The death of Diesel

The Volkswagen scandal has brought into question the future of the diesel engine. A century ago its inventor, Rudolf Diesel, was himself the subject of scandal. On 29 September 1913 he disappeared from the steamship Dresden on its way from Antwerp to Harwich. He had retired to his cabin after dinner but had not changed into his bedclothes. His body was found off Norway ten days later. He was apparently on his way to discuss selling diesel engines to the Royal Navy for submarines, leading to suspicions that he had been murdered to prevent the technology falling into British hands. His financial situation, however, pointed to possible suicide. The Royal Navy went into the first world war with steam-powered submarines.

How the regions rate

George Osborne will let councils keep income from business rates. Total rateable value of business properties by region:

London

£16bn

South-east
£9bn
North-west
£6bn
East
£5.3bn
West Midlands
£4.8bn
Yorks and Humberside
£4.8bn
South-west
£4.3bn
East Midlands
£3.6bn
Wales
£2.4bn
North-east
£1.7bn

Source: IFS

Line of duty

A police officer was killed by a stolen vehicle in Liverpool. Is it becoming more dangerous to be a police officer?

Officers killed in violent acts
or in pursuit of criminals in Britain
1900s
25
1920s
12
1940s
17
1960s
22
1980s
50
2000s
20
2010s (so far)
6

Student politics

How do students vote? Most popular party at various universities:
Conservative Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Durham, Exeter, Imperial College London, LSE, Loughborough, Newcastle, Nottingham, Reading, Southampton, St Andrews
Labour Cambridge, Lancaster, Liverpool, King’s College London, University College London, Manchester, Oxford, Sheffield
Green Edinburgh
SNP Glasgow, Strathclyde
Source: highfliers.co.uk