes, i was going to ask you about this, the reaction to i you about this, the reaction to this amongst australians — what's been the mood? it sounds like it's been quite divisive. well since 1901, only eight

referendums out of 44 have passed in this country. so constitutional change in australia is rare. critics of the referendum, the voice to parliament referendum say that it is an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy that would do nothing to address indigenous disadvantage. and it's divided aboriginal australia — there are many indigenous people who believe this would be a white elitist project that would do nothing to address problems in their everyday lives. australia's aboriginal peoples makeup up about 3% of australia's population, but they suffer this personally high rate of imprisonment, ill health and poverty, and incarceration. so this is a very big moment for australia as a grapples with this big constitutional question — but as we say, constitutional

change in this country is rare, and is extremely rare without bipartisan support. and there are conservative mps in this country who say that they will not support this referendum later this year.— later this year. fascinating stuff, later this year. fascinating stuff. phil. _ later this year. fascinating stuff, phil, i'm— later this year. fascinating stuff, phil, i'm sure - later this year. fascinating stuff, phil, i'm sure we'll. later this year. fascinating i stuff, phil, i'm sure we'll be back to you to talk about it throughout the course of this year as decisions are made. but for now, thanks forjoining us on newsday. the un general assembly has adopted a resolution asking the world's top court to define the countries obligations to combat climate change. applause the vote was greeted by cheers. although not legally binding, the sponsors are hoping an opinion from the international court ofjustice will drive countries to take stronger measures and clarify international law. this resolution follows a four—year campaign led by the pacific island nation of vanuatu. vanuatu's prime minister

ishmael kalsakau said the vote represented "a win for climate justice of epic proportions". and in switzerland, more than 2,000 women are taking the government to court — claiming that its policy on climate change is violating their right to life and good health. the women — who have an average age of 73 — call themselves "the club of climate seniors". they're taking their case to the european court of human rights after six years of unsuccessful battles in the courts in switzerland. it's the first climate lawsuit to be considered by the court and, depending on the verdict, it could have widespread implications for governments notjust in the eu, but around the world. meanwhile in the uk, the government's own advisers say it's not doing enough to prepare for the weather extremes caused by global warming, and england now faces a "make—or—break moment". the latest report from the climate change committee, says there'll be an increased risk to life and infrastructure, unless current policy changes.

here's our climate editorjustin rowlatt. we got a glimpse of britain's climate future last summer. wildfires spread to homes in east london, as temperatures hit record highs. trains were cancelled, as equipment failed. the tarmac melted, closing luton airport, and a national emergency was declared, as heat—related deaths hit record highs. front—line medical staff saw the effects first hand. that period of intense heat had a profound impact on the volume of patients that needed urgent care, and this resulted in delays and cancellations in planned operations. the government's advisers say the nhs isn't the only institution that needs to do much more to prepare for the weather extremes our changing climate will bring. 0h! the recent shortage of fresh vegetables was blamed, in part,

on unseasonable weather in europe, and it shows how vulnerable our food system can be. many of our homes overheat in summer. the report says no part of society in england is adapting fast enough. well, our report is saying the government has not done enough. it's wasted the last ten years. we've had a lost decade, with not enough preparation for the climate change we've got now and, of course, the increasing impacts of climate change that are to come. every sector, and all planning decisions, need to take into account the impact of our changing climate, she says. the uk government has welcomed the report and says it will "robustly address" the full range of climate risks to the uk. it's not all bad news. there are some examples of effective adaptation. the vineyards here in kent, for example, are already choosing grape varieties that

will thrive in our increasingly hot and dry summers. the grapes may be doing well, but today's report says that without more preparation, the rest of us are likely to struggle. justin rowlatt, bbc news, kent. one of the biggest animals ever to walk the earth, a patagotitan dinosaur, is about to go on display at the natural history museum in london. discovered nearly ten years ago in argentina, it's a replica skeleton that will be on show, but that means the public will be able to touch it, and walk beneath the huge bones. our science editor rebecca morelle has that story. piece by piece, bone by colossal bone. a creature from 100 million years ago begins to emerge. this is patagotitan, one of the largest dinosaurs ever to walk the earth. assembling this dinosaur

is like putting together a giant 3d jigsaw puzzle. there are more than 500 bones and fixings but no instruction manual. this beast measures 37 metres from the tip of its nose all the way down to its tail, and it just about squeezes into this room with a few twists and turns along the way. the titanosaur is a cast, an exact replica of the original fossilised bones, and getting a creature like this into a 140—year—old building has been a challenge. we have had to take some of the doors off in order to get the crates and different parts of the dinosaur in, and some of the bones and the cast itself are quite heavy so we've had to reinforce our floors. that sense of awe at standing under one of the largest animals to have walked on land and trying to imagine it as a living, breathing creature is, yeah, it's amazing. the bones were unearthed at a ranch in patagonia, in argentina just over a decade ago.

as scientists got to grips with the scale of their find, they were joined by sir david attenborough. he also got a chance to see what this titan of the cretaceous period might have looked like. now the exhibition is complete, the dinosaur is ready for its moment in the spotlight. one of the first things you notice is the huge toothy grin with these pencil—like teeth. they are constantly on the move, would have been just feeding machines. constantly using those heads to stuff more and more leaves and twigs and so on into its bodyjust in order to keep it moving around. patagotitan still holds some mysteries. no one knows why these creatures grew so big or how they came to die out, but their size and their success for millions of years puts our own existence into sharp perspective. rebecca morelle, bbc news. that's all for now —

stay with bbc news. hello there. there's still some more rain to come through the rest of this week — at least it has turned milder. on wednesday, temperatures reached 16 celsius in northern ireland, and in southwest france, 30 celsius on wednesday. this early spring warmth will come to an end as we change the month, we change the weather. temperatures will drop, but it should be turning drier. the overnight heavy rain across england and wales, the last of it clearing away from northern england early in the morning. and then, we'll find some sunny spells, but showers will develop quite widely, some of them heavy with some hail and thunder, particularly central and eastern parts of england. still got a south—westerly breeze, it's still mild — may well be a little bit warmer than it was on wednesday in scotland. and before those heavy showers arrive, 17 celsius is possible in eastern england. those heavy showers do fade away quickly in the evening, but only because it'll get wet

and windy here from the southwest. we've got this area of low pressure — quite a deep one, that'll track across southern parts of the uk, strengthening the winds overnight, bringing some heavy rain to england and wales, as well. the winds could be gusting 50—60mph or more in the south coast of england, perhaps into south wales. the winds do gradually ease down on friday. the rain continues across these southern areas. could see some rain coming back towards northern ireland, the rest of the uk seeing a few showers but probably a lot of cloud coming in on that easterly breeze from off the north sea. temperatures will be lower — top number this time, 1a celsius, and that's more likely in sheltered western parts of scotland. heading into the weekend, the start of april, and it continues to cool down a bit, but it should be turning drier as the weekend goes on with more sunshine. that area of low pressure will move away, we'll be stuck with that weather front for a while — that gets killed off by pressure rising during the second half of the weekend. first half of the weekend, though, sees a lot of cloud around.

and we've still got some patchy rain across northern ireland, wales, into southern england, maybe a few showers coming in from off the north sea on a chilly breeze. not going to feel very warm at all, i think, on saturday across eastern scotland and the northeast of england, and typical temperatures will be 11—12 celsius. second half of the weekend — there's not much rain left over, just this band of cloud, and we should see some drier air coming in this time. that will hopefully mean more in the way of sunshine. the winds will be a bit lighter, as well, but still, temperatures below average, typically 10—13 celsius.

this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hour as newsday continues, straight after hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i'm sarah montague. close to 50 million people around the world are close to famine, a number that is rising because of war and the effects of climate change. it's the job of the world food program to feed them. my guest today, david beasley, has been running the organisation for the past six years and, in that time, has more than doubled the money it raises. and yet, as he admits, the numbers starving have only

got worse and worse. he's about to move on.