In a place of life and hope Vladimir Putin brought death and destruction.
The bombing of the maternity hospital in Mariupol was an unspeakable act of barbarity.
It showed there are no limits to the butchery and mayhem the Russian president is prepared to inflict on the innocent people of Ukraine in his blood-crazed pursuit of domination.
Not content with attacking mothers and their babies, there are now fears he is planning to use chemical and biological weapons.
Those countries such as India, Pakistan and China who have refused to condemn the Kremlin’s actions must now speak out.
For as long as they remain silent in the face of such atrocities they will stand accused of being complicit in Russia’s illegal war.
The slaughter should also spur Western nations to redouble efforts to support Ukraine.
If a no-fly zone is not an option then more must be done to supply arms to Ukraine and tighten economic sanctions on Putin’s regime.
Grim figures
Latest figures show a worrying surge in the number of cases of Covid.
In the last 24 hours there were more than 123 deaths from the virus and nearly 70,000 new infections in the UK.
These grim statistics suggest Boris Johnson may have acted too hastily by lifting all corona-virus restrictions in England.
Many will rightly ask if the death toll would have been lower if he had kept some in place.
The Prime Minister is acting as though the pandemic is now over, when the evidence shows it remains a lethal threat.
When the number of cases remains so high and lives are still being lost, the Government should not be scrapping free tests and dismantling even more of our defences.
Ship shape
Scientists have found the wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship the Endurance more than a century after she was left to the mercy of the ice.
After surviving for so many years, never was a boat better named.
