Snapchat firm launches Spectacles camera glasses in Europe

Snap Inc, the maker of Snapchat, is doubling down on its camera-enabled sunglasses, making them available across Europe.

The hardware, called Spectacles, will be available online and also in location-hopping vending machines, including at the London Eye.

But this isn't (just) a publicity stunt: technology companies are locked in a fierce battle to own your camera.

Facebook has said it wants an augmented-reality future based on people's cameras.

Google recently unveiled Lens, a technology that turns your camera into a search engine, giving you information about anything you point it at - from buildings and flowers to people.

Pinterest's chief executive has said that "a lot of the future of search is going to be about pictures instead of keywords".

And Apple is said to be developing its own smart glasses.

Snap led the charge here. In its initial public offering filing in February, it said: "Snap Inc is a camera company."

It had already launched Spectacles in September 2016.

Since then, though, the company has had a tough time.

Facebook has been busy copying Snapchat's features into its own apps, including Instagram and Messenger as well as the main Facebook app.

Snap's first earnings report in May was disappointing, posting a $2.2 billion loss for the first quarter; its shares are still trading at less than their IPO price.

In that context, it could have pulled back from Spectacles.

Evan Spiegel, the company's chief executive, has described it as an "experiment"; the company loses money on each pair it sells, according to its IPO filing.

So rolling Spectacles out across Europe is certainly interesting.

There are a couple of things at play.

First, Spectacles encourage you to use Snapchat a lot more.

I've only played with them for a day but (encouraged by the London sun) I've taken way more snaps than usual.

They're actually quite fun and the camera quality is decent.

It's also a lot easier to just hit a button on the side of your glasses to record a video, rather than get your phone out, decide which photo-sharing app you want to use and take a pic.

And that's an important point: Spectacles encourage you to use Snapchat and nothing else.

They are a way of locking in users.

Second, they play to the strengths of Snapchat, which has always been a fun, conversational medium - not one for polished photography.

Image:Spectacles will be available online and in location-hopping vending machines, including at the London Eye

As Spiegel has said: "Pictures are being used for talking.

"So when you see your children taking a zillion photos of things that you would never take a picture of, it's because they're using photographs to talk."

That said, Spectacles cost £129.99.

They aren't aimed at teens - anyway, Snap already has that market cornered.

Spectacles are about broadening its appeal to an older, more affluent demographic.

And that price will come down over time.

But remember, Spectacles are mainly an experiment.

After the valiant disaster that was Google Glass, augmented reality is making a slow comeback.

Spectacles are lower tech than Google Glass, but people might actually wear them.

After that, Snap can start adding more and more features - and gain a beachhead in the Great Camera War.

France, Germany and Italy to President Trump: Paris Climate Agreement Can't Be Renegotiated

The leaders of France, Germany and Italy say the Paris climate accord cannot be renegotiated as President Donald Trump has demanded.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni said in a joint statement Thursday that they take note "with regret" the U.S. decision to pull out of the 2015 agreement.

The three leaders say they regard the accord as "a cornerstone in the cooperation between our countries, for effectively and timely tackling climate change."

They added that the course charted by the accord is "irreversible and we firmly believe that the Paris Agreement cannot be renegotiated."

Macron, Merkel and Gentiloni say they remain committed to the deal and will "step up efforts" to support the poorest and most threatened nations.

Lionel Messi-themed amusement park to be built in China

A consortium of Chinese firms are set to take on Disneyland by opening an amusement park themed on Barcelona star Lionel Messi.

The Messi Experience Park will have more than 20 attractions spread out over a site of more than 80,000 sq meters in Nanjing, eastern China.

The park, which is set to open in early 2019, will use virtual and augmented reality technologies to offer football training clinics, entertainment activities and displays of Messi's career highlights.

Launching the theme park during a four-day trip to China, Messi said he hoped the attraction would increase the amount of children taking up football.

Image:The star said he hoped the park would create an 'experience they never had before'

He said: "I hope to provide them the experience they never had before and to inspire them to pick up the sport early on.

"Hopefully, they will feel that I am around when visiting the park."

Spanish firm Mediapro, which will run the attraction with Chinese broadcaster Phoenix Group, said the Messi Experience Park would be "a unique global experience".

In all, it will feature 46,000 sq meters of indoor facilities, alongside 12,000 sq metres of "garden game areas" and 25,000 sq metres of public space.

Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi, 29, was the second-highest paid sportsman in the world last year, according to Forbes.

Despite being played in a deeper position, the Argentinian international finished with 54 goals in 52 games last season.

Asked about the arrival of new Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde, Messi admitted he does not "have much knowledge of him".

He said: "Of course we know his past experiences, but we have never had direct exchanges and talks.

"When I get to know the coach better and his working style, our goal is always the same which is to have more achievements and to win more titles."

Fresh CCTV images of Manchester bomber released in bid to track movements

Detectives investigating the Manchester Arena bomber have released more CCTV images of him as they piece together his movements after returning to the UK from Libya.

Salman Abedi left Britain on 15 April and returned on 18 May, four days before carrying out his suicide attack at the end of an Ariana Grande concert. Some 22 people were killed in the bombing.

Many of Abedi's movements and actions in the four days after he returned were carried out alone, but detectives have not ruled out that he may have been part of a "wider network".

The newly-released images of him include some with a blue suitcase that is yet to be located.

Police are appealing for anyone who saw Abedi in the Rusholme area of Manchester between 18 and 22 May to come forward.

Image:The 22-year-old bought parts of the bomb in the days before the attack

Detective Chief Superintendent Russ Jackson, head of the North West Counter Terrorism Unit, said: "We know that Abedi left the country on 15 April and arrived back on the 18 May and we now know from our enquiries that he purchased parts for the bomb after arriving back.

"What we still need to understand is if he had any of the bomb parts in his possession before he went out of the country, this is why we are tracking his movements so carefully.

:: Manchester victim's mum 'aware' of her death

Image:Abedi travelled to the Rusholme area of Manchester days before the attack

"We have made a lot of progress in this with the use of CCTV and have received some really helpful calls from the public. This has led us to the Banff Road area in Rusholme.

"We have had police officers conducting house to house enquiries but we are still not satisfied why Abedi went there and its vital we understand exactly where he went there and who he spoke to in these final days before the attack.

"We need the public's help in this. If you have previously called and have information, I would urge you to call again. We need your help as we piece together what happened in the lead up to the attack and if Abedi was helped by anyone.

"Did you see Abedi in the Rusholme area between 18th and 22nd May? Do you have any information about his movements on these dates?

Image:Abedi carried out his attack four days after returning from Libya

Greater Manchester Police has confirmed that 10 men, aged between 18 and 44, remain in custody on suspicion of offences contrary to the Terrorism Act.

:: 10,000 made false ticket claims for benefit gig

Image:Abedi walking with the blue suitcase

Six people - including a 15-year-old boy - have been released without charge after being arrested by officers investigating the attack.

Abedi, 22, bought most of the key component parts of the bomb in the days before the attack.

Image:Twenty two people were killed in the Manchester attack

:: Anyone with information should call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789321. If you have images or footage, you can upload them to Ukpoliceappeal.co.uk.

Theresa May accused of 'dereliction of duty' over Trump climate move

Theresa May is under fierce attack from opponents for her response to Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement on climate change.

In a statement issued three hours after the US President's announcement at the White House, the Prime Minister expressed "disappointment" at the decision.

But as senior Conservatives expressed their dismay, the PM was attacked by Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party for failing to protest in more robust terms.

Labour claimed the PM was guilty of a "dereliction of duty" and "failing to raise the quietest peep" in protest, while the Lib Dems said that after holding the President's hand she should "hold his feet to the fire".

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon accused Mrs May of an "appalling abdication of leadership" for failing to join Europe's other G7 members - France, Germany and Italy - in rejecting Mr Trump's call to renegotiate the deal.

Reacting to the controversial announcement, a Downing Street spokesperson said: "President Trump called the Prime Minister this evening to discuss his decision to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement.

"The Prime Minister expressed her disappointment with the decision and stressed that the UK remained committed to the Paris Agreement, as she set out recently at the G7.

"She said that the Paris Agreement provides the right global framework for protecting the prosperity and security of future generations, while keeping energy affordable and secure for our citizens and businesses.

"The President made clear that the door remains open to future US involvement in the agreement.

"The Prime Minister and President agreed on the importance of continued cooperation on wider energy issues."

In a statement on Twitter shortly after Mr Trump's announcement, Business Secretary Greg Clark said: "UK played a major role in securing Paris Agreement and we are committed to it.

"Clean growth a key pillar of our modern industrial strategy."

Michael Howard, the former Conservative Party leader and a former environment secretary, also said that the UK's interests were served by maintaining its commitment to the UN process.

"It is clear that the UK's interests do not lie in allowing Mr Trump's position to sway our own; we can be friends, while agreeing to differ on this issue," he said.

"We have done very well from the UN climate convention - in the 25 years since Sir John Major and I negotiated it, Britons' wealth has grown faster than citizens of any other G7 nation, and our emissions have fallen further.

"Doing our fair share to combat climate change is clearly not harming our economy.

"As the Government seeks enhanced relationships with other nations around the world, maintaining our strong and stable commitment to reduce our carbon emissions while helping poorer countries do the same can only be a sensible strategy."

Image:Donald Trump and Theresa May held hands during her visit to the White House

In a tweet, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "Pulling out of the Paris climate deal is reckless and regressive. Instead of hand-holding, I'll work for a sustainable future for our planet."

But Labour's shadow foreign secretary, Emily Thornberry, went much further, attacking the Prime Minister for not protesting against the President's decision.

After criticising Mr Trump for "an act of global, generational vandalism... inflicting damage that our grandchildren will be unable to undo", she moved on to his "so-called 'closest allies' in our own Tory government, who have failed to raise even the quietest peep in protest".

She said: "Even earlier today, while Trump's decision hung in the balance and leaders around the world were pressuring him to do the right thing, all Theresa May could say was: It's up to the President to decide."

Image:Emily Thornberry says Mr Trump is committing 'global, generational vandalism'

"That is a total dereliction of her duty, both to our country and our planet, and it is not just her lack of backbone that has been exposed during this campaign, but her hopelessness at diplomacy and negotiation."

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron urged the Prime Minister to use any influence she may have over the US President to urge him to reverse his decision.

In a direct appeal to Mrs May, who was the first foreign leader to visit Mr Trump following his inauguration, Mr Farron said: "You have gone to Washington to hold Donald Trump's hand, now is the time to hold his feet to the fire.

"If the special relationship between the Prime Minister and Mr Trump actually exists, it exists for moments like this.

"We need to make him see sense on climate change.

"Prime Minister: if your special relationship with Donald Trump means anything, prove it."

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "Now more than ever world leaders must recognise the threat of climate change and join forces to protect public health, reduce toxic pollution and help sustain a greener planet.

"The President of the USA's decision to withdraw from the Paris Accord is profoundly regrettable."

Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas said: "We are the climate movement. We will not be stopped by Trump.

"We are stronger. We will win."

But the UKIP leader Paul Nuttall said: "Trump says he will withdraw from the Paris Agreement. Trump gets elected. Trump withdraws. That's democracy, folks."

World leaders condemn President Trump's climate change u-turn

I was in the vast Paris convention centre late on that December night back in 2015 when the climate change accord was agreed.

The jubilation among the delegates was palpable. Politicians, scientists, activists were all ecstatic.

They were surprised too. After the total failure of the previous summit, five years earlier in Copenhagen, they had finally achieved what they had thought was impossible: almost every nation had signed the accord.

Nearly a year later, in November 2016, I was in a US rust belt town in Pennsylvania as America prepared to vote. Out of work and with their factories shut, the people of Johnstown, Pennsylvania chose Donald Trump.

:: Trump announces US will withdraw from Paris climate deal

His promise to "make America great again" had resonated across large swathes of the country largely because he promised to get their jobs and their industry back.

Mr Trump's pledge to pull out of the Paris accord meant, they believed, that their factories would reopen, their jobs would be returned to them.

It was a cruel populist tactic and it has now been compounded. In an hour long statement on Thursday evening Mr Trump held true to his word.

"In order to fulfil my solemn duty to protect the people of the United States we will withdraw from the climate accord," he announced from the Rose Garden of the White House.

The factory workers are thrilled, naturally. But it's impossible to see how, ultimately, it will make their lives better, let alone reignite their factories.

Far from putting America first, leaders globally now believe that he has put America last.

It will be left behind as other countries accelerate, with unprecedented enthusiasm, their green energy initiatives. That will have an economic impact.

The flurry of condemnation from around the world was a hint of how big a deal the Trump decision is.

In their joint statement, Italy, France and Germany expressed their regret and said they believed the climate deal gave substantial economic opportunities for propensity and growth.

It's true that the accord unlocked significant low carbon investment and innovation globally creating more and more jobs.

Image:Protesters marched on the White House to try to pressure the President

France's President Emmanuel Macron, in a rare 11pm live televised statement, said: "I want to express myself a few hours after the declaration of the President of the United States of America because this is serious."

"The US has turned its back on the world.

"France will not turn its back on Americans," he said, before inviting American scientists to come and work in France.

He ended with: "Make the planet great again".

The EU Commissioner for climate action and energy, Miguel Arias Canete, issued a lengthy statement condemning Mr Trump's decision and concluded: "Today's announcement has galvanised us rather than weakened us, and this vacuum will be filled by new broad committed leadership.

"Europe and its strong partners all around the world are ready to lead the way.

"We will work together to face one of the most compelling challenges of our time."

Image:In 2015, the Eiffel Tower beamed the message: 'The Paris accord is done'

John Kerry, the former US secretary of state who was instrumental in ensuring success in Paris in 2015, described the decision as "an ignorant, cynical appeal to an anti-science, special-interest faction far outside the mainstream".

He added: "If the world doesn't press forward faster, we'll see stronger storms, longer and more intense droughts, more wildfires, a swell of climate refugees and intensified conflict around the world."

China, once the climate change villain, is now seen in an altogether different light.

While Mr Trump was speaking in the Rose Garden, the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang was dining in Brussels with EU leaders.

Image:John Kerry signed the agreement with his granddaughter in his arms

It is China's enthusiastic commitment, along with India and Japan, to stick to the Paris Accord that will, it is hoped, mitigate the decision by Mr Trump.

While there is significant disappointment and dismay at the decision, there is reserved confidence among politicians, scientists and activists that the pledges made in Paris in December 2015 can still be met.

So maybe there are a few silver linings to Mr Trump's toxic cloud.

The world, minus just America, will now have new impetus, willingness and resolve to implement the Paris accord and ensure the fight for the environment can continue.

Already, extra support for developing nations to help them meet their goals has been pledged.

Image:Americans in Japan held a rally near the US embassy in Tokyo in March

New bonds are being formed as old ones fray. The European Union and the world's largest emitter, China, releasing a joint statement on fighting climate change is significant.

The European Union sees this as an opportunity to reassert itself globally.

And given that significant portions of the American electorate are against Mr Trump's decision, it seems certain that climate change will now be a key theme in the next US election.

It's not often that climate change features highly in election campaigns.

I fear though that the silver linings won't stretch as far as places like Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

America's rust belt workers will be disappointed.

Paris Climate Agreement: What you need to know

President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the United States will withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement.

Below is a look at the accord and what a withdrawal would mean.

What is the Paris Climate Agreement?

Nearly 200 nations, including the United States under President Barack Obama's administration, agreed in 2015 to voluntarily reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to combat climate change.

The countries each set their own emissions targets, though these goals are not legally binding.

A priority "is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius," according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Developed nations are also supposed to offer financial aid to developing ones so they can move toward cleaner energy sources, NBC News reported.

What did the United States pledge?

The U.S. pledged to lower its annual greenhouse gas emissions in 2025 by 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels, which would be a reduction of about 1.6 billion tons of annual emissions.



Accompanied by his granddaughter, Secretary @JohnKerry signs #ParisAgreement at @UN this morning#EarthDay https://t.co/7zj1vGADwU— Department of State (@StateDept) April 22, 2016

The U.S. is the world's second-largest emitter of carbon, while China takes the top spot. Beijing, however, has reaffirmed its commitment to meeting its targets under the Paris accord, recently canceling construction of about 100 coal-fired power plants and investing billions in massive wind and solar projects.

The Obama administration pledged as much as $3 billion to less wealthy nations by 2020, with the U.S. giving $1 billion, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.

PARIS AGREEMENT GIVES US LEVERAGE OVER CHINA, OBAMA'S TOP ECONOMIC ADVISOR SAYS

Who hasn't signed the accord?

Nicaragua and Syria. They are the two holdouts in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which includes a total of 197 countries, Reuters reported.

What has been Trump's stance?

Trump claimed before taking office that climate change was a "hoax" created by the Chinese to hurt the U.S. economy. The assertion stands in defiance of broad scientific consensus.



I will be announcing my decision on Paris Accord, Thursday at 3:00 P.M. The White House Rose Garden. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 1, 2017

During his overseas trip in May, European leaders pressed Trump to keep the U.S. in the landmark agreement. While at the G-7 Summit in Taormina, Italy, Trump declined to join fellow G-7 members Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom in their pledge to uphold it.

PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT: TRUMP EXPECTED TO PULL OUT OF PACT

How will a withdrawal happen?

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt is part of a small team working out withdrawal details, Axios reported on Wednesday.

Who supported leaving the deal?

Pruitt and Trump's chief strategist Steve Bannon supported an exit.

"It's a bad deal for America," Pruitt told Fox and Friends in April.

Jared Kushner, the president's senior adviser and son-in-law, generally thinks the climate deal is bad, according to the AP, but would like to find a way to see if the U.S. emissions targets can be changed.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and 21 other Republican senators sent Trump a letter last week urging him to follow through on his campaign pledge to pull out of the climate accord.

Most of the senators who signed are from states that depend on the continued burning of coal, oil and gas.

"We applaud you for your ongoing efforts to reduce overregulation in America," the letter was quoted by the New York Times as saying.

Twelve House Republicans have also signed a letter which encouraged leaving the deal, according to the newspaper.

What has the response been to withdrawal from the U.S.?

Trump is "choosing to put American jobs and American consumers first" with his announcement that the U.S. will withdraw, Vice President Mike Pence said Thursday.

He praised Trump's leadership and said Trump is "is choosing to put the forgotten men and women of America first." Abandoning the pact was one of Trump's principal campaign pledges.



.@POTUS' decision to support a dirty energy agenda & pull out of #ParisAgreement is a grave threat to our planet. https://t.co/qMgx15EDlV— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) May 31, 2017

"Even in the absence of American leadership; even as this Administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future; I'm confident that our states, cities, and businesses will step up and do even more to lead the way, and help protect for future generations the one planet we've got," Obama said in a statement on Thursday.

Five Nordic countries had written Trump a last-minute letter which urged him to "make the right decision" and keep America signed onto the Paris climate accord.



Climate change is undeniable

Climate action is unstoppable

Climate solutions provide opportunities that are unmatchable.
-@antonioguterres https://t.co/a8O14NCLUc— United Nations (@UN) May 31, 2017

The leaders of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden said the 2015 Paris Agreement to reduce global warming was a commitment "to our children."

Before Trump's announcement, House Democratic leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, on Wednesday called the president's expected decision "a stunning abdication of American leadership and a grave threat to our planet's future."

The agreement "honors our collective moral responsibility to leave future generations with a planet that is clean, healthy and sustainable," she said.

On Wednesday, the U.N.'s main Twitter page quoted Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as saying, "Climate change is undeniable. Climate change is unstoppable. Climate solutions provide opportunities that are unmatchable."

The European Union and China will reaffirm their commitment to the Paris climate change accord this week regardless of whether Trump pulls out of the pact, a senior European Union official said. The EU and China are expected to "spell out" how they plan to meet their commitments to the accord at talks in Brussels on Friday, the official told reporters Wednesday.