WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Russian gains, challenging Captchas, and warmer weather at last

 
today's international story

Russia making further gains in eastern Ukraine

What happened 
Russia is consolidating freshly won territory and attempting to break through Ukrainian defensive lines in the east of Ukraine as President Vladimir Putin attempts to take advantage of his armed forces' superior manpower and artillery levels before Kyiv receives a package of much-needed US military assistance.

Who said what
"The situation at the front has worsened," said Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief General Syrskyi in a post on the Telegram messaging service yesterday. On Friday the Pentagon said it would "rush" Patriot air defence missiles and artillery ammunition to Ukraine to try to reinforce the front line.

The commentary 
The gains are "generally modest" said CNN, "but they are usually taking place in several locations at once". Western delays over sending aid have left Ukraine "dangerously short of something even harder to supply than shells", said Politico. "The fighting spirit required to win."

What next? 
"Right now things are not critical or catastrophic, but it’s very difficult," an unnamed senior security official in Kyiv told The Guardian yesterday. He said it would take "one to two months" for the $61 billion of US military aid to reach Ukraine's frontline troops.

 
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today’s immigration story

Home Office to start detaining asylum seekers

What happened
The Home Office will launch a UK-wide operation today to detain asylum seekers – several weeks earlier than anticipated – in preparation for their deportation to Rwanda.

Who said what
During an interview with Sky News in which he mentioned Rwanda and illegal migration 13 times, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke of his "determination to get that Rwanda scheme going", adding that he was focused on "stopping the boats".

The commentary 
The immigration debate has "become so warped" that "mass deportation is viewed, in Sunak's words, as 'compassionate'", said Kenan Malik in The Observer. But there is "nothing compassionate or constructive about the performative cruelty that now stands for immigration policy".

What next?
Tory insiders "dismissed suggestions" the Home Office's detention operation had been brought forward to give the Conservatives a boost ahead of local elections on Thursday, said the Financial Times. Meanwhile, Sunak claimed an increase in migrants heading to Ireland demonstrated that his party's Rwanda plan was already having a deterrent effect.

 
 
Today’s society story

Australia's 'domestic violence crisis'

What happened
Australia is facing a “national crisis” of violence against women, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said yesterday as thousands rallied around the country to draw attention to the deaths of 27 women this year allegedly caused by acts of gender-based violence.

Who said what
"Quite clearly we need to do more. It’s not enough to just have empathy,” Albanese told Nine Network television.

The commentary
"It's time we start accepting that there will need to be an emergency response to the epidemic of male violence," said the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Patricia Karvelas. Bringing gender-based violence to an end will require "dramatically more resourcing and top prioritisation".

What next?
On Wednesday the PM and his cabinet will meet leaders from Australia's states and territories to discuss how to tackle the scourge.

 
 

It's not all bad

As a chilly April wraps up, the Met Office predicts a shift to warmer temperatures more typical of spring. This month's persistent rain and grey skies contributed to unusually cold conditions, but from Wednesday south-east England could see temperatures in the mid to high teens, possibly nearing 20C later in the week. While central and western England may experience the highest temperatures, regional variations are expected, with coastal areas slightly cooler.

 
 
under the radar

Why Captchas are getting harder to solve

Are you finding those annoying little puzzles you need to complete before you can proceed on websites harder to solve? You aren't alone and there might be a good reason for it.

Experts have confirmed that Captchas, which were developed in the early 2000s, are indeed getting more difficult, and this tells us "something terrifying about the future", said Metro.

The Captcha, an approximate acronym that stands for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart, was designed to identify a human from a bot.

"At their heart is a simple equation," said The Times. The Captcha "has to be easier for a human to do than a machine", but as machines and AI have become better at tasks and identifying images those developing the Captchas have "had to up their game, quite literally".

If the process continues to get harder it could cause problems for people trying to book tickets for popular shows, said Metro. The fact that bots can solve more Captchas and their "ever-increasing level of difficulty" could mean "the difference between getting tickets to a show or standing outside the concert hall looking for a scalper".

We shouldn't expect a return to the easier days of Captchas, Kevin Gosschalk, the founder and CEO of Arkose Labs, which develops Captchas, told The Wall Street Journal. "Things are going to get even stranger, to be honest, because now you have to do something that’s nonsensical," he said. "Otherwise" bots "will be able to understand" the tests.

 
 
on this day

29 April 1483

The Crown of Castile conquered Gran Canaria. It would become the economic and administrative centre of the Canary Islands archipelago in the centuries following and more recently has turned into a popular destination for foreign visitors. But locals have taken to the streets to protest the mass tourism that they say overwhelms the Canaries each year. About 14 million people visited the islands last year.

 
 
Today’s newspapers

The Guardian leads on news that the government will start to detain asylum seekers across Britain today in preparation for their deportation to Rwanda. "Time is up, Mr Sunak" says The Mirror after the PM refused five times during a TV interview to say when he could call the election. Meanwhile, says the Daily Star, Britain is set for a "Bank Holiday heatwave".

► See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Own goal

A football fan accidentally called police during a match when his smartwatch confused his goal celebration for an emergency. Doncaster Rovers won 4-2 against Barrow on 21 April after a spectacular comeback by Rovers, who were two goals down with five minutes left until the final whistle. The unnamed fan's Apple watch detected activity that indicated a severe accident, triggering its SOS feature. South Yorkshire Police posted a picture of the internal call log on X that noted "from background noise this is clearly a football match", adding "hoping you've all recovered!"

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Julia O'Driscoll and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Sergei Supinsky / AFP via Getty Images; Ben Stansall / AFP via Getty Images; Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images.