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WORLD NEWSSaturday 19 March 2016
Britain declares victory in the EU tampon tax battle

LONDON (AP) — Tampons in national affairs. to zero, boasting: “We’ve on sanitary products at the Robert Oxley, spokesman
are the latest battleground Campaigners say tam- achieved what no British lowest possible level, 5 per- for U.K. campaign group
in Britain’s difficult relation- pons should not be sub- government has even tried cent. Many EU countries Vote Leave, said Friday
ship with the European ject to sales tax since other to achieve.” impose a tax of about 20 that the rule changes could
Union. The British govern- products considered to Under the bloc’s rules, all percent on tampons and take years to implement.
ment has declared victory be essentials are exempt, 28 member states have to sanitary pads. He said the bloc had only
in its bid to remove an EU- including food, children’s agree for a product to be In a statement released conceded because of Brit-
imposed sales tax on wom- clothing, books and news- exempted from goods and Thursday, EU leaders said ain’s looming June 23 vote
en’s sanitary products. But papers. British Treasury services tax, though indi- they supported a proposed on EU membership.
opponents of U.K. member- chief George Osborne said vidual countries can vary change allowing member “Do we need to have a
ship in the 28-nation bloc that EU leaders meeting the rate on some items, states to apply a sales tax referendum every time
say the tax is a prime ex- in Brussels have agreed to including tampons. Since “zero rating? for sanitary we need to change a tax
ample of Brussels meddling let Britain cut the tax rate 2000, Britain has set the tax products.” rate?” he said.

Paris gets sausages and steaks 24/7 from vending machine

Residents watch the first meat vending machine installed in the French capital, in Paris, Tuesday, that didn’t deter the own- A majority of shops re-
March 15, 2016. With their beloved baguette already available 24 hours a day, it seems only logi- ers of one of those shops, main closed on Sundays
cal that Parisians can now get the Bayonne ham and Basque pate that goes so well with it from Florence and Michel Pou- in France, but the Pouzols
the first meat vending machine installed in the French capital. zol of “L’ami Txulette,” are confident that France
from investing 40,000 eu- is changing fast and so are
(AP Photo/Christophe Ena) ros ($45,000) to set up their their customers’ habits.
project, selling vacuum- “Our customers are young.
S. PETREQUIN pate that goes so well with the French “art de vivre,” packed meat from the re- There are also quite a few
Associated Press the bread from the first the gleaming red machine frigerated machine. bars and restaurants along
PARIS (AP) — With their be- meat vending machine in- set up on the lively Rue de “We’re closed two days: the boulevard,” Florence
loved baguette already stalled in the French capi- Charonne in eastern Paris Sundays and Mondays,” Pouzol said. “When we see
available 24 hours a day, tal. seems a bit incongruous. Florence Pouzol told The them during the day, they
it seems only logical that In a city filled with small The area has at least two Associated Press. “So this is tell us: “Last night, I bought
Parisians can now get the shops where long lunches dozen butcher’s shops and to cater for customers over this, or that, and it was re-
Bayonne ham and Basque remain a crucial part of no shortage of meat, but the weekend. ... The idea ally helpful.” We also have
was also to serve people those who work in the ca-
after the shop’s closing fes and restaurants and
hours. We close at 8 p.m. who come off work at 2
but some people leave a.m. They tell us they were
work very late and find the happy to buy an entrecote
shop closed when they or something else to eat.”
walk past it.” But not all residents, espe-
L’ami Txulette specializes in cially the older ones, seem
products from the Basque ready to stop running er-
Country. From their ma- rands at their favorite shop
chine, which takes cash and switch to the meat dis-
or credit cards, customers penser.
can also get a large choice “I’m so happy that I can
of traditional delicatessen actually go to the butcher’s
including duck confit and shop now that I’m retired
beef carpaccio. There are and go there in person”,
also faux-filet steaks on dis- said local resident Lydie
play, priced at 34 euros per Aparacio. “I think that it
kilogram. On average, the can be useful for people
products are 20 euro cents who are busier than a re-
more expensive than those tiree. I don’t use it because
sold inside the shop. I have time.”

Storied Czech glass blowing industry embraces reinvention

KAREL JANICEK sis, losing some 13,000 jobs putting a greater focus on — Ross Lovegrove, Nendo controlled through a smart-
Associated Press between 2007 and 2010, to contemporary design and Studios in Japan, Michael phone app. Others have
PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech about 18,500 last year. high technology to give Young, and Daniel Libes- moving parts that change
glass making industry, with But things are brightening Czech crystal products a kind. the shape of the sculpture
a history dating to the 12th again. Revenues have re- more modern edge. “Those artists helped us set as people approach.
century, is embracing new covered from a crisis-low of One such company is Las- a certain trend and put us Among its biggest cre-
technologies and market- 32.01 billion koruna ($1.29 vit, which was started in on the map,” Vice Presi- ations, Lasvit delivered a
ing strategies to help it billion) in 2010 to 41.08 bil- 2007 with four employees dent Ales Styblo said in a 12 metric ton installation for
rebound from the recent lion koruna in 2014, accord- and now has a payroll recent interview. Revenues the Etihad Towers in Abu
years’ global economic ing to the industry asso- of 330. Based in northern of about 1 billion koruna Dhabi made of thousands
downturn. ciation. Some companies Czech Republic, in the ($40 million) last year are handcrafted crystal and
The sector, which makes ev- take pride in sticking with heartland of the glass mak- forecast to almost double hand-blown glass pieces. It
erything from luxury glasses traditional glass blowing ing industry, its aim has to $70 million by 2018. also created a sculpture for
and sculptures to the Tour techniques that have not been to differentiate itself Beyond traditional glass the Peninsula hotel in Paris,
de France trophy, suffered changed much since the by cooperating with fa- blowing, the company cre- made of 800 hand-blown
badly from the global cri- Middle Ages, but others are mous designers and artists ates sculptures that can be glass sycamore leaves.