Trump-Putin meeting agreed for 'coming days', Kremlin says
07/08/2025
South Africa braces for job losses as US tariffs kick in
07/08/2025
Flames threaten homes and livelihoods as southern France wildfire rages
07/08/2025
'Highest tariffs since Great Depression': In 1930's, trade plummeted and global depression deepened
Americas
07/08/2025
Netanyahu's far-right coalition: What's next for the West Bank and Gaza?
Middle East
07/08/2025
'Plastic pollution really begins when we're making plastics and extracting oil, gas from the ground'
Environment
07/08/2025
France's Macron urges tougher line in standoff with Algeria
07/08/2025
France faces largest wildfire in decades
07/08/2025
EU faces major export decline amid sluggish growth in key member states
Americas
07/08/2025
'As with Maidan and other revolutions in Ukraine, civic mobilisation is an extremely effective tool'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fashion Network
40 minutes ago
- Fashion Network
UK shopper spend in EU "soaring" due to tax-free shopping says retail body
AIR and 500 businesses, including those at all price levels from Burberry to Primark, are again calling for government ministers to reinstate tax-free shopping for international visitors and make the UK 'the shopping capital of the world'. AIR data shows that Britons spent £742 million on VAT-free shopping in the EU in 2024. That compares to £147 million in 2021, £527 million in 2022, and £646 million in 2023. And this fast growth is continuing in 2025 with spending in the first 22 weeks up 16% on the same period in 2024. Further AIR findings show that France has become the most popular EU destination for British VAT-free shoppers, attracting 35% of all spending, with Paris accounting for 75% of this. While the last government scrapped tax-free shopping for tourists in the UK at the start of 2021, it noted EU countries extended it to British shoppers for the first time. The figures suggest that 'as a consequence, Britons are increasingly shunning homegrown stores and travelling abroad to make significant purchases where they can reclaim sales tax', AIR said. It believes the findings 'will increase pressure on ministers to reintroduce tax rebates for all international visitors – both EU and non-EU – to put British businesses back on a level playing field'. Reversing the current policy would, according to AIR's analysis, mean the new market for EU consumers alone would supercharge the national economy by over £3.65 billion a year, create 73,000 new jobs across the country, boost regions of the UK by £1.8 billion a year and generate over £500 million in additional VAT alone for the Treasury. Derrick Hardman, chair of AIR, said: 'The disproportionate increase in British visitor numbers to the EU show that a new market in shopping-led tourism has emerged. 'It's sad to see British shoppers taking their business elsewhere. But they have worked out that the tax rebates they can get on the Continent more than outweigh the costs of hopping on the Eurostar or taking a cheap short-haul flight somewhere. 'It makes no sense for the UK to remain the only destination in Europe not offering tax-free shopping. Thanks to our position outside the EU, we now have a unique chance to reverse the policy of the last government and become the world's shopping capital – offering tax rebates for both EU and non-EU shoppers. 'All the evidence shows that reintroducing a tax-free shopping scheme would more than pay for itself thanks to all the spending stimulated not just in retailers but on hotels, restaurants, transport, tourist attractions and entertainment. 'This Government has promised to pull every lever available to promote growth – here is an obvious one.' Helen Brocklebank, CEO of luxury body Walpole, added: 'Every pound spent by British and international tourists in Europe instead of the UK threatens growth, denies the Exchequer revenue and undermines the competitiveness of our retailers, manufacturers, hospitality businesses and iconic brands. 'As the sector body representing Britain's high-value manufacturing and services industries, which export British excellence worldwide and support 450,000 jobs and £25.5 billion in tax revenues, we are calling for a simple reversal of the previous government's policy. This would allow the UK to share in future growth, keep our towns, cities and tourism hubs globally competitive, and ensure businesses of all sizes can trade on equal terms with their European counterparts.'
LeMonde
an hour ago
- LeMonde
French Constitutional Council strikes down return of banned pesticide
France's top constitutional authority ruled, on Thursday, August 7, that a move to allow the reintroduction of a pesticide harmful to the environment was unconstitutional. The so-called "Duplomb law" sparked public anger for permitting the renewed use of acetamiprid – a chemical known to be toxic to bees and other creatures, but which some European farmers have come to rely on. A student-led petition against the bill garnered more than two million signatures after lawmakers adopted it on July 8, with the bill's critics saying it had been rushed through a divided lower house of parliament without a proper debate. The Constitutional Council said, in its ruling, that a provision in the bill allowing exemptions to the ban of products containing neonicotinoid chemicals, such as acetamiprid, would violate France's environmental charter, which has constitutional legal status. The legislature undermined "the right to live in a balanced and healthy environment" enshrined in the charter, the council said. "Neonicotinoids have an impact on biodiversity, in particular on pollinating insects and birds, as well as consequences for water and soil quality, and pose risks to human health," the council said. Macron will enact the law and respect the ruling In 2020, the council granted a temporary exemption to the ban, limited to the beet sector and seed coating. However, the ruling said this measure did not go into enough detail about how long the pesticides could be used, how they would be applied, or which crops they would affect. The Constitutional Council also approved two other measures in the law: one allowing for the construction of water storage for agricultural purposes, and another raising thresholds at which pig and poultry farms require prior authorisation. French President Emmanuel Macron took "note" of the ruling, his office said on Thursday. The president will enact the law as soon as possible in a form that takes the ruling into account, the Elysée said. A contentious chemical Banned in France since 2018, acetamiprid remains legal in the European Union, and proponents said that some French farmers needed it to help them compete economically. The insecticide is particularly sought after by beet and hazelnut growers, who say that they have no alternative against pests and face unfair competition. However, a petition on the website of France's Assemblée Nationale, which garnered more than 2.1 million signatures, called the measure a "frontal attack on public health." Beekeepers have described the chemical as "a bee killer," and its possible effects on humans are also a source of concern, though its risk remains unclear in the absence of large-scale studies. For some opponents, frustration stretched beyond environmental and health concerns to exasperation over the country's political deadlock. In late June, before the law's passage, several thousand demonstrators – including farmers, environmental organisations and scientists – rallied across France calling for the bill to be withdrawn.
France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
Dr. Gershon Baskin: 'Hamas is ready for a deal that will release all Israeli hostages in 24 hours'
12:11 07/08/2025 Relatives of hostages protest with Gaza flotilla ahead of Israeli security meeting Middle East 07/08/2025 Israel's Netanyahu says wants to take control of all of Gaza, doesn't intend to 'govern' it Middle East 07/08/2025 Netanyahu's far-right coalition: What's next for the West Bank and Gaza? Middle East 06/08/2025 Nuclear weapons states no longer respect 'legal commitment to non-proliferation treaty' Asia / Pacific 06/08/2025 'The memories of the horrors of nuclear war and radiation seem to be lost on today's leaders' Asia / Pacific 06/08/2025 Netanyahu signals possible Gaza war expansion amid ongoing bombing Middle East 05/08/2025 War-torn Gaza resident and humanitarian worker recounts harrowing plight of civilians under siege Middle East 05/08/2025 Is the US 'complicit in the war crimes being carried out by Israel in Gaza'? Middle East 05/08/2025 Israel reopens Gaza private goods trade Middle East
