Finding of the week: Only 30% of women held on remand in Scotland go on to receive custodial sentences. Source: Scottish Parliament.
The number of people in Scotland applying for homelessness assistance has gone up for the first time in a decade. Local authorities received 34,972 applications for assistance between April 2017 and March 2018 â a 1% rise on the previous year. Source: Scottish Government. Last year, the amount of alcohol sold in Scotland was the equivalent of 19.6 units a week for every person. The UK recommended limit is 14 units per week. Source: NHS Health Scotland. Young people have less chance of becoming truly wealthy today than any previous post-war generation. Source: Resolution Foundation. House prices in Scotland have continued to increase and the average cost is now £183,994. The highest annual price rise over the past year is 15.7% in Midlothian. Source: Your Move. The top places to live, in terms of work-life balance, are market towns such as Langholm in Dumfries and Galloway, Denbigh in Wales, Egremont in Cumbria, and Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland. All offer affordable housing, good schools, and reasonable working hours. Source: Royal Mail. A study of Twitter has found that analytical thinking peaks at 6am, with people becoming more philosophical and emotional at night. Source: Bristol University. Over a quarter of men have illegally taken penalty points for another driver, compared with only 10% of women. 50% took the points for their partner. Source: Co-op Insurance. Feminists tend to be more resistant to negative stereotypes, even if they are subliminal. Source: Exeter University.
UK exports have fallen to their lowest level since 2016. European exports on the other hand are doing well. Source: BDO LLP. Only a third of parents went home on time from work on the longest day last week. The majority stayed to get more work done. Source: Working Families. Debenhams have suffered a 1.7% drop in like-for-like sales over the 15 weeks to 16 June. Instead of making an estimated full-year pre-tax profit of £50.3 million, they are now expected to make £35/40 million. Source: Debenhams. Income tax cuts introduced for those who earn £1 million-plus have deprived the Exchequer of £11 billion. Source: Unison.
In the year from July 2016 to July 2017, 95 university students in England and Wales committed suicide â 4.7 deaths per 100,000 students. Suicide rates were higher among young male students, and although the rate is below the national average for the general population of similar ages, it donât include figures for college students. Source: Office for National Statistics.
Glasgow is one of seven UK cities selected to become trial areas for 5G mobile coverage. Other cities include Birmingham, London and Cardiff. Source: Vodafone. Moth populations are thriving due to the popularity of clothes made from natural materials such as wool and silk, and the trend to do laundry at 30C. Source: Rentokil. An extinct ape’s remains have been found in an ancient tomb in China which dates back 2,300 years. Evidence suggests that the gibbon has become extinct as a direct result of human actions long before the modern age. Source: Zoological Society of London. The worldâs oldest known Sumatran orangutan â Puan â has died in Australia at the age of 62. Source: Perth Zoo. Antarctica has lost three trillion metric tons of ice in the past 26 years. As a result, the global sea level has risen by eight millimeters. Source: Nature.
Children who eat more or less when stressed or upset have learned the behaviour rather than inherited it. Source: University College London. The NHS in Dorset are trialling a tracking device contained inside an insole. The device is worn by dementia patients, allowing their relatives and carers to locate them at all times. Source: BBC. The colour cyan is a ‘hidden factor’ in encouraging or preventing sleep. Higher levels can keep people awake, while lower levels are associated with helping sleep. Source: Manchester University. A new drug given hours after chemotherapy can reduce the long-term side-effects of cancer treatment such as hearing damage. Source: Great Ormond Street Hospital. ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Responce) videos, which feature noises such as whispering, tapping fingernails and brushing hair, could have health benefits. Although they don’t have an effect on everyone, for some people, watching them can reduce heart rate by 3.14 beats per minute, giving a ‘warm, tingly’ feeling which starts at the scalp and works its way down the spine. Source: Sheffield University. Although more clinical research on the effects of ASMR is needed, it could be another tool in improving mental heath conditions. Source: SANE.
23% of Brits donât do any exercise at all, while the 77% who do mainly go out walking, jogging or cycling. Source: British Lung Foundation. Brits are suffering from ‘gadget confusion.’ Millions are baffled by the number of buttons, symbols and switches on technological devices, and often avoid using them. Source: Centrica Hive. The snack most Scots opt for when watching the World Cup is crisps. Source: Scotpulse.
In the past three years, sales of products relating to beards have increased by 226%, while sales of disposable razors have fallen by 9%. Source: IRI.