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According to authorities, Swanson is a Canadian national who overstayed her visa.

A monster discovery was just made at the bottom of the South Pacific, after officials found several megalodon teeth on the ocean floor.

Iran-Oman Hormuz Route 'Agreed To' As Iran Warns Against US 'Interference' Summary

• Iran says Hormuz route is agreed: Tehran says it has finalized a shipping route with Oman, blaming U.S. actions for delaying a final agreement.
• Tehran claims victory: Iranian officials say the deal would lock in Iran's wartime gains and strategic leverage over Hormuz.
• Mixed messages: Trump says a deal could come within days, while Iran insists the talks are only with Oman.
• Draft outline emerges: Reports outline Iranian oversight of inbound traffic and Omani management of outbound shipping.
• High stakes as pressure eased on markets, but geopolitical tensions high: A deal could ease energy market fears while leaving Iran with more influence over Hormuz than before the war.

//--> //--> //--> US announces end of Iranian blockade by August 31, 2026?
Yes 80% · No 21%
View full market & trade on Polymarket

*  *  *

Iran-Oman Route 'Agreed To' as Iran Warns Against US 'Interference'

A statement from Iran's Foreign Ministry warns that the United States and military 'interference' remain the biggest obstacles to a final Hormuz deal to reopen the strait:

Esmaeil Baqaei: The geographical coordinates of the route proposed by Iran and Oman in the Strait of Hormuz have been agreed upon. If some third parties do not obstruct this process, the joint statement between the two countries is in the final review and drafting stage. The understanding between Iran and Oman, in itself, cannot guarantee the safety of the Strait for passing ships, because the factors that create insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz, particularly those stemming from the United States, such as the naval blockade and other aggressive and threatening actions against Iran and its interests, still exist.

Latest details from Financial Times:

Initially, Iran would send ships, including oil tankers, through the waterway to ensure it is free of mines before the strait opens to other shipping, FT reports citing sources

• Ships would not be charged fees during the temporary arrangement, the people added.
• If a deal holds and the strait reopens, the US would lift its naval blockade on Iranian ports and reinstate a waiver to allow Iran to sell oil and petroleum-related products, one of the people said.

Iranian pundits and state media continue touting this as a 'victory' over the US-Israeli war of aggression:

Ali Akbar Dareini, a Tehran-based researcher at the Center for Strategic Studies, has said Iran is aiming to “stabilise” its control over the Strait of Hormuz, which is its “biggest military achievement of the war”.

“Negotiations are aimed at stabilizing those achievements,” Dareini told Al Jazeera. “You do not negotiate to give away your achievements but stabilise them.”

Once Iran opens up the strait, Dareini said Iran is still likely to put in place a mechanism to “ensure that peace will prevail”.

“Iran wants to make sure that there will be innocent passage …  But there will not be hazardous passage, there will not be war,” he said, arguing that Tehran needs to ensure the US and its allies do not transport military equipment that could be used for attacks against it.

This also as Yemen's Houthis continue a 'siege for siege' blockade of Red Sea passage, targeting Saudi-linked vessels of Yemen's coast, as we described.

Thus far on Wednesday, the White House has remained mostly quiet on what seem to be Iran and Omani-driven talks for terms of the Hormuz Strait's reopening. Tehran, however, has not remained quiet - as US bombs have fallen silent over the past couple days:

• IRAN SAYS NEW HORMUZ ROUTE TO BE VALID FOR 2-4 MONTHS: IRNA
• IRAN: NEW OMAN DEAL TO CLOSE TEMPORARY HORMUZ SHIPPING ROUTES
• GHARIBABADI SAYS IRAN RECEIVED MESSAGES FROM US: IRNA
• IRAN: US SAID IN MESSAGES IT'S READY TO RETURN TO ITS PLEDGES

And via Israeli media, though without official confirmation from Washington:

Approaching an agreement on opening the Strait of Hormuz, N12 reports, citing American officials; The signing of the agreement is possible as early as tonight.

Meanwhile, much of all of the above depends on what 'mood' Trump is in:

US military-intelligence leaks to media are designed to dissuade Trump from escalating his war (we’re out of missiles & interceptors, Iran isn’t; Iran won’t break, etc). Whereas Israeli intel leaks to media are designed to rile Trump into escalating the war by calling him a pussy https://t.co/Uu3wfmZX8r

— Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) August 5, 2026 Trump: Deal Moving Along 'Very Nicely'

President Trump said late Tuesday that talks with Iran are "moving along very nicely" - in a highly fluid and ambiguous situation where it appears the two sides are only interacting indirectly at best.

But the Iranian side has continued to insist that there are currently no peace or ceasefire talks happening, but only the Iran-Oman negotiations which focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and setting terms of how it will be managed. Consistent with this narrative, Al Jazeera freshly cites Iran's state broadcaster IRIB which reports that talks between Iran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz "have nothing to do with the United States". But Washington is presenting it as a US-Oman deal for the strait's reopening, even if it fundamentally remains an Iranian-Omani proposal.

WANA/Reuters/AP images Timeline: Deal as Soon as This Week?

Trump in his latest comments echoed his Treasury Secretary from the day prior, saying, "It could happen. Tomorrow or the next day." This was on the heels of traveling to Los Angeles yesterday for a fundraising event hosted by the Republican National Committee. "A lot of progress has been made."

He told Fox that the White House is now having "very good discussions" with Iranian officials as part of an "all-day negotiation" and that the Strait of Hormuz reopening "is going to be open very soon."

"If they back out again, they are going to get hit really hard," the president told the outlet. He had said the same by close of last week, but by the weekend reversed course and decided to refrain from attacking Iran again.

According to Bloomberg, "The US, Iran and Oman are preparing to announce a 60-day agreement on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz" - but the Iranian side has not affirmed this.

So as it stands, Tehran says it is driving the Oman talks and that Washington has been sidelined, while the White House claims that it has directly involvement in shaping the outcome.

Iran-Oman-(& US) Hormuz Draft Outline Emerges

But all sides do seem in agreement that the technical details and mechanics of the deal are currently being worked on. According to the latest outline of what this is expected to look like via CBS:

Under the current proposal, ships entering the Strait would use the channel closest to Iran, with Iran coordinating inbound traffic, while vessels leaving the strait would use the Omani side, with Muscat managing outbound traffic. The proposal also includes a "service fee," with the revenue split between Iran and Oman.

According to the source, the broad outlines have largely been agreed upon, with the remaining discussions focused on implementation and timing. Axios reported something similar, in which the US is nearing a Hormuz deal. Axios added that no tolls or fees would be charged during the 60-day period and the parties would work on clearing naval mines from the median lane of the strait within 30 days.

As for the claim of 'no tolls', this could once again be just semantics, given the Iranian and Omani sides have consistently signaled the need for fund collection under the headers of safe navigation, logistics, and environmental protection.

There has also been some progress on agreements for third-party demining operations. But as Rubio reminded the world yesterday, Washington still insists resolving the nuclear issue - something which the Iranians still say can only be broached after the conflict is ended and there is peace.

Below is the version of where things stand via Axios:

• All inbound traffic of ships through the strait and into the Gulf would go in a northern lane through Iranian waters.
• All outbound traffic through the strait and into the Arabian Sea would go in a southern lane through Omani waters, in coordination with Iran.
• No tolls or fees would be charged during the 60-day period.
• The parties would work on clearing naval mines from the median lane of the strait within 30 days.
• After the median lane is cleared, it would be used for inbound and outbound traffic under the terms of a permanent arrangement to be negotiated between Oman and Iran.

More regional commentary serves as a reminder of the significant obstacles that remain toward reaching a final peace, much less the full reopening of Hormuz Strait:

But while Iranians are saying that, at this point, talks are limited to Iran and Oman, it goes without saying that the US is a key factor. We’ve got a report from state TV today citing an informed source who said that even if a deal were reached today, the breach of the Memorandum of Understanding agreement by the US means there won’t be a reopening of the strait. One of the key points of concern for the Iranians regarding the strait is the removal of the naval blockade by the Americans. They have been constantly saying that this is one of the pre-conditions.

If Axios and some other major MSM reports are to be believed, the scheme is advancing on the Iranian side. "Two regional sources said Araghchi agreed in principle over the weekend but still needed approval from Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and the Supreme National Security Council," writes the publication. "A U.S. official and a regional source said Iranian leadership completed its approval process on Tuesday."

An interim maritime arrangement, inside a Memorandum of Understanding, within a ceasefire.

It's a diplomatic turducken. https://t.co/WpXke2brda

— Ali Vaez (@AliVaez) August 5, 2026 Draft Deal Widely Seen as Victory for Iran

If all the above comes into force, it will widely be seen as a victory for Iran. It will leave Iran with greater control over energy transit than before the war. Simultaneously this would be Trump essentially cutting and running in order to finally extricate American forces from the deepening quagmire, while approaching the six-month mark since Operation Epic Fury started.

For example, even the NY Times admits, "Iran and Oman are closing in on an agreement to reopen shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian and American officials, but if the accord goes into effect it could come at a high price — ratifying Tehran’s control over what, before the war, was an open, international waterway." While markets would breath a sigh of relief, Tehran would be in the driver's seat geopolitically.

US officials cited in the same report have only said the Hormuz scheme would the "temporary" - and so the ongoing contrasting interpretations suggest another tenuous and shaky agreement in the works.

"But if, ultimately, Iran asserts continued control over the passageway, the opening might come with a geopolitical cost. Iranian officials say they are designing the accord to ratify their capacity to control the strait and therefore retain strategic leverage that they did not employ before the war," the NYT also wrote.

Tyler Durden Thu, 08/06/2026 - 05:11

Iraq-Syria Pipeline to Bypass Hormuz Could Be Revived Within 3 Years

By Tsvetana Paraskova of OilPrice

An old Iraq-to-Syria oil pipeline that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz could be up and running within three years, a senior Syrian official has said.

The Hormuz crisis that cut off most of Iraq’s crude oil exports has accelerated plans by Iraq and Syria to rebuild a damaged oil pipeline to ship crude oil from the Iraqi fields in Kirkuk to Syria’s Mediterranean coast.

The completion of the renovation of the pipeline from Haditha in Iraq to the Syrian port of Baniyas would take “three years at most,” said Youssef Qablawi, CEO of the state-owned Syrian Petroleum Company.

Syria and Iraq have started negotiations to finalize the contract, and are also in discussions with companies that will invest in this pipeline, the executive said, as carried by Iraqi news outlet The New Region.

“Engineering studies and the purchase of materials will then begin, followed by construction. Implementation will take between 30 months and three years at most, after which the pipeline will be ready,” Qablawi told reporters.

The project is expected to consist of two pipelines with a capacity of between 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) and 2 million bpd, according to the executive.

Last month, the United States voiced its support for the plan. The U.S. backs the Iraqi and Syrian efforts to rebuild the Kirkuk-Baniyas oil pipeline and diminish Iran’s potential to disrupt Hormuz traffic in the future, an official at the U.S. State Department told Reuters.

The United States also expects U.S. companies to play a role in the reconstruction of the Kirkuk-Baniyas oil route, according to reports. The pipeline would be crucial for Iraq’s oil exports not depending on Hormuz, Syria’s post-war economy, and reduced Iranian leverage in the Strait.

Iraq desperately needs export routes not depending on the Strait of Hormuz, whose closure exposed this key Iraqi vulnerability, forced OPEC’s second-largest producer to slash upstream production, and led to billions of U.S. dollars of lost revenues for Baghdad.

Tyler Durden Thu, 08/06/2026 - 05:00

These imaginary stores must be managed under a business plan out of Alice in Wonderland: No deli counter allowed, but they must sell fruit, tuna, bean, chicken, egg and potato salads.

In Lebanon, summer camps run by Iran-backed Hezbollah aren't hosting campers' color wars — they're preparing kids for holy war instead.

Thrillseekers at a popular New Jersey theme park screamed in terror as they were left dangling upside down after a ride broke down mid-cycle.

One-Way Attack Drone Found At Major German Airport: The Threat Has Arrived

A one-way attack drone was discovered on the tarmac at Leipzig/Halle Airport, one of Europe's most important freight hubs. The German airport hosts transport company DHL's largest air hub and serves as the operating base for Ukraine's massive Antonov heavy-lift cargo aircraft.

Exklusive Aufnahmen – Das ist die Drohne vom Flughafen Leipzig https://t.co/1gO23uWA30 pic.twitter.com/dwqSD940Lc

— WELT (@welt) August 5, 2026

The Financial Times reports that a transport jet collided with a suspected second drone during takeoff. Another drone was found carrying an improvised explosive device near Antonov Airlines' An-124 massive cargo jet. Five An-124s were moved to Leipzig after Russia damaged Ukrainian facilities in 2022.

🇩🇪 Russia planned a terrorist attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany

A drone carrying a package with a detonator and explosives was discovered near a parked Ukrainian Antonov Airlines cargo aircraft.

State and federal police deployed an explosives-disposal robot to isolate… pic.twitter.com/DrmER1Tmrk

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 5, 2026

"During the night of 4 to 5 August 2026, a drone carrying an unknown explosive device was detected by an airport employee in the security area of the cargo operations near the south runway," the Dresden public prosecutor wrote in a statement.

German counterterrorism and sabotage units are investigating the incidents as a national-security threat. Officials are examining whether there is a Russian connection, though authorities have yet to make the link.

Here's more from the outlet:

Russia was now at the forefront of investigators' minds, but they noted work was at an early stage and nothing concrete had yet been established. The incidents were being considered a national security threat, they said.

The drone found at Leipzig is considered a "Group 1" classification as it weighs under 20 pounds.

Courtesy of Piper Sandler analyst Clarke Jeffries:

We have warned that a serious Group 1-3 drone incident in the West is only a matter of time. Leipzig may be the clearest warning shot yet.

Western officials are already accelerating counter-UAS deployments around high-value assets, but the defensive challenge is enormous. Virtually every node of critical infrastructure, from substations and data centers to military bases, remains exposed.

Tyler Durden Thu, 08/06/2026 - 04:15

The teen girl rushed to give first aid to her wounded mother, but the crazed neighbor fired his gun, also striking her in the head.

Convicted Oklahoma rapist Jesse Butler’s sexual assault case was dismissed in court this week – as a newly elected district attorney scolded the teen’s defense for trying to proclaim their innocence, blasting, “Nothing has made my blood boil more.” Butler, who avoided 78 years in prison after he was convicted of raping and assaulting two...

Hailey King, 18, suffered fatal injuries when hit by a truck going 36 mph over the speed limit in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

BMW Job Cuts And The Emerging German-French Industrial Strategy

Submitted by Thomas Kolbe

Will German policy paralysis and French protectionism save Germany’s automakers? Unlikely, since Paris and Berlin are pursuing similar ideological goals. Everything points toward the expansion of a green state-run economy. On that, there is agreement. The concerns of private enterprise are secondary.

Given the dramatic situation, automakers would probably take even the most hopeless escape route in an attempt to escape the downward spiral. This has now also caught up with the previously remarkably resilient BMW Group: Just last week, Volkswagen announced plans to cut 120,000 jobs, Porsche has to eliminate 5,000 positions, and Mercedes has already parted ways with 5,500 employees. Now BMW is following suit, announcing that it will have to part with 8,000 of its 154,000 employees. The pressure to act is considerable. In the second quarter, the Munich-based group’s profit plunged by a staggering 35 percent year-on-year. In the core automotive business, the company lost 60 percent of its earnings.

BMW’s workforce reduction is supposed to take place quietly: through natural employee turnover and a voluntary severance program. The company wants to avoid compulsory redundancies in Munich.

The initiative will begin in October and run until 2027, specifically targeting employees outside production. Between 30,000 and 40,000 administrative employees at BMW are expected to receive an offer to leave the company – in return, BMW will expand its employment guarantee for the future: compulsory redundancies in Germany are to be ruled out even if the company falls into the red.

Whether this policy can ultimately be maintained when push comes to shove remains to be seen. In any case, entire layers of management are to be eliminated and departments merged – not least because BMW has concluded that artificial intelligence can increase operational efficiency.

Efficiency programs in Germany’s automotive industry are unavoidable. Excessive energy costs are weighing on companies’ results, alongside Brussels regulation and the political campaign against the combustion engine, which still dominates the market. It is impossible to keep pace with global competition from the domestic production base. According to consultancy EY, German automakers and their suppliers lost 50,000 jobs within a single year. There is no sign of a reversal: Germany’s automotive industry association VDA now expects 225,000 jobs to disappear across the sector by 2035, some 35,000 more than its estimate just a few months ago.

And what is politics doing? It clings doggedly to the ideology of the Green Deal, regardless of what it may cost citizens – with the state, financed through taxes and debt, remaining as an employer of last resort if necessary. That, in a nutshell, has so far been the position of the political leadership of the European Union.

Euro-corporatism has grown far beyond its limits. Billions flow from taxpayers to Brussels and return, rebranded as climate bonuses, credit guarantees and funding allocations for dubious start-ups, into the channels of the green transformation machine. This may be the most extreme case of politically driven destruction of capital. The decline of European industry is inevitable. It is impossible to conceive of an economy that could withstand the subversive barrage of European ideologues over an extended period.

Bewildered and incredulous, they stand in Berlin and Paris before the ruins of their own work. Since political circles operate under an imperative of infallibility, every last resource is being mobilized to continue the prevailing policy. At the German-French Council of Ministers in Germany in mid-July, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz reaffirmed their common industrial policy agenda. The two governments subsequently instructed their negotiators to work out a broader compromise: France wants to shield European industry more strongly from foreign competition, while Germany is primarily seeking a way out of the crisis engulfing its automotive industry.

Too much money is flowing out: For Chinese EV manufacturers or solar-panel producers, Brussels’ subsidy machine is a welcome bonus. Countless businesses are effectively living off the naivety of European policymakers. It pays to put up the umbrella for subsidies when EU bureaucrats and political fools are scattering taxpayers’ money with both hands.

And so a German-French bargain is now supposed to bring relief in the crisis. Berlin would support the French demand for a tougher “Made in Europe” model for industrial funding. At the heart of the strategy is the Industrial Accelerator Act, or IAA, presented by the European Commission in March. It is supposed to apply in public tenders and funding programs and define requirements for applicants in advance. Naturally, CO₂-free products and manufacturing processes are to receive priority in the subsidy jungle.

Subsidies will continue to flow above all to decarbonization champions. But there is nothing remotely market-oriented about this; the subsidy frenzy merely promotes cronyism and a subsidy-hunter mentality in the EU. Brussels also wants to define in the future which third countries qualify as so-called “trusted partners.” In doing so, the bureaucracy is intervening massively in the existing supply chains of European companies. “Made in Europe” – a crude form of industrial policy, with bureaucrats at the helm who can, at the behest of politicians, give suppliers the thumbs-down and shut them out, regardless of the consequences this may have for European businesses.

Berlin had rejected this practice until now. But given the situation in the automotive sector and the French concessions in this area, the German government now appears open to a “Made in Europe” strategy.

The other side of the deal is this: France is signaling a willingness to handle the 2035 combustion-engine phaseout more flexibly. It will ultimately come down to negotiating CO₂ consumption quotas more flexibly and assigning a different weight to investments in hybrid drivetrains in the CO₂ balance. In short: business as usual in the same outfit, merely unbuttoned at one point.

Ways out of the crisis mean the end of the current policy. Technological openness for business, competition in a free, deregulated single market – politics contributes nothing to solving the crisis. Quite the contrary. The bargain between Paris and Berlin would appear protectionist from the outside, but could provide companies with some short-term breathing room through more efficient allocation of subsidies. In doing so, political pressure is removed to break with the fatal ideological design of the Green Deal.

Without a structural break with the ideological present, there will be no recovery. The therapy that Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz intend to prescribe for the European automotive industry will ultimately prove to be an injection of the same poison that has turned the entire EU economy into an economic cripple.

* * * 

About the author Thomas Kolbe, a German graduate economist, has worked for over 25 years, he has worked as a journalist and media producer for clients from various industries and business associations. As a publicist, he focuses on economic processes and observes geopolitical events from the perspective of the capital markets. His publications follow a philosophy that focuses on the individual and their right to self-determination.

Tyler Durden Thu, 08/06/2026 - 03:30

Dear Abby advises a woman who was suddenly cut off by a close-knit friend group to seek answers.

The DeLand Police Department announced they arrested a 17-year-old suspect on two counts of second-degree murder.

This Is The Income Needed To Be 'Happy' Around The World

In most countries, the average worker still earns less than the income researchers associate with peak reported well-being.

Research on income and well-being has identified a “satiation point,” an income level beyond which additional earnings no longer improve reported happiness. But how close does the average worker come to reaching that threshold?

An analysis from Remitly calculated the price of happiness in economies around the world and compared it with average local wages.

This graphic, via Visual Capitalist's Niccolo Conte, ranks the 50 countries where average annual income comes closest to that threshold.

The analysis is based on Purdue University‘s income satiation research and data from the International Labour Organization, adjusted for purchasing power, inflation, and currency exchange rates.

Slovenia Is the Only Country Where Wages Exceed the Threshold

Slovenia stands alone among the 50 countries analyzed. Its average wage of $42,800 is 16.3% higher than its estimated price of happiness of $36,800, meaning the typical worker earns more than the income associated with peak reported well-being.

No other country crosses that line. Luxembourg comes closest, with wages covering 92.8% of its $118,400 happiness threshold, followed by Estonia (90.5%), Singapore (90.0%), and Lithuania (89.2%).

The data table below shows the average annual wage and price of happiness in each country, along with how close wages come to reaching that threshold:

Rank Country Average Annual Wage Price of Happiness Wage as % of Price of Happiness 1 🇸🇮 Slovenia $37,000 $43,000 116.3% 2 🇱🇺 Luxembourg $110,000 $118,000 92.8% 3 🇪🇪 Estonia $38,000 $42,000 90.5% 4 🇸🇬 Singapore $49,000 $55,000 90.0% 5 🇱🇹 Lithuania $30,000 $33,000 89.2% 6 🇨🇿 Czechia $33,000 $38,000 87.8% 7 🇱🇻 Latvia $30,000 $36,000 84.7% 8 🇬🇷 Greece $28,000 $35,000 79.7% 9 🇧🇪 Belgium $88,000 $111,000 79.1% 10 🇷🇴 Romania $21,000 $27,000 76.3% 11 🇵🇱 Poland $24,000 $32,000 74.5% 12 🇩🇰 Denmark $82,000 $122,000 66.8% 13 🇲🇹 Malta $54,000 $81,000 66.2% 14 🇳🇱 Netherlands $76,000 $117,000 64.8% 15 🇳🇴 Norway $77,000 $121,000 64.2% 16 🇩🇪 Germany $67,000 $106,000 63.1% 17 🇮🇪 Ireland $67,000 $109,000 61.4% 18 🇨🇱 Chile $13,000 $22,000 60.9% 19 🇦🇹 Austria $70,000 $115,000 60.6% 20 🇫🇮 Finland $69,000 $116,000 59.2% 21 🇲🇪 Montenegro $14,000 $24,000 58.4% 22 🇫🇷 France $59,000 $104,000 57.4% 23 🇨🇭 Switzerland $87,000 $155,000 56.4% 24 🇷🇸 Serbia $15,000 $27,000 56.2% 25 🇺🇸 United States $75,000 $135,000 55.8% 26 🇨🇷 Costa Rica $16,000 $29,000 54.1% 27 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina $12,000 $23,000 53.0% 28 🇭🇺 Hungary $16,000 $30,000 52.3% 29 🇶🇦 Qatar $42,000 $82,000 51.2% 30 🇮🇹 Italy $46,000 $94,000 49.2% 31 🇸🇰 Slovakia $19,000 $39,000 48.9% 32 🇪🇸 Spain $43,000 $88,000 48.4% 33 🇰🇷 South Korea $35,000 $74,000 48.0% 34 🇸🇪 Sweden $56,000 $118,000 47.4% 35 🇨🇦 Canada $51,000 $114,000 44.4% 36 🇺🇾 Uruguay $15,000 $35,000 43.9% 37 🇲🇺 Mauritius $8,000 $19,000 43.2% 38 🇨🇾 Cyprus $37,000 $94,000 39.4% 39 🇦🇺 Australia $59,000 $161,000 36.6% 40 🇧🇷 Brazil $8,000 $21,000 36.4% 41 🇧🇴 Bolivia $6,000 $15,000 36.1% 42 🇦🇷 Argentina $7,000 $20,000 36.1% 43 🇬🇧 United Kingdom $43,000 $120,000 35.9% 44 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia $23,000 $65,000 35.5% 45 🇦🇱 Albania $10,000 $28,000 34.8% 46 🇨🇴 Colombia $6,000 $18,000 34.7% 47 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic $6,000 $18,000 34.0% 48 🇳🇿 New Zealand $47,000 $137,000 34.0% 49 🇵🇾 Paraguay $6,000 $19,000 33.7% 50 🇪🇨 Ecuador $7,000 $20,000 32.9%

Central and Eastern European countries occupy seven of the top 11 spots, including Estonia, Lithuania, Czechia, Latvia, Greece, Romania, and Poland.

Their wages are modest by global standards, but their estimated happiness thresholds are also comparatively low, keeping the gap between the two smaller. A similar pattern appears in Where Wages Go Furthest Around the World, where several of the same economies rank highly for purchasing power.

High Wages Do Not Guarantee a Smaller Gap

The United States has the third-highest average wage in the study at $75,300, but it also has one of the highest prices of happiness at $134,800. As a result, wages cover just 55.8% of the threshold.

Australia has the highest price of happiness in the ranking at $161,300, more than double its average wage of $59,000. With wages covering 36.6% of the threshold, the country ranks 39th overall.

The United Kingdom (35.9%), Canada (44.4%), and New Zealand (34.0%) show a similar pattern. Despite relatively high wages, workers in these countries remain further from the income associated with peak well-being than those in several lower-wage economies in Central and Eastern Europe.

Ecuador ranks last among the 50 countries measured, with an average wage of $6,500 covering 32.9% of its $19,700 price of happiness.

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Money Can Buy Happiness After All on Voronoi.

Tyler Durden Thu, 08/06/2026 - 02:45

South Korean police raided the headquarters of Starbucks’ local operation as part of an investigation into a controversial marketing campaign that was perceived as defaming 1980s' pro-democracy movements.

Investigators say the confrontation began after Simpson claimed the group was diving in "his spot" and warned that a larger boat was on its way before it arrived and anchored nearby.

"I had no idea that my brother was gonna save my wife's life 20 years later."

Why On Earth Are They Doing This?

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity News,

The Spanish Red Cross is treating the military-age men who swam around the border fence and stormed Ceuta like victims of an earthquake.

Volunteers in red vests are lining up on the sand at Playa del Trampolín, handing out bread, milk, biscuits, water, cans of tuna and pastries to the thousands who remain after last week's deliberate mass invasion from Morocco. Police stand by to keep the queues orderly while the same people who refused to go home sit and eat.

This is not a natural disaster. These men crossed into Spanish territory because the opportunity was created for them. There is nothing stopping Spanish authorities from sending them straight back. Instead the humanitarian apparatus has arrived with supplies.

The Red Cross is now handing out food and supplies to illegals in Ceuta as if they're victims of a natural disaster. They literally swam the coastline and invaded Spain because they felt like it and there is nothing preventing them from being sent home. pic.twitter.com/eAruK5wyiy

— m o d e r n i t y (@ModernityNews) August 4, 2026

Cadena SER and local outlets confirmed the first organised distribution of food since the crisis began. Cruz Roja and the local branch of Cooperación Sur-Sur handed out the packages to around 2,000 migrants, the majority from sub-Saharan Africa.

???? Red Cross in Ceuta handing out food and water to the migrants who just stormed Spanish territory.

Locals are furious and it's hard to blame them.

Carrots don't keep people away, sticks do...

Writer: Samuelpic.twitter.com/hanliozVRk

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) August 4, 2026

National Police managed the lines so the recipients stayed seated until their turn, then returned to the beach to eat. One Nigerian man named Genesis told reporters he was "happy to finally have something to eat and drink." He said he had been trying to cross for months and now hopes for asylum.

African Migrants in Ceuta Complain About Treatment: 'No Food, No Blankets' pic.twitter.com/RmWGWe2oVA

— New York Post (@nypost) August 3, 2026

A Sudanese man named Malik Alher said he had gone five days without food, then added that he wants to "learn Spanish, live in Madrid and work in a supermarket."

The volunteers doing the handing-out look exactly like the usual crowd: white European leftist women. Locals watching the scene are furious, and for good reason. Feeding the people who just overran your city does not encourage them to leave.

This comes after Spanish officials spent days insisting the problem had solved itself. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares claimed the "practical totality" of those who entered had returned to Morocco.

The Spanish Embassy in London repeated the line. Reality on the ground never matched the press releases. Streets remained full, facilities were stormed, and thousands simply stayed put on the beaches and around the CETI reception centre.

Local estimates of those left behind ranged from 2,000 to 15,000. But it's anyone's guess. Many of the remaining group are now openly declaring they will not go back. They are waiting for the next step toward the Spanish mainland and the wider European welfare systems.

?? A Spanish soldier in Ceuta said they are now ordered only to direct illegal migrants toward the border so they leave the country on their own.

"Right now we are not allowed to do anything else," the soldier has said.

For him, it is a personal sorrow what Sánchez's... https://t.co/nwDPZjRFyB pic.twitter.com/U19WqDSij5

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 4, 2026

Muslim Invaders Chanting "Allahu Akbar" Have OVERTAKEN The Streets of Ceuta.

Police are completely overwhelmed.

The government wants you to think this isn't happening.

We are witnessing the total collapse of a nation. https://t.co/9VhvDWSP3A

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 3, 2026

The situation in Ceuta:

Thousands of invaders still remain. They've taken to forested areas around the city to avoid being captured.

Their goal now is to get on boats to the Spanish mainland. Social media is also full of calls by illegals to stage another mass invasion on the... pic.twitter.com/Q8JBQPwN36

— ???? ???? ?? ?? (@NiohBerg) August 4, 2026

Auf der marokkanischen Seite an der Grenze zu Ceuta warten Schwarzafrikaner auf ihre Weiterreise in die EU. Sie werden von den Behörden zurückgehalten, damit zuerst die Marokkaner nach Spanien eindringen können.

Sie nennen es "Zwischenhaltungs-Internatzentrum".

Das Video ist... pic.twitter.com/U8idHK1VAo

— ???? (@queru_lant) August 1, 2026

Some, have already been sent to mainland Spain.

?? Dozens of migrants were allegedly transferred from Ceuta to Andalusia, mainland Spain today.

Follow: @europa pic.twitter.com/BU0F9vJm21

— Europa.com (@europa) August 4, 2026

Vox leader Santiago Abascal has called the episode an "invasion and an act of war promoted by Morocco and allowed by Sánchez." He demanded the prime minister face legal proceedings.

Muslim Invaders in Ceuta are now BURNING the Countryside as they Continue TAKE OVER the Streets.

This is total chaos and collapse of a country.

It looks like a literal zombie apocalypse. pic.twitter.com/6GqklXUK4n

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 3, 2026

The People's Party has accused Sánchez of being on holiday while sovereignty was tested. Ceuta's own president Juan Jesús Vivas described the situation as "absolutely unsustainable" for a city of just 83,000.

Handing out free meals does not change the fundamental facts. These men were not shipwrecked, they did not come from a war zone. They walked and swam into Spanish territory in a coordinated surge that Morocco facilitated and Spain failed to stop.

Every ration distributed on that beach signals that the cost of illegal entry will be met with care packages rather than immediate removal. Carrots do not deter the next wave. Only the credible threat of being sent straight home does.

Spain's government can still choose enforcement over theatre. Until it does, the Red Cross will keep unpacking boxes for the people who invaded, and the residents of Ceuta will keep watching their city turned into a holding pen for those who refuse to leave.

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Tyler Durden Thu, 08/06/2026 - 02:00

Two men accused of drugging and killing an American Airlines flight attendant during a layover in Colombia have been arrested months after the slaying, authorities said, with the suspects allegedly tied to a gang known to prey on tourists.