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.
Daily Briefing
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Trump threatens to quit World Trade Organization
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”.
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.
One million older people to need 24-hour care
New research by Newcastle University and LSE has shown that more than one million people over the age of 65 will need 24-hour care by the year 2035, almost double the current number. The researchers warn that raising the retirement age means the pool of available unpaid carers will be reduced to an unsustainable level.
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.
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 which involves closing 42 stores and reducing the rents the firm pays at others. Owner Hilco Capital says its “very likely” the firm will go into administration if the plan is rejected.
Gerard Depardieu accused of raping 22-year-old
French cinema’s biggest name, Gerard Depardieu, has been accused of raping a 22-year-old actress twice at his home in Paris earlier this month. The 69-year-old has vehemently denied the accusation, with his lawyer saying the charges represented the “opposite of who he is and what he respects”. The pair were said to be rehearsing together.
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 put his finger over the two-millimetre hole to stop the leak when it was first discovered. Six people are currently aboard the space station.
Social media users urged to quit for a month
Tomorrow is the first day of Scroll-Free September, a new initiative by the Royal Society for Public Health which urges social media users to give up for one month each year. More than 2,000 people have signed up to go cold turkey on the ‘big five’ social media apps – Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and YouTube – until October.
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.
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