EDITION 972
5 JUNE 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 keep your negotiation on track. We waste too much time and emotion during negotiations. We argue about items that don’t really matter and let our feelings override our logic. If you want to move a negotiation forward and advance to where you want to be follow these tips: READ MORE

2. Heart issues more common on Mondays. Fatal heart attacks are most likely to happen on Mondays, new research has found. Scientists who studied 10,528 patients admitted to hospital in Ireland with a serious heart attack over a five-year period found that rates were 13% higher on Mondays. They concluded that the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle is disrupted over the weekend as people stay up late or enjoy a lie-in and then, when people return to their usual weekday rising time, it causes higher levels of inflammation and stress hormones that can trigger heart attacks. Yahoo

3. Study finds lockdown was ‘gigantic failure’. A study has found that the benefits of lockdown measures were a “drop in the bucket” compared to the costs. Scientists from Johns Hopkins University and Lund University who analysed almost 20,000 studies on Covid measures across the world found that lockdowns in response to the first wave of the pandemic, when compared with less strict policies adopted by the likes of Sweden, prevented as few as 1,700 deaths in England and Wales. They described lockdowns as a “policy failure of gigantic proportions”. The Telegraph

4. Brexit regrets’ are rising. Nearly two thirds of voters believe Brexit has contributed to runaway inflation and soaring food prices, according to polling for the inews site. “Brexit regrets” are rising among voters, said the outlet, which will “only add to the pressure that has been building on Rishi Sunak over trade terms with the EU”. Earlier this week, the Food and Drink Federation partly blamed Brexit-related factors for high prices, citing “friction at the UK’s borders and persistent labour shortages”. iNews

5. New cancer breakthrough. A blood test for more than 50 types of cancer has shown significant promise in a major NHS trial. The test correctly revealed two out of every three cancers among 5,000 people who had visited their GP with suspected symptoms, a development that the BBC said is “exciting scientists”. The Galleri test looks for distinct changes in bits of genetic code that leak from different cancers. Cancer Research UK said the findings “suggest this test could be used to support GPs to make clinical assessments”.  The Guardian

6. Young fear AI job hit. Researchers have found that more than half of young people are concerned that artificial intelligence will take their jobs from them. Some 52% of 18 to 24-year-olds are worried about the impact of the technology on their future job prospects, the survey found. The poll also found that 48% of people believe it is likely that humans will one day lose control of AI systems by it surpassing human capabilities and starting to act against human interests. iNews

7. Billions exposed to extreme heat. At current trajectories, more than a fifth of the world’s population will be living in extreme temperatures by 2100, forcing perhaps a billion people to emigrate, scientists have warned. Currently, only 0.9% of the population live in extreme temperatures – areas where mean annual air temperatures exceed 29°C. If global temperatures carry on rising and reach 2.7°C above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century, some 22% of the population will be living in such areas. The worst-affected country, in terms of the sheer number of people affected, would be India. In Delhi temperatures hit 46°C this month. Nigeria, Indonesia and the Philippines are next on the list. Daily Mail

8. UK house prices fall at fastest rate for nearly 14 years. First-time buyers may welcome the news but higher than expected inflation means mortgage costs remain an issue. House prices in the UK have had their biggest annual fall in nearly 14 years, according to Nationwide, one of the country’s biggest mortgage lenders. The 3.4% year-on-year drop in May is the biggest since July 2009, “when an annual fall of 6.2% was recorded”. A reduction in house prices “would generally be welcomed by first-time buyers, who have watched property values continue to climb in recent years, even during the pandemic”. But rising interest rates mean that “mortgage costs are now higher than many people looking to get on the housing ladder might have planned for.” BBC

9. The key to effective exercise? The time you choose to work out could make a big difference to its benefits. Scientists from Leiden University Medical Center found that if you want to stave off heart disease and stroke, the best time to exercise is between 8am and 11am; and the closer to 11am the better. The results were the same regardless of people’s sleep patterns, or their overall activity levels. The researchers monitored six years of heart-rate data from 86,657 older adults and found that synching your workout with your body-clock can have a many benefits. However, working out between midnight and 6am can increase your risk of heart disease, as this is the time our bodies use to rest and repair. World Economic Forum

10. The bottom line. 21% of millennials (defined as people aged 25 to 40) would vote Conservative in an election held tomorrow. 62% believe the Tories “deserve to lose the next election”. But among millennials in their 30s, Rishi Sunak is more popular than his party by 25 points. The Times