Russian authorities have announced that soldiers and state employees deployed to fight in Ukraine will be exempt from income tax, Moscow’s latest effort to encourage support for a military campaign against Kyiv that has suffered multiple setbacks and defeats. The new tax measure concerns all Russian troops fighting in the four Ukrainian territories Moscow has declared as its own – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia – although it does not completely control the four regions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday cited an exemption contained in an anti-corruption law, which the Russian authorities published the details of on Thursday evening.…
Author: National Tone
The resolution will see International Court of Justice give opinion on Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory.The United Nations General Assembly has passed a resolution calling on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to give an opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territories. The General Assembly voted 87 to 26 with 53 abstentions on the resolution, with Western nations split but with virtually unanimous support in the Islamic world – including among Arab states that have normalised relations with Israel. Russia and China voted in favour of the resolution. Israel, the US and 24 other members…
SYDNEY (AP) — Jiri Lehecka has scored a 6-4, 6-2 upset win over world No. 12 Alexander Zverev to give the Czech Republic a 1-0 lead over Germany at the United Cup on Saturday. The 21-year-old Lehecka, ranked No. 81, broke four times in the Group C match at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney to bounce back from an opening singles loss to Taylor Fritz of the United States on Thursday. Marie Bouzkova faced Jule Niemeier in the second match trying to give the Czechs a 2-0 lead going into the final three matches of the tie on Sunday. Zverev…
LGBTQ groups say transgender people face growing threats of violence and discrimination in the US.A United States federal appeals court has approved a Florida high school’s policy barring transgender high school students from using the toilet facilities of their chosen identity. On Friday, the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a seven-to-four decision that the policy – instituted by a school board in St Johns County, Florida – did not violate the US Constitution’s Equal Protections Clause or federal civil rights law. “This is an aberrant ruling that contradicts the rulings of every other circuit to consider the…
As United States President Joe Biden spends the final days of 2022 on vacation in the US Virgin Islands, the White House has issued five full pardons to individuals involved in drug- and alcohol-related crimes, as well as a sixth for a case of murder. That case, involving a defendant named Beverly Ann Ibn-Tamas, is credited with helping to build an understanding of “battered woman syndrome”, the term for a psychological pattern similar to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) associated with survivors of domestic violence. “Battered woman syndrome” has been increasingly used to explain why some survivors resort to violence to…
30-year-old forward and former Stanley Cup Champion Devante Smith-Pelly announced his retirement from hockey Friday afternoon on Instagram. .acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container width: 340px; margin: 0 auto; Smith-Pelly spent eight seasons in the NHL, playing with the Anaheim Ducks, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals. Originally a second-round pick of the Ducks in the 2010 NHL Draft, the Scarborough-born Smith-Pelly played in 395 career games, scoring 44 goals and 101 points. With the 2017-18 Capitals, Smith-Pelly scored seven playoff goals on the way to the team’s Stanley Cup victory. He last played in the NHL during the 2018-19 season with…
Members of the conservative opposition have accused the government of silencing dissent as tensions continue to rise.A judge in Bolivia has sentenced opposition leader Luis Fernando Camacho to four months in pre-trial detention amid growing tension in the country. Judge Sergio Pacheco ordered Camacho, governor of the country’s Santa Cruz region, to be remanded in custody on charges of terrorism during a hearing on Friday. Camacho was transferred to a prison 25km (15 miles) from the capital city of La Paz shortly after. Speaking during the virtual hearing that was held in the La Paz police station, Camacho struck a…
The football legend, who is deemed the greatest player of the 20th century, died in Sao Paolo on Thursday.Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has declared three days of national mourning for Pele after the legendary footballer died at the age of 82. The measure was announced on Friday in a decree published in an extra edition of the government gazette and signed by the outgoing president, who is set to leave office Sunday. Pele’s death, announced on Thursday, was “due to multiple organ failures resulting from the progression of colon cancer associated with his previous medical condition”. The wake will be…
Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet and forward Precious Achiuwa are questionable to play in Friday’s game against the Phoenix Suns. .acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container width: 340px; margin: 0 auto; Neither player was in the lineup for Thursday’s 119-106 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. VanVleet left Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers in the third quarter because of lower back stiffness and did not practise the following day as he was dealing with back spasms. An all-star last season, VanVleet is averaging 18.5 points, 6.1 assists and 3.9 rebounds this season. Achiuwa hasn’t played since Nov. 9 due to a sprained right…
Ethnic tensions along Kosovo’s eastern border appear to be easing amid fears of an armed conflict.All border crossings linking Kosovo to Serbia have reopened after ethnic Serbs removed roadblocks set up in protest over a policeman’s arrest, easing tensions in the volatile region. The main crossing between the neighbours opened on Thursday after barricades were dismantled from the Serbian side of the Merdare border point. Kosovo police said two smaller border crossings “opened for traffic in the afternoon” on Friday. One barricade remained standing near the flashpoint city of Mitrovica, where two burnt trucks – the target of suspected arson…