Britain is considering becoming the first country to send Western tanks to Ukraine in what would be a major stepping up of international support. Last week foreign secretary James Cleverly said Britain was open to sending Ukraine Challenger II battle tanks and ‘will continue to evolve our support as Kyiv readies the next phase of their self-defence’. The remarks were a shift in the Government’s position, with No 10 previously being in step with other Nato allies in being reluctant to supply heavy armoured vehicles. Any pledge by the UK could be made at the next meeting of the US-led Ramstein Contact Group of international supporters of Ukraine, due next week. Defence sources said the UK could supply Volodymyr Zelensky with the British Army’s main battle tank to encourage other Western allies to follow suit and stop the war.

There has been a significant downturn in avian influenza cases since the beginning of November. Case rates peaked at over six a day in mid-October, but are now running at less than one a day, the majority of those being backyard flocks: the housing order for kept birds in England and Wales is seen as a contributing factor. Epidemiologists still predict another peak and are genuinely perplexed as to why we have not seen one yet, as there is a sustained increase in winter cases in wild bird carcasses. Housing orders and good biosecurity by commercial flock owners no doubt continue to play their part. Thank God for His mercy and continue to pray for His protection as the upturn threat is still anticipated for our wild bird colonies.

Humanitarian workers Andrew Bagshaw and Christopher Parry were last seen on 6 January heading to Soledar, where fighting is intense. The Foreign Office is supporting their families. Christopher travelled to Ukraine to help people to evacuate Bakhmut, in the eastern Donbas region. He recently described having a ‘drive to help, as the people here are so lovely’. He spoke of continuous bombardment as he worked near the front line. Andrew wrote in his online crowdfunding page for vehicle repairs, fuel and equipment to help evacuate civilians. He also has been helping children and families to flee the front line, delivering food and medicines and assisting elderly people move away from the battlefront. On 13 January the Russian Wagner group said it had found the body of one of the two missing men in eastern Ukraine. The Foreign Office has not confirmed the claim and is in touch with Ukrainian authorities. See

One patient’s time in A & E: ‘I witnessed the devastation of thirteen years of government underfunding of emergency care. After I phoned 111 they told me to travel immediately to my local hospital’s emergency department. They booked me in for a 9pm arrival time. I imagined I would be seen then but there were sixteen ambulances waiting to offload their patients. The waiting room was a vision of hell. Every chair was occupied. Sick people looking dangerously unwell leaned against walls; the wait went on and on for all of us. I was seen by a doctor at 3am. During those six hours, I witnessed a man with what appeared to be cardiac symptoms collapsed onto the floor, possibly from a heart attack. A toddler was screaming “It hurts, it hurts!” for almost three hours without a break. It was devastating to hear. When I asked a nurse if this was an especially busy night, she said, “This is a quiet one”.’