In the news

By Kathryn Armstrong
BBC News
Mauritanian authorities have charged a high school student with blasphemy over a mock exam paper she submitted.
The young woman was arrested last week for allegedly showing disrespect to the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam.
If found guilty, she could be sentenced to death with no possibility of appeal.

Would be interesting if investors (or NatWest themselves, through a buy-back) get to snap up the public stake at firesale prices.

So progressive.

But the government stake was bought at £5, and all their sales have been at a massive discount. Recent one about £2.50.

https://goo.gl/maps/sLwztG6Uhn1TGqXq8

I watched Simon Reeve's old doco on that part of the world. Still a bunch of disputed territory and evil shit going down.

Sorry I now feel a bit of a frivolous prick because I was primarily laughing at the Journalist writing ".....sentenced to death with no possibility of appeal". No shit Kathryn. But yes, any number of examples through history of what extremism can do. Was skimming the news early without engaging brain.

Yeah, that's true. I recall it being controversial under Osborne. So they have form.

Also death sentences usually do have many opportunities to appeal between sentencing and the sentence being carried out.

The TV chef then went on to ban the crew from using any of his
kitchenware, furniture or amenities.

“I’ll tell you what’s going to happen. You’re going to prep it up [the
food, for filming] in a [bleepy] little [bleeping] van,” he fumed in
another moment.

“You’re going to stand there in the [bleeping] rain and get wet for
lunch, that’s what going to happen, because you’re not having any of
my chairs, [bleep] all,” he then said in a ninth outburst. “No
equipment, no seats, no benches, no trestle tables, nothing. No
plates, nothing.”

https://www.entertainmentdaily.co.uk/news/james-martin-recording-swears-42-times/?

Sounds like someone needs to go on one of those expensive mindfulness Buddhism courses for cunts.

Where do I sign up for one of those expensive mindfulness Buddhism courses for cunts?

I mean, where does my friend sign up?

The bloke on radio 4 yesterday who has been wrongly imprisoned for 17 years said he found the Buddhist chaplain provided by his majesty's prison service very helpful

NHS mindfulness classes were offered to people with depression at the Maudsley Hospital a few years ago. These days it's still recommended by the NHS, but I think you have to teach yourself with videos.

OK so the bank was turned around by Rose, now fired over a rather stupid privacy law violation, and the stake is sold off cheap?

That's our money that's being pissed up the wall.

And no surprises whose donors will have made a killing on it.

I don't think it was manufactured, just opportunistic. But I also don't think it would have been in the news that long had they not been raking it in.

now fired over a rather stupid privacy law violation

It's a pretty bad privacy law violation to be honest. If someone lower down the chain had done that then they would have a very good chance of being sacked.

The selling off at a massive loss is hardly news and the current problem is a drop in the ocean there. The Government bought RBS shares in 2008 when they were trading at £5, after their implosion. And they have sold off various tranches around market rate, which has remained far lower, accepting it is extremely unlikely to ever recover.

Traders (and remember Farage used to be one) profiting on this price dip is a separate issue.

However, it is not a stupid privacy law violation, and absolutely a resigning matter, however much you and I hate Farage; he is 100% right on this specific issue unfortunately (quote selectively for golf club).

I have some personal interest in this as I worked on privacy breach triage/handling processes, and other Compliance controls at RBS/NW. I no longer work there.

a pretty bad privacy law violation

Very hard to comprehend how someone so capable and experienced could make such an error, especially when the press is involved. Usually you'd be on super high alert and considering what could go wrong and listening to advice before you actually speak to the journalist.

Completely. It was reported it was at a dinner, I note alcohol tends to be consumed at these things.

Pretty sure she was once Head of Risk or similar, I had to get her to sign something off once about a decade ago.

Edit: She was one of very few senior banking staff to keep a job post-2008, even fewer from investment banking, London or NWB parts, possibly the only one to survive most of that being closed/sold.

Maybe she thought that something said over dinner is off the record? Bit of a rookie error, but it does happen. Or maybe she was shitfaced. And now she'll never be remembered for anything else.

She claims she thought she was only confirming things that Farage had already put in the public domain

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jul/28/serious-failings-contributed-to-babys-death-in-12-hour-lone-prison-birth

This is beyond comprehension.

Awful - it would seem to a layman that the officers actions are approaching manslaughter?

I felt the same but I'm sure they'll keep their job.

I agree she had to go, the stupid was more: How stupid of her. To lose your job over that after being, well, pretty competent.

Cha, traders seeing this coming and making a quick buck of it, that's just investment capitalism. Not a fan, but I doubt anything dodgy it at play in this case. Farage knowing the referendum result before this was public and using this to make money however...

The selling off at a massive loss is hardly news and the current problem is a drop in the ocean there: I know banks imploding left right and center can also cause huge issues, so having to use government money to prop up a bank is sometimes required.

At which point does it make more sense to just let a bank fail?