Candice Glover was crowned the new “American Idol” on Thursday after defeating country singer Kree Harrison. The booming 23-year-old R&B vocalist from St. Helena Island, S.C.MOSCOW – Gerard Depardieu, the French actor who has been sparring with his native country over taxes, has been granted Russian citizenship.
A brief announcement on the Kremlin website said President Vladimir Putin signed the citizenship grant on Thursday.
Depardieu is angered by French President Francois Hollande’s attempt to raise taxes on the mega-rich to 75 percent. Russia has a flat income tax of 13 percent.
A representative for Depardieu declined to say whether he had accepted the offer and refused all comment.
Depardieu said in an open letter published in mid-December that he would turn over his passport and French social security card.
The tax on millionaires was struck down by France’s highest court Dec. 29, but the government has promised to resubmit the law in a slightly different form soon.
