Animal spirit
A labrador blown up with her handler while sniffing for bombs in Afghanistan in 2008 became the 64th animal to be awarded the PDSA’s Dickin medal for ‘gallantry’ during wartime work.
— Among the total are 29 dogs, yet they are outnumbered by the 32 pigeons who have won the medal, such as Gustav, for bringing home the first message from the Normandy beach landings in 1944.
— Only three horses have been given the medal, and none of them were working in a war zone. Olga, for example, was given the award after bolting 100 yards from a flying bomb, before returning to the scene and helping police direct traffic and rescue operations.
— One ship’s cat has been given the medal, but there have been none for the cattle who have provided the bully beef.
Prison’s compensations
A prisoner was awarded £820 in compensation after a pair of nasal hair clippers were damaged and a carton of cranberry juice lost. Who receives the most compensation, prisoners or prison officers? These were the figures in 2011/12:
| Prisoners | |
| Medical/psychiatric | £51,500 |
| Violence/injury | £16,750 |
| Physical environment (e.g. slips) | £58,616 |
| Officers | |
| Medical/psychiatric |
£13,500 |
| Violence/injury |
£162,318 |
| Physical environment (e.g. slips) |
£245,051 |
— In addition, prisoners won £8,833 for wrongful imprisonment
Source: Ministry of Justice
A question of survival
Ten-year cancer survival rates have doubled in the past 40 years. Which cancers are most, and which are least, survivable?
|
% patients alive 10 years after diagnosis |
|
| Testis |
98% |
| Malignant melanoma |
89% |
| Prostate |
84% |
| Hodgkin lymphoma |
80% |
| Breast |
78% |
| Stomach |
15% |
| Brain |
13% |
| Oesophagus |
12% |
| Lung |
5% |
| Pancreas |
1% |
Source: Cancer Research UK
Full fare
MPs voted to approve the building of HS2. A reminder of how the costs per mile compare with other high-speed railways:
| Paris–Strasbourg (2007) |
£22m |
| Frankfurt–Cologne (2002) |
£60m |
| HS1 (2003/2007) |
£80m |
| HS2 (today’s prices) |
£121m |
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