The not-so-great charter
David Cameron wants every child to be taught about Magna Carta. Some bits he might want to leave out:
— ‘If one who has borrowed from the Jews any sum, great or small, die before that loan be repaid, the debt shall not bear interest while the heir is under age.’
— ‘No one shall be arrested or imprisoned upon the appeal of a woman, for the death of any other than her husband.’
Foul play
Is there a correlation between bad behaviour from a country’s football team and violence in the country as a whole?
WORST-BEHAVED TEAMS IN EUROPE | |
Homicides per 100,000 people | |
Ukraine | 4.3 |
Romania | 1.7 |
Croatia | 1.2 |
Iceland | 0.3 |
Bulgaria | 1.9 |
Fouls in World Cup qualifying | |
Ukraine | 186 |
Romania | 164 |
Croatia | 156 |
Iceland | 153 |
Bulgaria | 148 |
Germany | 0.8 |
Spain | 0.8 |
BEST-BEHAVED TEAMS IN EUROPE | |
Homicides per 100,000 people | |
Georgia | 84 |
Italy | 79 |
Northern Ireland | 76 |
Germany | 70 |
Spain | 58 |
Fouls in World Cup qualifying | |
Georgia | 4.3 |
Italy | 0.9 |
Northern Ireland | 1.0 |
Germany | 0.8 |
Spain | 0.8 |
Source: Fifa/Nationmaster
Baby steps
Labour wants to introduce four weeks’ paid paternity leave. Here’s how paid maternity leave compares in developed countries:
Czech Republic | 4 years |
Sweden | 16 months |
Germany | 12 months* |
UK | 12 months |
Canada | 50 weeks |
Italy | 22 weeks |
France/Spain | 16 weeks |
Japan | 14 weeks |
USA | None† |
*14 months for single parents
†Except in California, New York and a handful of other states
Suffering for their art
Harrison Ford was injured by a spaceship door while making a Star Wars film. These were the accidents on film sets reported over four years to consultants Actsafe:
General stuntwork | 69 |
Wire work/ratchets | 45 |
Martial arts | 23 |
High fall | 16 |
Acrobatics | 14 |
Driving | 12 |
Work with horses | 8 |
Fire | 8 |
Aerial work | 6 |
Motorcycle | 6 |
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Keith Appleyard