Latest News from South Wales Guardian
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- Politics
- South Wales Guardian
US and allies accuse North Korea and Russia of violating UN sanctions
They made the accusations in their first report since joining forces to monitor sanctions against North Korea after Russia vetoed a resolution in March 2024 to continue the monitoring by a UN Security Council panel of experts. It had been issuing reports of Pyongyang's sanctions violations since 2010. The 29-page report produced by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team — comprised of the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea and the United Kingdom — said the evidence it gathered demonstrates that North Korea and Russia have engaged in 'myriad unlawful activities' explicitly prohibited by UN sanctions resolutions. It said North Korea has transferred arms and related materiel by sea, air and rail, including artillery, ballistic missiles and combat vehicles, for Russia's use in the war in Ukraine. Russia has transferred air defence systems to North Korea, and its forces trained the North's troops deployed to support Russia's war, the team said. And Moscow also has supplied refined petroleum products to Pyongyang in far excess of the yearly cap under UN sanctions, and has maintained corresponding banking relations with the North in violation of sanctions. The 11 countries said this unlawful cooperation has 'contributed to Moscow's ability to increase its missile attacks against Ukrainian cities, including targeted strikes against critical civilian infrastructure.' The cooperation has also provided resources for North Korea to fund its military and banned ballistic missile programmes, and it has allowed the more than 11,000 troops Pyongyang has deployed to Russia since October 2024 to gain first-hand military experience, the team said. There was no immediate response from the Russian Mission to the United Nations to a request for comment on the report. The report covers the period between January 1, 2024, and April 30, 2025, and points to evidence that Russia and North Korea intend to further deepen their military cooperation for at least the foreseeable future. It cites an unnamed country in the team reporting that Russian-flagged cargo vessels delivered as many as 9 million rounds of ammunition for artillery and multiple rocket launchers from North Korea to Russia in 2024. The report includes images of containers, which the team says were from North Korean and Russian ports and an ammunition dump in Russia. Citing an unnamed team member, the report says North Korea last year transferred at least 100 ballistic missiles to Russia, which were launched into Ukraine 'to destroy civilian infrastructure and terrorise populated areas such as Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia.' It also transferred 'elements of three brigade sets of heavy artillery,' the report said. It includes images of a North Korean 170mm self-propelled gun that it said was being transported through Russia, and North Korean multiple rocket launcher ammunition and an anti-tank missile, which it said were found in Ukraine. The team said in a joint statement that it will continue to monitor implementation of UN resolutions 'and raise awareness of ongoing attempts to violate and evade UN sanctions'. It urged North Korea 'to engage in meaningful diplomacy'. The Security Council imposed sanctions after North Korea's first nuclear test explosion in 2006 and tightened them over the years in a total of 10 resolutions seeking, so far unsuccessfully, to cut funds and curb its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes The last sanctions resolution was adopted by the council in December 2017. China and Russia vetoed a US-sponsored resolution in May 2022 that would have imposed new sanctions over a spate of intercontinental ballistic missile launches, and have blocked all other UN action against North Korea.
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Luke Humphries beats Luke Littler in Premier League final to claim Triple Crown
Humphries edged out the teenage star 11-8 at London's O2 Arena to win the tournament for the first time. He joins Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson in completing the set of the three biggest competitions in the sport, having already won the World Championship and the World Matchplay. LUKE HUMPHRIES IS THE 2025 @BetMGMUK PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPION 🏆 The world number one secures his first Premier League title, beating Luke Littler 11-8! Incredible from Humphries over 17 weeks 👏 — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 29, 2025 The 30-year-old cemented his position as one of the greats and his enduring rivalry with Littler is carrying the sport. These two are streets ahead of the rest of the field and this was their 24th meeting in 18 months, with nine of them coming in this season's Premier League alone. Littler threw a nine-darter on his way to glory over Humphries in 2024, but the teenager failed in his attempt to follow Taylor and Van Gerwen in defending the Premier League crown as Humphries gained revenge. The 18-year-old needed a trademark golden spell to beat Gerwyn Price in the semi-final, winning six out of seven legs, while Humphries saw off Nathan Aspinall. But it was Humphries' golden spell that decided the final as he won four legs in a row to turn a 5-3 deficit into a 7-5 lead and he never relinquished it. 'Honestly, that one means the world to me,' he said. 'That was the one I was missing. That was the one I wanted. I've done it now, if I don't win another ever title, I'm happy because I have done the three hardest ones to do. 'I've joined the elusive, group of Gary, Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen.' Littler dominated the league phase of the second biggest tournament in the sport, with six nightly wins and a record 45 points, but fell just short at the end. Littler said: 'I had a little bit of a thing after the game like I do, nobody likes losing. I'm fine, it's been a tough 17 weeks. I am happy it's over. I'll be back next year. 'I have set many records, I don't think they will be broken (by somebody else) because I am going to come back and try and break my own records.'
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Cameron Norrie eases past Federico Gomez to reach French Open third round
The British number three made hard work of the first set against Argentinian powerhouse Gomez, but eventually cantered over the line 7-6 (7) 6-2 6-1. He will face Edinburgh-born Jacob Fearnley, who before this year had never played a professional match on clay, for a place in round four. Gomez was appearing in his first grand slam main draw aged 28 and as a lucky loser having been beaten in the final round of qualifying. ALLEZ NORRIE 💪 — LTA (@the_LTA) May 29, 2025 Built more like a Pumas prop-forward than a tennis player, the world number 144 was like a human wrecking ball at the back of a cramped Court 13. At one stage Gomez narrowly avoiding barging into a line judge, tripped over an advertising board and still won the point. Norrie needed seven set points to take the first set but it knocked the stuffing out of Gomez, who won just three more games and was limping by the end of the two hour 14-minute encounter. Norrie, who shocked 11th seed Daniil Medvedev in the first round, said: 'It was a completely different kind of a match today – different emotions going into the match being the favourite. 'I played a very steady kind of six, seven out of 10 for the whole time.' Fearnley was a set up on Ugo Humbert, but a break down at 3-4 in the second, when the Frenchman turned his ankle in a nasty fall on the baseline and was forced to retire from the match. Saturday's showdown will be the first time two Brits, male or female, have met after the first round at Roland Garros in the Open era. It will also be a meeting between two players who took similar paths into the sport having attended the Texas Christian University, albeit a few years apart. Jacob Fearnley is through to the third round at @rolandgarros after Ugo Humbert retires at 6-3, 4-4 Hopefully Ugo is back on court soon #BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 | #RolandGarros — LTA (@the_LTA) May 29, 2025 'I know Cam very well,' said Fearnley. 'I respect his game. He's someone that I looked up to as a British tennis player, and as a 'Horned Frog' (TCU mascot). 'Yeah, it will be interesting. I'm excited. It feels a little bit different than the last couple matches just purely because I'm playing another Brit. I haven't really played another Brit at this level. 'It's good for the British fans to have a guaranteed Brit in the fourth round. It's pretty cool.'
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- Health
- South Wales Guardian
Parent intuition ‘can predict serious illness' in children
It comes after the tragic case of Martha Mills, who died after her parents repeatedly raised concerns about her deterioration while in hospital. Martha died in 2021 aged 13 after developing sepsis following a pancreatic injury when she fell off her bike. Her mother, Merope Mills, and her husband, Paul Laity, sounded the alarm about their daughter's health a number of times, but their concerns were brushed aside. A coroner ruled she would most likely have survived if doctors had identified the warning signs of her rapidly deteriorating condition and transferred her to intensive care earlier. For the new study, experts from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, analysed data on almost 190,000 emergency hospital visits for children in Melbourne. Parents or caregivers were routinely asked: 'Are you worried your child is getting worse?' In some 4.7% of cases parents said they were concerned their child was deteriorating. The research team found that caregiver concern was 'significantly' linked to the child being admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) – when parents raised concerns, children were four times more likely to need ICU care, compared with children of parents who were not concerned. Researchers also found that prenatal concern was associated with a higher likelihood the child would need to be given help to breathe, or mechanical ventilation. And they found that parental concern was more strongly associated with ICU admission than abnormal vital signs were – including abnormal heart rate, abnormal breathing or blood pressure. 'Caregiver concern was more strongly associated with ICU admission than any abnormal vital sign,' they wrote in the journal Lancet Child and Adolescent Health. There were 1,900 cases where parental concern was documented along with the timing of abnormal vital signs. The research team noted that in almost one in five cases (19.3%) parents raised concerns about deterioration before vital signs indicated that the child was deteriorating. This could mean that taking parents' views into account could lead to earlier treatment, they added. Overall, they found that children of caregivers who voiced concerns were 'more unwell, they were more likely to be admitted to an inpatient ward, and stayed in hospital almost three times as long.' One of the lead authors of the paper, Dr Erin Mills, from Monash University's School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, said: 'We know that parents are the experts in their children, but stories of parents not being heard, followed by devastating outcomes, are all too common. We wanted to change that.' She added: 'We wanted to test whether parent input could help us identify deterioration earlier – and it can. 'If a parent said they were worried, their child was around four times more likely to require intensive care. That's a signal we can't afford to ignore. 'Parents are not visitors – they are part of the care team. We want every hospital to recognise that and give parents permission, and power, to speak up.' As a result of Martha's death, Martha's Rule is being piloted in NHS hospitals, which gives patients and their loved ones the right to a second medical opinion. In March the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee was told that thousands of patients or their loved ones have sought a second opinion about their NHS care under the initiative. And more than 100 patients have been taken to intensive care 'or equivalent' as a result.
South Wales Guardian
3 hours ago
- General
- South Wales Guardian
Kent landscape that inspired Dickens declared nature reserve
Natural England, which advises the Government on the environment, announced the creation of the North Kent Woods and Downs national nature reserve on Friday. This means the 800-acre landscape has been marked out as an area of focus for conservation and nature restoration efforts. The mosaic of different habitats is home to key species including Man and Lady orchids, the Maidstone mining bee, Hazel dormouse and skylarks, around 1,700 ancient and veteran trees, and the Silverhand Estate – one of the UK's largest organic vineyards. Dickens, who lived in different areas of north Kent during his life in the 19th Century, drew inspiration from the landscape in his writings. The nature reserve designation also aims to boost the local economy, tourism and access to nature for around 400,000 people who live within five miles of the reserve and an estimated eight million who live within an hour's drive away. The ancient woodlands have maintained tree cover since the Tudor era, when Henry VIII was said to have given Kent the nickname 'Garden of England'. Natural England's partners, which include the National Trust, Woodland Trust and Kent County Council, will be working to support conservation efforts beyond the boundary of the reserve to create a joined-up approach to nature recovery for a further 1,100 hectares in the surrounding area. Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England said: 'Creating bigger, better and more joined-up natural areas is one of the most vital and fundamental steps we must take in meeting our national targets for Nature's recovery. 'This new reserve, with its hundreds of ancient trees set amid extensive chalk grasslands, lays the foundations for multiple partners to work together to improve Nature across a significant area of countryside.' The reserve comes as the eighth in the King's Series – a programme to establish 25 large-scale national nature reserves across England by 2027 in celebration of Charles' coronation. Nature minister Mary Creagh said: 'This new National Nature reserve will give people the opportunity to explore Kent's magical landscapes from wildflower meadows to ancient woodlands. 'Reserves like this one, and others in the King's Coronation Series, will deliver on our promise to improve access to nature and protect nature-rich habitats, as well as boosting the local economy in line with our Plan for Change.' Nick Johannsen, national landscape director at Kent Downs National Landscape, said: 'The North Kent Woods and Downs National Nature Reserve is especially exciting because of the sheer scale, nearly 20 square kilometres of land managed for nature, people, its beauty and history and for scientific research and so close to the urban centres of Gravesend and the Medway Towns. 'Many partners from the public, private, community and charity sectors are working together here, on some of the very best sites for wildlife in England.' With support from Natural England and Kent Downs National Landscape, the reserve will be managed by a number of partners including the National Trust, Woodland Trust, Kent County Council, Plantlife, Silverhand Estate (Vineyard Farms Ltd) and the West Kent Downs Countryside Trust. Meanwhile, affiliated partners include Gravesham Borough Council, Birling Estate, Shorne Parish Council, Tarmac and Forestry England.
