Islay McLeod

Society  Cannabis seizures in the UK have more than doubled, with 28.6 tonnes of the drug seized last year. However, between 2010 and 2017, the number of cannabis possession offences fell by 48% from 160,733 to 83,591. Source: Home Office.

The number of people who have intervened to stop people killing themselves on railways has increased by 20% this year. Source: British Transport Police.

40% of millennials would avoid conscription if a third world war broke out, while only 12% would volunteer to serve. Source: YouGov.

75% of foodies in the UK, aged between 35 and 55, enjoy taking photos of their meals and posting them on social media. Italian food is considered to be the most photo-friendly. Source: Meerkat Meals.

40% of Americans either own a gun or live in a household with one. There are an estimated 270m firearms in the US. Source: Small Arms Survey.

The US has the highest rate of murder or manslaughter by firearms in the developed world. Source: FBI.

Economy  The number of Scottish businesses fell by 8,830 between March 2017 and March 2018. There are around 343,000 small and medium-sized enterprises in Scotland which employ 1.2m people – 54.9% of all private sector jobs. Source: Scottish Government.

Footfall on Scottish high streets and in shopping centres fell by 3.6% in October. Source: Scottish Retail Consortium.

Sunderland, Leeds and Aberdeen have been voted the best cities in the UK to work and live in – based on crime, jobs, housing and travel. Source: OneFamily.

Sainsbury’s reported a 20% rise in half-year profits to £302m. Source: Sainsbury’s.

Education  75% of 14 to 16-years-olds expect to earn £27,000 a year in their first job and to spend just £635 each month on all bills. Those in London expect to earn £40,000. The average UK salary across all sectors and ages is currently £27,271, and a first job usually pays less than £20,000. The UK average for monthly household bills is £2,100. Source: Equifax.

Today’s children are the first to be ‘datafied’ from birth, with many using toys that are connected to the internet from an early age – toys which effectively store and share data about them to companies and large media organisations. Source: UK Government.

Science  Wind turbines generated the equivalent of 98% of all Scotland’s electricity demand in October. The best day was 23 October, when turbines generated enough electricity to power 8.72m homes. Source: WWF Scotland.

Scientists are developing new techniques involving epigenetic markers on DNA. Their research could lead to DNA analysis identifying the age, diet, drinking and smoking habits of its source. Source: Florida International University.

Each year, retailers in the UK hand out 11.2bn till receipts, which cost around £32m to make. Most are made of thermal paper, which can be harmful to the environment. Source: Friends of the Earth.

Health  Women are at an increased risk of a heart attack if they have diabetes, high blood pressure or smoke – more so than men in the same conditions. Source: Oxford University.

Women who attend breast screenings respond better to treatment and have a greater chance of surviving cancer than those who don’t. Source: Queen Mary University.

It is thought that singing could improve the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease by assisting with breathing, swallowing and reducing stress. Source: Iowa State University.

A newly developed neck scan, which only lasts five minutes, could detect the risk of dementia in people before they display symptoms. Source: University College London.

Diabetes prescriptions now cost the NHS in England over £1bn each year. Source: NHS Digital.

Recreation  The person that Brits are most likely to make a phone call to is their mum. Partners are usually texted and friends contacted on social media. Source: Sky Mobile.

We burn 10% more calories when having a nap in the afternoon or early evening compared to the early hours. Disrupting our body clocks through night and shift work could make us more likely to put on weight. Source: Harvard University.

The biggest skate fish ever caught in the world, weighing 300lb and measuring eight feet long, was caught off the coast of Portrush in Northern Ireland. Source: BBC.

Oddities Around 7,161 households in the UK still have and use black and white television sets. The most are found in London (1,768), the West Midlands (431) and Greater Manchester (390). Source: LV Licensing.

A hotel is running 30-minute ironing sessions after a survey showed that ironing is a popular way to relax. Source: Hilton.