
‘There's a feeling of depression in Russian cities'
While an op-ed in the state news agency RIA Novosti warned that if future overtures didn't go well, there would be no more 'truly generous compromises', even threatening western Ukraine with the headline 'we'll have to go as far as Lviv'.
We were joined by Andrei Soldatov who's one of Russia's leading investigative journalists who fled the country in 2020 and is now on Russia's most wanted list.
His latest book is Our Dear Friends in Moscow – the Inside story of a broken generation.
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The Guardian
a few seconds ago
- The Guardian
Australians could keep more of their wages if we rebalanced taxes on other forms of income
After working for three years on tax reform, choosing just one big idea is like choosing your favourite child. But one idea I want to see on the agenda is a dual-income system of tax – a system that taxes labour and capital income on separate schedules. With a dual-income model, we could reduce taxes on wages by rebalancing taxes on other forms of income. This would be done by introducing a separate schedule for passive incomes such as rent, interest and capital gains which could either have a flat rate or a simplified progressive structure, as we have with wages. You could still deduct losses from an investment property, for example, but only against other capital income, or carried forward to offset the tax paid when the asset is sold. Not against labour income. It will make our tax system fairer and more sustainable, while encouraging people to invest in themselves and build their skills. It will also reduce the incentives to split or reclassify income – often through the use of trusts – to exploit lower tax rates. Australia's current tax system applies progressive income tax rates to earnings from work – wages and salaries – but taxes other sources of income, including property, shares and superannuation, in a variety of ways. The idea of all income being pooled together sounds good in theory, but in practice, it means two people earning the same total income can pay vastly different amounts of tax depending on where that income comes from. This creates two problems. First, people on the same income can pay different amounts. Second, people on higher incomes can end up paying less tax than those earning less. Some argue this would reduce the incentive to save. However, evidence shows tax rates have little impact on how much people save, but do influence where they put it. The current system favours some forms of saving over others. A dual income system is not a novel concept and has been used in several European countries since the 1990s. The proposal has broad support by tax experts, including the Australian National University's Tax and Transfer Policy Institute. All tax reform is challenging. Rebalancing tax across income sources would allow Australians to smooth their total tax paid more evenly over their lifetime, instead of loading it most heavily when they have a good, well-paying job but also the most expenses: raising their kids, paying down student debt, and saving for or paying off a mortgage. Secondly, we have an ageing population and budget deficits underwritten by the implausible strategy that working Australians won't notice us taxing them more and more each year (through bracket creep). Finally, and importantly, this isn't about redistributing wealth from one generation to another or punishing those who have been savvy with their money. It's about preserving the overall progressivity of the system that all Australians expect while also encouraging people to invest in themselves. Allegra Spender is the independent member for Wentworth


Daily Mirror
30 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Donald Trump's new White House portrait criticised for 'Satanic theme'
A fresh image of Donald Trump has been unveiled in the Oval Office - but it's already causing a stir online, with many branding it as "too accurate" A controversial new portrait of Donald Trump has sparked fierce criticism over its alleged 'Satanic themes'. Sebastian Gorka, the deputy assistant to the president, revealed a fresh image of Trump, which is now displayed in the Oval Office. The artwork shows Trump striding through rows of American flags with an orange glow behind him - compared to flames by critics - and was teased as just "one of the new" Trump-themed artworks decorating the White House. The new portrait comes amid reports of how Trump's Ukraine plans has prompted a Pentagon peace summit with UK military chiefs. The new portrait was created by Vanessa Horabuena, a self-described Christian worship painter. the Express. Not everyone was impressed with the portrait, with some branding it as "too accurate" and others as "too orange." Project Liberal questioned, "Why is the country on fire behind him?". This feeling resonated with many, as another user remarked, "fits. America is on fire in the background and Trump walks away." Others pointed to Trump's collection of self-portraits in the White House, especially after reports last week that portraits of Obama and Bush have been moved to a rarely-used stairwell, reports the Mirror US. Ignited uproar "The man can't get enough of himself," one user slammed. Another added: "As per usual, it's all about his ego." Another person slated the portrait's poor resemblance to Trump's real appearance. "Did you request the portrait to appear 60 lbs lighter than reality?" an X user questioned. The Mirror reached out to both the White House and the artist for a response, but none was immediately available. Trump's portraits and paintings displayed around the White House have previously sparked controversy, and a recent attempt to showcase them to other world leaders didn't go as smoothly as Trump had hoped. Assassination attempt His iconic photo from the Butler assassination attempt, featuring him with his fist raised in the air, is also a source of pride for the president, who often shows it off to visitors. Before a meeting in the East Room yesterday, the seven European heads of state gathered for a photograph with Trump and Zelensky in the Grand Foyer of the White House. As they stood together, the president gestured towards a painting depicting his bloodied ear following an assassination attempt during his 2024 campaign in Pennsylvania. "That was not a good day. Not a great day. See the picture?" Trump said, pointing to a wall on the group's right where the large painting is hung. However, not all the leaders shared Trump's enthusiasm for the image. Patriotic portraits Some of the leaders briefly glanced over, appearing to show minimal interest, while others, like French President Emmanuel Macron, continued to look straight ahead. The Republican leader has been giving the White House a makeover, including refurbishing the Rose Garden and adding numerous gold accents throughout the Oval Office. A substantial portion of these changes includes swapping out portraits of his predecessors. In a recent snap shared on X, Trump's patriotic portrait is proudly showcased between former First Lady Laura Bush and another first lady, nabbing the spot previously held by his long-standing adversary, Hillary Clinton. This comes after Joe Rogan revealed a startling new conspiracy theory about a potential assassination attempt on Trump in 2024.


Telegraph
30 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Texas Republicans approve Trump-backed congressional map
The Texas House on Wednesday approved redrawn congressional maps that would give Republicans a bigger edge in 2026, pushing through a partisan gerrymander that triggered weeks of protests by Democrats and a national battle over redistricting. The approval came at the urging of President Donald Trump, who pushed for the mid-decade revision of congressional maps to give his party a better chance at holding onto the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections. The maps need to be approved by the GOP-controlled state Senate and signed by Republican Governor Greg Abbott before they become official. But the Texas House vote had presented the best chance for Democrats to derail the redraw. Democratic legislators delayed the vote by two weeks by fleeing Texas earlier this month, returning only after being placed under round-the-clock police surveillance to ensure attendance at Wednesday's session. The approval of the Texas maps on an 88-52 party-line vote is likely to prompt California's Democratic-controlled state Legislature this week to approve a new House map creating five new Democratic-leaning districts. But the California map would require voter approval in November. Democrats plan to challenge the Texas map in court, accusing Republicans of prioritising partisan advantage over urgent legislation, such as responding to last month's deadly floods. Republicans have been open about their political motives. State Representative Todd Hunter, who authored the legislation, said: 'The underlying goal of this plan is straightforward: improve Republican political performance.' After nearly eight hours of debate, he summarised the issue as 'nothing more than a partisan fight.' Democrats said the disagreement was about more than partisanship. 'In a democracy, people choose their representatives,' State Representative Chris Turner said. 'This bill flips that on its head and lets politicians in Washington, D.C., choose their voters.' State Representative John H. Bucy blamed the president. 'This is Donald Trump's map,' Bucy said. 'It clearly and deliberately manufactures five more Republican seats in Congress because Trump himself knows that the voters are rejecting his agenda.' The Republican power play has already triggered a national tit-for-tat battle as Democratic state lawmakers prepared to gather in California on Thursday to revise that state's map to create five new Democratic seats. 'This is a new Democratic Party, this is a new day, this is new energy out there all across this country,' California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom said on a call with reporters on Wednesday. 'And we're going to fight fire with fire.' A new California map would need to be approved by voters in a special election in November because that state normally operates with a non-partisan commission drawing the map to avoid the very sort of political brawl that is playing out. Newsom himself backed the 2008 ballot measure to create that process, as did former President Barack Obama. But in a sign of Democrats' stiffening resolve, Obama Tuesday night backed Newsom's bid to redraw the California map, saying it was a necessary step to stave off the GOP's Texas move. 'I think that approach is a smart, measured approach,' Obama said during a fundraiser for the Democratic Party's main redistricting arm. The only way opponents could stop the new Texas map would be to argue that it violates the Voting Rights Act, which requires minority communities be kept together so they can choose representatives of their choice. Democrats noted that, in every decade since the 1970s, courts have found that Texas' legislature did violate the Voting Rights Act in redistricting, and that civil rights groups had an active lawsuit making similar allegations against the 2021 map that Republicans drew up. Republicans contend the new map creates more new majority-minority seats than the previous one. Democrats and some civil rights groups have countered that the GOP does that through mainly a numbers game that leads to halving the number of the state's House seats that will be represented by a Black representative. The GOP used a parliamentary manoeuvre to take a second and final vote on the map so it wouldn't have to reconvene for one more vote after Senate approval. House Speaker Dustin Burrows announced as debate started that doors to the chamber were locked and any member leaving was required to have a permission slip. The doors were only unlocked after final passage more than eight hours later. One Democrat who refused the 24-hour police monitoring, State Representative Nicole Collier, had been confined to the House floor since Monday night. Republicans issued civil arrest warrants to bring the Democrats back after they left the state August 3, and Republican Governor Greg Abbott asked the state Supreme Court to oust several Democrats from office. The lawmakers also face a fine of $500 for every day they were absent.