Top story: Sherpas smooth way to summit
Good morning. I’m Martin Farrer and here’s the news to start the week.
With the train wreck that was the G7 summit still dominating discussion in western capitals, the US president will put his diplomatic skills to the test again when he meets Kim Jong-un in Singapore tomorrow. As the US president tweeted that it was “great to be in Singapore” and that there was “excitement in the air”, preparations for the historic summit were in full swing in the Asian city state. Officials or so-called sherpas from each side were in talks aimed at narrowing differences before their leaders come face to face to discuss a possible denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. Questions remain over what denuclearisation might entail but North Korea’s state-run news agency said the two sides would exchange “wide-ranging and profound views” to re-set relations and heralded the summit as part of a “changed era”. Here’s our guide to everything you need to know about the summit and you can also read about how Kim’s bodyguards have been trying to prevent snoopers trying to catch a glimpse of the supreme leader. For some light relief, there’s also news of the Fox TV host who apologised after referring to Trump and Kim as the “two dictators”.
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Banks under scrutiny – Pressure is mounting on the pro-Brexit businessman Arron Banks to explain his connections to Russia after leaked emails revealed he had met the Kremlin’s ambassador to the UK three times, rather than once as he had previously said. Banks, who was the biggest single donor to the Leave campaign in the 2016 referendum, will face a postponed hearing before the Commons digital, culture, media and sport select committee, which is investigating “fake news”. But the Labour MP Stephen Kinnock said Banks should face a criminal investigation “based on an in-depth forensic look into the Kremlin connection”, while the Conservative chairman of the committee, Damian Collins, said he wanted to establish whether Banks profited from his Russian links. For his part, Banks denies any “Russian espionage” and has promised to take a hostile approach at his interrogation tomorrow.
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Green warning – Springwatch presenter Chris Packham has warned that we are presiding over “an ecological apocalypse” and Britain is increasingly “a green and unpleasant land”. The naturalist has urging people to join a 10-day “bioblitz” next month which will aim to record what wildlife remains – from butterflies to bryophytes, linnets to lichens – in Britain’s highways and byways.
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Fat chance – Scientists in America claim to have found a breakthrough in treating obesity which involves converting “bad” white fat into “good” brown fat tissue that burns calories far more rapidly. The radical approach has so far only been tested in human cells and in mice, but if the technique is shown to work in human trials it could prove to be an effective treatment for diabetes and obesity. Researchers at NYU Winthrop hospital in New York say the idea of harnessing “energy hungry” brown fat could bypass the use of weight control drugs, which can have harmful side-effects, and of invasive bariatric surgery, which can be risky and limited in its effectiveness.
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Safe haven – The mayor of Palermo has defied Italy’s newly installed populist government by opening the city’s port to a private rescue ship carrying 629 migrants picked up from people-smuggling vessels in the Mediterranean. The country’s hardline interior minister, Matteo Salvini, vowed on Sunday that all Italian ports would be closed to the Aquarius, but Leoluca Orlando decided to give the safe haven after Malta also refused to allow the ship to dock. He said Sicily had “always welcomed rescue boats and vessels who saved lives at sea. We will not stop now”.
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Patient practice – Medical examiners will investigate patient deaths in the NHS in an effort to improve safety and protect staff from being prosecuted. Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, is introducing the changes after the case of Hadiza Bawa-Garba, a trainee paediatrician who was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter and struck off following the death of a child in her care, Jack Adcock. Doctors rallied to her defence and said understaffing rather than incompetence was to blame for the tragedy.
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Long hot summer? – World peace may be in the balance in Singapore this week and Britain is facing an environmental apocalypse, but the good news is that we can look forward to a hotter-than-average summer. After a record-breaking May, forecasters expect the good weather to continue over the next three months. The next week or so could be a bit rainy, they say, but after that things will clear up with a greater likelihood of above-average temperatures in June, July and August than below-average ones. There’s already a mini-gardening boom thanks to the warm May weather and barbecues are at the ready for the World Cup starting on Thursday. What can possibly go wrong?
Lunchtime read: How to read the beautiful game
Talking of the World Cup, to get into the mood our former chief sports writer Richard Williams has chosen his five favourite books about the sport that will dominate the next month (whether you’re a fan or not). First up is Brian Glanville’s decades-old The Story of the World Cup, which you can use to swot up on facts and figures to impress your friends and, by contrast, 2006 winner Andrea Pirlo’s indiscreet memoir, I Think Therefore I Play. I won’t spoil it by revealing the rest of Richard’s picks, but they involve certain galácticos and an Irish journeyman.
Business
Sir Martin Sorrell, the former head of advertising giant WPP, has denied reports that he used corporate funds to pay for a sex worker. He left the company he founded earlier this year amid allegations of personal misconduct. Trouble also at Rolls-Royce, which is set to announce more than 4,000 job losses this week to reduce layers of management.
Shares in London are expected to edge upwards at the open this morning after positive sessions on Asian markets overnight. The pound is buying $1.341 and €1.136
The papers
The FT and the Times lead on the G7 aftermath. “Trump lashes out at G7 leaders and leaves the west in disarray”, is the former’s interpretation while the latter has “Trump ‘stabbed in back’ by G7”. The Guardian also has that story on the front, but leads with revelations about Arron Banks: “MPs call for police inquiry into Brexit donor’s Kremlin links”.
Elsewhere it’s more of a mixed bag. “Force social media firms to protect children,” says the Telegraph, with a story about how social media and online gaming companies should do more to stop ill health and addictive behaviour. The Sun calls the air force a “Flight bunch of RAF idiots” because of their story that planes are protected by a “flimsy” picket fence. The Mail leads with “Sanctuary for Afghan heroes”, celebrating its campaign for wartime interpreters and the Express is trumpeting a “Wonder stem cell cure for heart failure”.
For more news: www.theguardian.com
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