The Moscow Times reports that the government spent $10.7 billion of the state budget on fighting the financial crisis in the first six months of the year.  A Russian-Indian project to build a titanium factory in east India has been jeopardized by a shareholder dispute.  Telephone tycoon Yevgeny Chichvarkin, who is exiled in Britain, says he may set up a business there, 'maybe something in the service industry'.  The former Yevroset chairman says he has no fear of the charges held against him in Russia and does not plan to return until it becomes 'a free country'.  The ex-President of Avtovaz, Boris Alyoshin, will become an adviser to the Director General of Rostekhnologii.  Booming retailer Magnit will sell 11.2 million new shares to help finance expansion plans.  Russia's airline industry saw passenger numbers fall ...

French car manufacturer Renault says that it supports the changes in management at Avtovaz, which should solder the links between the car manufacturer and Russian Technologies.  Igor Komarov has replaced Boris Alyoshin as the company President.  Telenor is making a second appeal against the fine imposed on it for not voluntarily paying a $1.7 billion fine in damages to Vimpelcom.  ITAR-TASS informs us that Russian citizens owe more than 150 billion rubles to banks.  The poverty rate has reached 17.4% in the first quarter, or a total of 24.5 million people.  Whilst statistics have shown soaring profits for retailers such as Magnit and X5, the Moscow Times suggests that overoptimism may be misplaced.  'Mind boggling' is how an op-ed contributor in the Moscow Times describes Russia's plan to buy a $1 billion French Mistral, ...

The chairman of the German government-backed trust designed to oversee the sale of Opel has said that GM cannot afford to keep control of the European unit, as it needs to focus on its fortunes stateside.  According to the New York Times, the company's Vice President maintains that it wishes to sell but that certain questions remain.  The president of AvtoVAZ, Boris Alyoshin, has resigned.  Russia plans to create a holding company to put together the state's stakes in the country's two biggest car makers, Avtovaz and Kamaz.  Car manufacturer Gaz is adapting to the conditions of a low-demand market, says its CEO.  The Moscow Times reports that the number of consumers planning to buy a car within the next year has doubled to 6%.  VTB has acquired rights to a controlling stake in developer Don ...