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

Most popular

Nigel Jones

Walking, not working out, is the best exercise

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?