Top story: White House drops out of race against climate change
Good morning – Warren Murray here to take you through things.
Donald Trump is facing huge criticism at home and abroad after pulling the US out of the Paris agreement on climate change. The US president says it is too harmful to American jobs. Syria and Nicaragua are the only other United Nations members that are not signatories.
Barack Obama, who signed the treaty last year, has condemned Trump’s decision. The previous president says the US will miss out as 190 countries “reap the benefits in jobs and industries” created by embarking on a low-carbon future. Trump has said he is happy to rejoin if the US can get better terms but world leaders say the treaty is non-negotiable.
Overseas allies of the US – including some of the closest, including Australia – have reaffirmed their commitment to the Paris deal. Mayors of US cities including Pittsburgh have said that if Trump won’t lead on this, they will adopt the Paris accord themselves, while the governors of New York, California and Washington have announced a “US Climate Alliance” to pull together states in upholding the agreement. David Suzuki, the veteran Canadian environmentalist, says Trump has just taken a pass on the best deal for the planet, leaving America shackled to fossil fuels when everyone else is moving on.
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Sanders speaks – Bernie Sanders has arrived in the UK, bringing praise for Jeremy Corbyn. The maverick who fought Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination said he was impressed by the Labour leader’s similar grassroots approach. Bound by protocol not to give a formal endorsement, Sanders said: “I don’t think Jeremy Corbyn needs my advice. Nor do the people of the UK need my advice on who to vote for. I think they understand.”
Corbyn has, meanwhile, rejected any formal coalition if the party wins enough seats to attempt a minority government. Smaller parties choosing not to vote with Labour in the Commons would have to explain to constituents “why we have a Tory government instead”, he said. Theresa May has returned to the hustings with some softened alliteration – not “strong and stable” this time, but a “Brexit deal for a bright future” – and promised to cut immigration to the tens of thousands by the end of the next parliament.
There’s more election news in the Snap. You can get it daily – read to the bottom for details.
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Manila casino attack – It appears dozens of people have died after a gunman stormed a resort in the Philippine capital and started a fire. Of the estimated 34 dead at time of writing, many were suffocated by smoke and fumes, reports said. Hours after the initial drama, officers searching the still-smouldering Resorts World Manila complex apparently came under fire from the man, who eventually lay down on a bed and burned himself to death. Officials said it was a botched robbery attempt.
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Shame on the touts – Resellers and “opportunists” have tried to snatch away more than 10,000 free concert tickets that were intended for people affected by the Manchester Arena bombing. The One Love show at Old Trafford this weekend is being headlined by Ariana Grande, and more than 14,000 people who attended her original gig are eligible for tickets. But Ticketmaster struggled with the process of verifying their identities. And police have released more pictures taken on CCTV of Salman Abedi before the concert atrocity as they try to piece together his final movements.
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World’s biggest plane – The Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen has unveiled the Stratolaunch, a six-engined sprawling monster of a jet plane that is designed to launch satellites into orbit.
The Stratolaunch – in very crude terms, the parts from two Boeing 747s lashed together under a custom skin – is designed to carry a payload and rocket of up to 250 tonnes to high altitude, before uncoupling and letting the rocket do the rest. The approach can save fuel compared with launching a rocket from the ground.
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Ripple of excitement – Scientists say they have detected another “gravity wave” from the collision of two black holes. Astronomers hope to use the disturbances in the fabric of spacetime to detect cosmic events not visible with optical or radio telescopes. This emerging sphere of astronomy also offers clues about how black holes behave, and the nature of the “dark matter” that we know is out there but can’t see.
Lunchtime read: Meet the red squirrel resistance
The marauding grey squirrel may have met its match in a band of volunteers ready to use extreme prejudice in the battle to save Britain’s native reds. Former gymnast Julie Bailey is one such trooper, kitted out with camouflage clothing and an air rifle with telescopic sights to take down the disease-spreading, out-competing interlopers.
But it’s not just a bloodthirsty pastime. At the squirrel sniper’s home in the Lake District, Patrick Barkham finds out that her quarry end up neatly butchered and packed in the freezer, to become curry or stew – “Not everyone’s cup of tea, but very healthy meat” – while she’s saving the pelts to make a waistcoat. Be afraid, grey squirrels, be very afraid …
Sport
Golden State Warriors pretty much smashed the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-91 in game one of the NBA finals overnight. Elsewhere Lyon became women’s champions of Europe for the fourth time after beating PSG in a sudden-death penalty shootout to successfully defend their title. The men’s final on Saturday pits Juventus against Real Madrid. Here we examine how the Italian squad was assembled into a formidable force.
In sailing Sir Ben Ainslie has secured a play-off place in the America’s Cup. And it’s hotting up in New Zealand with the first match of the Lions tour due to get under way. Warren Gatland says he believes his side has the “X-factor” to stun the All Blacks and win a Test series in New Zealand for only the second time in history. Robert Kitson assesses whether the Lions really are strong enough to do it.
Business
Asian stock markets have rallied – Tokyo jumped to the highest level in nearly two years – with investor sentiment boosted after payroll processor ADP said the US added 253,000 jobs in May. Wall Street closed at record highs on Thursday.
In South Korea the central bank said Asia’s fourth-largest economy expanded 1.1% during the first quarter, with exports and the construction sector leading the recovery. The pound traded at $1.288 and €1.147 overnight.
The papers
Is there a mild sense of panic over the election creeping into certain quarters of the press? It has that feel today, with several mastheads doing Theresa May’s work for her after she failed to appear in a TV debate with Jeremy Corbyn and opinion polls showed Labour narrowing the gap.
The Mail leads with “Corbyn’s sly death tax trap”, saying Conservative figures show he would make 1.2m more homes subject to inheritance tax. The Sun says Corbyn’s “magic money tree” to finance his policies would cost families £3,500 each a year. Labour “will use SNP” to get power, says the Times, suggesting Corbyn has offered the Scottish nationalists a de facto coalition. The Telegraph has an odd pick – it reckons the Labour vote is being boosted by “fake web accounts” using social media bots to “pump out positive messages about Jeremy Corbyn”.
“May embraces promise of Brexit”, says the FT, as the PM tries to return to her core message that she will get a better deal than Corbyn. “Rivals clash over Brexit”, says the i, as May argues only she can create a “great trading nation” outside the EU, while Corbyn promises to let EU nationals stay and retain tariff-free trade with Europe. The Guardian splashes with Trump pulling the US out of the Paris agreement on climate change.
The Snap
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