North Korea makes first admission it sent troops to fight for Russia

North Korea confirmed for the first time on Monday that it has sent troops to fight for Russia in the war with Ukraine under the order of dictactor Kim Jong Un.

As Kyiv claims its soldiers continue to cling to parts of Kursk following a Russian counter-offence involving North Korean troops, KCNA state news agency cited the North’s ruling party as saying its contribution showed the “highest strategic level of the firm militant friendship”.

The admission comes as top US diplomat Marco Rubio warned the Trump administration would walk away from brokering peace talks if there was no realistic prospect of a deal in sight.

“We cannot continue to dedicate time and resources to this effort if it is not going to come to fruition,” the Secretary of State told NBC News.

“The last week has really been about figuring out how close are these sides really, and are they close enough that this merits a continued investment of our time as a mediator.”

His comments closely follow US president Donald Trump turning on Russian president Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s continued bombing of Ukrainian civilians.

“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days. It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war,” Trump posted on his social media platform on Saturday, soon after meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr on the sidelines of Pope Francis’s Vatican funeral.

Russia said last week Ukrainian forces had been expelled from the last Russian village they had been holding, although Kyiv denied the claim and said their troops were still operating in Belgorod, another Russian region bordering Ukraine.

The Central Military Commission of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party said leader Kim Jong Un made the decision to deploy troops under the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty he signed with Putin last year.

“Under the order of the head of state, the sub-units of the armed forces of the Republic regarded the territory of Russia as the one of their country and proved the firm alliance between the two countries,” KCNA cited the Commission as saying.

“They who fought for justice are all heroes and representatives of the honour of the motherland,” KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

North Korea sent an estimated total of 14,000 troops, including 3,000 reinforcements to replace its losses, Ukrainian officials have said. Lacking armoured vehicles and drone warfare experience, they took heavy casualties but adapted quickly.

Russia also confirmed on Saturday for the first time that North Korean soldiers have been fighting alongside Russians in Kursk.

Neither Russia nor North Korea had previously either confirmed or denied the deployment.

Queen’s reading charity partners with British Neuroscience Association

The Queen’s Reading Room has partnered with the British Neuroscience Association (BNA) to highlight the ways in which books can play a key role in brain health.

Camilla’s charity is striving to promote the scientifically proven links between reading and wellbeing, such as an almost 20 per cent reduction in stress and sharpened cognitive focus.

The charity will host a series of events at the BNA’s upcoming Festival of Neuroscience as part of the partnership to boost awareness of how reading can influence not only the way we feel, but also the way we think, speak and sleep.

One session will feature Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology Barbara Sahakian, who described reading as “exercise for the brain”.

“Reading is incredibly good for the brain,” she told The Independent, explaining that neural networks can be strengthened and improved by reading.

“It not only helps with your brain health, but your cognitive abilities also, because in reading, you’re working your memory as you can’t follow a plot if you’re not remembering things.

“You’re stretching your creativity and imagination and also, it just makes you feel good.

“It’s kind of a bit like exercises and as an all-rounder. It’s good for your brain, it’s good for your cognition, it’s good for your mood, it’s good for your wellbeing.”

Explaining why reading can reduce stress so effectively, Professor Sahakian said: “Part of [treating] stress is relaxation techniques, but the other thing is to take your mind away from what you’re dwelling on, as people tend to ruminate on it.

“Reading takes you into a different world in another place so that you’re very quickly immersed in something else and you’re not thinking about all these things that have been stressing you out.”

She added: “It’s good for wellbeing as well as reducing feelings of loneliness, as it’s been shown that you can develop empathy and an understanding of other people’s perspectives through reading.”

Professor Sahakian also explained the benefits of reading for children at a young age.

Referring to a study comparing the development of children who began reading at different stages of life, she said: “What it showed was that when they became adolescents, the children who had started reading early had better brain structure and better cognition.”

They also had better school attainment, fewer mental health symptoms and slept better.

“Having children read early in life is a small thing we can do for people but has a major impact on adolescence,” she said.

The partnership comes after studies carried out by The Queen’s Reading Room last year found just five minutes of reading can reduce stress by 19 per cent and improve cognitive focus by 11 per cent.

The research also showed reading can help people feel more connected to others and empathetic.

The study – which used brain scans, skin conductance tests and a nationally representative study developed by neuroscientists – also found that reading earlier in the day can help readers feel ready to tackle challenges.

The conference in Liverpool will also include a Queen’s Reading Room pop-up, where delegates can take a reading break. The books will then be donated to a local charity, The Brain Food Cafe, a wellness initiative supporting people with neurological conditions.

Camilla launched The Reading Room on Instagram in January 2021 as the Duchess of Cornwall before the project was relaunched as charity The Queen’s Reading Room in February 2023.

Chief executive of The Queen’s Reading Room, Vicki Perrin, said: “The Queen’s Reading Room is privileged to be partnering with The British Neuroscience Association on this landmark event in the scientific calendar.

“As a charity, we are passionate about promoting the health and wellbeing benefits associated with reading, and look forward to bringing neuroscience and literature closer together through a very special public lecture and plenary session which will highlight the transformative power of books.”

London Marathon disrupted by protesters throwing power paint

The London Marathon was disrupted by a pro-Palestine protest as activists threw red paint on Tower Bridge.

Two protesters from the group Youth Demand jumped into the path of the men’s elite race and threw red powder paint across the road, calling for a trade embargo on Israel.

The incident occurred around 10.35am on Sunday morning, with the activists jumping barriers before scattering the paint.

Images shared by the group show the pair standing on the road wearing t-shirts emblazoned with “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel”. City of London police swiftly arrested the individuals.

Youth Demand identified the protesters as 18-year-old Willow Holland from Bristol and Cristy North, a live-in carer from Nottingham.

In a statement released by the group, Holland explained her actions: “I am taking action with Youth Demand because I have run out of other options: thousands are being killed in Gaza, our government is making no effort to stop it and no other course of action, marches or rallies, has worked.

“I refuse to be complicit in a genocide funded by our politicians.”

Youth Action said the demonstration came after the UN’s World Food Programme announced its food stocks in Gaza have been completely “depleted” by Israel’s blockade.

According to the group, Ms North said: “I’m taking action today at the London marathon because the people in Palestine are running out of time.

“We have tried all other avenues to get the government to stop arming Israel and yet our government is still enabling a genocide.

“They are making the UK people complicit in breaking UK domestic law by using our taxes to arm a genocidal state, breaking humanitarian international law.”

The BBC TV feed cut to the elite men’s race moments after the leaders had crossed Tower Bridge and there appeared to be no obvious impact on the runners, who passed through unobstructed.

More than 56,000 participants are expected on the 26.2-mile course through the capital on Sunday for the 45th TCS London Marathon.

The London Marathon has been approached for comment.

How Eubank Jr and Benn produced a melodrama worthy of their fathers

It is difficult to know where to begin, but at the end, Chris Eubank Jr sank to his knees as his father stood proudly by his side, while Conor Benn embraced his own father and closed his eyes, perhaps wishing to drift into a dreamworld away from the very real nightmare around him.

Also around him were 67,000 witnesses to his downfall after so many threats, so much snarling, so much aggression – an aggression which simply could not deliver the decisive blow he had craved for years. Yet this was not an emphatic demise; in fact, the 28-year-old had fought valiantly in a boxing match that resembled a theatrical melodrama more than a sporting contest. Instead, his demise played out over 12 rounds, with victory so often appearing within his twitchy grasp.

As violent as Benn was in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and as desperately as he pursued glory, Eubank Jr was just that bit better. At times, the 35-year-old looked gone – just as he had looked mentally absent on the scales on Friday, after a gruelling weight-cut – yet he never truly went away. He seemed spurred on by something inexplicable, something intangible, though if one were to chase a romantic answer, they might fall upon the presence of his father.

At the 11th hour, in a plot twist befitting this eccentric idol, Eubank Sr arrived at the venue with his son, despite publicly criticising this match-up and the weight disparity between Jr and Benn as recently as this week, and despite his alleged estrangement from his offspring.

Thirty-two years after Nigel and Sr rounded out their own bitter rivalry, fighting to a draw three years after Sr beat his fellow Briton, the enemies-turned-friends shared a ring again. This time, each stood behind his son, supporting.

With that final twist, drama was ensured at the end, which was fitting given it had accompanied Jr and Conor’s feud from the start. In 2022, their bout collapsed on a few days’ notice, upon the revelation that Benn had returned two adverse drug-test results. This Friday, Eubank Jr missed weight by 0.05lb and was forced to pay £375,000. A glove row even ensued the night before this contest, and Jr’s old foe Billy Joe Saunders was denied entry to Jr’s locker room as a Benn prank fell flat.

And still the drama was not complete until a grinning Sr stepped out of a car with his son. That scene elicited a raucous response from the crowd, with chatter scattered throughout the stands for minutes thereafter. When the screens showed the Benns watching the Eubanks’s arrival, box-office value was not just achieved but surpassed.

But there was still box-office boxing to come.

In the early going, Eubank Jr – the natural middleweight, despite what his struggles on the scales suggested – looked to exploit his size advantage over Benn, who was fighting two divisions higher than usual. Benn’s movements were pronounced and exaggerated, while Eubank Jr’s were compact and tidy. As the fight wore on, however, one might briefly have read those signs not as examples of each man’s technique, but rather his physical state: Jr seemed somewhat depleted.

The first examples of Benn’s viciousness truly arose in the second round, as he put Eubank Jr off balance with a right hook and later landed a picture-perfect cross. In the third frame, a left hook had Eubank Jr on unsteady legs, before the Britons grappled each other to the canvas. In the fourth, Eubank Jr began to chirp at Benn, before jolting back the younger fighter’s head with a smart rear uppercut.

With Benn talking back in the fifth, the boxers were warned by the referee for their polite conversation. Later in the frame, Benn was down from a slip, before Eubank Jr had the crowd chanting his name after endearing them by shoulder-barging Benn to the ropes and tagging him with a hook on the rebound. The sixth brought a frantic exchange, neither the first nor last, while the seventh saw Eubank Jr snap back Benn’s head with right and left straights as the natural welterweight seemed to be fading.

But then Benn produced his best round. He started well in the eighth, and after gulping down some cold London air, he staggered Eubank Jr with a right hook. Eubank Jr continued to throw but did not have his legs under him. He somehow survived to the buzzer, throwing all the way, and it was at this moment that Sr calmly strolled to the steps and up to his son’s corner.

Whatever he said worked. While Eubank Jr was almost in trouble after sustaining a cut in the ninth, he kept trudging forward like a zombie in the 10th – with spite and in spite of the attacks coming his way – ultimately dazing Benn with an uppercut and right hook. Eubank Jr was throwing with greater and greater volume, which he sustained in the 11th.

There were also intermittent firefights in these rounds, and the final frame began with a willing touch of gloves, a very different picture from the opening of the fight, when the rivals had to be dragged away from each other. Both fighters began landing with their heads as much as their hands in the last round, then the crowd erupted as Benn swayed with his mouth agape, courtesy of the violence that Eubank Jr was conjuring.

After the final bell, Conor Benn and Eubank Sr shared respect in a touching moment, but when the scores were revealed, the only father Conor wanted was his own.

In-ring ecstasy for the Eubanks, heartache for the Benns. Perhaps that was destiny in this unique rivalry, confined to two families and spanning generations.

Pope Francis’s tomb seen for first time in images released by Vatican

The Vatican has released images of Pope Francis’s tomb at the Santa Maria Maggiore church in Rome, where he was laid to rest on Saturday.

Inscribed on the tomb is the papal name of the late pontiff, and a single white rose sitting under a crucifix, with light casting a warm glow over the tomb.

Around 400,000 people attended the funeral, a grand yet solemn ceremony in the Vatican’s St Peter’s Square, with world leaders including Donald Trump, Sir Keir Starmer, Prince William and Volodymyr Zelensky among those watching on.

The casket of Francis, who died on 21 April at the age of 88, was then transported to the Santa Maria Maggiore church where he was buried in a private ceremony in St Mary Major Basilica, becoming the first pontiff to be buried outside the Vatican in more than 120 years.

On Sunday, Roman Catholic faithful began to visit Francis’s tomb, bidding a final farewell to the Argentinian, who was known for his humble approach to the role and for championing the world’s poorest and most needy throughout what was a modernising papacy.

Mourners had queued outside the church since early on Sunday to pay their respects. “Pope Francis for me was an inspiration, a guide,” said Elias Caravalhal, who lives in Rome but had been unable to see the Pope while his body lay in state after his death on Easter Monday.

Francis’s will stipulated a simple burial “in the earth, without particular decoration”, marked only with his papal name in Latin: Franciscus. St Mary Major, around 2.5 miles from the Vatican, was dear to Francis because of his devotion to Mary, Mother of God. He prayed there before setting off on and returning from each overseas trip.

The tomb was opened on the second of nine days of official mourning for Francis, preceding the conclave which will be held to select the next pope. A date has not yet been set for the conclave, but it must begin by May 10, with cardinals due to meet regularly this week as they begin to plan the next steps for the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic Church.

As millions mourned worldwide, yesterday also set the stage for critical geopolitical developments.

Shortly before proceedings began, Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky sat face to face inside St Peter’s Basilica, meeting in person for the first time since the latter was thrown out of the White House by the furious US president in February.

The Ukrainian president described the meeting as potentially historic, after the pair discussed the future of Ukraine.

Posting to X, Mr Zelensky reported a “good meeting” with Mr Trump, adding: “We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out.

“Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results.”

How online schools can help children form friendships as they learn

When thinking about the best education for your child, it’s naturally not just academic success that comes to mind. A good quality school experience is made up of many parts and one key element is the socialising opportunities that school can provide. Socialisation is crucial for building social skills, growing emotional intelligence and helping children form their own individual identity, as well as giving them an additional incentive to attend a place where they have fun and feel part of a community.

While it might be assumed that the social options are reduced when children attend online school, this is not the case. In fact, there are a number of advantages in terms of the structures, support and diverse social opportunities offered to children who join online schools.

Online schools give students the opportunity to form connections with a much more diverse community of students. The online model allows schools to welcome young people from around the world and this gives pupils a chance to make friends with students from differing backgrounds and cultures. Furthermore, this means they can meet more like-minded individuals and form stronger bonds and more meaningful friendships. This access to such a big and vibrant community also ensures that students can really find ‘their people’ and avoids situations where students are stuck in small circles or forced to engage with classmates that don’t share the same interests or passions.

This is something that Grace, who is now in year 13, has experienced since moving to online school. At her previous school, she was struggling with socialisation and felt that she didn’t really have a self-identity. At an online school, she has found she can be more herself. “A lot of people think that online school is about being alone, but I’ve found that without the physical element, I can express myself better,” Grace explains.  Subsequently, the majority of her closest friends are from her online school and many she has met offline too. “I feel like I’ve met my people,” she says.

Isabella, who is in year 10, has also found that her experience of socialising at an online school has suited her much more than previous bricks and mortar schools. With her father’s job meaning the family moves country every three years, she has always previously struggled forming new friendships at the schools she joins. “I’m always the ‘new’ student, and it’s tough,” she says. After experiences with bullying, she found that online school is an environment she can thrive in. “You don’t have to turn on your camera or use your microphones if you’re not feeling comfortable. I’m not really a ‘social’ person, but I have made some friends here because we have these breakout rooms where we can talk to each other,” she adds.

While young people might not be meeting their fellow students physically every day, online schools put in place extensive measures to ensure that socialising is available for those who want to. This can be seen clearly at King’s InterHigh, the UK’s leading global online school which welcomes children aged 7 to 19 from across the world. Here, students join a warm and welcoming community with a huge range of opportunities for socialising. There’s dozens of clubs and societies for students across all year groups, representing a vast range of interests from chess to technology, sculpture to debate. Throughout the yearly student calendar, there are a number of events, showcases, and competitions of all kinds that provide a chance to socialise in different settings. Some happen internally, like the King’s InterHigh Arts Festival, while others allow students to interact with peers from outside their school when attending events like the International Robotics Competition.

Assemblies bring students together on a weekly basis and give them the chance to celebrate each other’s achievements, hear from their Student Council representatives, and find out what’s coming up at school. Each student is also assigned to one of the school’s eight houses and these smaller, tight-knit communities bring students a sense of belonging and camaraderie. Additionally, inter-house competitions are a fun and friendly way for students to engage and bond.

Although much socialising can come as a result of activities organised by the school, students at King’s InterHigh who are aged over 13 can continue building these relationships in a more informal setting thanks to the in-house, monitored, social media platform. Restricted solely to school students, the platform is safe, secure, and monitored to ensure a positive socialising environment for all those who choose to use it.

Online schools don’t just offer opportunities to socialise online but also offer ample opportunities to cement these connections in offline settings. At King’s InterHigh, there are global meet-ups throughout the year which bring together families allowing both children and parents and guardians to connect in real life. Regular educational school trips, from Geography excursions to science practical exams at other Inspired schools (the group of premium schools of which King’s InterHigh is part of) also allow children to socialise and have fun together in different settings.

Meanwhile, the annual summer camps, themed around a variety of interests and passions, including adventure sports, fashion, football, and tennis, are open to students across all Inspired schools and are held at spectacular Inspired campuses worldwide. Furthermore, the Inspired Global Exchange Programme offers a range of school exchange opportunities, lasting from one week to a full academic year.

Choosing where to educate your children is a big decision for any parent or guardian that involves many factors. However, when it comes to the social benefits, for the right child, online schools offer something truly transformative. To find out more about King’s InterHigh and whether it might be the right learning choice for your family, visit King’s InterHigh

Fury as domestic abusers can claim UK’s biggest health scandal payouts

Abusive ex-partners of victims of the UK’s biggest health scandal could be handed thousands of pounds in compensation even if they have a conviction – and the government has admitted it has no power to stop it.

Under new legislation rolled out in March, partners, siblings, children and parents of the 30,000 people infected with HIV or hepatitis C during the 1970s and 80s can apply for Infected Blood Scandal compensation in their own right as an “affected person”.

Campaigner Jackie Britton flagged her concerns to the government that there was nothing to stop domestic abusers applying to claim, which in some cases could see people handed up to £86,000.

She was shocked to be told that while they shared her concerns, there was “no provision” to exclude them due to a loophole in the law. It added it had looked to prevent those with relevant convictions, but could find no practical way of doing so.

Domestic abuse campaigners said they were “alarmed” by the issue, which they said allowed perpetrators opportunity to further exploit their victims.

A letter from the Cabinet Office to Ms Britton, seen by The Independent, confirmed the government’s hands are tied. It read: “The minister for the Cabinet Office shares the concerns that you and others have raised on abusive family members.

“That is not the loving and caring relationship upon which the claim of the affected to compensation is based. The government has considered options for how it could provide IBCA (Infected Blood Scandal Authority) with the ability to take this into account in assessing affected claims.

“Unfortunately it has not found a way of doing this in law.”

The letter continued: “I am afraid there will be no provision to exclude abusive family members in the upcoming regulations.

“The minister has, however, written to the interim chair of the IBCA to emphasise the importance of protecting vulnerable applicants to the compensation service, particularly those who have suffered domestic abuse and other serious harm.

“This includes making sure that claims managers are properly trained to spot the signs of domestic abuse and embedding the necessary procedures to raise safeguarding concerns within the organisation.”

Ms Britton has called for the government to ensure each claim is stringently reviewed. The 62-year-old from Fareham, Hampshire, was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2010 after four decades of ill health, and has been left with liver cirrhosis, which requires regular check-ups.

“Why should they get a free pass to claim thousands under the heading of ‘affected’ when many of them played no positive part in the lives of those that were infected?” she said.

Rachel Buckley, joint managing director at The Family Law Company, said compensation under the scheme would likely be treated in the same way as a personal injury compensation award.

She said even in cases involving domestic abuse, it would be considered “inequitable” to disregard a person’s entitlement to claim.

“Many family law professionals including the Family Law Company agree that there needs to be change and there is growing recognition of the impact of domestic abuse, including coercive control on divorce and finances matters, but the law has yet to fully evolve to reflect this,” she said.

Sophie Francis-Cansfield, Head of Policy at Women’s Aid, said: “Women’s Aid are alarmed to learn that because compensation is viewed as a marital asset, there are circumstances in which perpetrators of domestic abuse are entitled to the funds awarded to their ex-partners.

“This is yet another example of the way in which our society is not set up to support survivors of domestic abuse, despite the fact that one in four women will experience it in their lifetime.

“Instead of having a system that supports survivors of abuse, who have also had to deal with the devastating impact of the blood scandal, we have created one that perpetrators can exploit to inflict further harm.”

A spokesperson for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority said it was recruiting 500 claim managers to support those making claims and all were trained on the safeguarding of vulnerable people and trauma.

“We are working closely with partners such as the National Domestic Violence Helpline and Respect Men to ensure support is in place for anyone who shows signs of abuse or raises a concern to their claim manager,” they added.

A Government spokesperson said it acknowledged the concerns raised and the minister for the Cabinet Office had met victims in this position.

“We are committed to delivering compensation which is why £11.8bn was set aside in the Budget for this purpose. The Infected Blood Compensation Authority is working to deliver compensation as quickly as possible.”

A protest vote is a democratic safety valve: but use it with care

If you live in one of the parts of England that is voting on Thursday, we encourage you, above all, to vote. The Independent does not tell its readers how to vote but, like a benign constitutional monarch, it sometimes encourages and warns. Turnout is usually low for local elections, but voting is important and however you intend to cast your vote we urge you to take part in the democratic process.

The opinion polls suggest that Nigel Farage’s Reform UK will do well. It is poised to win the Runcorn and Helmsby parliamentary by-election, which is also being held on Thursday, and to win the mayoralties of Lincolnshire, Hull and East Yorkshire, and Doncaster. The party is likely to win hundreds of local council seats and may end up in control of some authorities, either by itself or in power-sharing arrangements with others.

Reform’s success will be dismissed by the Labour and Conservative parties as “a protest vote”. Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, was dismissive before a single vote had been cast, saying: “Protest is in the air; protest parties are doing well at the moment.”

Unfortunately for her, if a governing party is unpopular, and the Labour Party undoubtedly is, you would normally expect the official opposition to give voice to that discontent and to benefit accordingly in mid-term elections.

What is unusual is that both the two main traditional parties are unpopular at the same time. The Conservatives have only just been rejected by the voters in the most emphatic terms, and it will take some time before they will be allowed a hearing. What was more surprising, perhaps, was the speed and extent of the disillusionment with the Labour government. Never before has a “landslide” general election victory been obtained on such a low share of the vote; and never before has such a triumph turned so quickly into disappointment.

It is no wonder therefore that Reform will do well, and well enough possibly to eclipse the success of other “protest parties”. The Liberal Democrats, well established in local government and long experienced in harvesting defectors from other parties, are also likely to do well on Thursday. The Green Party and pro-Palestinian independents may also pick up support from disillusioned Labour voters.

None of these should be dismissed as mere “protest” votes, as if they were a temporary, misguided and unserious diversion. Purists will say that it is a mistake to use a vote for a local councillor or regional mayor to express dissatisfaction with government policy on immigration, the cost of living or the NHS. This is to overlook the right of voters to use the system in whatever way they see fit. A so-called protest vote is an important democratic safety valve, a way for citizens to use the electoral machinery to send a message.

But – and this is where The Independent issues a warning – elections are about who holds power. Protest is democratic and necessary, but if it gives you a council run by incompetents, ideologues and conspiracy theorists, you are unlikely to benefit as a resident. Mr Farage’s party ought to be given the chance to prove that its representatives are none of these things, but the record of his previous political vehicles is not promising.

These local elections are about who can be trusted to empty the bins – and it is fortunate indeed for the Labour Party that there are no elections in Birmingham this year – but they are also part of the national political story. Two stories in particular. One is whether Labour can recover from the mess it has made of its first nine months in government. The other is the struggle for the leadership of the opposition, not just the one between Ms Badenoch and Mr Farage, but that between Ms Badenoch and Robert Jenrick, the rival she defeated last year.

Whether you disparage them as protest votes or not, they are votes, and they will help determine our future, locally and nationally. Use them carefully.