Society  Crime on Britain's railways increased by 12% in 2018/19 (68,313 cases), with more violent and sexual offences reported. The previous year, some 60,867 crimes were reported. Source: British Transport Police.

Scotland's genetic landscape today is similar to how it was during the Dark Ages, with many people still living in the same areas as their direct ancestors. Source: Edinburgh University.

70% of Brits had an unfavourable opinion of Robert Mugabe, while just 3% said they had a very or somewhat favourable view of the ex-president. A further 10% of those asked had never heard of Mugabe. Source: YouGov.

When children aged between seven and 16 years old were asked for examples of modern-day bravery – real or fictional – the top spot went to Greta Thunberg. Also in the top 10 were Roald Dahl's Matilda, Malala Yousafzai, Ariana Grande, Harry Potter, Andy Murray, Katniss Everdeen (from The Hunger Games), Barack Obama, Dustin Henderson (from Stranger Things) and Stormzy. The study also found that Scottish children value bravery above that of being popular or successful. Source: Roald Dahl Story Company.



Economy  Self-employed workers owed HMRC £1.6bn in late tax payments last year – with the figure rising for the third year in a row. Source: UHY Hacker Young.

Lloyds Banking Group is facing an extra bill of up to £1.8bn due to a surge of last minute PPI claims. The closing date for claims was 29 August. Source: BBC.

Education  The number of women climbing the career ladder in science is 'disappointingly low', according to researchers from journal Cell Stem Cell. While women represent half of students in the life sciences, they only represent 25% of professors worldwide. Source: BBC.



Science  Around 265 endangered species – including the giant anteater and the crowned eagle – are being put at an even greater risk by Amazon wildfires. More than 43,000 fires have been recorded in the Amazon this year. Source: WWF.

Six finalists have been named in the annual Scottish Tree of the Year competition. They are: the Cadzow Oak, Hamilton; the Future Forest Tree, Glen Mavis; Covenanter's Oak, Motherwell; the Peace Tree, Stonehaven; the Grand Old Man of Dawyck, Peebles; and the Last Ent of Affric, Glen Affric. The triumphant tree will win a £1,000 care package towards its upkeep and a trophy will be given to a representative at a ceremony in the Scottish Parliament. Source: Woodland Trust.

Over a million tonnes of food made in the hospitality industry is thrown away each year – but 75% of it could have been eaten if portions were reduced and unnecessary garnishes avoided. Source: Wrap.

Health  More than 40% of people who are eventually diagnosed with cancer have to see their GPs at least twice before being referred for tests. Source: NHS National Cancer Patient Experience Survey.

Due to a 'data quality' issue, the NHS doesn't have an accurate figure for the number of people being prescribed methadone and other opioid substitutes in Scotland. Source: BBC.

25% of adults in England use strong painkillers, antidepressants or sleeping tablets at some point each year. Half of those people have been using the medication for at least a year. Source: Public Health England.

Vegetarians and vegans have a 20% higher risk of stroke than meat-eaters – the equivalent of three more cases of stroke per 1,000 people over a decade. Source: University of Oxford.

Recreation  52% of us are smiling less than usual due to political uncertainty, stress at work and anxiety about social media. However, the top five things that do put a smile on our faces are: a random act of kindness; sunshine; holidays; a funny joke; and good food. Source: Marella Cruises.

The first episode of this year's Great British Bake Off was watched by more than nine million viewers in the first week. Source: Channel 4.



Oddities  15% of Brits believe in the Loch Ness monster, while 71% say they don't. Some 27% of Scots say they believe in Nessie – twice as many as those in the rest of Britain. Source: YouGov.