Society  The population of Inner Hebrides island Ulva is set to increase by 6,000%. The six residents secured £4.4m in funds last year to buy the island and have received applications from 350 people who would like to live there. Source: North West Mull Community Woodland Company.

Around 66% of retail staff in the UK have experienced verbal abuse when at work, while 41% have been threatened and almost 5% assaulted by a customer. According to a recent survey, retail staff are believed to be abused, threatened or assaulted around 21 times each year. Source: Usdaw.

64% of adults in the US have had someone in their family spend at least one night in prison, with one in seven having had an immediate family member incarcerated for over a year. African American adults were 50% more likely than white Americans to have had a family member jailed, and three times as likely to have a family member jailed for 10 years or more. Over two million Americans are currently in prison in the US. Source: FWD.us/Cornell University.



Economy  The growth of Britain's economy slowed down to 1% from 1.3% in the third quarter of this year (from July to the end of September). This is the slowest annual rate of growth in almost a decade. Source: Office for National Statistics.

Scottish garage chain, McConechy's Tyre Service, has been bought by Halfords for £8.5m as part of plans to boost its auto-centres business. Source: Metro.

Education  A hotline has been set up for teachers in Scotland through which they can report any concerns about pupil indiscipline by text or voicemail. Regular statements will be issued on information received. Source: National Association of Schoolmasters/ Union of Women Teachers.



Science  The decline in sea ice in the Arctic over the past 40 years could be linked to the spread of a deadly virus – Phocine distemper virus (PDV) – in marine animals. Source: BBC.



Health  1.4 million British adults – 2.8% of the adult population – use 'street cannabis' to treat chronic health conditions. While 56% use it on a daily basis, 23% use it weekly. Source: Centre for Medicinal Cannabis.

A DIY urine or swab test could replace the smear test and help more women find out if they are at risk of cervical cancer. The test would be carried out at home and wouldn't therefore require a visit to the doctor. Source: Queen Mary University of London.

49% of Brits would rather visit their GP for routine medical tests than do them at home. However, 38% would rather do such tests at home and post results for analysis. Source: YouGov.

16,153 Scots died from cancer last year – up from 16,105 in 2017 and 15,211 in 2008. Source: NHS Scotland.

A new range of cancer tests – called the Glasgow Cancer Tests – have been developed. The range is a suite of affordable solid tumour and blood cancer tests designed to be used in general healthcare worldwide. A spokesperson said that they were 'created so that ultimately every patient with cancer could have access to the latest treatments and clinical trials'. Source: Glasgow Precision Oncology Laboratory.

Recreation  In an attempt to rival Netflix and Amazon, the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 have teamed up in a new streaming service called BritBox. The service will cost £5.99 a month and is expected to mainly replay classic shows. Source: Metro.

33% of Brits say they very or fairly often feel relieved when a friend cancels plans. In particular, 40% of women and 43% of those aged from 25-39 years old cite often feeling relief in such a situation. Source: YouGov.

Brits spend the equivalent of a week each year engaged in small talk, despite 33% of us disliking it. It is most likely to take place while waiting for public transport. The most popular way of avoiding it is to pretend to be in a rush so that you can't stop. Source: i.



Oddities  The best thing about Britain, according to a poll, is fish and chips, followed by the NHS and roast dinners. Source: British Seniors Insurance.

Most burglaries take place on Friday nights. Source: Co-op Insurance.