Moscow proposes fresh Istanbul peace talks after Trump pushes deadline on Putin

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of engaging in “yet another deception” by failing to hand over its peace settlement proposal before a potential meeting between officials from the two countries next week.

“Ukraine has not received it. Our partners have not received it. Even Turkey, which hosted the first meeting, has not received the new agenda,” Mr Zelensky said.

“Despite promises to the contrary, first and foremost to the the United States of America, to President Trump: Yet another Russian deception.”

Moscow has proposed a second round of direct peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Monday, two weeks after similar negotiations failed to bear fruit.

Kyiv says the memorandum was due following those talks.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow has drafted the memorandum and will present it at the next direct talks, adding that Kyiv had not responded to the offer of talks on Monday.

Almost one in 20 people aren’t paying to use the Tube

Almost one in 20 Tubepassengers are dodging fares – at a cost of £130m a year – amid a surge in violence against the staff who try to stop them.

Almost 5 per cent of fares now go unpaid, new Transport for London (TFL) figures show, pushing up prices when many Londoners are already feeling the pinch of the cost of living crisis.

It comes as shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick took to the London Underground himself to catch fare dodgers on camera. He said: “It’s annoying watching so many people break the law and get away with it.”

A video posted on X (Twitter) showed him questioning passengers who barged past barriers without paying for a ticket. He was met with verbal abuse and one warning from a man who claimed he was carrying a knife.

Many of those stopped for fare evasion are already wanted for other crimes, with knives and drugs seized when suspects are stopped and searched.

Now, as part of a new clampdown, TfL has drafted in 500 enforcement officers to try to reduce the number of Tube travellers who are not paying, but many are subjected to violent and racial abuse.

Almost 10,500 reports of work-related violence and aggression were made by TfL staff in 2023/24 – a 5 per cent increase on the previous year. About half of these incidents were linked to fare dodgers.

“People are being sworn at, spat at, pushed and for over 50 per cent of cases where workplace violence is experienced by our frontline teams, fare evading is a trigger,” Siwan Hayward, director of security, policing and enforcement for TfL, told The Independent.

Frontline staff have told The Independent they have also faced racial abuse and say they fear fare evaders they confront could be armed.

British Transport Police figures show there were more than 480 instances nationally where someone was carrying a bladed article, such as a knife, over the past year, and Dr Leroy Logan, former superintendent in the Met Police, warned knife crime is a “massive issue”.

“We know that staff are reluctant to challenge anything unless they’re really in large numbers,” he told The Independent.

“Staff don’t do it because they fear being assaulted. You need visibility, you need high visibility patrols on the Tube and bus networks just to reassure people and support the staff.”

However, it’s not just knife crime, with officers also arresting people who have evaded fares for possession of drugs and theft.

In Finsbury Park in February, officers stopped a man who had pushed through the ticket barrier without paying. He became aggressive and violent, striking one officer in the face when they detained him – he was arrested for fare evasion and assault of an emergency worker. But when police searched him, they also found a stolen phone.

In April, a man was stopped for following someone through the gate at London Bridge. He was searched, and officers found class-B drugs and an electronic item used to remove security tags from goods. He was arrested for going equipped to steal and possession of class-B drugs.

Ms Hayward stressed fare dodging is far from being a “victimless crime” as TfL loses about £130m in revenue – money it could use to make the service “reliable, safer and cleaner”.

Across the Tube, Overground, buses, DLR, and Elizabeth line, 3.4 per cent of people using the service did not pay the fare over the last financial year – a small drop from 3.8 per cent in 2023/24. While 4.7 per cent skip paying the fare on the Tube, according to TfL data from 2024/25.

The common crime is pushing prices up – in March, Tube fares for an adult daily ticket increased by 4.6 per cent.

“People are choosing to commit that crime and we seek to provide a really affordable transport network for London,” Ms Hayward said.

“Bus fares have been frozen, and we try to minimise the increase in rail fares, but people who choose to evade fares are undermining the efforts made to make travel in London affordable and accessible,” she added.

However, as the cost of living continues to rise, fare evasion is likely to become even more widespread.

Manny Hothi, chief executive of Trust for London, said: “There’s no excuse for fare dodging, but the rise in it points to a wider problem. Many Londoners are facing an impossible squeeze on already tight budgets.

“Over half a million are in low-paid work, and the cost of everything from housing to childcare is much higher in London — transport costs just add to the pressure. When fares go up, Londoners who rely on public transport to get to work are forced to cut back elsewhere just to make ends meet.”

The mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, said: “Fare evasion is a criminal offence which deprives TfL of thousands of pounds of vital revenue every year that could be reinvested in London’s transport network.

“That’s why we’re expanding our team of professional investigators to cover the whole network and investing in the latest technology to target the worst offenders. It sends a clear message: fare evasion will not be tolerated, and we will hold those who do it to account.”

Draper battles home favourite Monfils in French Open night session

Britain’s Jack Draper headlines the night session at the French Open as the fifth seed takes on home favourite Gael Monfils on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Draper won his first match at Roland Garros on Tuesday and will be up against the boisterous French Open crowd when he faces the 38-year-old veteran Monfils, who battled from two sets down to win his first-round match.

Before then, British No 1 Katie Boulter was demolished by Madison Keys 6-1 6-3 on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Boulter also won her first main draw match at Roland Garros on Tuesday but Keys, the Australian Open champion, was a step up in class.

Elsewhere, Jacob Fearnley is through to the third round after opponent Ugo Humbert retired injured. Humbert, the 22nd seed, was hurt after falling over his ankle behind the baseline and Fearnley will play Cameron Norrie in an all-British third round clash.

Follow live scores from the French Open below

Drought declared in northwest England after record dry weather

A drought has officially been declared in northwest England after the UK experienced record dry weather this spring, the Environment Agency has said.

The region entered drought status on 21 May, just days after residents were urged to use less water due to concerns over the low levels of rivers and reservoirs, which are currently at less than 60 per cent capacity across the region.

Earlier this month, prior to the recent bout of rainfall, the agency said northwest and northeast England had both seen their driest start to a calendar year since 1929, while England as a whole had endured its driest February to April period since 1956.

Simultaneously, the UK has experienced its sunniest spring since records began in 1910, with 630 hours of sunshine clocked up across the country between 1 March and 27 May – up from just 377 hours over the same three months last year.

This dry spell, with temperatures set to soar again this week, follows a period of extreme wet weather. England experienced its wettest 12 months on record between October 2023 and September 2024, leading to widespread flooding and agricultural disruption.

Experts warn that these volatile swings between extreme wet and dry periods are indicative of the growing impact of climate change.

England’s overall reservoir storage stood at 84 per cent at the end of April, lower than at this time of year in the drought summer of 2022.

Earlier this month, United Utilities said reservoir levels in northwest England were at just 69 per cent capacity, down from more than 90 per cent at the same point last year. The latest readings show this has since fallen to 58.9 per cent.

As a result, the water company urged residents in the region to use less water. Despite thanking customers for their efforts, United Utilities warned that reservoirs were still lower than expected.

Urging residents to continue doing “all they can to save and recycle water”, a spokesperson said: “We’re continuing to move water around our integrated network to get it to where it is needed, as well as bringing extra water into the system from other sources around the region.”

The company did not respond when asked how far the region could be from hosepipe restrictions, which form part of the company’s Level 2 drought plan.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “The northwest of England has entered drought status due to low water levels in reservoirs and rivers.

“No other areas in England are in drought, and we continue to monitor the situation closely.”

It also emerged on Wednesday that environment secretary Steve Reed had intervened to seize central government control over the planning of two major reservoir projects in East Anglia and Lincolnshire by designating them “nationally significant”, amid growing concerns over the UK’s water supply.

Officials caution that without new reservoirs, population growth, ageing infrastructure, and climate change could cause drinking water demand to exceed supply by the mid-2030s. Water supply shortages are also impeding the construction of thousands of homes in areas like Cambridge.

Water companies across England have committed to bringing nine new reservoirs online by 2050, in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Kent, East Sussex and the West Midlands and Somerset, with the potential to supply 670 million litres of extra water per day.

Additional reporting by PA

Transfer news LIVE: Chelsea make huge Delap breakthrough

The transfer window is almost open with the Club World Cup creating an emergency, short-term window — though clubs not involved in the new Fifa tournament are still pushing ahead with plans to strengthen this summer.

Manchester United have an awful lot of work to do in the window after a disastrous season, and Matheus Cunha appears to be the first one through the door, with Wolves set to bank more than £60m for the Brazilian forward. There could also be exits from Old Trafford, though, with captain Bruno Fernandes among those being linked with moves away.

Liverpool are ready to go from strength to strength after winning the Premier League title, with a new striker perhaps on the wish list as right-back Jeremie Frimpong nears a switch to help fill the void left by Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure. A forward to monitor could be Hugo Ekitike, who is also a Chelsea target, with the Eintracht Frankfurt striker one of the hottest properties in European football.

Arsenal, meanwhile, look to be close to their first addition with Martin Zubimendi set for a medical.

You can sign up to DAZN to watch every Club World Cup game for free, while all the latest updates, rumours and done deals from what promises to be a chaotic transfer window will be covered in the blog below:

AI-powered robot salesperson could be coming to UK showrooms

Robots powered by AI could soon be selling cars to customers in the UK as a global car manufacturer debuts an unusual new member of staff.

Omoda and Jaecoo owner Chery has showed off robotic sales assistant ‘Mornine’ at the Shangai Motor Show on 23 April. It can greet customers, show them around a car, and even make them a tea or coffee.

The AI robot uses machine learning to improve its performance, learning from interactions with customers. It has been trialled in showrooms in Malaysia and could soon be rolled out worldwide, a spokesperson for Chery said.

The car maker added that Mornine has capabilities including perception, cognition, decision making and task execution and explained the “ideal use case” was for “dealer-level admin and service.”

The car brand’s robotics experts said Mornine uses speech and vision inputs that allow it to “accurately interpret commands including physical gestures”.

Ian Wallace, spokesperson for Chery’s Omoda and Jaecoo brands in the UK, said Mornine could even be offered for use in people’s homes in the future if showroom trials go well.

He said: “Mornine is an intelligent showroom aid. She can show customers around a vehicle, she can answer questions and she can make teas and coffees, so in a busy showroom environment, if staff are tied up, she’s there to be a helpful face of the brand.

“She has learning capabilities so she can react to commands and learn your voice so if you were to use her in a household environment she would start to learn what you like and don’t like.”

Chery said the robot uses ‘automotive-grade hardware’ to allow it to walk upright and it has ‘dexterous hands’ to allow it to grip items. It can also distinguish between voices to identify different customers.

The car maker also showcased a robotic dog called ‘Argos’ at the Shanghai show. They say the AI-powered animal is designed to offer companionship to those who are unable to keep real pets at home.

Nationwide announces record-breaking £2.8bn in returns to customers

Nationwide has announced it is returning a record £2.8bn in value to members as it unveils its full-year financial results following a merger with Virgin Money.

The UK’s biggest building society has reported its best growth in net mortgage lending and record lending in the first quarter of 2025, the best results across the whole UK banking sector.

Over the last month, £1bn was returned directly to eligible members and a further £1.8bn has been returned in better-than-average rates and incentives.

In March, the banking group gave away £50 to 12.3m customers as an early Easter present to thank them for their support during their 2024 merger with Virgin Money, as well as returning money through their Fairer Share scheme.

Debbie Crosbie, Nationwide’s chief executive, said: “Nationwide has had an outstanding twelve months. We returned a record £2.8bbn in value to our members and recorded our highest ever year for growth in mortgage lending and retail deposit balances, and we remain first for customer service.”

As well as ranking first for customer satisfaction for the 13th year in a row, retail deposits also grew by a record £14bn and statutory profit before tax rose to £2.3bn.

Last October, Ms Crosbie oversaw the completion of the biggest merger in the industry since the financial crisis with the £2.9bn takeover, and has also pledged not to close branches for a further three years.

In its first set of financial results since the acquisition, Nationwide said trading performance was ahead of expectations, with a continued increase in business lending and a return to growth in mortgage net lending.

The creation of 370 new roles at Virgin Money has also improved customer service, while the building society has also seen more than one in four students choosing Nationwide for their banking.

Unlike banks, the building society has pledged to keep all of its nearly 700 branches open until at least the start of 2028.

New data from the group revealed that nearly 200,000 more customers used its branches in the financial year to the end of March, compared with the prior year, and more people switched to Nationwide than any other bank.

Despite the number of banks on the high street dwindling rapidly, Nationwide saw an increase of four per cent in people visiting its branches, and 40 per cent of ISAs were opened through face-to-face contact with staff.

In contrast, Lloyds has been making sweeping cuts to its network – with the most recently announced closures to 136 branches taking place over the next year.

Others have been drastically trimming their network, such as Santander announcing in March it would be closing more than a fifth of its high street branches, bringing it down to 349 across Britain.

Is Starmer right to pay any attention to Farage?

After Nigel Farage’s keynote speech, Reform’s policies have been dismissed by Keir Starmer as “Liz Truss all over again”. It shows Labour is taking the challenge from Reform UK more and more seriously, and that the main electoral threat to Labour hegemony right now comes not from Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives but from Farage’s latest vehicle for an “insurgency”.

Yet neither Labour nor the Tories seem to have the full measure of Farage.

It’s not as bad as that, because at least Farage recognises – as the former premier still does not – that her disastrous mistake wasn’t so much in her radical tax cuts (unrealistic as they turned out to be) but that she failed to balance them with credible plans to cut spending.

Farage explicitly said this, and offered up cuts in government spending on net zero (the bulk of the “savings”); migrant hostels and other accommodation; diversity, equity and inclusion; and general “waste” as the way to pay for his plans. These, he suggested, would pay for enhanced child benefit, incentives for people to marry and have families, restore the pensioners’ winter fuel payment, raise the threshold for the higher rate of income tax, and – most ambitious of all – take everyone with an income of less than £20,000 out of tax liability altogether.

Yes. Even though Farage’s plan does better than Truss’s mini-Budget in attempting to balance the books, independent experts say it would still blow a gigantic Truss-sized hole in the public finances. Truss scheduled about £45bn in unfunded tax cuts in September 2022, ie, extra borrowing; and the Farage plan implies something like a £50bn to £100bn increase in the budget deficit, which would be the largest in peacetime. Besides that, there is some doubt about whether the cuts to net zero would be as large as claimed, even allowing for the abandonment of the net zero target and the fate of the planet. At various points, Farage has also indicated or given the impression that he’d like to abolish inheritance tax and non-dom taxation, freeze council tax and fuel duty, and subsidise everything from the steel industry to farming. It really does not add up.

Yes. But because immigration has become so toxic, Starmer chose not to attack Reform’s other net zero” policy – no new net migration. The economic impact of that would be to exacerbate labour shortages, push wages higher, cut economic growth and reduce overall living standards.

Reversing the latest Brexit reset, as Farage implies, would also hurt exports and the economy, while the drive to take back all the UK’s fishing rights might well provoke a trade war with the EU, an even more damaging outcome. Farage’s plan to replace the NHS – broken by underfunding and understaffing made worse by Brexit – is underdeveloped, to put it mildly, and a huge vulnerability given his prime demographic of older, less-well-off voters. They, after all, rely on the NHS to keep them going.

For the most part, they couldn’t pay the private health premiums, and even if they could, they wouldn’t be covered for existing conditions, dementia or cancers. Ageing Fargeistes would find using the defunded rump “safety net” NHS and what passes for a Reform UK social care system an uncomfortable experience. There’s also the small matter of Brexit, his proudest boast, yet, paradoxically, regarded even by some of his own voters as a monumental flop. It’s also very much a one-man band: could Reform UK form a remotely competent government? Is the UK really ready for Lee Anderson to be home secretary?

Labour tried that, implying he was a cranky, if malign, irrelevance – and it failed. At 30 per cent or so in the polls and the stunning successes in the local elections and the Runcorn by-election, Farage can no longer be dismissed as a fringe irritation. Because the Tories are yet to recover, and the Lib Dems and Greens tend not to operate in “their” areas, Reform is certainly the fortunate and obvious receptacle for protest votes against a prematurely unpopular Labour government. As the election approaches – it is three to four years away – the government should regain some support if the economy recovers; the same goes for the Tories, as they claim that only they can defeat the Labour Party.

True as that is, it would also provide Reform with plenty of opportunities to build momentum and win power in more councils, as well as devolved administrations. Winning in more Labour strongholds would certainly be welcome to Farage, whose basic strategy would seem to be trying to recreate the coalition of voters that Boris Johnson persuaded to vote for him to “get Brexit done” in 2019.

The last prime minister who had to take on the Farage challenge was David Cameron, who thought an in/out referendum on EU membership would shut Farage up for good. Cameron’s complacency ended his career and helped destroy his party. The most painful irony was (and is) that Brexit so damaged the economy that it created multiple new grievances for Farage to exploit to his advantage, crippling Conservative and Labour administrations alike. Badenoch and Starmer can’t decide whether to ape Farage or attack him.

Like most populists, Farage is slippery. Facts and figures from experts are dismissed as “project fear” (as in the Brexit referendum), and he amplifies voters’ natural anti-political, anti-establishment tendencies to pose as an “outsider” fighting against some malign conspiracy. Even when he is exaggerating, he says “they are lying to you”, and because promises inevitably get broken when in government, it strikes a chord.

Responsible journalism is derided as “fake news” – he takes lots of lessons from the unlikely success of Trump in the US. He is not above using dog whistle tactics. Farage is indisputably good at campaigning, but he is eminently beatable, if only Labour and the Conservatives could regain their political touch.