Society  More than 480,500 food parcels were handed out by food banks in Scotland between April 2017 and September 2018. Source: Scottish Human Rights Commission.

Scotland's fire services responded to 2,276 animal-related emergencies between 2013 and 2018. Incidents included the rescue of domestic animals from a night club in Leith and in assisting a rhino who had got stuck in a tyre at Edinburgh Zoo. Source: Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

25% of young people, aged from 18-24 years old, admit to feeling stressed by the demands of social media. Only 10% of over-55s feel the same pressure. Source: RBS.

Several Scottish words have recently been added to the Oxford English Dictionary. Included are: bampot, bawbag, roaster, bowf, bidie-in, hew-haw, rooked, sitooterie, Weegie and eeksie-peeksie. Source: Scotpulse.

Private landlords in England will no longer be able to evict tenants at short notice without good reason. When implemented, the new plans aim to protect tenants from unethical landlords and provide them with more long-term security. Source: UK Government.



Economy  TSB is the first UK bank to introduce a 'fraud refund guarantee' to its 5.2m customers. The new scheme covers customers against transactional losses, including if they are tricked into paying or transferring money to fraudsters. Source: TSB.

Eight in 10 chief financial officers in the UK are expecting a damaging Brexit. While 50% expect to cut capital spending, 20% aim to reduce deal-making activity. Source: Deloitte.

House prices in the UK have jumped by £3,447, or 1%, this month. Source: Rightmove.

Education  UK teachers received nearly £15m in compensation last year after suffering 'appalling treatment'. Source: NASUWT.

Edinburgh University has received £1.8m to research the incurable bowel condition Crohn's Disease. The condition affects 120,000 people in the UK. Source: The Helmsley Charitable Trust.

40% of teachers in the UK don't think they will be working in education in five years' time. Source: National Education Union.



Science  Three mother and calf pairs of the endangered North Atlantic right whale species have been spotted off the coast of Massachusetts. Only 450 of the species are believed to be alive. Source: BBC.

Three lakes on Saturn's moon Titan have vanished. The lakes, which are filled with hydrocarbons like methane and ethane, usually shrink during the moon's summer but new data suggests they have completely disappeared (or dried up). Source: Nature Astronomy.

Bones of an extinct species of human – Homo Iuzonensis – have been found in the Philippines. The discovery could mean that primitive human relatives left Africa and made it all the way to south-east Asia – something not previously considered possible. Source: BBC.

Health  Smelling nice odours could help smokers quit. Researchers found that cravings decreased when smokers were exposed to nice smells such as peppermint or chocolate. The smells are thought to act as a distraction. Source: University of Pittsburgh.

The Time For Care scheme which enables GP practices to free up more time for doctors to see patients will be extended to cover 75% of GP practices in England by 2022. Last year, the scheme freed up 205,157 clinical hours, which is thought to equate to 1.2m appointment slots and around £40m in time saved. Source: NHS England.

Recreation  It has been predicted that there will be a heatwave in the UK over the Easter weekend, with temperatures higher than that in Corfu, Majorca and Saint-Tropez. Glasgow and Aberdeen could reach 20C. Source: Met Office.



Oddities  The world's oldest goldfish – George – has died at the age of 44 in Worcester. Source: Mirror.