A place of greater safety
CIA whistleblower Edward Snowden has claimed asylum in 21 countries. How do whistleblowers fare in some of them?
China: 5 journalists killed since 1992. One was beaten by traffic police whose corrupt practices he was investigating, another found with his throat cut after probing links between politicians and gangs
Venezuela: 9 journalists killed since 1992, including one murdered by a former police sergeant after investigating drugs gangs
Ecuador: 3 journalists killed since 1992, including one who was a witness in a police corruption case
Nicaragua: 2 journalists killed since 1992, including one killed after investigating electoral malpractice
Russia: 79 journalists killed since 1992 — ten of them suspected to have been murdered by criminal gangs, ten by government officials, three by military officials and three by political groups.
Source: Committee to Protect Journalists
Making the grade
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority was expected to recommend that MPs’ salaries of £66,396 rise by up to 15 per cent. How else can you earn £66,396?
£53,141-£66,586: Head of Finance, National Gallery
£65,435–£69,410: Head of Social Work, Allied and Public Health, Staffordshire University
£62,808–£70,988: Principal Designate, Essa Academy, Bolton
£54,998–£67,805: Assistant Director of Strategic Procurement, East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust
Talk of the playground
One in five pupils in London primary schools do not have English as a first language. What are the most common languages spoken in London schools?
| English | 611,740 |
| Bengali | 42,280 |
| Urdu | 26,560 |
| Somali | 24,750 |
| Turkish | 15,420 |
Source: Annual school census
What’s in the tank
The British Geological Survey doubled Britain’s estimated reserves of shale gas. How much fossil fuel is known to exist?
Oil: 1267 billion barrels (54 years’ supply at current production rates)
Natural gas: 196.1 trillion cubic metres (59 years’ supply)
Coal: 860,938m tonnes (217 years’ supply)
Source: BP. Figures are for 2011
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