The Fool Who Thought Himself A King….Concedes

 Aug 18, 2015

Many men talk like philosophers and live like fools,He had the greatest repository of knowledge and experience but never attained Wisdom, he believed he could fool the people all the time underestimating the resolve and Intelligence of the new breed of sri lankan voter.

he thought he won the war in single combat, he thought the concrete he built would fill the empty stomachs, he assumed his families extravagance would be revered in awe like British Royalty, he surrounded himself with a breed of corrupt ministers never seen before.

while the citizens struggled to make ends meet… his family and group of confidants brazenly indulged, while mothers weep and widows hope he lived without a care in the world.

Now while Mahinda Rajapaksa accepts defeat;

what becomes of the wheeler dealers who worshiped him as a Demi-God just to amass wealth beyond measure by building bridges from old steal, roads with less miles etc….. well the spineless leaches have already deserted him to kiss the feet of the new regime, yet it would be wise for the wheeler dealers to remember they thrive off our money and that money will make them rot in their own greed.

what becomes of the most corrupt of ministers and their lackeys who surround him ? their fake and slimy smiles, their empty and arrogant words, sadly they will simply switch sides, but we curse them not as it is we the voter that invited them back to plunder more.

the story thus ends, with Mahinda Rajapaksa the fool who though himself a king left alone with non by his side and for those who pity him and think he saved his mother (Sri Lanka) when she was drowning…… it will be wise to remember that after bringing her to the shore….He raped her.

Courtesy - http://laska.asia/

GENERAL ELECTION 2015

August 18, 2015

Warrant notice on Gota’s gate

TUESDAY, 18 AUGUST 2015

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, who has been asked to appear before the Special Presidential Investigation Commission but has been avoiding doing so quoting various reasons, has been warranted to be present at the Commission today (18th).

The officers of Mirihana Police who had gone to Mr. Rajapaksa’s residence to hand over a written notice have been told by the Army Sergeant who was in charge of security had said Mr. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had instructed him not to accept anything.

After taking a statement from the Sergeant the officers of Mirihana Police have pasted the warrant notice on the gate of Mr. Rajapaksa’s residence. This has been informed to the Commission by the HQI of Mirihana Police Mr. Jayalath.

It has been necessary to question Mr. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on a complaint received in relation to Rakna Lanka Security Service. The initial investigations regarding the complaint have been completed at present.

The Commission has said it would have to take a decision if Mr. Rajapaksa fails to come before the commission. He had been informed to appear on the 14th. However, he had informed the Commission through the former Secretary General of the party that he would not be able to be present as he was busy with the election campaign.

Bangkok shrine bombing: Thai police hunt for suspect seen in video

Published on Aug 18, 2015

Bangkok, Thailand (CNN)As investigators picked through the wreckage of the powerful bomb blast that brought death and destruction to a popular shrine in the Thai capital, suspicions focused on one man.

Thai police said Tuesday they are hunting for a suspect seen in CCTV footage who they believe may be connected to the bombing, which ripped through crowds gathered near the Erawan Shrine on Monday evening, killing at least 22 people and reportedly injuring about 120.

In one CCTV image released by police, the man is seen carrying a dark-colored backpack near the shrine. In another, he no longer has the backpack. He's wearing a yellow T-shirt and dark-framed glasses.

Royal Thai Police Commissioner Gen. Somyot Poompanmoung said authorities don't yet know the suspect's identity or whether he is Thai or a foreigner.

"We need more evidence before we can make any conclusions," he told reporters at a news conference, saying that police were studying more than 10 days' worth of CCTV footage from the area.

The shrine, situated at a bustling intersection near a large shopping mall, is a big draw for tourists. At least seven people from other Asian countries were reported to be among the dead as well as one Briton. The site is popular among Buddhists as well as Hindu and Sikh members of Thailand's Indian community.
"From this incident, it is apparent that there are active individuals or groups that harbor the intention to damage Thailand, who may be pursuing political gain or other intentions by damaging the economy and tourism," Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said.

Adding to the jitters, a new explosion was heard Tuesday at a pier on the Chao Phraya River that flows through Bangkok, police told CNN. No injuries have been reported, and the pier has been closed, said police spokesman Lt. Gen. Prawut Thavornsiri.

It was unclear whether the two blasts were connected in any way.

Are Israel and Hamas really talking about ending Gaza siege?

Palestinians at the Rafah crossing in southern Gaza wait for permission to enter Egypt, 17 August. Egypt opened the crossing on Monday for four days for the first time in approximately two months. Ashraf AmraAPA images

Electronic Intifada

Ali Abunimah Power Suits 18 August 2015

Israel and the Palestinian resistance organization Hamas may be close to a long-term truce for Gaza, an advisor to Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has said.

Although murmurs of a such a deal have appeared in media for months, the official’s comments would appear to give them slightly more weight.

In an interview with Alresalah, a Gaza-based newspaper close to Hamas, on Monday, Yasin Aktay also said that Israel and Turkey were nearing a deal over Israel’s attack on the Mavi Marmara.

Israel’s May 2010 assault on the ship, part of a Gaza-bound flotilla, killed nine Turkish citizens and a Turkish teen who held US citizenship, badly damaging relations between the two countries.

The Turkish official said there had been significant progress toward a long-term truce that would end Israel’s 8-year blockade of Gaza.

Aktay, deputy chairman of Turkey’s ruling AK party, said that the recent visit of Hamas leader Khaled Meshaalto Ankara was related to the effort.

Up until now there has been no visible progress on the long-term truce that was supposed to be discussed within weeks of the 26 August 2014 ceasefire that ended Israel’s 51-day assault on Gaza.

More than 2,200 Palestinians, including 551 children, were killed in Gaza last summer and more than 100,000 people remain in need of permanent shelter due to the lack of reconstruction since then.

Maritime link

“The talks about the Mavi Marmara are taking place in a manner that is linked and intertwined to Hamas’ talks about the truce,” Aktay told Alresalah, adding that the siege of Gaza had become a “Turkish issue.”

In September 2011, Turkey imposed unprecedented sanctions on Israel, reducing diplomatic and military ties over the Mavi Marmara attack.

Turkey has demanded an Israeli apology, compensation for its victims and an end to the blockade of Gaza.

Aktay said that Turkey had pledged to build a seaport and rebuild Gaza’s airport if an agreement is reached.

He also said that there had been talks between Turkey and the government of Cyprus over the establishment of a maritime corridor to Gaza via Cyprus.

A working paper proposing such a link was published by the Gaza-based human rights organization Euromid last year.

But Aktay acknowledged there have been significant obstacles: “Every time we reach an advanced stage in the negotiations on Mavi Marmara, Israel attacks Gaza again and things go back to zero.”

Aktay added that improvement in Turkey’s ties with Israel would necessitate the lifting of the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.

Dubious Israeli denial

In a strange twist, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was recently eased out as Quartet peace envoy, has assumed a mediating role.

Blair met with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in the Qatari capital Doha earlier this month for the second time since June.

Blair has long been criticized by Palestinians for his hardline pro-Israel positions.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has categorically denied its involvement in any such negotiations.

“Israel officially clarifies that there have been no meetings with Hamas,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement. “Not directly, not through another country and not through intermediaries.”

“The denial published by the prime minister’s bureau is not false,” a report in the Israeli daily Haaretz observed. “However, from conversations with a number of Israeli figures – those with official functions and those without but involved in the issue – it emerges that the picture is more complex.”

“Israel is not holding negotiations on a ceasefire with Hamas, but it is certainly checking the feasibility of the matter,” an Israeli source told Haaretz.

The newspaper also revealed that while Blair is not officially regarded as an intermediary by Israel, his efforts have received the blessing of Netanyahu.

“Senior Israeli officials and unofficial Israeli figures involved in the issue said that Blair has made no significant progress so far in his two meetings with Meshaal,” Haaretz reported.

PA panic

Meanwhile, the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority appears to be treating the reports of the truce efforts with growing panic.

A spokesperson for Fatah, the political faction headed by PA leader Mahmoud Abbas, accused Hamas of wanting to set up its own state in Gaza.

Ahmad Assaf said that any agreement along the lines mentioned in media reports would violate the “Palestinian national consensus.”

Ahmad Majdalawi, a member of the Fatah-dominated Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee,denounced the reported talks as a “conspiracy” aimed at setting up “another Muslim Brotherhood-run entity” in the region.

Abbas, who is militarily allied with Israel, may fear that any agreement could make his role as the Israeli occupation’s chief Palestinian enforcer even less relevant.

In March, Abbas called for Arab military intervention to overthrow Hamas in Gaza.

PA documents leaked to Al Jazeera in 2011 showed that Fatah and PA officials supported the Israeli siege of Gaza from its earliest days, hoping it would generate popular discontent against Hamas.

Lifting the siege and an improvement in the lives of the population in Gaza could boost Hamas’ standing and reduce even further Abbas’ chances of restoring his Israeli-backed rule in the territory.

Hamas mobilizes

In a speech on Monday, Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ top leader in Gaza, dismissed the PA’s attacks, saying Hamas would never accept a state limited to Gaza.

Haniyeh and other senior Hamas leaders from Gaza are preparing to travel to Cairo in coming days for talks with the Egyptian military and intelligence.

Egyptian agreement would be needed for any plan that involved an end to the closure of the Rafah crossing, currently the only link to the outside world for the vast majority of Palestinians in Gaza.

Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported that Haniyeh has requested Egyptian permission to travel onwards for an international tour “whose most important stops will be Qatar and Turkey to discuss the ideas recently presented by [Blair] in his meeting with [Meshaal].”

Hamas leaders in Gaza also met this week with their counterparts from Islamic Jihad, who are said to be supportive of the thrust of the truce talks.

The distance from these opaque manoeuvers, on the one hand, and an to end the catastrophic situation on the ground for 1.8 million people in Gaza, on the other, still looks vast.

Turkey's pro-Kurdish party open to joining transitional government 

With fresh elections looking more likely, a power-sharing government would lead the country until elections were held 

Turkish Prime Minister and leader of Justice and Development Party Ahmet Davutoglu addresses a meeting (AFP) 

MEE staff-Tuesday 18 August 2015

The pro-Kurdish People’s Democracy Party (HDP) has announced it would willingly govern in a transitional power-sharing government should new elections be announced in Turkey.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is expected on Tuesday to return the mandate to form a new government to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, following the apparent failure of the Justice and Development party (AKP) to build a coalition with other opposition parties.

Erdogan is expected to then call fresh elections, which would be scheduled for autumn. In that scenario, a transitional government would govern until the elections were held.

Leaders of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and HDP called on Monday for the mandate to be swiftly returned to Erdogan.

“It has emerged that Mr. Davutoğlu, who received the mandate, has not been able to form a coalition,” said CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, speaking to Hurriyet. “He should immediately return the mandate to the president. This is what Turkey’s democratic customs require.”

HDP co-leader Selahattin Demirtas also called for the mandate to be returned - but added that it should be given to the CHP.

“Mr. Davutoglu needs to return the mandate as soon as possible. It was he himself who said that no possibility for a coalition was left now,” Demirtas said. “The president should give the mandate to the CHP.”

He also said that the HDP would be willing to discuss a coalition should the latter scenario occur.

The AKP won the largest number of votes in June’s parliamentary election but - due in large part to a surge in votes to the HDP in previous AKP heartlands in the mainly Kurdish southeast - lost its overall majority, forcing it to enter into coalition negotiations.

The CHP, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and HDP were second, third and fourth largest respectively.

'De-facto' regime change

Much of the election coverage focused on the potential for Erdogan to create a strengthened presidential system in Turkey, which would have required the AKP to win 330 seats, two-thirds of the total, in the parliament.

The failure to do so was seen as a major blow to the otherwise popular Erdogan, whose opponents had accused him of attempting a power grab.

On Friday, Erdogan announced that a presidential system was "de-facto" in place in the country, regardless of constitutional changes.

"Whether you agree or not, Turkey's regime has changed," Erdogan said. "What should be done now is to finalise the legal framework of this de facto situation with a new constitution.”

On Tuesday, Demirtas called for a referendum over a new Presidential system should new elections be called for autumn.

“In a possible election, we could hold a referendum to ask people a single question: Do you want a presidential system or not?” he told reporters.

“The state regime cannot be changed with a fait accompli,” he said. “We’ll respect the result of [a referendum]."

Coalition wranglings have taken place against a backdrop of increasing instability across Turkey.

The renewal of hostilities between the Turkish state and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has led to scores of death across the countries as Kurdish activists clashed with police and military forces.

The violence, coupled with the lack of a stable government, has damaged Turkey’s economy with the lira falling to its lowest ever level against the dollar.

Shake-up in Myanmar as Suu Kyi allies with ousted ruling party boss

Myanmar pro-democracy and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi talks to the media as she attends a Parliament meeting at the Lower House of Parliament in Naypyitaw, Myanmar August 18, 2015.

NAYPYITAW | BY HNIN YADANA ZAW AND ANTONI SLODKOWSKI

Myanmar's Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi said on Tuesday her opposition would ally with powerful ousted ruling party leader Shwe Mann, as the country's political forces re-align in the biggest shake-up since the end of military rule.

President Thein Sein purged rival Shwe Mann and his allies from the Ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) in dramatic fashion last week, just months before a landmark election.

"It is now clear who is the enemy and who is the ally," Suu Kyi told reporters at the country's parliament, when asked if Shwe Mann's sacking had cost her an ally. "The National League for Democracy will work with the ally."

She did not detail how they would work together. As chairman of the USDP, Shwe Mann sought to build ties with Suu Kyi, which sparked suspicion among some members of the ruling party and contributed to his sacking. The USDP is made up of many former military officers.

Shwe Mann had antagonised the military by backing Suu Kyi's campaign to reform the constitution to limit the sway of the generals over Myanmar's politics.

She is banned from the presidency under a constitution drafted by the military before it handed over power in 2011. The armed forces hold a veto over any charter changes.

On Tuesday, Shwe Mann denied he had divided the country in a speech to the joint chambers of parliament.

"I am not destroying party unity and stability," he said.

Security forces surrounded the USDP compound late on Wednesday, locking down the building while the president's allies met party leaders to remove Shwe Mann's faction from the leadership committee.

"As for the happenings of the middle of the night, this is not what you expect from a working democracy," Suu Kyi said.

In response, Information Minister Ye Htut told reporters at a news conference that police had a duty to respond to a request for protection made during the evening by the USDP.

Suu Kyi's said the upheaval in the USDP was likely to benefit her National League for Democracy (NLD) party, which would win more votes in the election.

Her party was already expected to win the most seats in the November ballot, seen as a crucial test of the country's democratic reforms.

Concerns over the durability of those reforms were heightened last week by a media crackdown in the wake of Shwe Mann's sacking. The scrapping of censorship in 2012 was one of boldest reforms of Thein Sein's government.

Ye Htut said on Tuesday that a radio station, Cherry FM, with links to Shwe Mann had been taken off the air until after the election after failing to convince the government it would be impartial.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

Shwe Mann still holds the position of speaker of the house and opened parliament for the last session before the vote on Tuesday.

He was under pressure to table a bill that establishes the rules for constituents to recall members of parliament and could lead to his own impeachment. He faces a petition from his own constituents.

The bill was not tabled, but a multi-party committee would submit the draft to parliament no later than Thursday, USDP MP Win Oo told Reuters.

Suu Kyi said the bill was "ridiculous", as MPs could be recalled by just 1 percent of constituents.

Shwe Mann on Tuesday also denied that he had misused party funds, which he said he was accused of in a letter last week. He did not give further details.

Shwe Mann's allies vowed to defend him in parliament.

"Most of the USDP lawmakers in the lower house are going to support Shwe Mann," said Aung Lynn Hlaing, a USDP member, as he entered parliament.

"Shwe Mann always represents us when we are ignored by the president. I think it's not right the way they did what they did in our party."

Tension between the rival camps rose after the USDP last week omitted from its list the majority of a group of around 150 officers who retired from military service to run as USDP candidates.

The USDP also sidelined two of the president's closest allies by leaving them off the candidate list.

They were Soe Thein, a powerful minister of the president's office, and Aung Min, who was picked by Thein Sein to lead the government's efforts to forge a peace agreement with the country's armed ethnic groups.

Shwe Mann's fall from grace bears echoes of the political purges under the junta, leading some to doubt he has a future in public life.

"We can be sure they will uproot him by hook or by crook," said Thein Nyunt, a member of the parliament from the New National Democracy Party (NNDP).

"So my best advice for him is 'resign from the speaker's position if you want to prevent further perils for you and your family'."

(Additional reporting by Aung Hla Tun in YANGON; Writing by Timothy McLaughlin and Simon Webb; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Nelson Mandela's grandson in court charged with rape

Mbuso Mandela, 24, charged with raping 15-year-old girl at bar in Johannesburg, with police saying he will be treated like any other citizen

Mbuso Mandela was arrested last weekend and will remain in police custody pending the outcome of a bail hearing on Friday. Photograph: Larry French/BET/Getty Images for BET

David Smith in Johannesburg-Tuesday 18 August 2015

Nelson Mandela’s grandson has appeared in court charged with raping a 15-year-old girl at a bar, in the latest scandal to hit the family of the anti-apartheid leader.

Mbuso Mandela, 24, was “calm and composed” during a brief appearance on Monday, South Africa’s Star newspaper reported. He remains in police custody and will return to the Johannesburg magistrates court on Friday for a bail hearing. On Tuesday police insisted he will not be treated differently from any other suspect. 

Media reports suggest that the girl was followed to a toilet where she was allegedly raped in a cubicle on the night of 7 August. Mbuso was arrested last weekend after the alleged victim, who is receiving counselling, opened a case against him.

Brigadier Mashadi Selepe, a police spokeswoman, said the investigation was ongoing. “According to the complainant it happened on 7 August 2015,” she continued. “It was reported to the police on the 14 August 2015.”

Selepe said she was unaware of media reports that a bodyguard for Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, ex-wife of the late president, tried to interfere in the situation. “That was never brought to our attention nor reported,” she said.

Selepe insisted that Mbuso Mandela would be treated like any other citizen despite his family name, adding: “All the rights of suspects are upheld during their investigation and lawful custody.”

South Africa’s Times newspaper reported that staff at an African-themed bar and restaurant in the Greenside area of Johannesburg said they were unaware of any incident on the night in question.

Yaw Dwomoh, the owner of Mammas Shebeen, told the paper that police had not yet approached him. “We would cooperate, we have eight cameras in the restaurant, but the problem is that they only hold 120 hours, so by now they have been erased,” he was quoted as saying.

Mandela died in December 2013 at the age of 95, leaving behind a dynasty – including 17 grandchildren – that has had more than its share of emotional scars, infighting and controversy.

Mandla Mandela, the eldest of the grandsons, was convicted earlier this year of assaulting a 40-year-old motorist during a road rage incident. In 2013 Mandla lost a court battle against other family members over the final resting place of his grandfather’s three children which saw their bones dug up and reburied.

Zoleka Mandela, a granddaughter, has told how she suffered sexual abuse as a child, became addicted to alcohol, drugs and sex, tried to kill herself, lost a daughter and son and was diagnosed with breast cancer.

In 2013 two of Mandela’s daughters went to court to dispute control of the millions contained in one of his family trusts, but eventually dropped the action.

Mbuso is descended from the first of Mandela’s three wives, Evelyn Mase, andreceived $300,000 in his grandfather’s will.

Russian Authorities Destroy Geese and Ducklings in Jab at West

BY ELIAS GROLL-AUGUST 18, 2015

Ducklings, geese, and contraband cheese: None is safe from Russian authorities. In recent weeks and days, Russian police have stepped up enforcement of a ban on agricultural products imported from the West, resulting in a flurry of absurd headlines as customs officials have confiscated and destroyed a wide variety of foodstuffs.

Over the weekend, Russian authorities seized a shipment of Ukrainian ducklings and incinerated the animals. “The ducklings did not have any accompanying documents, so a decision was made to destroy them,” Svetlana Zaporozhchenko of a Russian food safety agency told Zvezda TV. On Tuesday, Russian police arrested a group of people involved in what the Associated Press described as an “international ring involved in producing contraband cheese” worth $30 million. Huge amounts of pork, nectarines, and tomatoes are being destroyed. State media is broadcasting images of bacon and other goods being tossed into incinerators, and authorities say more than 300 tons of food has been destroyed under the measure.

The crackdown on illicit food has its origin in a ban issued by Moscow a year ago as a response to Western sanctions punishing Russia’s meddling in eastern Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea. Earlier this summer, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that went into effect on Aug. 6, ordering the destruction and videotaping of seized illicit food. With enforcement now being stepped up, strange videos are proliferating on the web showing the authorities in action.

Here, for example, authorities in Tatarstan destroy three shrink-wrapped geese prepared for grocery sale, reportedly of Hungarian provenance, by having them repeatedly run over with a bulldozer — all while the Russian national anthem plays:

Here, in a variation on the theme, 10 tons of cheese are crushed:

All this enforcement is being met with mockery by many Russians on social media. What is either a duck or goose in the image below proclaims, “We didn’t start this war!” That’s a reference to the Kremlin’s line that its recent actions — from the annexation of Crimea to food bans — are merely responses to Western aggression.

View image on Twitter

 Follow

Hagnir Adharson @Hagnir

не мы начали эту войну!

6:35 AM - 16 Aug 2015

•  
 
•  55 Retweets
 
•  44 favorites

That sense of discontent over the food destruction is also filtering into more official media. One commentator for the daily newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets recently argued that the wanton destruction of food showed “clear contempt” for public opinion in a country where the memory of starvation during Soviet rule remains, according to the Los Angeles Times.

 Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images

Why should you study business?

By Asian Correspondent Aug 12, 2015 

In this modern day economy, many of the economic boundaries that once separated us have faded, and those that still remain are guaranteed to shrink. It is our growing reliance on technology that is causing these boundaries to fade because computerised communication allows us to transfer information pretty much instantaneously; marketing, outsourcing, sales and manufacturing are all business fields that thrive as a result of the ‘Digital Age’. Expanding networks of global financial institutions have greatly reduced the currency challenges that businesses previously faced, and expanding distribution systems, supply chains and transportation hubs have simplified the process of delivering a product. The exciting realm of business is evolving with our increasingly globalised world, and educated business professionals are serving the needs of more and more satisfied customers all across the globe.

Pic: Birmingham City University -------------------------------------Pic: University of New Haven

Why Should You Study Business by Thavam Ratna

Diabetes could 'bankrupt' the NHS

Soaring cases of diabetes threaten to "bankrupt the NHS", charity Diabetes UK warns.

MONDAY 17 AUGUST 2015
Cases of diabetes in England and Wales have risen by nearly 60 per cent in the past decade; an additional 1.2 million adults now live with the condition compared to 10 years ago.

The figures have been extracted from NHS data by the charity, and show that 3.3 million people have now been diagnosed with the disease.

Barbara Young, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: "Over the past decade, the number of people living with diabetes in the UK has increased by over one million people, which is the equivalent of the population of a small country such as Cyprus.

"With a record number of people now living with diabetes in the UK, there is no time to waste - the government must act now."

While reasons for the increase in type one diabetes are unclear, the increase in type two diabetes has been blamed on poor lifestyle.

Diabetes UK says six in 10 people in England and Wales receive the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) recommended eight care processes, such as monitoring blood pressure and glucose levels as well as kidney function.

The charity warns that more people with diabetes should get this standard of treatment, or risk "devastating and expensive health complications" including amputation and stroke.

'Time for action'

"Diabetes already costs the NHS nearly £10bn a year, and 80 per cent of this is spent on managing avoidable complications," Ms Young said.

"So there is huge potential to save money and reduce pressure on NHS hospitals and services through providing better care to prevent people with diabetes from developing devastating and costly complications.

"The NHS must prioritise providing better care, along with improved and more flexible education options, for people with diabetes now, and give them the best possible chance of living long and healthy lives.

"Until then, avoidable human suffering will continue and the costs of treating diabetes will continue to spiral out of control and threaten to bankrupt the NHS. Now is the time for action."

The charity predicts that if current trends continue, 5 million people will have diabetes by 2025.