Keeping it in the family
A study by the Middle East Technical University claimed to prove that the pronounced chin of Charles II of Spain and many of his Habsburg relatives was the result of marriage between cousins. Some royals who went even further:
— Tutankhamun’s wife Ankhesenamun is believed to have been his half-sister. She bore two daughters who both died in infancy.
— King Rama V of Siam (1868-1910), also known as Chulalongkorn, is reputed to have had 77 children with 92 different consorts, four of whom were his half-sisters.
— Princess Nahienaena of Hawaii (1815-1836) bore a daughter with her brother, Prince Kauikeaouli. The baby died.
Ultra marginals
Seats left with majorities of less than 100 after the 2017 general election:
| Majority / Party |
|
| Arfon | 92 / PC |
| Glasgow E. | 75 / SNP |
| Glasgow S.W. | 60 / SNP |
| Crewe and Nantwich | 48 / Lab |
| Richmond Park | 45 / Con |
| Southampton Itchen | 31 / Con |
| Newcastle under Lyme | 30 / Lab |
| Dudley N. | 22 / Lab |
| Perth and Perthshire N. | 21 / SNP |
| Kensington | 20 / Lab |
| N.E. Fife | 2 / SNP |
Highs and lows
Some weather records broken this year (˚C):
— New national high temperature records for Germany (42.6°), Netherlands (40.7°), Belgium (38.7°), UK (38.7°).
— City highs for Paris (42.6°), New Delhi (48°), Adelaide (46.6°), Santiago (38.3°).
— 30.8° at Rio Grande, Argentina, thought to be the most southerly temperature of more than 30° recorded.
— State record low for Illinois (-38.9°).
— Monthly average low temperature city record for Great Falls, Montana (-17.9°).
— Deepest snow recorded in June at Weissfluhjoch, Switzerland (270cm).
Fare play
Labour said it wanted to reduce train fares by a third. How much subsidy currently goes into the rail industry?
— In 2018/19 net government support for the rail industry was £7bn, a 9% rise on the previous year. Excluding HS2, the real-terms rise was 2%.
— On average, the taxpayer subsidised rail travel to the tune of 6p for every passenger-km, a 0.3p increase.
— The highest subsidy per passenger-km was 30p on Northern Rail services.
Source: Office of Rail and Road
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