Juncker’s perks
The European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker complained that he doesn’t have an official residence, unlike the ambassadors who frequently entertain him, and has to live in a hotel room. What are the perks of his job?
— He receives a salary of €306,655 (£271,000), untaxed in his home country and subject only to a low EU tax.
— He gets a residence allowance of €46,000 p.a., equivalent to 15 per cent of his salary.
— He is also eligible for a family allowance equivalent to 2 per cent of his salary.
The free world
Was Donald Trump’s state banquet the most appropriate to boycott? Countries whose leaders have been treated to a state visit in the past decade, ranked by their position on the Human Freedom Index:
| HIGHEST | |
| Netherlands | 6 |
| Ireland | 8 |
| USA | 17 |
| Singapore | 25 |
| Spain | 25 |
| South Korea | 27 |
| South Africa | 63 |
| LOWEST | |
| Mexico | 75 |
| Qatar | 103 |
| Turkey | 107 |
| India | 110 |
| UAE | 117 |
| Kuwait | 124 |
| China | 135 |
Atheist beliefs
Percentage of people describing themselves as atheists who ‘strongly’ or ‘somewhat’ agree with the existence of:
| Life after death | 19% |
| Reincarnation | 13% |
| Astrology | 14% |
| Objects with mystical powers | 11% |
| ‘That significant events are meant to be’ |
29% |
| Supernatural beings | 20% |
| Universal spirits of life force | 19% |
| Underlying forces of good and evil | 30% |
| Karma | 7% |
Source: Understanding Unbelief Project, University of Kent
Football vs cricket
How do audiences for the Cricket World Cup and the Football World Cup compare?
— According to Fifa, last year’s Football World Cup final in Russia attracted an estimated 1bn viewers around the world.
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