Russian government cuts wheat export tax to zero, IFX reports
It is the first time the tax has been removed since it was introduced in 2021 to protect the domestic market from price spikes and to discourage excessive exports.
It is calculated as 70% of the difference between an indicative price, derived from export contract data and calculated on a weekly basis, and a base price set by the agriculture ministry.
A higher base price results in a lower duty.
The indicative price was set at $228.7 per ton of wheat on Friday. The duty was set at zero.
In January, the duty had reached its highest level to date, at 4,699.6 roubles ($59.87) per ton.
Farmers have regularly appealed to the government to abolish or reduce the duty, saying it harms the profitability of wheat farming and that only a small portion of the collected funds are returned to the sector.
($1 = 78.4955 roubles)
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Telegraph
15 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Ireland's anti-Israel posturing could cost it dearly
In 1996, the foreign editor of the Irish Times, Paul Gillespie, leafed through Ireland's first military white paper. The document was notably vague on the country's role in global affairs. 'Precisely the absence of strategic interests,' he warned, 'can tempt small states into a moralistic response to international political issues.' How prescient that now seems. After October 7, the Irish government wasted no time clambering onto a soap box to issue proclamations about the most complex urban war in living memory, from the comfort of an island on the edge of Western Europe. Free from threats, and with the RAF guarding its skies, the solutions to a conflict 3,500 miles away seem irritatingly obvious to Dublin. Hamas tunnel networks dwarfing the London Underground, booby-trapped homes, hospitals repurposed as terror bunkers, were mere details repeatedly brushed aside with calls for 'de-escalation' and, more fatuously, a 'two-state solution.' This may have had a cathartic effect – for both politicians and constituents, who are joined by much of the world in their dismay at the destruction in Gaza. But wars are not won with platitudes, nor with hollow gestures dressed up as policy. To the extent this basic truth has dawned on Dublin – and the odd glimmer of self-awareness suggests it might have – it hasn't dampened its appetite to intervene. This week, Ireland raced to become the first European country to ban imports from Israel's occupied territories. 'There isn't another country in the European Union,' boasted the foreign minister, Simon Harris, 'that you can visit today and ask a government minister about their bill to ban trade… because they don't have one.' The braggadocio didn't end there. Ireland stood, in his estimation, as a lone beacon for humanity, 'speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza.' All very well. But what exactly does that entail? On Wednesday, the cabinet approved the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill. The Bill is a curious artefact – not least because its acronym, PIGS, invites unfortunate interpretations, particularly given the Irish government's increasing animosity toward Israel. If passed, it will ban imports from the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and Gaza – a wide net. Camp David is firmly in the rear-view mirror The connection between the first three regions and the war in Gaza is tenuous at best. When someone raises the issue of the settlements in this context, it's often a sign they view the current conflict through the lens of an earlier, more sanguine era. Camp David is firmly in the rear-view mirror. Today, the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank, loathes Hamas and shares Israel's desire to see them expunged. There remains no party with which to negotiate the stewardship of the territories now commonly referred to as 'Palestinian' – each captured, incidentally, by Israel in wars it did not initiate. Such nuances vanish under the telescopic moralism through which Dublin views the conflict in the Middle East. No one is glued to that telescope more firmly than Simon Harris, the former taoiseach whose tenure saw the re-opening of an embassy in Tehran and the closure of Israel's embassy in Dublin, shortly before its foreign minister branded Harris 'antisemitic.' That accusation may be too simplistic. There's no reason to suspect Mr Harris is prejudiced against Jews, as such, but the Jewish State is another matter. Last year, upon becoming the leader of Fine Gael, Mr Harris disinvited the Israeli ambassador from his first party conference. Her Iranian counterpart, meanwhile, was free to attend. Mr Harris is determined to, as he puts it, 'pull every lever' at his disposal to pressure Israel to end the conflict. Needless to say, depriving the Israeli economy of €200,000 worth of mostly dates and avocados won't exactly blow a hole in its war chest. With the addition of East Jerusalem, the bill would, however, make it illegal for Irish tourists to bring home souvenirs from the Old City. The sight of customs officers quizzing arrivals on where in the Jewish State they bought their Madonna sculpture could prove an unpleasant novelty that the 'land of a thousand welcomes' may come to regret. 'Ireland... is on a hateful, antisemitic path' The repercussions may be further reaching than that. On Wednesday, senator Jim Risch, chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, lambasted the decision. 'Ireland, while often a valuable US partner, is on a hateful, antisemitic path that will only lead to self-inflicted economic suffering,' he warned. This is not idle talk. More than 30 US states have enacted anti-boycott laws which sanction companies boycotting Israel. Donald Trump has already indicated he would do the same. With the US as its largest trading partner, Ireland has effectively assembled a financial landmine and publicly declared its intention to step on it. One would have thought Mr Harris has more pressing matters to attend to than inflicting economic harm on his countrymen for a gesture that is, by the government's admission, purely 'symbolic.' The US has already threatened to reshore its pharmaceutical industry, on which Ireland's economy depends. Only this week, Japan expressed concerns to the taoiseach over the security of subsea cables off the Irish coast – vital arteries for data and energy between Europe and America – which are increasingly stalked by Russian submarines. Of course, from Dublin's point of view, this is someone else's problem – namely the Anglo-American defence umbrella which has allowed it to get by with negligible defence spending while its European colleagues scrabble for funds. How else would Ireland find the time, and the resources, to arbitrate Israeli settlements? Small countries that believe in their own exceptionalism often develop the peculiar neurosis of needing to, as it were, punch above their weight. With limited material power, this tendency is usually expressed by grandstanding on the international stage. Sweden once styled itself a 'moral superpower,' until its rhetoric collided with reality, helping turn it into the bomb and grenade attack capital of the developed world. Ireland, increasingly, appears determined to trace the same path.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Trump backlash as rich Americans flee the States and bid for new life... in a Scottish castle
Wealthy Americans fleeing the US after the election of Donald Trump are driving a boom in sales of Scottish castles. In the six months since the most controversial and divisive president in modern history took office, top-end estate agents have witnessed a huge surge in interest for the country's oldest and most dramatic properties. And although buying a castle has long been the ultimate fantasy of many home-owners, prices are now soaring to a historic high – partly because of an exodus of millionaires from the States. So while many castles over the centuries have witnessed and withstood countless battles, skirmishes and attacks, these days they are more likely to find themselves at the centre of a bidding war. One recent sale went to a closing date with no fewer than three rich Americans all offering far in excess of the initial asking price. Cameron Ewer, head of residential property for Savills estate agency explained a spike in interest from the US was pushing prices higher. He said: 'There are definitely more international buyers in the marketplace. In the immediate aftermath of Donald Trump 's election, the number of American inquiries through our website went absolutely through the roof – and has now settled to a far higher-than-normal level. 'Not everyone is a Trump supporter, and those that aren't are keen to leave the country: there's definitely an element of that in discussions we've had with buyers.' Last month tax lawyers and immigration advisers told US broadcaster CNN they had seen a 'stampede' of Americans emigrating since the start of Mr Trump's presidency. One couple told the channel: 'We're getting away from the chaos … I feel like the America as we knew it growing up is slipping away pretty fast.' Meanwhile, more than 1,900 US residents applied for a British passport during the first quarter of 2025, the most since the Home Office began keeping records in 2004. Politics aside, Mr Ewer said there were also other factors behind the surge in interest in Scotland's castles. He said: 'Scottish castles have always had international appeal. There's a romance surrounding them – and there's always a smattering on the market. But there are definitely more for sale right now. One factor may be the increasing costs of running a castle – which isn't cheap. Another factor is simply that the market in Scotland is pretty buoyant across the board, and with more stock coming to the market generally, there's a feeling that this is a good time to be selling prize assets in Scotland.' He explained: 'The overarching reason for the uptick in interest is value: the quality of the properties, the culture, the heritage behind them that buyers can afford in Scotland is head and shoulders above what can be found in other places in the UK, Europe or elsewhere.' And with a flurry of castles newly offered to the market, even properties worth millions are being quickly snapped up. In just the past few weeks, three magnificent piles have gone 'under offer' – including Plane Castle in Stirlingshire (a manor house near Bannockburn with a 14th-century tower which was marketed for offers over £1.2 million); Keillour Castle (a turreted country house in Perthshire, offers over £1.8 million) and Cramond Tower (a restored mediaeval tower house outside Edinburgh, offers over £850,000). Glenborrodale Castle, a sprawling 16-bedroom sandstone castle in the West Highlands also sold this year – for more than £200,000 above the asking price – having been put on the market for offers over £2.35 million. Scotland has around 1,500 castles – ranging from mediaeval strongholds with towers and keeps, to fortified mansions, and even 18th century estate houses whose battlements are purely decorative. Many are ruins, while others have been converted into commercial ventures such as luxury hotels and wedding venues. Hundreds more, however, remain as private homes – and are eagerly sought after when they go up for sale, sometimes after decades or even centuries in the ownership of the same family. Estate agents believe the general level of interest in castles from property lovers on both sides of the Atlantic has been boosted by TV's The Traitors – hosted in the UK by Claudia Winkleman and by Alan Cumming in the American version – which was set amid the baronial splendour of Ardross Castle north of Inverness. Mr Ewer said increased demand was boosting the prices for castles. He said: 'Prices this year are at a height – both in terms of asking prices and also in terms of the final prices being achieved. Castles are a special type of property, and the values don't always follow trends in the general housing market. 'People don't say, 'I've got a budget of two million, I'm going to buy a Scottish castle.' They typically need far deeper pockets than that, to be able to ensure they can afford the maintenance and running costs. These aren't buyers with specific budgets. If you find the right buyer, they'll pay whatever it takes.' Earlier this month American actress Christina Hendricks hinted she was looking to buy a castle. After spending time in Scotland filming two series of period drama The Buccaneers – which features as locations Culzean Castle in Ayrshire, Hopetoun House, near South Queensferry, and Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfriesshire – the 50-year-old confessed in an interview: 'I am so in love with Scotland... I'm all about the historical stuff. I mean when we shoot at these estates and these castles... this is mind blowing to me.' Above, to help the actress – and any other would-be purchasers – track down a dream castle in Scotland, the Mail on Sunday reveals some of the most amazing examples currently on the market. Picturesque ruins Over the centuries, many ancient castles have fallen into disrepair. And although the damage may be beyond the reach of even the most ambitious restorer, the remains can still make a picturesque centrepiece for a larger estate. The ruins of Castle Cary in Creetown, Dumfries and Galloway, are currently on the market for offers over £9.5 million. The price tag may seem high for a derelict building but the estate also includes a holiday park business with swimming pool, and pub and restaurant. On the Isle of Skye, the ruins of Armadale Castle, the historic seat of the MacDonalds of Sleat, (above) is on sale at offers over £995,000. The Clan Donald Lands Trust said it had taken the 'difficult' decision to sell the square Tudor-Gothic mock-castle dating back to 1815 – and the adjoining 20,000-acre estate – because of financial challenges. Castle with Mod Cons Although Pirwindy Keep near Largo in Fife looks and sounds like a historic stronghold, it was actually built in 1998. To all intents and purposes it really is a 'modern' castle. The six-bed property – offers over £1.9 million – was designed as a replica of a fortified turreted keep. The main three-storey tower has an imposing stone façade and a protruding balcony which offers great views over the Firth of Forth to Edinburgh's Arthur's Seat – ideal as a lookout in case the house ever needs to take on a defensive role against marauding invaders! Historical dungeons! For some, a castle's true worth can only be measured in the number of centuries it has been standing – and in the tally of original features such as mediaeval battlements, dungeons, moats and arrow-slit windows. Earlshall Castle in Leuchars, Fife, still retains its 16th century musket loops for repelling invaders. With an asking price of £8 million, the house – which was visited by Mary, Queen of Scots and King James VI – also boasts a Great Hall and a 50ft gallery decorated with the coats of arms of European royalty and Scottish nobles. Cakemuir Castle in Tynehead, Midlothian, (above) also dates back to the 1500s and has distinctive crenellated walls and spiral staircases, plus a stone plaque commemorating the occasion Mary, Queen of Scots in 1567 sheltered there, as she fled Borthwick Castle disguised as a page boy. The eight-bedroom restored tower house is available for offers over £2.9 million. The original tower house features a projecting turnpikestair, gun loops and a parapet for guards. A pavilion contains a dining room opening to the lawned garden through three sets of French doors. The property also has a wine cellar. A £300,000 bargain Believed to be the cheapest castle currently on the market in Scotland, Little Tarrel Castle is for sale, offers over £299,000. The B-listed fortalice – a small fortified house – was built in 1559 by Alexander Ross who became chief of Clan Ross and Laird of Balnagown after his father was murdered. Determined not to meet the same fate, Alexander began attacking rivals, kidnapping neighbours, stealing church lands and defying the government. After decades of delinquent behaviour, he was brought to book and forced to hand his title to his son. The castle was fully restored in the 1980s but retains many original features, including arched stone fireplace, timber beams, thick wooden latched doors and shutters, as well as the original shot hole, gun loops and arrow slits.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
They are free to go – Enzo Maresca says unhappy players can leave Chelsea
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has told any player unhappy at the club they can leave. It is proving a busy summer at Stamford Bridge with recent signings Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Dario Essugo and Mamadou Sarr now joined by Jamie Gittens, with Estevao Willian arriving before the new season. The likes of Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix, Axel Disasi and Ben Chilwell, who are not with the squad at the Club World Cup, are among those who could move on. There has also been speculation about the futures of Noni Madueke, Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson, who have been involved in the United States. Maresca said: 'My message to the players and to the club is that I want just players that are happy to be with us. The ones that are not happy, they are free to go.' It is now vital Chelsea sell players to balance the books after they were punished by European governing body UEFA for breaches of financial regulations on Friday. As well as a basic £26.7million fine – which could rise to £77.9million if certain conditions are not met – Chelsea will only be allowed to register newly-signed players for the Champions League if they end the transfer window with a 'positive balance'. Maresca, when asked after his side's 2-1 Club World Cup quarter-final win over Palmeiras in Philadelphia, did not comment on the matter. He said: 'I already struggle to do my job. To be honest, there are things that I don't pay attention to. 'I just pay attention to how to work day by day with the players. How can I improve them? How can I improve the team? And try to win as much as we can.' Maresca was happier to discuss the performance of Pedro, who was brought on for his debut following his £60million move from Brighton as a second-half substitute. His entrance was prompted by a stunning equaliser from Estevao, who shone on what proved his final outing for Palmeiras before his switch to London. Pedro played a prominent part in Chelsea's response before they eventually won with a late own goal. Maresca said: 'Even if he was on holiday he looks sharp, he looks good. We gave him some minutes. The reason why he's here is because we like him and we are sure that he's going to help us.' The game was also watched by English winger Gittens, whose £55million move from Borussia Dortmund was confirmed on Saturday. Maresca said: 'Jamie was here, he was on the pitch. He will be with us probably one or two days more. Then he will go for a holiday and come back when we're going to start the new season.'
