EDITION 996
20 NOVEMBER 2023

There is no escaping it: too much news is bad for you. It should come with a government health warning: “This intellectual diet is fine taken in small doses, and preferably in weekly instalments, via a well-balanced newsletter, such as 10 things from William Montgomery."

So, as another week slips by, here are 10 things which caught my attention and may have escaped yours. Please feel free to share on social media and forward to your colleagues and friends so they can also subscribe, learn and engage. I would be very grateful if you did.

William Montgomery
Editor and CEO of TEN

1. How to reduce the number of meetings you attend. How can you get any work done when you are in meetings all day? You cannot. But instead of griping, be more discerning about which meetings you go to. Before saying yes to invitation, ask yourself, "If I was sick on the day of this meeting, would it need to be rescheduled?" If you answer "no," then decline the meeting and try one of these less time-intensive alternatives: READ MORE

2. Tories 'wasted £100bn’. The Conservatives "blew £100billion in four years", according to a report. In a roundup of "crony contracts", "duff deals" and "outrageous outgoings", the Best for Britain group found that the total wasted was almost 100 times what would be needed to raise junior doctors’ wages by enough to end their strike action. Chief executive Naomi Smith said: "The notion the Tories are safe with money has been blown out of the water." A government spokesperson said: "We are keeping spending under control and rooting out waste." Daily Mirror

3. How to cultivate curiosity. Curiosity and a willingness to learn are often listed as sought-after traits in job postings. Experts say it’s because these skills point to an aptitude for leadership. So how can workers exercise their curiosity muscle? Research shows that the most creative and curious people don’t have uncompromising routines. Breaking out of a rut by seeking out novel experiences can help curb boredom and disengagement, upping curiosity. Asking questions about new things and giving yourself space to learn and experiment can make you more open and strategic, too. Harvard Business Review

4. UK faces stagflation challenge. Wages in the UK have grown 7.7%, excluding bonuses in the three months to September, continuing to outpace rising prices and underlining that inflation in the UK could take longer to return to the 2% target. Meanwhile, according to the data released last week, the UK economy stagnated during the same period. This mix of slowing economic growth along with high inflation points to a potential case of "stagflation" - when an economy stalls while prices keep rising. The UK is not alone, latest data signals similar issues being faced throughout the euro area. Financial Times

5. Fake news is a real worry. 85% of people are worried about the influence of fake news on their fellow citizens; while 87% of people say disinformation is a threat to politics in their country. This is according to a survey of 16 countries set to hold general elections in 2024. Social media is now people’s main source of news, confirms the survey, which was conducted by Ipos for UNESCO. Social media is where 56% of people get their stories, followed by 44% from television. Despite this, there’s little trust in social media. 68% say it carries the most disinformation of all outlets, followed by messaging app at 38%. Daily Mail

6. Pensions boost predicted. Pensioners could be in line for an unprecedented boost to their income worth double inflation figures, a former minister has predicted. Ahead of next week's Autumn Statement, forecasts indicate that a full pension uprating - in line with wage growth - would see a rise next Spring that would amount to double the projected inflation. A former Lib Dem coalition pensions minister said: "Whenever they have had a choice in recent years they have squeezed benefits and prioritised pensions, so this would be consistent with that." The Guardian

7. House price fluctuations. House prices have risen in 70 local authorities across Britain despite an overall UK-wide fall, according to a mortgage lender. Powys in Wales, enjoyed the largest rise: the average property cost £253,958 - 17.4% more in the three months to the end of September than the same time a year earlier, according to analysis of the Halifax house price index. In East Lindsey in the East Midlands, properties grew 13.3% more costly to £220,421 on average, the greatest increase in England. The Guardian

8. NHS waiting lists. NHS waiting lists in England hit a new high of 7.77 million at the end of September, new figures have shown. More than a million patients are on multiple waiting lists. NHS England has launched an independent review into why it is admitting slightly fewer patients for routine or emergency care now than before the pandemic, despite having higher budgets and more doctors. The Times

9. Google DeepMind touts weatherman. Scientists at Google DeepMind have developed an AI system that uses decades of historical weather data to create accurate 10-day forecasts in less than a minute. Named GraphCast, the AI beat the gold-standard forecasting model from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) on approximately 90% of metrics tested, according to a study. The model, which can predict extreme weather further into the future than was previously possible, is able to track the paths of cyclones and anticipate severe temperatures. Science

10. The bottom line. Two-thirds of British adults do not know what words such as mascarpone and torte mean. Three-quarters have no idea what a coulis is and eight in ten are baffled by a posset. The Guardian