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Denmark is set to become the world’s first country to place a levy on greenhouse gasses produced by livestock Denmark is set to impose a new tax on farmers over greenhouse gases produced by their livestock, Taxation Minister Jeppe Bruus has announced. The toll on cow, pig, and sheep emissions will be implemented starting in 2030, according to the minister.The new tax is expected to greatly contribute to the country’s goal of reducing emissions by 70% from 1990 levels by the end of the decade, as well as ultimately attaining carbon neutrality, Bruus explained.“We will take a big step closer in becoming climate neutral in 2045,” the minister stated, praising the measure as a way for Denmark to become “the first country in the world to introduce a real CO2 tax on agriculture.”Livestock farmers will be taxed 300 kroner ($43) per ton of carbon dioxide equivalent produced by their animals. However, this will initially be subject to an income tax deduction of 60%. Read more Farmers' protest in Brussels, on February 26, 2024 EU elites promised a prosperous green future. This could be their undoing The measure is expected to hit dairy farmers the most, given that an average Danish cow produces around six metric tons (6.6 tons) of CO2 equivalent each year, with pigs and sheep emitting significantly less gas.The country is a major livestock producer, with its current cattle population at nearly 1.5 million, according to Statistic Denmark. That would net more than $400 million a year in carbon taxes.The new tax is set to rise even higher, reaching a target of 750 kroner per ton by 2035.Dairy farming is believed to be a major contributor to human-related greenhouse gas production. According to the UN Environment Program’s estimates, livestock account for some 32% of methane emissions caused by human activity. via RT - Daily news https://ift.tt/ItZXK3e

<strong>The WikiLeaks founder is a man of great personal integrity who fell victim to changing western attitudes about media freedom</strong> The long running and epic prosecution of Julian Assange seems to be coming to an end. The defendant has pleaded guilty to one of the charges against him – conspiracy to obtain and transmit classified information. He was sentenced to the time he has already served in a British prison, fighting extradition to the US. And now the case is closed.Assange’s deal with the US Department of Justice is a relief for everyone. The journalist and activist himself cannot be criticized for agreeing – he has repeatedly demonstrated his personal integrity and courage. And there is no point in sacrificing himself for nothing. As for the American side, Assange’s hypothetical deportation to the United States would trigger another social and political conflict. And a confusing one at that. In favor of the WikiLeaks founder are many on the left and some on the right. Namely those who consider their own government to be anti-citizen and dictatorial. Against him are the official bureaucracy, nowadays more-so on the left, and conservative patriots who consider him a traitor. There’s already a lot of strife and polarization in American politics, so they hardly want to add more in the middle of an election campaign.Anyway, if this is indeed the case, one can only be glad. It is also interesting to see how the overall situation has changed over the years for WikiLeaks. Assange himself has undoubtedly become a symbol of resistance to the American government, a legend and hero to like-minded people around the world. But the perception of the information made public by his work has changed over the twenty years of his activity. <strong>Read more</strong> <a href="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.06/thumbnail/667bf1ff85f54038c517f670.jpg">WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange waves after landing at RAAF air base Fairbairn in Canberra, Australia, Wednesday, June 26 2024. <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/600045-julian-assange-wikileaks-ecuadorian-embassy/">Julian Assange once told me his secret to surviving impossible odds The founders of WikiLeaks believed that in a democracy, citizens have a right to know what their elected leaders are up to, how closely those actions match what they say they are doing, and where their more secretive policies are leading. Almost immediately, the revelations were widely publicized, especially as they concerned two unpopular US military campaigns – in Iraq and Afghanistan. The publication of a huge trove of diplomatic correspondence between US embassies around the world and Washington caused a furore. It did not contain anything super-sensational, but it did reveal a large number of assessments that were clearly not intended for public consumption. In general, the main effort of the whistleblowers was to demonstrate the hypocrisy of American policy. This could hardly be news to anyone, but it is one thing to have a general idea, another to have tangible evidence.WikiLeaks’ popularity peaked around 15 years ago. After that, Assange was systematically persecuted, attempts were made to block the site, and the project itself began to experience the inevitable disagreements that are part of any evolving process. But the environment was also changing. The phenomenon of ‘post-truth’, which was already being talked about in the noughties, has grown to such an extent that it has come to define the information landscape. The most common description of this concept is that it’s based on people’s willingness to accept arguments based on their beliefs and emotions rather than on what’s actually true. Accordingly, facts that contradict beliefs and emotions are often simply ignored or, at most, reinterpreted to fit the required narrative.While this process began more as an act of information warfare, over time (rather quickly) it has become a structural element of the entire communication space. Discussion becomes less and less possible, because the arguments…

The charge to terminate a marriage may be hiked almost eightfold, according to RBK, citing amendments to the tax bill Russia’s Finance Ministry has proposed increasing the state fee for divorce almost eightfold starting in 2025, the business news outlet RBK reported on Wednesday, citing amendments to the national tax bill.According to the report, the fees for those seeking to end their marriage could rise from 650 rubles ($7.45) to 5,000 rubles ($57.31).This will apply to couples who do not have common minor children and are divorcing by mutual consent, as well as those seeking divorce through the court. If both parties consent, they can submit a joint application for divorce to the Civil Acts Registration Office. In other cases, ending a marriage will require a judicial procedure.The report cited data by national statistics bureau Rosstat showing that more than 683,000 divorces were registered in Russia in 2023.Meanwhile, the fee for registering a marriage is expected to remain the same at 350 rubles ($4), RBK wrote.In addition, the ministry proposed increasing the fee for state registration of a name change from the equivalent of $18.34 to over $57. Read more FILE PHOTO: The building of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation on Ilyinka Street in Moscow. Russia poised to overhaul tax policy The amendments were reportedly added to a bill that introduces a new progressive personal income tax, which the Duma approved in the first reading on June 20.The tax will remain at 13% for those earning the equivalent of up to $27,500 a year, but will increase for higher incomes. The maximum tax rate will be 22% for incomes exceeding $573,000.Russia had a progressive tax scale up until 2001, when the government decided to introduce a flat rate of 13% in a bid to attract investment to the country. In 2021, an extra 15% bracket was introduced for incomes exceeding the equivalent of roughly $68,500 a year.According to the Finance Ministry, the measures are expected to bring in over $29 billion to the state coffers next year. via RT - Daily news https://ift.tt/OqxANeW

NATO countries will not be able to deploy more than 300,000 troops in case of a conflict, experts warn NATO countries in Europe are reportedly facing a shortage of military personnel and would have difficulty mobilizing a significant number of troops in case of a conflict, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.According to the outlet’s analysts, Western European members of the US-led military bloc are said to have 1.9 million troops “on paper.” In reality, however, they would face challenges deploying more than 300,000 people – and even this would require months of preparation.Former NATO Assistant Secretary-General Camilla Grand explained that the bloc’s members have never had to consider mass deployment of their forces and that European defense planning has for many years been limited to matters such as supplying “300 special forces for Afghanistan.”“That’s created gaps,” Grand said, adding that the bloc has seen “a shrinking in forces all over the continent year after year.”Ben Barry, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, also told FT that NATO’s European members have focused on increasing military budgets but have neglected conscripting more people.According to Barry, European NATO states have now reached a “tipping point of critical mass” and have entered a “vicious circle” in which personnel shortages limit their military capabilities and make it difficult to train new recruits, frustrating existing servicemen and forcing them to leave the army. Read more NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a press conference at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on June 14, 2024. NATO could put more nuclear weapons on ‘standby mode’ – Stoltenberg In order to address the problem, experts told FT that Western European nations would have to resolve several issues such as competitive pay for servicemen and attractive benefits, while employing various methods to attract more recruits.NATO states would also have to address the issue of living conditions for their personnel, as barracks in countries such as Germany and the UK are reported to be in a state of dilapidation and are plagued with mold, pest infestations, and other issues.Another pressing factor, according to the report, is the issue of patriotism among NATO servicemen. The FT noted that while in countries such as Poland and the Baltic states, the perceived threat of Russian aggression has spurred recruitment, these fears are not shared in places such as Germany and the UK.Russia has repeatedly stressed that it has no intention of attacking any NATO members. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has cautioned the West against escalating tensions in Ukraine and attempting to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Moscow, warning that this could pose a threat to the Russian state and trigger its nuclear doctrine. via RT - Daily news https://ift.tt/dQLOKWX

An unnamed embassy attache has reportedly been found lifeless inside a locked room at the Hilton Hotel An attache to the American embassy in Ukraine has been found dead in a room at Kiev’s Hilton Hotel, according to several Ukrainian news outlets.The online portal Strana UA reported the discovery on Wednesday, citing a law enforcement source. This was followed by the outlet New Voices.“Yesterday around 11am the body of an attache at the US embassy was found inside a room at the hotel,” Strana quoted its source as saying. “There were no signs of violence on the body.”According to Strana’s source, the man, who had arrived in Ukraine on June 15, had shown elevated cholesterol levels in medical records provided by the US embassy. Local police have reportedly launched an investigation into the cause and circumstances of the diplomat’s death.New Voices reported that the hotel room where the body was discovered had been locked from the inside and that no autopsy was performed, as the corpse was claimed by the US embassy.Neither the US embassy nor the State Department has commented on Ukrainian media reports.The US embassy in Kiev employs between 100-200 diplomats and military personnel, Foreign Policy magazine reported in March, describing it as “overstretched and understaffed” for dealing with the Ukraine-Russia conflict.According to four anonymous sources, the State Department was planning to send up to 40 additional diplomats to Kiev to make it easier for Ambassador Bridget Brink and her deputies to travel around Ukraine.Washington is one of Ukraine’s main backers in the conflict with Russia, supplying Kiev with billions of dollars in cash, weapons, ammunition and equipment. The US and its allies have insisted that this does not make them a party to the conflict, however, ignoring Moscow’s repeated warnings to the contrary. via RT - Daily news https://ift.tt/4Hacb6g

The incident took place in the northern Republic of Komi Nine cars from a passenger train have gone off the tracks in Komi Republic, Russian Railways said on Thursday. At least 70 people were injured in the crash, but there have been no confirmed deaths.Train 511 was carrying passengers between Vorkuta in northeastern Komi and the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. The derailment happened around 6:12pm Moscow time, near the town of Inta, according to the railway authorities.“Emergency services have been dispatched to the scene. Measures are being taken to assist passengers,” Russian Railways said on Telegram. “Information about the victims is being clarified. Traffic on the section has been suspended.”The office of the North-Western Transport Prosecutor has launched a criminal investigation into the derailment. Meanwhile, the head of the Republic of Komi, Vladimir Uyba, has reportedly flown to the site of the incident.Train 511 included a total of 14 carriages with 232 passengers on board, the railway said. According to Russian Railways, the cause of the derailment may have been recent heavy rainfall.Russian Railways has set up a task force headed by General Director Oleg Belozerov to look into the derailment. Two recovery trains have been sent to the location.DETAILS TO FOLLOW via RT - Daily news https://ift.tt/w7UVk2A

The bloc’s ambassador in Kiev has expressed optimism about the country’s entry before the end of the decade It would be realistic to expect membership talks between Ukraine and the EU to be finalized by the end of the decade, the bloc’s ambassador in Kiev, Katarina Mathernova, has told local media.The EU officially launched membership negotiations with Kiev on Tuesday, after all 27 member states approved the negotiating framework last week. “So far I have seen in Ukraine a lot of determination and a lot of tenacity to move quickly. So I do think that in the case of Ukraine it may take less time than before in the case of some other countries. I think that 2030 is a very realistic date,” Mathernova told RBC-Ukraine.According to the US-educated Slovak diplomat, the next step will be “bilateral screening,” or comparing the EU’s body of laws and rules to Ukrainian regulations to identify “gaps.” That will take several months, whereupon the first “chapters” of negotiations can be opened.The chapters act as a sort of a “checklist,” dealing with “thematic areas,” she explained. Parts of chapters 23 and 24 that “deal with the rule of law, democratic governance, anti-corruption, etc.” are not part of the EU’s acquis communautaire, but will be assessed against European standards,” Mathernova noted. Read more RT Date of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to EU revealed – media Pressed to offer a specific timeline, the envoy said it was difficult, because “each step depends on the rapidity and success of the previous step” and “a lot of the timing will depend on the preparedness and quality of the inputs.”“Again, I know it’s a lot of jargon, but this is what we are famous for,” Mathernova told the outlet.EU enlargement requires the consensus of all members and Ukraine has “bilateral issues with one of the countries,” the diplomat noted, not mentioning Hungary by name. “And the way to deal with it is to patiently persevere,” Mathernova added, quipping that “there is no magic formula.”The government in Kiev applied for EU membership at the end of February 2022, following the escalation of the conflict with Russia. The current crisis dates back to 2014, when the US backed a violent coup in Kiev during a dispute in Ukraine over mutually exclusive free trade deals with Russia and the EU.Speaking to Ukrainian media last month, Mathernova said that 2030 was “quite a realistic date” for joining the EU, even given the “completely unpredictable geopolitical environment we live in today.”The bloc had previously named the end of the decade as the target date for admitting new members, potentially affecting Ukraine, Moldova and some parts of the former Yugoslavia. via RT - Daily news https://ift.tt/bc2zECH

US “vassals” are willing to breach any agreements at Washington’s orders, the Russian foreign minister says The West has repeatedly displayed its “inability to negotiate,” which has now become evident to everyone, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.Western “vassals” of the US are willing to breach “any agreements” and violate international law upon receiving “orders” from Washington, Lavrov claimed at the Primakov Readings International Forum in Moscow. Russia had been interested in a mutually beneficial relationship with the collective West, but building one has proven to be effectively impossible, the top diplomat argued. “Our interest was much broader and more comprehensive, but the West was not ready for mutually beneficial, equal cooperation,” Lavrov stated. “When it needs to do something on orders from Washington, it resorts to breaking any agreements, any violations of international law.”Moscow is now seeking to ensure its security and prevent any threats emanating from the “Western direction,” Lavrov said. The collective West, at the same time, is trying to make an example of Russia to assert its neocolonial policies, the diplomat claimed. Read more Media West wants to distrupt Russia-India-China engagement – Lavrov “The Westerners are seeking to punish our country, using our example to intimidate everyone who is pursuing or seeks to pursue an independent foreign policy, who puts national interests above all, and not the whims of the former colonial powers,” Lavrov stated.The Western efforts to “punish” Russia, however, are doomed to fail and are “already producing effects opposite to the intended ones,” the minister insisted. Leading Western officials have repeatedly said they are seeking to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Russia in the Ukraine conflict, or at least ensure that it does not emerge victorious. Moscow perceives the hostilities as a proxy conflict being waged by the collective West. Russia has insisted it will fully achieve its stated military goals, but has nonetheless signaled it is ready to negotiate an end to the hostilities through a diplomatic settlement. via RT - Daily news https://ift.tt/sRrbJu3

The Italian PM has slammed the backroom deals giving Ursula von der Leyen a second term as president of the European Commission Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has hit out at backroom deals being struck to fill top positions in the EU’s institutions, saying it was “surreal” that voters’ opinions were being ignored.Citizens across the bloc shifted significantly away from the left in the European Parliament elections earlier this month, with ruling coalitions in Germany and France being comprehensively trounced by right-wing parties.However, the three main political groups in the parliament, which are largely centrist, reportedly agreed a deal to fill the top EU posts on Tuesday. The arrangement would see Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen returned as president of the European Commission for a second term.Addressing the Italian parliament on Wednesday, Meloni said it was “surreal” that names for top EU positions had been presented “without even pretending to discuss the signals from voters.” Under the reported deal, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas will become the new EU foreign policy chief, replacing Spain’s Josep Borrell; while former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa will preside over the European Council, which was previously chaired by Belgium’s Charles Michel.The names will be presented at an EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday for their approval.Media reports suggested that Italy had effectively been excluded from discussions regarding the agreement, which was approved by the leaders of France, Germany, Spain, Poland, Greece, and the Netherlands. Read more File photo: President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, June 17, 2024. EU leaders back another von der Leyen term – media The Italian prime minister claimed that this kind of backroom deal contradicted the original spirit of the European Union, by which institutions “were conceived as neutral entities, thus able to guarantee all member states, regardless of the political color of the governments of those member states.”Meloni, whose European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group won the most votes in Italy and is currently the third-biggest in the European Parliament, said she wanted the shift to the right to be reflected in the bloc’s decision-making.“The third [largest] group today is a group that is not liked by those who are deciding,” she said, calling the EU an “invasive bureaucratic giant.”Meanwhile, the appointment of von der Leyen will still need to be approved by the European Parliament and, according to media, she might seek to win Meloni’s support by giving Italy a senior portfolio in the next European Commission. via RT - Daily news https://ift.tt/DiRL03N

Among the events in the city of Obninsk is an international forum, with guests from more than 80 countries Russia is marking the 70th anniversary of the launch of the world’s first nuclear power plant in the city of Obninsk, Kaluga Region on Wednesday. The facility, which is now a museum, has opened a new exhibition for the occasion.The Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant was put into operation on June 26, 1954, and was phased out in 2002. Following the launch, the facility served for some time as a testing ground for pioneering nuclear technologies.A variety of events are being held in the city on the occasion, with Russian officials and foreign guests from more than 80 countries.The dignitaries visited the museum, which underwent months of refurbishment to recreate the historic interior design and atmosphere. A roundtable on the promotion of Russian nuclear education abroad is also taking place in Obninsk. Rosatom’s personnel director-general, Tatyana Terentyeva, said the state-controlled corporation’s work with partner countries is long-term in nature. She added that it includes the building of nuclear power plants as well as education provided to local specialists. READ MORE: Sanctioning Russian nuclear sector would ‘hurt’ EU – IAEA As part of these efforts, the city, which is around 100km from Moscow, is hosting the Obninsk Tech Summer School for foreign students seeking to learn about key developments in the field.On Wednesday, the Second Obninsk NEW International Youth Nuclear Forum began, devoted to the next seven decades of nuclear technology development. Representatives of more than 80 countries attended. The director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, welcomed the guests via video link. via RT - Daily news https://ift.tt/pyeVbxs