A dangerous hobby

Three men from Greater Manchester were arrested and held in the UAE after being seen writing down the numbers of aircraft.
— Plane-spotting can be risky. In 2001 14 Britons were arrested in Greece after allegedly taking photos at an air base in Kalamata. Eight were sentenced to three years; imprisonment for spying and the other six were given suspended sentences. (All were overturned on appeal.)
— In 2010 two British men were arrested at Delhi airport after being seen taking photos of planes from a hotel room.
— Trainspotters have had problems too. In 2008 a 15-year-old boy was held under terror legislation after taking photographs of Wimbledon station for a school project.
— In 2009 a holidaymaker was raided at a campsite after being seen on CCTV photographing a shunting engine in Wales.

Who gets in?

Britain was reported to be spending £726,000 a day on bed and board for asylum-seekers. Is Britain a soft touch?

Applications decided in past 12 months
Canada
2,790
Germany
20,700
France
16,200
Sweden
9,810
Italy
9,410
UK
8,130
Netherlands
5,550

Source: Eurostat

Applications granted in past 12 months
Canada
8%
Germany
46%
France
20%
Sweden
78%
Italy
58%
UK
37%
Netherlands
77%

Source: Eurostat

Speeding and driving

New rules on drug-driving came into force. How big a problem is drug-driving? There were 1,037 driver fatalities on British roads in 2010. Samples of drug use were compiled in 219 cases. Here’s the breakdown:

Drug
No. of cases
Cannabis
26
Opioids
15
Cocaine
10
Amphetamines
3

Starter homes

David Cameron promised to build 200,000 starter homes for first-time buyers at a 20% discount. How much does it cost to build a new home in Britain and other countries, and what percentage goes on preliminaries such as planning fees?

Cost per sq. m. (US$)
Germany
1,316
UK
1,646
Australia
1,500
Ireland
1,392
US
1,476
Canada
2,786

Source: Turner and Townsend

Preliminaries
Germany
15%
UK
12%
Australia
12%
Ireland
10%
US
9%
Canada
8%

Source: Turner and Townsend