Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 25 Jul 2017

1. New-build leaseholds to be banned

The government is to prohibit developers from selling newly-built houses as leasehold, after complaints of onerous charges and conditions. Flats can still be sold as leasehold but ground rent must be restricted to minimal 'peppercorn' values or zero. At the moment, some leases include ground rent doubling every year.

Leasehold houses are given eviction notice

2. Kushner to answer more Russia questions

Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law, returns to the US Senate intelligence committee today for a second in camera session answering questions on his links to Russia. Today, the 36-year-old will be asked why he did not disclose foreign contacts when getting his security clearance to become an adviser to his father-in-law.

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Jared Kushner: The questions he didn't answer

3. Personal debt dangerous, says Bank

The Bank of England is warning that rising levels of household debt pose a threat to economic stability and are "dangerous to borrowers, lenders and, most importantly from our perspective, everyone else in the economy". The Bank's Alex Brazier said High Street lenders are getting complacent about personal loans.

Pound plunges after Bank of England's dovish rates signal

4. Macron holds summit for Libya factions

France's President Emmanuel Macron is holding a summit in Europe today for the leaders of the rival groups struggling to control Libya, the first since a failed attempt to bring stability to the region in May. Macron has said that France's intervention in the country in 2011 was a mistake and has promised to help restore peace.

5. Trump says UK trade deal could create jobs

US President Donald Trump has claimed a "major" trade agreement with the UK after Brexit could be "very big and exciting" for jobs. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox is in Washington for talks over a deal that will take effect after Britain leaves the EU. However, there are fears the UK may have to compromise on food and animal safety standards.

Would Liam Fox eat a chlorine-washed chicken?

6. Charlie Gard parents say goodbye

The parents of terminally-ill 11-month-old baby Charlie Gard say they are spending the "last precious moments" with their son before his life support is switched off. Chris Gard and Connie Yates yesterday gave up their legal fight to take their son to the US for an experimental treatment British doctors said would not help.

Parents vs state: Who should have the final say?

7. 'Worrying' darkening of Greenland ice

A team led by Bristol University says it is "very worried" that the melting of the Greenland ice sheet could accelerate faster than expected and raise sea levels. Global warming is allowing algae to grow faster on the surface of the ice, making it darker and therefore warmer, the team says. If the entire sheet melted, sea levels would rise 20ft.

8. Israel backs down on metal detectors

Israel has announced it is removing metal detectors from the entry to the al-Aqsa mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem, Islam's third-holiest site. The detectors were introduced after the shooting of Israeli policemen at the site and have caused days of lethal violence. They will now be replaced with other security measures, Israel says.

Protests after Israel removes metal detectors from al-Aqsa mosque

9. Money 'can buy happiness', study says

Psychologists in the US, Canada and Netherlands say a joint study shows that people are happier if they use money to buy themselves time – by paying other people to do jobs and chores for them. They say stress over lack of time causes lower well-being – yet even wealthy people can be reluctant to pay others to do jobs.

10. Briefing: The nine ways you can avoid dementia

A third of dementia cases could be avoided if if more people looked after their brain health, according to the biggest-ever study into the causes of the disease.

A group of 24 experts on ageing, led by University College London, "looked back at hundreds of research papers and analyses of the causes of dementia to come up with a life-plan which can dramatically cut an individual's chance of developing diseases like Alzheimer's," says the Daily Telegraph.

"There are a lot of things that individuals can do and there are a lot of things that public health and policy can do, to reduce the numbers of people developing dementia," said Gill Livingston, professor of psychiatry of older people at University College London and a co-author of the report.

What is dementia and how can it be prevented?