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Data showed happiness gap between wealthy and middle-income participants was wider than between middle- and low-income participantsThis just in: money apparently does buy happiness.A new study conducted by a senior fellow at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania found an increasingly positive association between money and happiness. Continue reading...

PM wants to rethink UK's immigration policies but did not make progress on returns deal at summit with EU leadersKeir Starmer is looking into plans to process asylum seekers outside the UK as part of a rethink of the government's immigration policies, even as a returns agreement with the EU appears more distant than ever.The prime minister said on Thursday he was open to the idea of Britain processing claims offshore, after a day spent discussing illegal migration with fellow European leaders at Blenheim Palace. Those talks, as part of the European Political Community summit, included a meeting with Edi Rama, the Albanian prime minister, whose country processes asylum claims on behalf of Italy. Continue reading...

Prime minister says summit has been successful and productive' as world leaders discuss Ukraine and European securitySome more of the arrivals pictured at Blenheim Palace for a summit for the European Political Community (EPC) today, courtesy of the newswires:Here are some of the discussions that have taken place at previous EPC summits, according to the gov.uk website:At the last meeting in Granada, the UK led discussions on AI and illegal migration. In Moldova, the focus was on supporting the host country in the face of Russian hybrid threats, as well building energy resilience. While at the first EPC meeting in Prague, talks centred around Putin's invasion of Ukraine and the need for Europe to stand united against his aggression. Continue reading...

Idea for interim leader and candidates not chosen until autumn conflicting with desire to act soonerSenior Tories have failed to reach agreement about a timetable for their leadership contest, with a big split existing between key figures in the party.It means no decision will be made on selecting a new leader until at least next week, when the executive of the 1922 Committee of backbenchers will meet again. Continue reading...

Ex-minister and current Lib Dem leader tells inquiry he rejected campaigner when he first asked for meetingLiberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has accused the Post Office of lying to him, as he apologised to Sir Alan Bates for turning down a meeting as the former post office operator tried to expose the scandal over the Horizon computer system.Davey, who served as postal affairs minister between 2010 and 2012, was giving evidence at the inquiry into the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of post office operators on the basis of flawed accounting data from Horizon. It is often described as one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British history. Continue reading...

Gallery apologises for any hurt and distress' as two artworks withdrawn from Young Artists' Summer ShowThe Royal Academy of Arts (RA) has removed two works inspired by Gaza from its Young Artists' Summer Show after an open letter from the Board of Deputies of British Jews raised significant concerns" about their content.In a letter posted on X this week, a board vice-president, Andrew Gilbert, described three works on display at the gallery as containing antisemitic tropes and messaging", which had caused significant concern to members of our community". Continue reading...

Tributes paid to BBC presenter who says she will enjoy lie-ins after six years of 3am startsMartha Kearney has stepped down as a presenter of Radio 4's Today programme, saying she will be enjoying the lie-ins" after six years of 3am starts on the job.Colleagues and friends on Thursday paid tribute to the long-serving BBC presenter, while Kearney said she had loved the ability to form a deep connection with listeners. Continue reading...

Attempted assassination bolsters Trump's support in a key part of the Republican base - conservative evangelicalsRocio Cleveland was at a wedding on Saturday when she heard the news that something had happened to Donald Trump. He had fallen, clutching his ear, while giving remarks at a rally and it wasn't yet clear if he was injured or even dead.It took a little bit for it to sink in," said Cleveland, a conservative activist from Illinois who attended the Republican National Convention this week. I was speechless, I was crying, I was in tears."

Suspect had searched for details of many public figures, including Trump and Biden, but significance is unclearThe gunman who attempted to shoot Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday carried out internet searches before the attack for images of both Trump and Joe Biden, as well as the dates of both the current Republican National Convention and next month's Democratic National Convention.Top FBI and secret service officials told members of Congress on Wednesday that the initial investigation into the shooting had thrown up new information about the would-be assassin's interests, but had brought agents no closer to finding a motive. Continue reading...

Mainstream groups unite to grant her an emphatic victory and defeat anti-EU and extreme-right forcesUrsula von der Leyen has won a second term as European Commission president, securing an emphatic victory in the European parliament as mainstream lawmakers united against anti-EU and extreme-right forces.The Strasbourg chamber erupted in applause when it became clear that von der Leyen, the first woman to lead the EU executive, had cleared the hurdle by 41 votes - a stronger result than her first election in 2019. Continue reading...

Group says it is relieved' at many of report's recommendations but calls for more measures to tackle inequality and improve capacity of public servicesThe UK was dangerously mistaken" to believe that it was one of the best prepared countries in the world to respond to a pandemic, Lady Hallett said.In 2019, it was widely believed in Britain and abroad that the UK was not only properly prepared but was one of the best-prepared countries in the world to respond to a pandemic," she said.There will likely be a next time. The expert evidence suggests it is not a question of if' another pandemic will strike but when'.The evidence is overwhelmingly to the effect that another pandemic - potentially one that is even more transmissible and lethal - is likely to occur in the near to medium future. Continue reading...

Criminal Cases Review Commission could have exonerated Malkinson of rape almost a decade earlier, says inquiryA report on the Criminal Cases Review Commission's handling of the Andrew Malkinson case has laid bare a catalogue of failures", finding that he could have been exonerated almost a decade earlier.The review by Chris Henley KC found that the watchdog missed multiple opportunities to help Malkinson, who spent 17 years in jail for a 2003 stranger rape he did not commit. Continue reading...

Victims include three children and a teenager at apartment building in Les Moulins neighbourhoodPolice are hunting three arson suspects after a fire in an apartment building killed seven people in the southern French city of Nice, the country's prime minister said.The dead included three children aged five, seven and 10 years old and a 17-year-old who tried to escape by jumping from a window, Gabriel Attal added. Continue reading...

European Commission president to remain in post after 401 MEPs voted in favour, 284 against and 15 abstainedRenew Europe's leader, Valerie Hayer, has posted a photo with Ursula von der Leyen, ahead of the vote.The Greens group said it will back Ursula von der Leyen, a centre-right politician, for a second term as European Commission president. Continue reading...

Brazilian Forum on Public Safety finds every indicator of gender-based violence increased in 2023, including murder, harassment and stalkingFor the second year running, Brazil has recorded unprecedented levels of gender-based violence, according to new figures underlining just how unsafe the country is for its women and girls.The data, released on Thursday in the annual report by the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety, showed that reported cases of rape rose by 6.5% from the previous year to a historic high of 83,988 - or one every six minutes. Continue reading...

Keith Edmund Gavin scheduled to receive lethal injection for shooting man who stopped for cash at ATM to take his wife to dinnerA man convicted of killing a delivery driver who stopped for cash at an ATM to take his wife to dinner is facing scheduled execution on Thursday night in Alabama.Keith Edmund Gavin, 64, is set to receive a lethal injection at a prison in south-west Alabama. He was convicted of capital murder in the shooting death of William Clayton Jr in Cherokee county. Continue reading...

Leon Panetta says lapses particularly disturbing' given reports of threats from Iran towards former presidentThe former CIA director Leon Panetta decried security failings around the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania last Saturday, particularly given reports of Iranian threats to the former president.Speaking on the One Decision podcast, which he co-hosts with Sir Richard Dearlove, a former head of the British intelligence service MI6, Panetta said: It's particularly disturbing because of what we found out: that the intelligence community provided information to the Secret Service that there's ... assassination threats from Iran, on former President Trump as well as others, but they as a result of that supposedly increased the deployment of Secret Service protection." Continue reading...

Juan Cifuentes and Farooq Abdulrazak reported missing by families after failing to return home from work tripThe Metropolitan police have said they are trying to establish if two Londoners reported missing in Sweden are the two people whose bodies were found in a burned-out rental car in Malmo.Juan Cifuentes, 33, and Farooq Abdulrazak, 37, from north London, were reported missing by their families after failing to return home on Sunday from a business trip to Denmark and Sweden. Continue reading...

The pandemic caused grief, untold misery and economic turmoil' which could have been cut if preparations had been in place, report states

Semiconductor and related tech shares hit hard by former US president's calls for Taipei to pay US for protection

Police patrols stepped up in area after man, 36, killed in Kirkby on Wednesday eveningA murder investigation has been launched after a 36-year-old man was shot dead on the streets of Merseyside.Police said they received a report at 6.35pm on Wednesday from the North West ambulance service that a man had been shot in Kirkby. Continue reading...

UK foreign secretary says he has talked to Trump running mate, who shares working class and Christian background UK politics live - latest updatesDavid Lammy has said he is already engaging with Donald Trump's controversial running mate, JD Vance, and can identify with him because of their common working class and Christian backgrounds.The British foreign secretary was speaking just hours after the possible future US vice-president reiterated his America first" views, pledging to the Republican national convention (RNC) that he would not send US soldiers to war abroad unnecessarily. Continue reading...

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As the new European Parliament sits for its first session in Strasbourg, explore the results of the EU elections - and the shape of the new parliament, either by bloc or by countryThis is the 10th election for the EU parliament, in which all 720 seats will be contested and 361 seats are needed for a majority. No single political group is likely to achieve this target.Estimate, when when voting is finished and there is an estimate of a country's results based on polling institutes;Projection, for when there is an estimate of the full EU parliament composition;Provisional, for when a country's official election authority has published its first voting results but the final result is not known, and when the full EU parliament's composition depends on such provisional national figures;Final, for when a country's official election authority has published full results;Constitutive, for when the full EU parliament's composition is officially confirmed. Continue reading...

French and British coastguards rescued a further 71 people who had tried to cross in an overcrowded dinghy on WednesdayA person has died trying to cross the Channel to reach Britain in an overcrowded dinghy, French officials have said.A further 71 people were rescued after the vessel deflated off Gravelines on France's northern coast on Wednesday, the regional maritime police authority said in a statement. Continue reading...

Law Enforcement Conduct Commission makes two findings of serious misconduct including for allegedly leaving crash scene in NorthConnex to avoid being breath-tested'

The ephemeral pond appears for a few days only when water levels in the foothills of kunanyi/Mt Wellington are high enough

Social mobility experts welcome change in which students will instead be asked to answer three questionsThe years of sixth formers and their families agonising over personal statements for their university application forms will soon be a thing of the past, after the UK's university admissions service announced they are to be dropped.Instead of a statement limited to 4,000 characters (including spaces), those applying for undergraduate places in 2026 through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) will be asked to answer why they want to study the course or subject, how their studies or qualifications helped them to prepare for the course and what experiences they have had outside of education that will be helpful. Continue reading...

Jonathan Beadle dies at Polmont a month after bill to stop under-18s being sent to prison became lawA teenager has killed himself at one of Scotland's only young offender facilities, a month after a Holyrood bill intended to prevent under-18s from being sent to prison became law.Jonathan Beadle, 17, died at Polmont young offender institution near Falkirk on Saturday, the Scottish Prison Service confirmed. It is believed that he took his own life. It is understood he had been convicted of offences including breach of the peace and had previously been held at a secure care unit.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org. Continue reading...

English Heritage's display shows the castle before an epic battle for control against French and rebel forcesIn 1216, as a civil war raged in England, with French soldiers and English rebels joining forces to overthrow King John, Dover Castle became a fortress for the monarch and helped decide the fate of the kingdom.But an epic and bloody struggle for control of the castle left it badly damaged, including destroying multiple towers and its defensive walls. Continue reading...

Saudis living in the UK claim Riyadh is targeting them for speaking out on human rights and jailing of female activistsSaudi exiles living in the UK have spoken of threats to their lives and harassment over their support for improvements in human rights in their home country.

Transport Workers Union outraged at conditions on National Jet Express flight to Perth chartered by Fremantle Dockers

Report highlighted evidence of broad dysfunction' which could see council placed under independent administration, government says

David Cameron, George Osborne and Matt Hancock to face criticism about priorities in years running up to pandemicThe impact of austerity and Brexit on the UK's readiness for Covid will be spelt out at noon on Thursday when the statutory public inquiry into the pandemic gives its first verdict on the country's response.Politicians including David Cameron, George Osborne and Matt Hancock are braced to face criticism about their decision-making and priorities in the years running up to the arrival of Covid in early 2020 sparking a pandemic that claimed at least 230,000 lives across the UK. Continue reading...

On paper the European Commission president has much support - but the bloc could fall into crisis if she losesThe European parliament will decide whether to confirm Ursula von der Leyen as European Commission president in a knife-edge vote on Thursday that will either result in a second term for the EU executive's first female leader or tip the bloc into a summer crisis.Von der Leyen was nominated by EU leaders last month for a second five-year term leading the EU executive, which is responsible for drafting and enforcing EU law. Now she needs to secure the backing of at least 361 MEPs, a simple majority of the newly elected, more right-leaning parliament. Continue reading...

Vance will give first major address as Trump's running mate amid day's theme of Make America Strong Once Again'JD Vance will give his first major address as Donald Trump's running mate on Wednesday and Republicans will turn their focus to foreign policy during the third day of the Republican national convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.Vance will be preceded by Donald Trump Jr and introduced by his wife, Usha. The theme for Wednesday - Make America Strong Once Again" - comes amid internal divisions on how to handle the war in Ukraine. Earlier this year, the House speaker, Mike Johnson, only narrowly passed a bill to provide additional funding for Ukraine over the loud objection of some Republicans. Continue reading...

American chefs mourn death of chef and cookbook author, 49, who appeared on Top Chef Masters and Iron ChefDays after award-winning Portland chef Naomi Pomeroy drowned in an accident on the Willamette River, Oregon authorities said they had recovered her body.Other American chefs have mourned the passing of the 49-year-old self-taught chef and cookbook author, with Jose Andres calling her an amazing chef, better person and a great overall talent". Continue reading...

The Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary says she and the union leadership will do what's necessary' with the CFMEU but it could take years

Jobless figure up from 4% in May, despite 50,100 new roles being created across the economy, raising prospect of higher RBA interest rates

Kimberly Cheatle under mounting pressure as reports suggest agency had been notified of threat an hour beforeCalls from Republicans mounted on Wednesday for the head of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, to be replaced in the wake of the failure to prevent Donald Trump being shot last weekend, as fresh reports emerged that the gunman had aroused suspicions a considerable time before he took aim at the former president from a rooftop.Mitch McConnell, the minority leader of the US Senate, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: The nation deserves answers and accountability. New leadership at the Secret Service would be an important step in that direction." Continue reading...

Groups that often support Coalition - including Australian Industry Group and National Farmers' Federation - call for credible and consistent framework'

Although Central Command praises operation, scheme announced by Biden cost $230m and only operated 25 daysThe US military-built pier for carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza will be dismantled and brought home, ending a mission that has been fraught with repeated weather and security problems that limited how much food and other supplies could get to starving Palestinians.Vice Adm Brad Cooper, deputy commander at US Central Command, told reporters in a Pentagon briefing on Wednesday that the pier had achieved its intended effect in what he called an unprecedented operation". Continue reading...

PM and taoisech Simon Harris seek reset in UK-Irish relations on eve of UK-hosted European Political Community summitKeir Starmer has pledged to repeal the controversial Legacy Act, which offered immunity to Troubles-era crimes in Northern Ireland, and discussed replacement legislation with the Irish prime minister during a wide-ranging discussion over dinner at Chequers on Wednesday night.In December the Irish government began a legal challenge against the UK government over the act, introduced by the Conservatives, which was opposed by all five main parties in Northern Ireland, action that is now likely to be abandoned. Continue reading...

Women have been left unable to access treatment or forced to pay for it privatelyThe NHS has significantly reduced the amount of IVF procedures it provides across the UK, leaving infertile women either unable to access treatment or forced to pay for it privately.Barely one in four (27%) of cycles of IVF during 2022 were paid for by the health service - the lowest figure since 2008 and a sharp fall on the 40% which it provided in 2012. Continue reading...

Warning on cycle of low wages' comes as government pledges in king's speech to introduce fair pay agreementA specific minimum wage for social care is needed if England is to avert a staffing crisis, according to leading thinktanks.Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation have also called for the introduction of of national pay banding to tackle pernicious low pay in adult social care and encourage key workers to stay in the industry. Continue reading...

Prime minister says he will renew relationship with Europe as he seeks defence and security agreementsKeir Starmer will put immigration and border security at the centre of his first summit with European leaders, as he races to agree changes to the asylum system to replace the defunct Rwanda scheme.The prime minister will host 45 European leaders at Blenheim Palace for the European Political Community meeting on Thursday, the first opportunity for him to begin lobbying for new arrangements for dealing with asylum seekers trying to cross the Channel. Continue reading...

David Axelrod says it's a very hard case to make that anyone should be elected US president at the age of 82'David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to Barack Obama, has warned that Joe Biden has not done enough to relieve voters' concern about his age since last month's disastrous debate.Axelrod spoke to the Guardian in Milwaukee as US representative Adam Schiff became the highest-profile Democrat to call for the president to drop his re-election bid. Continue reading...

New PM promises patient work and serious solutions' to restore trust in British politicsKeir Starmer has pledged to fix the foundations" of the country for the long-term by boosting economic growth with reforms to energy and planning in Labour's first king's speech in a decade and a half.The new prime minister said the government would require patient work and serious solutions" to restore trust in British politics and rebuild the country, with 40 bills in the government's new legislative programme. Continue reading...

John Hinckley Jr tweets give peace a chance' in wake of Trump assassination attempt - drawing bemused responsesJohn Hinckley Jr, who attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan in 1981, has waded into the discourse around the recent attempted assassination of Donald Trump in a social media post seemingly disavowing his own past actions.Violence is not the way to go. Give peace a chance," Hinckley wrote on X on Wednesday, sentiments that drew a welter of bemused and often ironic responses. Continue reading...

There were more than 35 bills in Labour's first king's speech. So what does it tell us about the party's ambitions? And with world events turning darker, can the euphoria around the Labour party last? The Guardian's John Harris is joined by political editor Pippa Crerar and political correspondent Kiran Stacey Continue reading...