The Interior Ministry's $755,900 tender for luxury furniture including a 24-carat gold painted bed has raised outcry among ordinary Russians losing sleep over money worries.  The bond is apparently part of a cost-crunching drive, to save money on hotels when foreign officials come to stay.  Aeroflot has become a Tier One sponsor of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, having signed a $100 million deal with the Black Sea city.  Diamond giant Alrosa will invest $500 million for developing homes, schools, and dams in Angola, where it has two mines.  The Finance Ministry has suggested that its plan to sell $58.5 billion of bonds in the next three years may be hindered by competition between the state and the private sector. Germany's economy ministry is reportedly prepared to make €4.5 billion in credit available to Magna-Sberbank to ...

TODAY: Russia rejoins Georgia talks; US-Russia nuclear talks constructive so far; policy report recommends US cancel plans for missile defense in eastern Europe; Medvedev creates body to counter 'revisionist' readings of Russian historyEncouragement from international mediators, and receiving a delayed UN report, have seen Russia return to talks on Georgia.  Apparently the talks have been 'constructive' so far and will continue in July.  The Georgian Foreign Ministry believes that the UN report was changed under pressure from Russia, as the amended version makes no reference to Georgian sovereignty over Abkhazia.  Russia will deploy fewer troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia than had been originally envisaged after last year's conflict.  Again concerns are emerging about consensus at the upcoming EU-Russia summit in ...

Some of the most entertaining news coming out of Russia these days has to do with the mayoral election in Sochi - a job which could land one lucky competitor the task of doling out billions of dollars in preparation for the Winter Olympics.  Without a hint of irony, President Dmitry Medvedev has called the campaign a "genuine political battle" that will enrich Russian democracy ... you can't make this stuff up.Needless to say, the country's most impressive corruption entrepreneurs have turned out to try to seize the post, but those placing their bets on the wanted murderer of Alexander Litvinenko, may be disappointed to see he's been chucked out.  And now it seems that opposition leader Boris Nemtsov's already slim chances are getting slimmer, as the United ...

London-based WPP Group plc (WPPGY), together with its subsidiaries, provides advertising and communications services worldwide. Its Advertising and Media Investment Management segment engage in the design and production of advertisements for various types of media, such as television, cable, the Internet, radio, magazines, newspapers and outdoor locations such as billboards.

Underlying revenue growth for 2008 is expected to be even better than 2007, which was up 5%. The company is experiencing rapid growth in Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, with revenues revenue in these regions growing close to 20% on a constant-currency basis in the first half of the year. This year's results should benefit from the buildup to the U.S. presidential election, the Olympics in Beijing, along with the European Football Championships.

While looking ahead to 2010, there are several sporting and political events that could help drive growth, including the soccer World Cup in South Africa, the

...