North Korea ‘sent 20,000 containers of ammunition to aid Putin’s war effort’

Vladimir Putin’s forces are using North Korean ballistic missiles to inflict terror on Ukraine’s civilians, according to a report by a monitoring group of 11 UN members that includes the UK and US.

The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team said in the report North Korea aided Putin’s war effort by supplying more than 20,000 containers of munitions containing at least 100 ballistic missiles, along with self-propelled artillery guns and long-range rocket launchers.

The report said that the weapons allowed Russian forces to “destroy civilian infrastructure and terrorise populated areas such as Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia.”

The group comprising the US, UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, and South Korea said it had gathered evidence showing North Korea and Russia engaged in “myriad unlawful activities” explicitly prohibited by US sanctions resolutions.

The report came as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky 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.

Farage abortion plans would have ‘catastrophic consequences for women’

Nigel Farage’s plans to restrict access to abortion would have “catastrophic consequences for women”, campaigners have warned.

The Reform UK leader this week said it is “ludicrous we allow abortion up to 24 weeks” and that the law is “totally out of date”.

MPs and charities have hit back, saying there is “no clinical justification” for reducing the time limit and warned against the “imposition of cruel restrictions” on women seeking abortions.

Stella Creasy, a Labour MP campaigning for a human right to safe and legal abortion, said Mr Farage’s comments on abortion were “all part of the Trumpian playbook” – a reference to his close ties to the US president.

Speaking to The Independent after Mr Farage’s speech on Tuesday, Ms Creasy said: “It is not something he has thought deeply about, but somebody has sat him down and said ‘they are killing babies at birth’.

“There is a shed load of cash coming into anti-abortion activism, so everyone who thinks this could never happen in the UK needs to understand they are not coming in saying they are going to stop all abortions, they are saying ‘babies could live at…’ or ‘shouldn’t women see a doctor before they have one’, and it all sounds very reasonable.

“But in reality, it is a way of restricting access.”

The senior backbencher has tabled an amendment to Labour’s Crime and Policing Bill, which would guarantee women the right to safe and legal abortions. She says the change is essential to protect abortion access “from whoever is in power” after the next general election, amid a rise in anti-abortion organising.

Attacking Mr Farage, Ms Creasy said: “All those who want to use women’s bodies as the battleground for the culture wars or think that isn’t happening present a risk to women’s rights because they either bargain them away for votes or fail to act when we can [do something] to protect them.

“The Trumpian playbook is now very much a part of British politics, and one of the losers in that is always equality. What Farage is really doing is trying to get people to talk about why would a woman have an abortion, as if it’s anybody’s business. Because that is about shaming women.”

Tonia Antoniazzi, a Labour MP campaigning for a separate amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill which would decriminalise abortion, said “no woman should have Nigel Farage dictating their reproductive rights”.

Her amendment would ensure vulnerable women in England and Wales are no longer subject to years-long investigations, criminal charges, and custodial sentences for ending their pregnancies.

She told The Independent: “There is absolutely no clinical, ethical or informed basis for reducing the well-established abortion time limit. Nearly 99 per cent of abortions happen prior to 20 weeks, with the vast majority of those happening prior to 10 weeks.

“It is the most vulnerable women and girls that tend to be those more likely to need later abortion care, that is, women with complex foetal anomaly diagnoses, women who have experienced domestic abuse or trafficking and exploitation, and girls under the age of 18.

“Farage would do well to remember that the vast majority of the public support a woman’s right to choose, and one in three women will have an abortion in her lifetime.

“Currently, women are being arrested, from hospital bed to police cell, under outdated and inconsistent abortion law.”

Speaking at a press conference on the issue on Tuesday, Mr Farage said: “I am pro-choice, but I think it’s ludicrous, utterly ludicrous that we can allow abortion up to 24 weeks.

“And yet, if a child is born prematurely at 22 weeks, your local hospital will move heaven and earth and probably succeed in that child surviving and going on and living a normal life. So I believe there is an inconsistency in the law. I believe it is totally out of date.”

He has previously called for parliament to debate implementing stricter time limits on abortion.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), said MPs were entitled to their views on abortion, but “it is wrong to suggest that there is any medical evidence that supports a reduction in the abortion time limit”.

BPAS spokesperson Katherine O’Brien said: “Just last year, leading fetal medicine experts wrote to members of parliament to warn that there is no clinical justification for reducing the time limit based on national outcomes data, and that any such move would have catastrophic consequences for women.”

It is supporting Ms Antoniazzi’s amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, which it says would “reform our archaic legislation” in a “compassionate and considered” way.

Reform UK was asked to comment.

Arsenal in Sesko talks, Liverpool close on Wirtz

Premier League clubs are putting plans in place for the summer transfer window which initially opens for a short window between June 1 and June 10 in the hopes of getting deals done ahead of the Club World Cup.

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 Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz on the wish list for a rumoured £125m as while Jeremie Frimpong is close to a medical ahead of the switch to Anfield to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Arsenal, meanwhile, look to be close to their first addition with Martin Zubimendi set for a medical and Mikel Arteta has seemingly sanctioned talks with RB Leipzig over striker Benjamin Sesko.

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:

‘Special’ Draper and Monfils moment brings the best out of French Open

When Jack Draper and Gael Monfils met at the net at the end of their epic late-night French Open battle, they fell into each other’s arms. They had put on a dazzling show. The thrilling Monfils, ever the entertainer, rose to the challenge and had the home fans pleading for more. With a fifth set beckoning, Draper dug deep. He won the final four games in a row to win a classic, 6-3 4-6 6-3 7-5.

Not bad for your debut on Court Philippe-Chatrier, silencing the raucous crowd just as the 38-year-old Monfils whipped them into a frenzy. “It was special to be a part of tonight,” Draper told TNT Sports. “Massive respect to Gael on and off the court, for what he brings. He makes it so tough. But I was happy with how I competed in a really tough environment.”

It should have gone to a fifth. Monfils came out swinging, repelling Draper at every turn, and then breaking the British No 1. When Monfils saved five break points to lead 5-2, requiring a double bounce off the net-cord to stay ahead, it seemed as if the veteran Frenchman would go fighting late into the night. He had delved deep into the box of tricks, moving superbly, and was in inspired form. “A great night. A great match,” said Monfils.

Monfils is the king of the late-night Chatrier comeback. He had done so in the opening round, recovering from an early injury when he smashed into the advertising hoardings to battle from two sets down and defeat Hugo Dellien. Once again, Monfils looked to be winding back the clock. He had absorbed a lightning start from Draper, the fifth seed, and turned it into a proper contest.

Draper may have been taking to Chatrier for the first time, but the 23-year-old looked comfortable going the distance. He has been a different player since his series of five-set epics at the Australian Open in January, and is growing on confidence on the clay with each passing match. Draper saved two set points on serve at 5-4, finding big serves to stay alive. It was clutch and he stayed cool.

“5-3, 30-Love. Every point was hard,” Monfils said. “I was really returning the balls very well. He really played his game well. Honestly, I couldn’t do a lot. I played my forehand down the line. It went out. And he played well after that.”

Draper admitted his brain had been “fried” earlier on, as Monfils turned the match around by mixing up his game and producing a variety that had Draper’s head spinning. “What an experience, what a battle against someone I admire as a tennis player,” he said. “Off the court, the guy is so nice. He’s a joker, he’s a magician, I hope he makes it back here one more time.”

Monfils was beginning to limp as Draper levelled the fourth set. He sensed his moment to strike and his heavy top-spin forehand found its mark to get over the line. Afterwards, the Frenchman was just as effusive in his praise of his opponent. “I love this player. I love the way he plays,” Monfils said.

Up next for Draper? The 18-year-old Joao Fonseca, Brazil’s rising star. Both players will be looking to reach the fourth round of the French Open for the first time.

There is already guaranteed to be one British player in the last-16, with Cameron Norrie and Jacob Fearnley through to play each other. Norrie defeated the Argentine lucky loser Federico Agustin Gomez in straight-sets, while Fearnley, who is making his Roland Garros debut, advanced when Frenchman Ugo Humbert retired injured while trailing 6-4 4-4.

Humbert, the 22nd seed, went over his right ankle as he ran sideways behind the baseline. He immediately held his right calf went off the court for treatment. Humbert attempted to play on but immediately lost his serve before walking to the net to shake hands. “Obviously happy to be in the third round. But definitely not the way I would have wanted to do it,” Fearnley said.

A reward for either Norrie or Fearnley could be a last-16 clash with Novak Djokovic, who will next play qualifier Filip Misolic. Djokovic defeated Frenchman Corentin Moutet in straight-sets, while there were also victories for Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner, who retired the 38-year-old Richard Gasquet with a 6-3 6-0 6-4 on the Frenchman’s final Roland Garros appearance.

There were defeats for second-round Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal. Boulter suffered a heavy defeat to Madison Keys, the Australian Open champion, going down 6-1 6-3 on Chatrier while Kartal was beaten 6-1 6-4 by Marie Bouzkova. Second seed Coco Gauff, third seed Jessica Pegula and sixth seed Mirra Andreeva all enjoyed wins in straight-sets.

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.”

Lawyers say Tate brothers will return to UK to face charges

Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate will return to Britain to defend themselves against charges including rape and trafficking, lawyers for the brothers say.

Andrew Tate, 38, faces 10 charges relating to three women that include rape, actual bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain, prosecutors said.

Tristan Tate, 36, faces 11 charges relating to one woman that include rape, human trafficking and actual bodily harm.

Romanian courts have issued an order to extradite the two to the UK once their court case is concluded there, British prosecutors said. The pair moved to Romania in 2016.

Lawyers claimed the brothers are at a disadvantage because British prosecutors have not shared any information with them about the charges.

“These are historic allegations and our clients are not even being told who the supposed victims are,” the Holborn Adams law firm said in a statement. “This … demonstrates a different approach on the basis of the profile of our clients.”

British prosecutors authorised charges in January last year against the brothers, who are dual US and British citizens, but the Crown Prosecution Service has only just announced the charges.

Bedfordshire Police issued an international arrest warrant. The Tates “unequivocally deny” the allegations, which date from 2012 to 2015.

The Holborn Adams law firm added that the Tates would return to the UK when their cases in Romania concluded, and that they would be aggressively defended.

The former kickboxers have millions of followers on social media. Andrew Tate has drawn a larger following with self-confessed misogyny.