King’s speechless
There will be no state opening of parliament this year and consequently no King’s speech. This is only the seventh year since 1900 in which this has happened: the others were 1915, 1925, 1949, 2011, 2018 and 2020, though 2019 saw two state openings in just over two months, on 14 October and 19 December. The controversial proroguing of parliament in September 2019 – later ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court – came at the end of what was the longest session of parliament since 1900: it lasted 352 sitting days against an average of 143.
Nobel calling
What are the nationalities of all Nobel Peace Prize winners since 1901 (individuals only, excluding organisations)?
US 21
France 9
UK 8
Sweden 5
Germany, South Africa 4
Belgium, Switzerland, Israel, India 3
Argentina, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Ireland, East Timor, Egypt, Iran, Liberia, Norway, Poland, Soviet Union 2
27 other countries have one winner.
Put it away
The Princess of Wales appealed for families to put their mobile phones away at the dinner table. How many people admit to using their phones at dinner time?
– 71% of people admitted to using a phone at the dining table, according to a poll by Global Wireless Solutions in 2019. Of them, eight in ten said they were irritated when others did the same.
– A poll by YouGov in 2018 found that 75% of 18- to 24-year-olds used their phone at the dinner table. Only 32% of those aged 65 and over did.
– 77% of people admit to using a phone at the table according to a survey this year by the Week Junior. It also showed that only one in three families eats together every day.
Green and pleasant belt
Have fears about the loss of green belt under Labour’s growth plans been realised?
– On 31 March 2025 1.633m hectares of land across England and Wales were designated as green belt, 12.5% of the total land area. This represented 660 fewer hectares than a year earlier – a loss of 0.04% of the green belt. The districts with the biggest loss were York (510 hectares), Mole Valley (120 hectares) and Dorset (20 hectares). Barnet gained 10 hectares.
– These figures are for the area of land designated. It doesn’t mean the land has been built on – yet.
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