Every region in a state of good wealth
Turkish troops take back town under siege by ISIS
ALL regions of the UK have become more prosperous in the past year, a report found.
And Scotland, Bristol and Cambridge have emerged as challengers to London and the South East as “hotspots” for affluence, according to the Barclays Prosperity Map.
Wealth, spending or earnings rose across the UK in the 12 months to April 2016, while unemployment fell.
The North East is the least prosperous region but it still saw an “impressive” 6% increase in average annual earnings, reaching £24,748.
London has most millionaires, up 26.9% to 185,000, while the North East has fewest at 12,000, up 1.7%. Prosperity Index Score (from 0 to 1): 1 London, 0.78; 2 South East, 0.58; 3 Eastern England, 0.42; 4 South West, 0.37; 5 Northern Ireland, 0.34; 6 East Midlands, 0.30; 7 Scotland, 0.27; 8 North West, 0.26; 9 West Midlands, 0.24; 10 Wales, 0.23.
JOYOUS Syrian children rush to embrace Turkish soldiers after their besieged town was liberated from Islamic State extremists.
Special forces, tanks and jets launched the offensive in support of Syrian rebels – mainly Turks and Arabs – who quickly took the Jarablus district of Aleppo.
Infantrymen handed out sweets and food to families who thanked them for bringing months of hell to an end.
The operation, code-named Euphrates Shield, is aimed at clearing terrorist groups from the Turkish border region.
Syria’s beleaguered government, headed by dictator Bashar al-Assad, fiercely condemned the campaign and blasted it as a breach of the country’s sovereignty.
But defiant Turkish PM Binali Yildirim insisted: “From the beginning we have been defending Turkey’s territorial integrity.
“We are also defending Syria’s territorial integrity. The aim of these terrorist organisations is to form a state in these countries. They will never succeed.
“We will continue our operations until we fully guarantee security of life and property for our citizens and the security of our border.
“We will continue until Daesh [Islamic State] and other terrorist elements are taken out.”
Turkey, a Nato member and part of the US-led coalition against IS, has been targeted by a series of deadly bombings this year.
But the country also fears Kurdish militias in Syria will seize border territory and encourage insurgents on its own soil.
The military operation has also been met with anger among an alliance of 23 Kurdish parties in Syria.
In a joint statement last week, they called for the withdrawal of all Turkish forces from the country and accused the Turkish government of trying to occupy Syria under the pretence of fighting terrorism.
Last week the militant Kurdistan Workers Party claimed responsibility for a suicide attack that killed 11 people at a police HQ in Cizre, south-east Turkey. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said further attacks would increase his country’s determination as it fights terrorist groups at home and abroad. Meanwhile, families evacuated from the Syrian town of Daraya have also spoken of their joy as their children were able to taste fresh fruit and vegetables after living on grass and soup during four years of civil war. At least 4,000 people were escorted out by government forces, who declared they had taken full control. The Damascus suburb was one of the first to rise up against Assad in 2011 and has been levelled by a fierce campaign. Rebels agreed to end the onslaught by giving up the area. US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have also met in Geneva, Switzerland, to finalise an agreement on fighting Islamist militants in Syria. Such a deal could, in theory, pave the way for a political transition to end the five-year conflict.