Hospitality doesn’t have a VAT problem. It has a profitability problem
Every few years, the hospitality industry returns to the same debate: reduce VAT, cut tax and save restaurants, writes Dev Biswal (pictured).
-
OPINION
August 5, 2026 -
EUROPE 
August 5, 2026 Regional “perspectives” must remain at the heart of European policymaking.
By Martin Banks That was the message to emerge from a meeting of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) when it got together in Gotland for a political bureau meeting of 2026.
-
EUROPE
August 5, 2026 App offers chance to explore – and keep fit
By Martin Banks A retired telecoms worker from Belgium is among those behind an innovative smartphone app that aims to keep you fit and discover “hidden gems” all over the world. Philippe Pleckspaen helped launch “Jooks”, an application that helps you navigate your way around a locality, spotlighting places of interest. The idea is that […]
-
HISTORY
August 5, 2026 5 August 2026: This day in history
910: The last major Viking army to raid England, led by King Edward and Earl Æthelred, is defeated at the Battle of Tettenhall by the allied forces of Mercia and Wessex 1305: Scottish resistance leader William Wallace is captured by the English near Glasgow and transported to London for trial and execution 1583: Humphrey Gilbert […]
-
OPINION
August 4, 2026 Why commemorating the Roma Holocaust alone “is not enough”
By Anna Mirga-Kruszelnicka Some 82 years after the mass murder of Roma and Sinti at Auschwitz-Birkenau, anti-Roma hate persists. Today’s Roma Holocaust Memorial Day is a warning that Europe is still failing to turn the lessons of history into political reality. This September, Saxony-Anhalt goes to the polls, with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) polling […]
-
EUROPE
August 4, 2026 EU parliament should reconvene to discuss Ceuta crisis, say some MEPs
By Martin Banks Some MEPs have formally requested that the European Parliament be convened on an “exceptional basis” for an urgent debate on the migration crisis in Ceuta. This, they say, should be with the participation of the Council and the European Commission. The parliament is currently in recess for the summer and reconvening would be […]
-
GREECE
August 4, 2026 Athens wildfires ease after five days but flare ups continue
The three main fronts of a huge wildfire burning west of Athens showed signs of easing on Tuesday morning, after a fourth consecutive night during which hundreds of firefighters fought to contain the scattered flames and prevent new flare ups.
-
HISTORY
August 4, 2026 4 August 2026: This day in history
1558: The first printing of the Zohar in Spain popularizes the Jewish study of Kabbalah 1821: Russian Antarctic expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen returns to Kronstadt after being the first to circumnavigate Antarctica 1914: US President Woodrow Wilson issues his “Proclamation of Neutrality” to keep the United States out of the war in […]
-
WORLD
August 3, 2026 Trump suggests new talks with Iran to begin on Monday
US President Donald Trump has said new talks with Iran will begin on Monday, after calling off what he said would have been “massive” strikes on the country. “They knew the extent of the attack because they saw it forming,” he told reporters on board Air Force One on Sunday. “We’re talking to them in […]
-
CYPRUS
August 3, 2026 AKEL on the Cyprus problem following the UN Secretary General’s visit to Cyprus
The initiative undertaken by the UN Secretary-General with his visit to Cyprus, apart from its particular symbolic significance, left a significant mark with regards his intentions and the subsequent steps that must be taken.
