Word for word
US presidential debates are often traced back to the first televised debate, between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy in 1960. But they were inspired by a series of seven debates held between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas while contesting an Illinois senatorial seat in 1858. The debates would have stretched a modern audience — they were each three hours long. It is hard to imagine, too, how modern candidates would have coped with the format: the first speaker was invited to speak for an hour, the second for 90 minutes, and then the first candidate was allowed a further half-hour. Douglas won the seat and, two years later, found himself again facing Lincoln for the presidency. This time, Lincoln declined to debate — and went on to win the top job.
Taxi wars
Uber won its court case against Transport for London, allowing it to continue operating in the capital. How big a player is Uber?
— In March 2019 there were 108,200 licensed vehicles in London.
— 20,100 of these were taxis, i.e. black cabs, allowed to ply for hire on the streets.
— 88,100 were minicabs which, like Uber, must be pre-booked.
— There were 129,900 licensed drivers, of whom 45,000 are thought to be with Uber.
Source: Department for Transport
Covid knock-on
What effect did lockdown have on the diagnoses of non-Covid conditions? Among the 250,000 population of Salford between 1 March and 31 May there were:
1,073 people diagnosed with mental-health conditions, compared with the 2,147 cases which would have been expected from the experience of recent years.
141 cases of type 2 diabetes (276).
598 cases of heart and circulatory disorders (1,054).
163 cases of cancer (194).
Source: National Institute for Health Research
Back to nature
A conservation charity called for 30 per cent of England to be designated ‘wild belt’.
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