10 things we didn't know last week
16:30 UK time, Friday, 5 January 2007
1. UK traffic lights emit about 50,000 tonnes of CO2 per year through energy use.
2. Jobs in finance make up 4% of the UK's workforce - and account for 13% of the income tax paid.
3. Coach travel is the safest form of road transport in the country.
4. More than 20 million people visit Little Chef roadside outlets each year.
5. A Beefeater is more formally known as a Yeoman Warder of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, and Members of the Sovereign's Body Guard of the Yeoman Guard Extraordinary.
6. Holders of the MBE can be stripped of the honour at the discretion of the Queen, "if evidence of wrongdoing comes to light".
7. Saddam Hussein's codename while in US custody in 2004/5 was "Victor".
8. A shortage of volunteer leaders has led to a waiting list of 50,000 girls wanting to join the Girl Guides.
9. Noel Edmonds' middle name is Ernest, although it’s not noted in his first Who's Who entry, in the newly published 2007 edition. He is listed as Noel E Edmonds.
10. The US Senate has never had a "socialist" senator - until now. Bernard Sanders, an independent, calls himself a "democratic socialist".
(Sources: 1. UK Energy Research Centre report, published 29 December; 2. What Makes Britain Rich? ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Two, 4 January; 9. The Daily Mirror, 4 January.)
Seen 10 things? . Thanks to Chris Aitken for his picture of 10 cosmopolitans.
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