Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 6 Apr 2017

1. Trump: Chemical attack has changed my view on Assad

Donald Trump says the alleged chemical weapons attack in Idlib, Syria, is an "affront to humanity" and has "very much" changed his attitude to the country and its leader Bashar al-Assad. "That attack on children yesterday had a big impact on me – big impact," he added. More than 70 people, including children and babies, were killed in Tuesday's air strike.

Syria 'planning a new chemical attack', US claims

2. Co-operative Group writes off stake in bank

The Co-operative Group has written off the value of its 20% stake in Co-operative Bank, leading it to an annual loss of £132m, the group's first pre-tax annual loss since 2013. The group said the rest of its businesses were recovering, with revenues and operating profits both rising in the past 12 months.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Co-op's losses narrow thanks to 'very loyal' customers

3. May hires plane after Prince Charles books official jet

Theresa May had to charter a plane for her three-day visit to the Middle East this week because her official RAF jet had already been booked for the Prince of Wales, it has been revealed. Clarence House commissioned the plane to take Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwell on their nine-day tour of Europe, leaving the PM to hire a Boeing 757.

4. Peking Univeristy to open campus in Oxford

Peking University is to open a campus in Oxford, despite President Xi Jinping's call for the country's universities to become strongholds of Communist Party rule. The elite institution will convert 19th-century manor house Foxcombe Hall into a branch of its HSBC-sponsored business school, to open early next year.

5. New Zealand town evacuated after flooding

A town on New Zealand's North Island has been evacuated following severe flooding from tropical storm Debbie, which hit one week ago as a cyclone. Flood waters reached 6.5ft after the Waikato river burst its banks in Edgecumbe, in the Bay of Plenty. Meteorologists say the storm, which also affected Australia, is a once-in-500-years event.

6. Head of US Russian hacking probe steps down

The head of a US congressional investigation into claims of Russian hacking in last year's election campaign is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee. House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes, a Republican, has stepped down from the inquiry while the panel probes claims he disclosed classified intelligence.

7. Canadian couple win lottery for third time

A married couple in Canada have won the lottery for the third time. Douglas and Barbara Fink, from Edmonton, Alberta, last month scooped a C$8.2m (£4.9m) jackpot in the Western Canada Lottery, seven years after winning C$100,000 and almost 30 years after Douglas Fink shared a C$128,000 prize with four friends. Barbara Fink said she called her husband on the phone to tell him: "I did it again."

8. Dog stops suicide bomb attack in Nigeria

A dog prevented a teenage suicide bomber from killing wedding guests in the town of Belbelo, in north-east Nigeria, police say. The bomb allegedly went off as the woman, thought to be a member of Boko Haram, struggled with the animal. No guests were injured, although both the dog and the attacker died.

9. Father loses term time holiday case

Jon Platt, the father who was fined after he took his daughter on holiday during term time, has lost his legal challenge at the Supreme Court. Platt had won earlier legal battles against the £120 fine imposed by the Isle of Wight council, but the court said it would cause unacceptable disruption if parents were able to withdraw children whenever they wanted.

Should parents be allowed to take children on term-time holidays?

10. Briefing: How the new Pepsi ad outraged Twitter

Kendall Jenner's new advert for Pepsi has been criticised for undermining protest movements such as Black Lives Matter.

In the ad, the second-youngest member of the Kardashian clan is seen leaving a photoshoot to join protesters on a march. She then offers a police officer a can of Pepsi, breaking the tension and causing the crowd to erupt into cheers.

The campaign has been interpreted as an attempt to capitalise on the imagery of contemporary protests in the US, BBC Newsbeat reports.

Why Kendall Jenner's Pepsi ad has outraged Twitter