That really is simply disgusting. Keeping people imprisoned mainly so that they can be used as a source of cheap (borderline free) labour is pure exploitation. It really doesn't seem very many steps above slavery. I know that at least in theory people are in prison because they have done something wrong so that them working to in part pay for the cost of their incarceration seems justified but if they should be released but are only being kept as cheap labour then I think that that argument goes completely out the window.
Yeah. They could say that this is to counter the price advantage that the US exports get by pulling out of environmental obligations. Not sure how this would play with the WTO. Plus it probably won't happen anyways.
I think that Lucozade was originally actually made as a good way of giving people energy while they were sick. Whether that was actually a good idea, I have no idea.
The trend seems to be lately to end conscription or national service, as Sweden did itself, but is this the first time in recent history that a country introduced or reintroduced conscription?