The perils of planespotting

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

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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?