Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 31 Aug 2018

1. Trump threatens to quit World Trade Organization

Donald Trump has made another dramatic threat to overturn the certainties of US politics, warning that he may pull out of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Speaking to Bloomberg, the US president said the WTO must “shape up”. Trump added that he would push on with further planned tariffs on Chinese imports – a pronouncement that caused US equities to slump.

2. Newly independent MP Field wanted ‘broad debate’

Veteran MP Frank Field has launched a scathing attack on Jeremy Corbyn after quitting the Labour Party yesterday. Field says that he nominated Corbyn for the leadership because he wanted to ensure a “broad debate” within the party, but that Labour has instead grown increasingly intolerant. In his resignation letter, the newly independent MP said that Labour was becoming a “force for anti-Semitism in British politics”.

3. Man arrested over Solihull double murder

A 21-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering mother and daughter Raneem Oudeh, 22, and Khaola Saleem, 49, in Solihull on Monday. The two women were on the phone to police when they were fatally stabbed. Police earlier offered a £5,000 reward for information on the whereabouts of Saleem’s ex-partner, Janbaz Tarin.

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4. Number of older people requiring 24-hour care ‘set to double’

More than a million people over the age of 65 will need 24-hour care by 2035, almost double the current number, according to a new study. The researchers, from Newcastle University and London School of Economics (LSE), also warn that raising the retirement age means the pool of available unpaid carers will be reduced to an unsustainable level.

5. Coca-Cola to buy Costa Coffee for £3.9bn

Coca-Cola is buying the UK’s biggest coffee shop chain, Costa Coffee, for £3.9bn from Whitbread. The brewer’s board unanimously approved the deal as being in the best interests of shareholders, saying it could give the brand global scale. Whitbread bought Costa for £19m in 1995. It is now the second-biggest coffee chain in the world.

6. Future of Homebase in doubt as creditors meet

Today is a make-or-break day for DIY chain Homebase, which is teetering on the brink of collapse. The firm’s creditors are meeting to approve or veto a survival plan that involves closing 42 stores and reducing the rents the firm pays at others. Owner Hilco Capital says it is “very likely” that the firm will go into administration if the plan is rejected.

7. Gerard Depardieu accused of raping 22-year-old

French cinema star Gerard Depardieu has been accused of raping a 22-year-old fellow actor twice at his home in Paris earlier this month. The 69-year-old has vehemently denied the accusation, with his lawyer saying that the charges represented the “opposite of who he is and what he respects”. The accuser says she was attacked after going to Depardieu’s residence to rehearse for a play.

8. Space station astronauts repair leak in capsule

Astronauts on the International Space Station have managed to repair a small hole, thought to be caused by impact with a tiny fragment of rock. Astronaut Alexander Gerst reportedly plugged the 2mm hole with his finger when it was first discovered. Six people are currently aboard the space station.

9. Social media users urged to quit for a month

Social media users are being urged to give up their online habit for a month each year as part of the Scroll Free September campaign, a new initiative by the Royal Society for Public Health. More than 2,000 people have signed up to go cold turkey on the so-called Big Five social media apps – Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and YouTube.

10. Briefing: is Labour facing an imminent split?

Jeremy Corbyn and his allies fear an imminent schism in Labour may see dozens of MPs quitting the party to sit as independents until the next general election, according to reports.

Some in the Corbyn camp “are already gaming when the split might occur and how much damage it would inflict”, reports the Financial Times.

Could Labour split over Brexit?