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Russia approves VAT increase to 20%
At a plenary meeting on Saturday, July 28, Russia’s Federation Council approved a bill providing for an increase in the value-added tax (VAT) from 18% to 20%, in addition to new social security tax rates.
The government of Dmitry Medvedev has claimed that the increase in the VAT will add 620 billion rubles to the federal budget each year.
At the same time, certain VAT benefits will remain. There is discussion of lowering the VAT rates to 10% for social goods: food items (with the exception …
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Putin calls for alternative to US dollar
The dollar’s status as the universal reserve currency “is becoming a problem” for the world economy, said Russian President Vladimir Putin at a press conference after the BRICS summit in South Africa.
According to him, the Kremlin “is well aware of what the dollar represents today”. “It is the universal reserve currency. To a greater or lesser degree the euro could aspire to this, but not entirely,” Putin observed.
The status of the dollar, for which there is no full-fledged substitute, is a …
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Russian hackers attack German media
According to Deutsche Welle, German media companies ZDF and WDR were recently attacked by Russian hackers. The hacker group Sandworm attacked the IT networks of both media companies in early June, AFP reported on Friday, July 27, with reference to excerpts from Der Spiegel’s as-yet unpublished material.
According to AFP, its sources in security agencies said that ZDF confirmed that a hacker attack actually took place while WDR refused to comment due to safety issues. ZDF clarified that less …
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Ukrainian and NATO ships carry out military exercises in the Black Sea
The Ukrainian Navy, standing NATO maritime group and standing NATO mine countermeasures group carried out PASSEX joint military exercises in the Black Sea, reported Ukraine Naval Command’s press service. The goal of the training was to improve interoperability and to practice interaction as part of multinational tactical units in accordance with NATO standards.
Three tactical groups took part in the maneuvers: multi-purpose ships, mine countermeasures ships and gunboats.
At the beginning of …
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Putin speaks of Trump’s 'big advantage'
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the American leader Donald Trump’s big advantage is his desire to fulfill pre-election promises, reported Interfax news agency.
“President Trump’s big advantage is that he strives to fulfill all the promises that he gave foremost to his voters, the American people,” Putin said. He explained that this is a “positive characteristic” of the US president. Also, according to Putin, you can criticize Trump’s actions, but it is quite obvious that he strives …