Society  Only one in five UK homeowners get on with their neighbours more now than they did five years ago. Source: Co-op and Neighbourhood Watch.

When asked if they thought Scotland becoming independent would be a price worth paying for delivering Brexit, 41% of Leave voters said yes, while only 18% said no. When both Leave and Remain voters were asked if they thought that Brexit made Scottish independence more likely, 40% said it did. Source: YouGov.

59% of Scots believe that laws should be put in place to determine when it's too hot to work. Source: ScotPulse.



Economy  Shoppers have been warned to be extra vigilant on Black Friday (29 November) for scammers who are likely to employ fake websites, identity theft and false adverts. Source: TSB.

All main retail sectors saw falling sales in the third quarter of this year (from July to the end of September) with the exception of food shops. Source: Office for National Statistics.

Meetings in the workplace are becoming more frequent, although less decisions are being made. Researchers believe that such meetings should be considered a form of therapy – where staff can voice concerns or frustration and basically show off their status. Source: University of Malmo.

Education   86% of graduate students report marked levels of anxiety – a much higher percentage than in the general UK population. Source: Advance HE.

2% of children in England who are officially classed as vulnerable – around 7,000 children – have not yet been born. Most are classified in this way because of neglect or abuse. A total of 400,000 children in England are recognised as being 'children in need'. Source: UK Government.



Science  An animal once thought to be lost to science – the silver-backed chevrotain (also known as the Vietnam mouse-deer) – has been found again near the city of Nha Trang in Vietnam. Source: Global Wildlife Conversation.

A process of natural genetic engineering is thought to have enabled plants to move from water to land. A crucial step in evolution, terrestrialization began with plants and was then followed by animals and humans. Source: technology.org.

NHS Scotland has used £1.3m in funding from Transport Scotland to add 112 electric cars to its fleet. The cars will replace existing petrol/diesel-fuelled vehicles in a bid to cut CO2 emissions. Source: Scottish Government.

A new gadget has been developed which uses radar technology and artificial intelligence to detect unattended children or animals who have been left locked in hot cars. The gadget can unlock car doors and sounds an alarm for help. It will potentially save a number of lives during hot weather. Source: University of Waterloo.



Health  By switching from tobacco to vaping, smokers can improve the health of their hearts within weeks. Although vaping is not classed as 'safe', it is less harmful than smoking tobacco. Source: University of Dundee.

The number of children in England being admitted to hospital with a severe allergic reaction has risen every year for the past five years. In 2018/19, 1,746 children were treated for anaphylactic shock – up from 1,015 in 2013/14. Source: BBC.

On average, Scots sleep for six and a half hours a night. Source: ScotPulse.

Recreation  David Tennant has been named the most prolific actor in Britain this year. The study took into account star billings and the number of film and TV appearances. Also in the top five were Martin Clunes, Sir David Jason, Olivia Colman and Julie Walters. Source: i.

It takes the average UK household five hours to prepare when hosting Christmas. Amongst the tasks undertaken are general tidying up, replacing bulbs, fixing toilet seats and cleaning windows. Source: B&Q.



Oddities  A huge amount of cocaine – more than 1,000kg – has been washed up in plastic packages along France's Atlantic coast. Several beaches have been temporarily closed and the relevant authorities are unsure where the drugs came from. Source: i.