GST council meeting takes no decision on extending compensation to states

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council’s two-day meeting concluded on Wednesday without any decision on extending compensation to states – for revenue loss on account of the regime’s implementation five years ago – beyond June 30. This was despite at least two dozen states raising the issue.

The Council, however, took significant measures to simplify the structure of GST by revising rates on some goods and services and removing exemptions on several mass-consumption packaged items with effect from July 18.

It deferred the proposal to tax online gaming at flat 28 per cent, on a par with gambling, and asked a group of ministers (GoM) to re-examine the matter by July 15. The Council will meet again in the first week of August, in Madurai, to take a decision on this.

On the issue of compensation cess, while the Centre had agreed in principle to extend it until March 2026, many states (including some ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party) had sought an extension of the regime for a few more years, or changes in the revenue-sharing formula to meet the shortfall.

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i'm OBSESSED with minister of ministers ren... he is someone who wants SO BADLY to be the manipulative leader in control of everything, never lifting a finger and making others work for him, but it doesn't work because nobody takes him seriously. except, at the same time, it kinda does work because people do what he says, but because they're his friends and find it funnier to do what he wants and be annoying about it, than not do it at all. I like to think he doesn't realise this, thinking his manipulation tactics have worked, not realising that people are mining resources and improving infrastructure for him out of Friendship and Pity. he'd be annoyed they don't take him seriously, but internally think "hm! these PLEBEIANS don't realise they are falling right into my trap!" completely unaware of the trap he's about to fall into due to his own mistakes (exploded by creeper whilst sorting chests + cleo's prank). he never learns though, he just keeps going, the lesson never sinks in for him.

it's an interesting comparison to ren the king - someone who was originally (somewhat) respected but his ego got the best of him and the more he tried to gain power back, the deeper the hole he dug himself into. they both want power but lack it, but in such different ways. king in a country tired of monarchy vs project manager as an anime villain (and both of them are pathetic)

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ok so the slovenian government announced today it will participate in the ICJ proceedings against israeli occupation of gaza and the west bank, which is based on a december 2022 UN resolution and is thus separate from the SA genocide case {wiki page}

there have been calls for slovenia to intervene in the genocide case too, to which the minister of foreign affairs has said that "Slovenia supports the proceedings regarding the violations of the Genocide Convention both in the case of Ukraine and Palestine ...", but that it is not yet possible to intervene as the court has to first decide whether it has jurisdiction over the case or not (her statement of support is also not an official position of the country afaict) {x}. she said that the decision will be made at the governnent level {x} (i.e. she evaded the question, but the fact the she hasn't dismissed it is positive, and both the pm and the president as a rule follow her lead, not the other way around; not to mention that the left party, a coalition member, has been very vocal about how slovenia is not doing enough, how we should recognize the state of palestine, apply the bds measures etc., so that's a force pushing in that direction as well). the ambassador to the UN security council said that slovenia regards the case "with great interest" {x}

considering the fairly consistent discourse of slovenian foreign policy on the israel-palestine conflict and especially the expressed need for principled and consistent political positioning during the slovenian mandate in the UN security council, i am moderatly optimistic that it might actually intervene in the case

fajon can be quite frustrating, because you really have to comb through what she's saying to find anything of substance, but i have been surprised at times by her discourse in the past few months, for example when she said that if not the EU as a whole, then a smaller group of like-minded countries within the EU could jointly recognize the state of palestine "when the time is right" (– slovenian politicians have been waiting for the right time to recognize palestine for literally a decade, but in this context specifically fajon has said that the condition for that to happen is permanent ceasefire) {x}, or when she explitictly designated the attacks on schools and hospitals and critical infrastructure as severe violations of international humanitarian law – apparently she appeared on CNN a few days ago where she said that Israel was "definitely" in the breach of international humanitarian law {fb link to the video} {x}, which reportedly made israel angry, but she'd already said the same thing in the UN security council chambers a month ago {x}, so that wasn't new for them and she'd been saying that since november at least {x}. i was also really positively surprised when in the context of the exchange of hostages she designated the palestinian prisoners as political prisoners {x} (only in a podcast, but still)

ofc this is still far from ideal, much more decisive measures would be needed (cf. what the left party wants above) and they'd be more effective too, imho, but this is honestly more than i expected from a politician who, idk – i suspect! – wants to present our country as a potential mediator in the conflict and thus doesn't want to step on israel's toes too much, or at least wants to keep the image of a "reliable partner" with regards to the us, still, while going as far as possible in (what she thinks might be) toeing the line

a white english anti-war socialist wins a seat in parliament and the next day the hindi PM says that this is an alarming sign of rising rabid-antisemitism, far-right politics, and islamic fundamentalism.

??? what

I got bullied into watching Book of Boba Fett by the eight year olds

i think we should bring back public executions but just for my country's politicians

deseret book is more persistent than duolingo.

i ordered 2 books for a church research project on Black saints in the early Church and also in the Reorganization, on which the one book had a small section us and all had info from the our shared early church history, and it was an ebook too!

and i get physical mail from them once a month. i have no idea how to cancel.

herald house, the community of christ publishing house, contacts me much less, and i buy books from them all the time.

and oh their church book app reminds me to read my scriptures and the words of their prophets regularly if it's not in sleep mode.

i have to admire the effort behind it, ngl.

don't tell anyone but I skipped work today because I knew we might've been forced to raise NATO-flags along the city wall and I'm not gonna fucking participate in that shit 🤭

oh to be French. I put the news on mute in the background of what i was doing because politics took a turn tonight so there’s improvised protests all over the country and i wanted to keep an eye on them. 

I got to see how the protests started to organize and everything. Looked down to play a game. 

I’m looking up again and apparently people set a police station on fire.

So this is going well. 

EDIT: AND A CHURCH RIGHT AFTERWARD??????????????????

“Only 14 people have been able to get out. The motion could have consequences for others who are waiting, he said.

Miller said he was not saying that the motion was "a bad thing to adopt," adding it represented a "principled position" as amended.”

A Canadian minister is implying to the national news service a) that Israel is holding Canadian-linked Palestinians hostage in a war zone, b) that Canada’s foreign policy is dictated by fear of US military allies, c) that the Israeli government with US backing will kill allied residents/connections even for adopting a toothless non-binding motion in accordance with OECD norms.

It’s nothing new to know that the Canadian government is too craven to make a comment on US politicians openly threatening to bomb us as at a New York Democratic event earlier this year. It is also nothing new to see that Israel uses its murder campaigns to threaten foreign nationals or foreign-connected nationals to influence international policy, as seen in the delay in releasing Brazilian and South African citizens from Palestine.

What is bizarre is to see the Canadian government say that Canada believes wholeheartedly in supporting Israel not because of any conviction but because we are certain that Biden and the US will initiate or arm retaliation against Canadians’ families for our independent policy movements.

The key and only important power dynamic in this situation is the genocide of Palestinians by the colonizer states US and Israel. One weird sideshow is that the US is taking this opportunity to exercise its de facto colonial possession of fellow colonial power Canada. The events aren’t unusual. The semi-half-open-mostly-implied discussion of it is.

I convinced my friend to watch Good Omens with me on Friday during our lunch period and when she said Crowley was her favorite character so far I was ready to get down on one knee and marry her

the state of the politics of this country is so fucking embarrassing rn

This is literally like watching a political drama unfolding before our eyes oh my god

France's Macron faces protest during speech in Netherlands

New Post has been published on https://www.timesofocean.com/frances-macron-faces-protest-during-speech-in-netherlands/

France's Macron faces protest during speech in Netherlands

Istanbul (The Times Groupe) – A group of protesters jeered at French President Emmanuel Macron during his speech in the Netherlands on Tuesday.

While Macron was describing his vision for the future of Europe at the Nexus Institute in The Hague, protesters unfurled a banner reading “President of violence and hypocrisy” and shouted, “Where is French democracy? Where did we lose it?”, the Dutch News said.

Their anger was exacerbated by a controversial French pension reform bill, recently passed without parliamentary approval, and police violence against protesters.

“There are millions of people in the streets, conventions of climate have been disregarded, what can you say about Europe?” shouted one protester.

Despite Macron’s attempts to respond, he was drowned out by the demonstrators. Protesters were forced out of the lecture hall by security guards.

Following the removal of the protesters, Macron resumed his speech, saying: “It is very important to debate.”

According to Macron, the retirement age will be raised to 64 by 2030 as part of the pension reform bill.

In some European countries, the retirement age is even higher, and reform is needed.

Pension reform plan fueled ire

In January, the government unveiled the reform project, and parliament began debating it in February.

Demonstrations and walkouts have been held by workers and unions against the reform, which would also require at least 43 years of employment to qualify for a full pension.

On March 16, Macron and Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne used special constitutional powers to force the plan through without parliamentary approval, raising political and social tensions.

Because the government does not hold an absolute majority in parliament, lawmakers could block the reforms.

The police were accused of making arbitrary arrests and using excessive force during violent protests. TIMES OF OCEAN

On April 14, the French Constitutional Council will finish examining the bill.

On Thursday, trade unions will stage a 12th round of protests. FRANCE FRANCE

Austria coming in with another masterful execution of law!

Now that the covid mask mandate isn't valid anymore we revert back to a law that got approved in 2019 I think... Its a law that prohibits you from masking your face! (literally just made bc of Islamophobia)... So now it's illegal in Austria to wear a mask in public! But also at the same time required to wear a mask if you tested positive! And when your in like a hospital and retirement homes! So now if you wanna wear a mask you need a doctor's note so that you are allowed to in public! :D