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
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