Confusing headlines

[bradrn]

Furious health campaigners blast denial of plans to scrap new Monklands hospital as 'outrageous'

[Raphael]

Is that some kind of triple negative?

[bradrn]

Is that some kind of triple negative?

Hard to tell. I lost count when I tried to figure it out.

[Man in Space]

c/o The Independent, via MSN:

How much money should you have saved to survive a jobless epidemic?

I know the intent is "how much money should you have available" but it seems like "this is what you should have done to survive this jobless epidemic".

[bradrn]

‘Made the mistake of overextending’: Ex-Sydney mayor called in before collapse

No, it wasn’t the mayor who collapsed…

[zompist]

CIA chief used Moscow visit to warn Russia against attacks on NATO allies, helping Iran

Doesn't seem surprising at all these days if the CIA chief is helping Iran.

[Raphael]

Somewhat confusing if you don't follow organized cycling:

Leader Pogacar abandons Vuelta after crash

https://www.bbc.com/sport/cycling/articles/c0qx0ndg373o

[bradrn]

‘China spy’ wife MP’s affair

(I suspect the possessive actually belongs with ‘wife’, not ’MP’.)

[Lērisama]

‘China spy’ wife MP’s affair

(I suspect the possessive actually belongs with ‘wife’, not ’MP’.)

Shockingly, I think it doesn't. The story seems to be about the affair of a “‘China spy’ wife MP”, or, outside of headlinese, Joani Reid, a Scottish Labour MP whose husband allegedly spied for China.

[bradrn]

‘China spy’ wife MP’s affair

(I suspect the possessive actually belongs with ‘wife’, not ’MP’.)

Shockingly, I think it doesn't. The story seems to be about the affair of a “‘China spy’ wife MP”, or, outside of headlinese, Joani Reid, a Scottish Labour MP whose husband allegedly spied for China.

In my parsing:

• The ‘China spy’ is David Taylor
• The ‘China spy wife’ is his wife, Joani Reid
• Then the ‘China spy wife’s MP affair’ would be her MP affair, i.e. her affair with another (unnamed) MP

Though, having worked through this… I realise that this interpretation is wrong, because, being unnamed, we have no idea whether the other man is an MP (in face he almost certainly isn’t). Rather, ‘MP’ is in apposition with “‘China spy’ wife”, i.e., she is a China spy wife who is an MP also. Confusing!