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UK considering sending tanks to Ukraine
Britain is weighing up supplying Ukraine with tanks for the first time to help the country fight Russian forces, it has been reported. Discussions have been taking place “for a few weeks” about delivering the British army’s Challenger 2 main battle tank to Ukraine, Sky News reports, quoting a Western source with knowledge of the conversations.
The broadcaster cited one source as saying Britain could offer around 10 Challenger 2 tanks. The move would constitute a
major step up in western support for Ukraine, with the potential to prompt other Nato allies, such as Germany, to emulate.
The government has not yet made a final decision on the potential boost to its military support for Ukraine, but should it be given the green light the UK would become the first nation to respond to Kyiv’s pleas for more powerful western tanks. The Ministry of Defence did not confirm nor deny the reports but said in a statement the UK “will continue to build on recent donations with training and further gifting of equipment”.
Rain warnings from Met Office
Torrential rain is set to hit the UK today, the Met Office has warned, with flood alerts across large parts of the country. Gusts of up to 35mph and milder-than-average temperatures are the result of a low-pressure polar vortex to the west, causing a widespread band of rain to land today. But despite reports of an “Arctic blast”, current forecasts are predicting colder weather towards the end of the month to be more in line with seasonal averages. Weather warnings are due to come into effect at 6am today, for the west of England and much of Wales, with threats of flooding and disruption expected.
The Environment Agency has also issued 28 flood warnings for England, expecting “imminent” threats and there are a further 80 alerts for “possible” flooding across England. People are urged to take appropriate action to protect property and life in the event of flooding.
Teenager pleads guilty to stabbing boy to death
A 17-year-old boy has pleaded guilty to the murder of a 14-yearold boy in south London. Jermaine Cools was stabbed to death near West Croydon station on 18 November 2021 following reports of a fight among a group of people. The young teenager had taken himself to hospital by the time police arrived at the scene, where no suspects or victims were found. Despite the efforts of medics, he was pronounced dead a short time later.
At 14 years old, Jermaine is believed to have been the youngest person to be stabbed and killed on London’s streets in 2021 – a year in which 30 teenagers lost their lives, setting a grim record for teenage homicides in the capital. His attacker, who is now 17 and cannot be identified because of his age, appeared at the Old Bailey to enter his plea yesterday morning.
Mother missing with newborn baby is from aristocratic family
A mother missing with her partner and newborn baby belongs to an aristocratic family which used to own a sprawling country estate and has close links to the royal family.
Constance Marten, 35, is the granddaughter of Mary Anna Marten, a British Museum trustee whose godmother was the late Queen Mother, and who used to own the Crichel estate in Dorset. Ms Marten, her partner Mark Gordon and their child were last seen on Thursday evening after their car broke down on the M61 motorway, at which point they left the road safely and walked towards Anchor Lane bridge, near Bolton.
The new mother is thought to have since been spotted on CCTV cameras while travelling inland from Harwich Port in Essex, some 250 miles away from where their car was abandoned, and then later in Colchester, police said on Sunday. Police are urgently searching for the family, as it is feared that Ms Marten gave birth very recently and, along with her baby, is yet to be assessed by medical professionals.
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