Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 2 Jun 2019

Michael Gove has told ministers he is prepared to delay Brexit
until late 2020 rather than leave without a deal on October 31.
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson’s plan for a dream team alliance looks set
to fail as Amber Rudd prepares to support Matt Hancock and then
Michael Gove in the Tory leadership battle. Another hopeful, Sajid
Javid, says he is prepared to scrap the top rate of income tax.

China’s defence minister has said conflict or war with the US
would be a disaster. Wei Fenghe slammed Washington for its support
for self-ruled Taiwan and for naval operations in the disputed
South China Sea saying that China would “fight to the end” if
anyone tried to split China from Taiwan, which Beijing considers a
sacred territory to be taken by force if necessary.

Britain should walk away from the EU without a deal if it cannot
secure the terms it wants, says Donald Trump. The US President also
suggests that the UK should include Brexit Party leader Nigel
Farage in talks with the EU. Trump describes Farage as “a very
smart person”. He said Britain should not pay the Brexit “divorce
bill”.

Austerity cuts are to blame for 130,000 preventable UK deaths,
according to a study by the Institute for Public Policy Research.
The report argues that after two decades in which preventable
diseases were reduced through spending, there has been a seven-year
“perfect storm” in which state provision has been slashed, leading
to a rise in deaths.

A “viable” bomb has been found underneath a police officer’s car
in Belfast. Police say the bomb was “clearly intended to kill the
police officer”, and that it was “very fortunate” it did not
explode. A spokesman says it is believed that “violent dissident
republicans” were responsible, and called the incident an “attack
on our democracy”.

Russia could be banned from the 2020 Olympics over doping
allegations. It is claimed that a leading athletics officials
oversaw the cover-up of a doping offence by a high jumper who had
been tipped to win gold at the Games. The revelation is a blow to
efforts by Vladimir Putin to persuade the world to allow his
country back into international competition.

Nigel Farage says that if Brexit is not delivered by October 31
“a political revolution is coming”. He vows that his Brexit Party
will “smash the two-party system”. The Brexit party has topped an
opinion poll with 26% of the vote. Labour came in second place on
22%. The Tories were third on 17%.

At least three people from the UK are among a group of eight
climbers who have gone missing in the Himalayas after an avalanche.
The climbers failed to return to base camp after their attempt to
reach the summit of Nanda Devi, India’s second-highest mountain.
“We always have hope, but to be practical, we have to be prepared
for bad news,” said the Indian Mountaineering Foundation.

The president of the Philippines says that was “cured” of being
gay by beautiful women. Speaking to members of the Filipino
community in Tokyo, Rodrigo Duterte said he “became a man again”
after meeting his first wife Elizabeth Zimmerman. He closed
the speech by inviting several women up on stage to kiss him,
as long as they were not “married or a minor”.

Liverpool won the Champions League for the sixth time with
victory over Tottenham in Madrid. Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi
were both on the score-sheet in the 2-0 victory. “It was an intense
season with the most beautiful finish I ever could have imagined,”
said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. Tottenham boss Mauricio
Pochettino says he hopes to reach the final “again as soon as
possible”.