What the papers said in the week ending 26 August 2023
There is quite a lot to make us smile in what must be ‘the silly season’:
Can anyone seriously think there is a monster in Loch Ness? Loch Ness monster enthusiasts gear up for biggest search in 50 years | Scotland | The Guardian
- ‘My milkman saw her once’: Loch Ness sees biggest monster hunt in 50 years | Scotland | The Guardian
But interest in The Crooked House is sustained: Paranormal group keeps night’s watch on Crooked House pub site | UK news | The Guardian
And a new phantom has been identified: ‘Phantom post snatcher’ on Snowdonia Slate Trail wrongfoots ramblers | Wales | The Guardian
Healthcare:
We have a new wonder drug which seems to be able to ameliorate if not cure, all sorts of ailments: Scientists hope weight-loss drugs could treat addiction and dementia | Dementia | The Guardian
‘New’ studies tell us that being overweight and with high blood pressure are not good signs: Overweight adults with high blood pressure a third more likely to die early, study finds | Heart attack | The Guardian
- That certain risk factors predict the likelihood of developing dementia: Dementia risk study finds 11 key factors behind condition | Dementia | The Guardian
- That digestive problems may predict the likelihood of developing Parkinson’s Disease: Digestion issues could be warning sign of Parkinson’s disease, research suggests | Parkinson’s disease | The Guardian
- And that Sleep Apnoea makes it more likely that you will have a stroke: Sleep apnoea greatly increases risk of stroke, US scientists find | Stroke | The Guardian
The medical profession has determined that to be on strike is OK: NHS consultants in England to strike for further three days in October | NHS | The Guardian
Our pride and faith in the NHS is badly shaken: ‘Voters are unhappier with the NHS than they’ve been for 30 years. As a GP, I feel the same’ | NHS | The Guardian
- The consequences of our mismanagement of Covid are still emerging: Families sue UK government over relatives’ deaths during Covid crisis | Coronavirus | The Guardian
- The activities of a maverick few put trust to doubt: Lucy Letby faces life in jail when she is sentenced for murdering seven babies | Lucy Letby | The Guardian
Old practices still find a place: ‘Agents of change’: Kenya’s traditional midwives help cut deaths of mothers | Maternal health | The Guardian
The natural world:
There is real promise in understanding from research with bacteria: Bacteria that ‘eat’ methane could slow global heating, study finds | Greenhouse gas emissions | The Guardian
Rewilding is being supported: Beavers, eels, lobsters and more to benefit from new £6m fund (nationalworld.com)
- Plants in towns and plants in houses are the focus of new attention: RHS plans indoor flower show after ‘gardening boom’ in cities | Houseplants | The Guardian
This year’s weather is good for some fruits: ‘They’re huge this year’: UK fruit pickers hail bumper blackberry crop | Fruit | The Guardian
But there are dark clouds in some beautiful places: Ministers accused of ‘environmental crime’ over South Downs oil drilling | Oil | The Guardian
The urban jungle:
Good news can so easily turn to bad if priorities are lost: The Guardian view on canals: a national success story under threat | Editorial | The Guardian
We look likely to lose Wilko’s: Wilko to close ‘majority of stores’ with loss of thousands of jobs | Retail industry | The Guardian
The return of older people to work is an interesting phenomenon and mostly styled as something good for individuals – but it might also rescue the economy: The Guardian view on ‘unretirement’: older workers could help with labour shortages | Editorial | The Guardian
- Certainly the less well-off are struggling: Record number of Britons heading into winter with energy debt, says charity | Energy bills | The Guardian
We bless the introduction and maintenance of the Triple Lock:Triple lock helps the poorest pensioners | State pensions | The Guardian
There are new cycle routes: Cathedral forests and drovers’ roads: Snowdonia’s new cycling route | Snowdonia holidays | The Guardian
Old baths are given a new life: ‘Marathon swim against the tide’: Bath lido reopens to public | Swimming | The Guardian
A cuppa is not what it used to be: Coffee is nudging tea aside in the UK’s affections. What can this civilisational shift mean? | Coco Khan | The Guardian
The dimensions of ‘work’ are being better understood – not ‘all work’: ‘The office is for socializing’: how work from home has revolutionized work | Working from home | The Guardian
Finding a welcome for asylum seekers needs careful thought – and time to get it right: This horror story visited on South Wales by Suella Braverman could be coming to a street near you | Aditya Chakrabortty | The Guardian
Other matters:
Wars continue – and dreadful behaviour within them: At a glance: Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin ‘dead in plane crash’ – what we know so far | Russia | The Guardian
Athletic competition brings people together: Britain’s Kerr stuns Ingebrigtsen to win world championship 1500m gold | World Athletics Championships | The Guardian
The history of names and characters tells us so much: Exhibits recall Dickens’ factory horror – and boy workmate called Fagin (magzter.com)
Celebrations go some way to balancing lack of respect for people who came to Britain from the 1950s: Notting Hill carnival bands line up tributes for Windrush anniversary | Notting Hill carnival | The Guardian
And some things find a natural ending: Bragg brings down curtain on South Bank Show after 45 years (magzter.com)
David Jolley. Chair of Christians on Ageing in a personal capacity
