Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-3744572/Turkey-dismisses-2-000-police-officers-coup-bid.html#ixzz4HbGPky3y

Turkey set to release 38,000 prisoners, makes space in jails after coup
By REUTERS
(Additional reporting by Ayla Jean Yackley; Editing by Patrick Markey and Anna Willard)
PUBLISHED: 12:43, 17 August 2016 | UPDATED: 12:43, 17 August 2016

By Daren Butler
ISTANBUL, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Turkey will release 38,000 prisoners under a penal reform announced on Wednesday after the arrests of tens of thousands of people suspected of links to last month's attempted coup added to pressure on overstretched jails.
The reform was one of a series of measures outlined on Wednesday in two new decrees under a state of emergency declared after the July 15 failed putsch during which 240 people, mostly civilians, were killed. The government gave no reason for the reform.
Western allies worry President Tayyip Erdogan, accused by opponents of creeping authoritarianism, is using the crackdown to target dissent, testing relations with a key NATO partner in the war on Islamic State.
Angrily dismissing the West's concerns, Turkish officials say they are rooting out a serious internal threat from followers of a U.S.-based cleric Ankara blames for orchestrating a coup bid.
Wednesday's decrees, published in the Official Gazette, also ordered the dismissal of 2,360 more police officers, more than 100 military personnel and 196 staff at Turkey's information and communication technology authority, BTK.
Those dismissed were described as having links to cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former ally turned enemy whom Erdogan says is behind the attempt by rogue troops using tanks and jets to overthrow the government. Gulen denies involvement in the coup.
Under the penal reform, convicts with up to two years left in sentences are eligible for release on probation, extending the period from one year. The "supervised release" excludes those convicted of terrorism, murder, violent or sexual crimes.
To be eligible for the scheme, prisoners must have served half of their sentences. Previously they were required to have already served two thirds of their sentence.
"This measure is not an amnesty," Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag wrote on Twitter of the penal reform. "Around 38,000 people will be released from... jail in the first stage as a result of this measure."
He did not say why the reform was needed but Turkey's prison population has trebled over the last 15 years. There were 188,000 prisoners in Turkey as of March, some 8,000 more than the existing capacity.
Another measure gave the president more choice in appointing the head of the armed forces. He can now select any general as military chief, one decree said. Previously only the heads of the army, navy or air force could be promoted to the post.
A telecoms authority will also be closed under the moves.
Erdogan, already accused by critics of creeping authoritarianism before the coup bid, says Gulen and his followers infiltrated government institutions to create a 'parallel state' in an attempt to take over the country.
Alongside tens of thousands of civil servants suspended or dismissed, more than 35,000 people have been detained in the purge. Judges, journalists, police, and teachers are among those targeted for suspected links to Gulen's movement.
Turkish police on Tuesday searched the offices of a nationwide retail chain and a healthcare and technology company, detaining executives who authorities accuse of helping finance Gulen's network.
FIRST 'COUP' INDICTMENT
A prosecutor in the western province of Usak has submitted the first indictment formally accusing Gulen of masterminding the coup plot, the state-run Anadolu Agency said.
The 11-month investigation focused on alleged wrongdoing by the Gulen movement from 2013, but includes charges Gulen organised an armed "terrorist" group to topple the government, scrap the constitution and murder Erdogan on July 15.
The 2,257-page indictment seeks two life sentences and an additional 1,900 years in jail for Gulen, plus tens of millions of lira in fines, Anadolu said. It names a total 111 defendants, including 13 people who are already in custody.
U.S. officials have been cautious on the extradition of Gulen, saying they need clear evidence. He has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999, but it is not clear Ankara has yet made a formal request.
Western criticism of the purge and Ankara's demands U.S. officials send Gulen home have already frayed ties with Washington and the European Union, increasing tensions over an EU deal with Turkey to stem the flow of migrants.
In another tense exchange, Turkey lashed out at Germany on Wednesday, saying allegations in a media report that Turkey had become a hub for Islamist groups reflected a "twisted mentality" that tried to target Erdogan.
Incensed over a perceived lack of Western sympathy over the coup attempt, Erdogan has revived relations with Russia, a detente Western officials worry may be used by both leaders to pressure the European Union and NATO.
Measures in Wednesday's decrees will also enable former air force pilots to return to duty, making up for a deficit after the dismissal of military pilots in the purge.
Turkey declared a three-month state of emergency on July 21.
Under previous emergency rule decrees, Turkey had already dismissed thousands of security force members as well as ordering the closure of thousands of private schools, charities and other institutions suspected of links to Gulen.

A snippet from Capital & Conflict

Note it's pre-brexit

The number of Britons between the ages of 16 and 64 with a job reached its highest level ever since the Office for National Statistics (ONS) began tracking the number in 1971. It’s 74.5%. Fifty-two thousand jobs were added between April and June, according to the ONS. Average weekly earnings were up 2.4%.
2517

Is there a record of hours actually worked and the average rate of pay for those in "non-managerial" roles?

How many are in supposed self-employed?

=--=

It will be interesting to see GDP per capita.

You really need to get out more Freda. Must be a riot in your house every time you go out.

They only let him out with a carer and big bag of medication

Such a happy chappie isn't he. His poor Missus is always complaining he never takes her anywhere. Last Saturday morning he gave her a shake at 6.30 "You coming to the Strike meeting or what?" Sad chap (deliberately watching my language, but you get the drift.).

You've never had it so good...


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/08/17/britons-better-off-than-ever-as-disposable-incomes-jump-to-recor/

MaxK your making Freda's job on here redundant , but I'm sure he'll be in with his tuppence worth soon , unless the nurse gets there first .

Don't be like that V, I'm just trying to spread the joy around.

Vicky.

To hang on your wall.

Edit.

Put your own caption on it!

Is that a repeat prescription Freda .

You must be a local hero Freda , sticking up for the downtrodden in life . All this time you give to aid them is quite phenomenal have you ever received any public reward or recognition for your unfailing loyalty or do you just sit on your arse day in day out on ere and complain ad nauseam .

There is a difference on complaining and commenting.

Perhaps, you have them mixed up!

Perhaps you are a bit obsessed eh maybe , just maybe .

About time

Britain launches soft drinks sugar tax to fight obesity

LONDON, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Britain on Thursday said it would tax companies which sell sugary soft drinks and invest that money in health programmes for school children, part of a long-awaited strategy to curb childhood obesity that critics say is too weak.

Drinks companies were also angered by the plan which urges industry to cut sugar in products aimed at children, saying nearly a third of those aged 2 to 15 are already overweight or obese.

In a statement announcing details of the strategy, which has been in the works for several years, junior finance minister Jane Ellison said obesity was costing Britain's National Health Service (NHS) billions of pounds every year.

Campaigners and health experts, however, said the plan was weak.

Graham MacGregor, a professor of cardiovascular medicine and chairman of the Action on Sugar campaign group, said it was "an insulting response" to Britain's obesity and diabetes crisis which "will bankrupt the NHS unless something radical is done".

In opting for a sugar tax, Britain joins Belgium, France, Hungary and Mexico, all of which have imposed some form of tax on drinks with added sugar. Scandinavian countries have levied similar taxes for many years.

Britain's plans will see a levy applied to drinks with a total sugar content above 5 grams per 100 ml, with a higher band for even more sugary drinks.

The government's health department says sugary drinks are the single biggest source of sugar for children, and a child can have more than their recommended daily intake just by drinking a can of cola which contains nine teaspoons of sugar.

It wants the industry to work towards a 20 percent cut in products popular with children, with 5 percent in the first year. Progress would be reviewed every six months by the government's health agency, Public Health England.

But Gavin Partington, Director General of the British Soft Drinks Association, said the levy was a "punitive tax" that would "cause thousands of job losses and yet fail to have a meaningful impact on levels of obesity".

Sara Petersson, a nutrition analyst at Euromonitor International, said the focus on sugar may detract from other crucial factors in obesity.

"It is becoming abundantly clear that replacing a critical ingredient of a product, or single nutrient in a diet, is neither an easy process for food companies nor a successful obesity strategy," she said.

The programme the government intends to launch with funds raised from the sugar levy will focus on promoting healthy diets and physical activity in schoolchildren, Public Health Minister Nicola Blackwood said.

She said primary schools would be asked to help pupils get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise every day. At least 30 minutes of this should be during school time, she said.

Standard coke does contain a lot of sugar.

Diet coke (1cal) has no sugar, but it does contain Aspartame and Acesulfame k.

Nasty shit by anyones reckoning


btw, aspartame is mixed up with phenylalanine (neurotoxin)


Acesulfame K contains the carcinogen methylene chloride. Long-term exposure to methylene chloride can cause headaches, depression, nausea, mental confusion, liver effects, kidney effects, visual disturbances, and cancer in humans.


http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/phenylalanine/faq-20058361

Apparently it's good at cleaning the bog , wonder why ? .

Well done the Brownlee brothers who came 1st & 2nd in the Triathalon..

Yes watching them incredible lads .