Barometer | 23 May 2013

Gnome territory

This year only, garden gnomes are allowed at the Chelsea Flower Show. Some other places to see them:

Germany. The home of the gnome, where the first batch were manufactured in 1841, has an estimated 25 million.

European Gnome Sanctuary, Barga, Italy. A town whose parks and gardens have become a dumping ground for stolen gnomes, promoted by an underground Gnome Liberation Front.

Bed of Wast Water, Cumbria. In 2005 the North West Police Underwater Search Unit removed a gnome on the lake bed blamed for luring several inexperienced divers to their deaths. More gnomes promptly appeared — this time below the depth limit at which police divers work.

Taxing calculations

David Cameron wrote to British dependencies asking for more help fighting tax avoidance. How well do tax havens balance their budgets?

Space nations

The government is to spend £16 million sending a British astronaut to the International Space Station.