In fact

August 27, 2005
  • There is twice as much rainfall in Sydney as in London. [The Guardian, 8th November 2004]


  • In 2003, ITV did not feature a single international programme under the categories of politics, development, human rights or the environment. [Prospect, page 72]


  • Princess Anne has an HGV licence. [Daily Express, 15th August 2000]


  • British Muslims consume around a fifth of all lamb and mutton eaten in the country. [Muslim Council of Britain]


  • 44 per cent of PhDs in biology and the life sciences are awarded to women. [edge.org]


  • French anti-globalisation campaigner José Bové's parents are both acclaimed biologists. His father is involved in research into GM food. [Newsweek, 5th March 2001]


  • Mein Kampf was second on the Turkish bestseller lists in March. [Harper's, June 2005]


  • 31 per cent of practising doctors in Britain were trained abroad, compared to 5 per cent in France and Germany. [The Lancet, 27th May 2005]


  • The penis of a barnacle may reach up to 20 times its body size. [The Independent, 27th August 2004]


  • The secular Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka are responsible for more suicide bombings than any other terrorist organisation in the world—up to two thirds of the total. [PBS]


  • Seven of America's nine founding fathers denied the divinity of Jesus. [Harper's, July 2005]


  • Youth offending— defined as the number of 10 to 17 year olds convicted or cautioned per year—fell by 26 per cent between 1992 and 2002. [The Guardian, 14th May 2005]


  • Vietnam is the second largest producer of coffee in the world, after Brazil. It produces 20 times as much as Uganda. [Prospect research]