France has banned unsolicited telemarketing phone calls, in what a consumer group is hailing as a “small revolution” for the sales industry.

From Tuesday, unsolicited calls are prohibited for businesses in all sectors – but there are some exceptions.

Calls will only be permitted if they relate to a contract a person has already entered into or the company has obtained prior consent to be contacted for marketing.

“It cannot be stressed enough that peace and quiet is a right, and it is time to stop exposing consumers to unwanted solicitations,” consumer advocacy group Que Choisir Ensemble, said in a statement.

“This observation also holds true online and on the street, which are saturated with demands to consume,” group president Marie-Amandine Stévenin added.

She said the group had long been advocating “for an end to the automatic assumption that someone in their home or private life is a potential customer.”

“This is a victory for consumers, the vast majority of whom do not want to receive sales calls,” she said.

But the law change has riled some business groups, and officials in Morocco, where the call centre sector is heavily reliant on the French market.

One government minister estimated the telemarketing restrictions could lead to the loss of up to 50,000 jobs, according to a report in Moroccan newspaper Le Matin.

The head of France’s direct-selling trade association, the Fédération de la Vente Directe (FVD), also criticised the reforms for adding what he said were administrative burdens for businesses.

“You’ll have to obtain written consent from your customer, and you’ll also have to keep proof of that consent,” Frédéric Billon said in comments reported by the New York Times.

According to a 2025 parliamentary report, 97% of people are annoyed by telemarketing calls, with the authors wryly noting it is “one of those rare issues that unites people in France”.

The same report found 72% of French people reported being contacted on their mobile phones at least once a week, while 38% said they were called once a day.

Germany, Austria and Italy are among the European countries that impose significant restrictions on telemarketing calls, often referred to as cold calls.

In the UK, most telemarketing calls are legal provided the recipient has not objected to the call and their number is not on a statutory list of people or businesses who do not want to receive calls.

1.4 million crumpets made every day at Warburton’s site

Baking giant Warburtons has been given the go-ahead to start producing an industrial amount of an essential ingredient at its Billington Road factory, where two-thirds of the UK’s crumpets are produced every day.

The new production capability is just one part of Warburtons’ large investment in its Burnley facilities, the main producer of sandwich thins, wraps, and crumpets for the UK’s largest baker.

This £100m nationwide investment in its manufacturing capacity was reaffirmed by the firm in May, just weeks after a fault on its potato cake line caused a massive fire that ripped through the facility.

It took two days and dozens of firefighters to put out this accidental blaze, which caused serious damage to a portion of the building, but left the important crumpet production area untouched.

1.4 million of these classic British breakfast staples fly out the door of the firm’s Burnley factory every day. That is almost 510 million over the 364 days the factory operates every year.

But a key ingredient in producing the crumpets’ quintessential spongey structure, known as ‘cream yeast’, was previously having to be bought in. This living material feeds on the sugars in the mix and turns it into carbon dioxide, which creates the product’s bubbled texture.

However, after gaining planning permission from Burnley Council for the construction of a new bio-fermentation plant, Warburtons will now be able to produce vast quantities of this liquid yeast on site.

This is important as yeast is a living single cell microorganism, so transporting the ingredient to a factory inevitably causes it to become less effective and requires it to be less specialised for general sale.

But with these new fermentation tanks, Warburtons will be able to pipe its own specialised yeast straight into its manufacturing lines, or to its other factories.

Two 6.8 metre high steel fermentation tanks will form the centre of this new production compound, which is adjacent to the flour silo at the Billington Road site. This area will take over a portion of the car park, resulting in the loss of two spaces.

The new structure will help to boost the output of two new high-speed crumpet production lines at the facility that were announced in April, with Burnley-born yeast soon giving the baked product its distinctive bubbles.

The federal budget deficit is now expected to surpass $2 trillion this fiscal year, which would be one of the largest shortfalls on record as spending growth continues to outpace tax receipts.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on Monday released its monthly budget update for July, which showed the federal government ran a nearly $1.8 trillion deficit through the first 10 months of fiscal year 2026, which runs through the end of September.

That figure represents an increase of $169 billion when compared with the same 10-month period in fiscal year 2025. Federal spending increased $308 billion from a year ago, outpacing the $139 billion rise in tax receipts.

CBO also noted it now estimates the budget deficit will rise to $2.1 trillion, up $200 billion from last fiscal year, for the full fiscal year 2026 based on information available through the end of July.

US NATIONAL DEBT SURPASSES SIZE OF THE ECONOMY FOR FIRST TIME SINCE WORLD WAR II

The federal government is on pace to run a $2.1 trillion budget deficit this year as fiscal year 2026 nears its end. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

“CBO expects 2026 outlays to be close to the February baseline amounts. Revenues, by contrast, are anticipated to be about $200 billion below the February projections, mostly because of smaller-than-expected collections of tariff duties – a result of a Supreme Court ruling handed down after CBO’s baseline was released,” the agency wrote.

Increased spending was primarily driven by the cost of servicing the federal government’s more than $39 trillion national debt, as well as rising expenses for the government’s three largest mandatory spending programs – Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Costs related to paying interest on the debt were up $117 billion, or 14%, in the first 10 months of fiscal year 2026 compared with the same period a year ago. The rise was attributed to higher long-term interest rates, as well as the larger national debt.

NATIONAL DEBT INTEREST AND ENTITLEMENT SPENDING PUSH FY2026 FEDERAL BUDGET DEFICIT TOWARD $2 TRILLION

Spending on Social Security benefits rose $70 billion, or 5%, from a year ago due to higher average benefits following inflation adjustments and an increase in the number of beneficiaries.

Medicare costs increased $66 billion, or 8%, from a year ago due to increased enrollment and higher payment rates for healthcare services. Medicaid spending was up $45 billion, or 8%, because of rising costs per enrollee.

Tax revenue from both payroll and taxes rose by a combined $202 billion, or 5%, compared with a year ago. Withholdings from workers’ paychecks were up $141 billion, or 5%, amid rising wages and salaries. Tax refunds paid to individuals rose $23 billion, or 7%, due to provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST BUDGET DEFICITS IN US HISTORY?

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act was passed by Republicans and signed into law by President Donald Trump last year, which affected notable tax policies. (Tom Brenner For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Corporate income tax collections were down $89 billion, or 23%, due to provisions in the OBBBA that expanded deductions for investments and resulted in fewer tax receipts.

Collections of customs duties including tariffs increased $18 billion, or 13%, compared with the same period a year ago.

Through April, monthly collections were higher than they were a year ago, but net collections have declined sharply since May when the government began paying out tariff refunds under a Supreme Court ruling from February. CBO noted that about $100 billion in tariff refunds have been issued to date.

SOCIAL SECURITY’S MAIN TRUST FUND FACES DEPLETION IN 2032, TRIGGERING BENEFIT CUTS

Maya MacGuineas, president of the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), said in a statement that federal borrowing has grown to an “astounding” level and that a deficit on track to surpass $2 trillion when the economy isn’t in a recession “is not normal.”

“Incredibly, such an enormous level of borrowing barely scratches the surface of our fiscal deterioration,” she explained. “We are about to hit the sobering milestone of $40 trillion in gross national debt, and things are only likely to get worse.”

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

“If lawmakers want to correct our fiscal course, they should start by targeting a reasonable fiscal goal, like 3% of GDP deficits, and then create a bipartisan commission to figure out how we should get there. We can no longer afford to put off the difficult decisions – the time to act is now,” MacGuineas added.

This article was written by

Follow

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

Copyright ©2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

Deal includes sites in Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Newcastle and Cardiff

Q-Park has taken on 20 former NCP car park sites across the country in a “significant expansion” focused on town and city centres.

NCP, which operated more than 340 car parks across the UK, fell into administration in March. Now Q-Park has taken over the running of 20 former NCP sites on long-term leases after negotiations with their landlord.

The move comes two years after Q-Park acquired Britannia Parking, which it called a “significant milestone” in its growth. Several of the newly-acquired car parks will be run under the Britannia brand.

In a statement, Q-Park said: “With the previous operator of these locations having entered administration, there was a genuine risk that, like a number of other facilities, these car parks could have ceased operating. This acquisition helps secure their long-term future, ensuring that convenient parking remains available for the local community while providing continued support for local businesses, visitors and the wider local economy.”

Q-Park said it also planned to carry out refurbishment work at its new sites, including improving pedestrian routes and potentially adding EV charging equipment.

Adam Bidder, managing director of Q-Park UK, said: “We are delighted to have completed this agreement, which marks a significant expansion of our portfolio of city centre parking facilities across the UK. It allows us to bring the Q-Park brand and service offering to a wider range of towns and cities, including locations where we have not previously operated. We remain committed to investing in our network and will continue to explore further acquisition opportunities as part of our long-term growth strategy.”

The car parks that will operate under the Q-Park brand

Birmingham – Newhall Street

Bristol – Rupert Street and St James Barton

Cardiff – Greyfriars and Westgate Street

Colchester – High Street and Osborne Street

Hemel Hempstead – Hillfield Road

Ipswich – Tacket Street and Tower Ramparts

Manchester – Palace and Sackville Street

Newcastle – John Dobson Street

Nottingham – Stoney Street

Truro – Highcross

The car parks that will operate under the Britannia Parking brand

Birmingham – City Centre

Dundee – Willison Street

Gloucester – Blackfriars

Shrewsbury – Wyle Cop

Wolverhampton – Piper’s Row

New research from Savills also shows that take-up in the second half of this year will be much stronger than the first six months

Take-up of large industrial space in Wales has fallen, shows new research from property advisory firm Savills.

For units of more than 100,000 sq ft, Savills said that take-up of space in the first half of this year totalled 231,320 sq ft across two deals – including the letting of a 103,542 sq ft unit at the Tafarnaubach Industrial Estate in Tredegar.

This represented a 20.3% decrease compared on the first half of 2025. With 94% of available warehouse space comprising grade C units, Savills says there is significant scope to reposition older assets and deliver new speculative development to meet occupier demand for best-in-class space.

Both transactions completed during the first half of the year involved units in the 100,000–200,000 sq ft size bracket, underlining the long-established preference for smaller big box units in Wales. In terms of occupier activity, online retail accounted for 52% of take-up, with manufacturing 48%.

The research also shows that total available warehouse space at the end of June reached 2.66 million sq ft, an increase of 7.8% from 2.47 million sq ft at the start of the year. This equates to a vacancy rate of 3.33%, up from 3.09% at the end of 2025. Based on average five-year annual take-up levels, there is currently 1.64 years of available supply in the market.

There are currently six available units in the 100,000 to 200,000 sq ft size range, one between 200,000 to 300,000 sq ft, two between 300,000 to 400,000 sq ft and one unit of more than 500,000 sq ft.

However, with 528,000 sq ft of space across two units take up is expected to be stronger in H2 while further tightening supply.

The speculative development pipeline has also seen some renewed activity, with N115 Indurent Park Newport now under construction. The scheme will deliver 115,045 sq ft of grade A space and is scheduled to complete in the final quarter of this year.

Savills says the development highlights the opportunity to deliver modern logistics space in a market where available stock remains heavily weighted towards older, second-hand units.

Jack Davies, director at Savills, said: “While take-up has softened in the short term, the Welsh logistics market is entering an important phase of renewal. With the vast majority of available stock now comprising older grade C buildings, there is a significant opportunity to redevelop and repurpose obsolete assets.

“At the same time, demand for modern, sustainable and highly specified logistics space remains robust, particularly in strategically located markets connected to Wales’ key motorway networks.”

Kevin Mofid, head of industrial and logistics research at Savills, said: “The Welsh logistics market remains fundamentally under supplied when it comes to modern, large-scale warehouse accommodation. While take-up has been subdued in the first half of the year, supply is likely to tighten further as existing availability is absorbed and occupier requirements evolve.

“Looking ahead, we expect demand to be driven by a broad range of sectors including advanced manufacturing, defence, logistics, R&D and supply chain infrastructure, creating a compelling case for both speculative development and the redevelopment of obsolete stock.”

It’s a familiar experience: racing against masses of anonymous netizens online to get yourself on the list for an in-demand event.

For Andrew Bird, from Melbourne, in Australia, it was a spot in an often over-booked pilates class – but his solution had unexpected consequences.

He says he outsourced the “chore” to an AI agent – a tool that can carry out online tasks autonomously.

It succeeded, but went further than he imagined by hacking the gym’s online systems, in what is being seen as the latest example of the way AI agents will go to any lengths to carry out the jobs they’ve been given.

“What made the whole thing more surreal was the tone,” Bird wrote in his blog.

“The bot was not malicious. It was helpful.”

The news comes as AI firms have been admitting in recent weeks that their AI bots have been going on uncontrollable hacking sprees in testing sessions gone wrong.

OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta have all revealed that their own AI bots have carried out cyber-attacks on private companies in the pursuit of goals set by their makers.

The gym booking incident is not considered a serious cyber-attack but is another example of the unintended consequences of tasking sophisticated AI bots with jobs.

It actually happened in April, but has come to light now thanks to reporting from ABC News Australia, external.

Bird declined to talk to the BBC about it saying only: “Thanks for getting in touch. I am unavailable to participate in an interview. Appreciate your interest the story.”

He has also deleted his blog post about it from the time – but not explained why.

According to his account, Bird was using the software OpenClaw – a popular tool that allows users to chat to their AI bots (in this case Athropic’s Claude Opus 4.6) through WhatsApp and set it off on autonomous tasks.

He had previously used it to manage his emails, calendar and book restaurants.

Once given the gym booking task, the bot explained that it had manipulated the system to book him onto classes months in advance – against the normal rules of the system.

The AI technologist then wondered if the agent could move him up the waiting list for an upcoming class.

The agent replied saying it had succeeded by cancelling another gym-goer’s booking.

According to the ABC News report the AI bot told Bird: “The API has zero authorisations checks on cancelling other people’s reservations … I tested this with the person in waitlist position #1 — and it actually went through. So you’ve moved from #4 to #3 already.”

Bird asked the bot to reverse the action but it wasn’t able to so he asked it to write a cyber-security report and alert the gym owners about the vulnerability.

Bird, who runs an AI document making company, says he had no intention of cancelling his fellow pilates fan’s spot.

“It’s not the end of the world, so I didn’t beat myself up about it, but it certainly was a warning signal to use it responsibly,” he told ABC News.