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Quick crossword #232

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POPULAR ARTICLES

Russia

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Russia tries to make ends meet

The Russian government is considering raising the rate of value-added tax to keep the budget deficit in check and maintain reserves, four sources told Reuters, despite public assurances from President Vladimir Putin that there will be no tax rises. The draft budget is expected to be submitted to parliament on September 29. Its key components are agreed with Putin beforehand and are unlikely to be significantly altered during the formal parliamentary debate. Russia, in the fourth year of its war in Ukraine, has raised personal income and corporate taxes this year, but the government still had to triple its federal budget deficit estimate to 1.7 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in May.

Reuters

Politics

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Senate panel backs Trump diplomatic picks

A US Senate committee approved dozens of Donald Trump’s nominees for diplomatic positions, as the president’s fellow Republicans worked to change Senate rules to make it easier to confirm his picks. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee considered 36 nominees, including such high-profile choices as former national security adviser Michael Waltz to be the US ambassador to the United Nations and White House Presidential Personnel Office Director Sergio Gor to be ambassador to India. The committee votes were largely along party lines. Democrats mostly objected to Trump’s picks and Republicans approved them nearly unanimously.

Reuters

Gaza

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Israel pushes deeper in Gaza City

Israeli troops and tanks pushed deeper into Gaza City as more people fled the devastated area, and strikes cut off phone and internet services, making it harder for Palestinians to summon ambulances during the military’s new offensive. Meanwhile, the Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war surpassed 65,000, local health officials said. The Israeli military said air force and artillery units had struck the city more than 150 times in the last few days, ahead of ground troops moving in. The strikes toppled high-rise towers in areas with densely populated tent camps. Israel claims the towers were being used by Hamas to watch troops.

AP/Reuters

POPULAR ARTICLES

Russia

frank

Russia tries to make ends meet

The Russian government is considering raising the rate of value-added tax to keep the budget deficit in check and maintain reserves, four sources told Reuters, despite public assurances from President Vladimir Putin that there will be no tax rises. The draft budget is expected to be submitted to parliament on September 29. Its key components are agreed with Putin beforehand and are unlikely to be significantly altered during the formal parliamentary debate. Russia, in the fourth year of its war in Ukraine, has raised personal income and corporate taxes this year, but the government still had to triple its federal budget deficit estimate to 1.7 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in May.

Reuters

Politics

frank

Senate panel backs Trump diplomatic picks

A US Senate committee approved dozens of Donald Trump’s nominees for diplomatic positions, as the president’s fellow Republicans worked to change Senate rules to make it easier to confirm his picks. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee considered 36 nominees, including such high-profile choices as former national security adviser Michael Waltz to be the US ambassador to the United Nations and White House Presidential Personnel Office Director Sergio Gor to be ambassador to India. The committee votes were largely along party lines. Democrats mostly objected to Trump’s picks and Republicans approved them nearly unanimously.

Reuters

Gaza

frank

Israel pushes deeper in Gaza City

Israeli troops and tanks pushed deeper into Gaza City as more people fled the devastated area, and strikes cut off phone and internet services, making it harder for Palestinians to summon ambulances during the military’s new offensive. Meanwhile, the Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war surpassed 65,000, local health officials said. The Israeli military said air force and artillery units had struck the city more than 150 times in the last few days, ahead of ground troops moving in. The strikes toppled high-rise towers in areas with densely populated tent camps. Israel claims the towers were being used by Hamas to watch troops.

AP/Reuters