Popular Elsewhere

15:39 UK time, Tuesday, 1 November 2011

A look at the stories ranking highly on various news sites.

The Guardian's most read story spots a surprising trend; despite increased GDP and population, people in the UK are consuming less. It says the total weight of everything we use, from food and fuel to flat-pack furniture - reached its peak in 2001 and began to decline. Despite increased obesity, even food intake is falling. That, it seems, is because we do less exercise and whack up the central heating. But other stuff - from maize to metal - may only be explained by a genuine reduction in demand for resources. All this during a growing economy - something which has largely been seen as impossible before. Cue excited environmentalists.

It's 25 years since the Australian soap opera Neighbours was first broadcast in the UK. For Times readers, this is as good excuse as any to look back at how the mild mannered programme has influenced British life. The article notes that this seemingly inoffensive drama about having a cup of coffee and a sit down has had more sway than your average lobbyist:

"So deep became the nation's obsession that by 1989 John Prescott quoted the entire theme tune in a parliamentary debate."

It's a day after Halloween but readers are still reading on what they should have dressed up as. And a popular Daily Mail article shows the prize for the most over-engineered costume should go to Nasa employee Mark Rober. By duct taping two iPads either side of his body and setting up a face time chat between the two, he made it look like there was a hole going right through his stomach. He may like to note that a bit of fake blood would have sufficed.

Days after it was first printed, New York Times readers are still clicking on Mona Simpson's eulogy for her brother - the co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs. She reveals that, as well as his many professional feats, he used to be a bit of a matchmaker: