Even Ed Balls, belligerent that he is, would not claim to be a better footballer than he is an economist. Out of shape, ungainly and rough: you wouldn't want to compile (or read) his scouting report... more
Protesters gathered in Moscow today to oppose 'political manoeuvres' after Russia's prime minister Vladimir Putin announced he would return as president... more
A friend of murdered dissident spy Alexander Litvinenko says he is 'disappointed' David Cameron was meeting Vladimir Putin after five years of no contact between a British premier and the Russian strongman... more
David Cameron will try to mend icy relations with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin next week in the first trip to Moscow by a British leader in six years... more
Supermodel Naomi Campbell has interviewed Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin, praising him for being in 'good physical shape' and making a 'great impression on women'... more
Moscow court abruptly postpones the verdict of a second trial which could keep Vladimir Putin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky in jail for six more years... more
The chances of England hosting the 2018 World Cup have improved significantly after the Russian Prime Minister confirmed he would not be travelling to tomorrow’s vote in Zurich... more
Chechen rebels claimed they sabotaged Russia's largest hydro-electric power plant, where an explosion is feared to have killed more than 70 workers... more
The Camberwell tower block fire, which took such a terrible toll in human life, has raised some serious questions, not just about how the fire services dealt with the blaze but about the chance of another tragedy elsewhere... more
Energy: Fears were growing that the price of natural gas could rise sharply after the world's biggest suppliers agreed a charter which could see them form a cartel as powerful as the oil exporters' Opec... more
America and Russia were locked in a fresh war of words as it emerged that the Kremlin is plotting to "absorb" breakaway regions in the Caucasus into its territory... more
As Russian forces push further into Georgia, the Kremlin hawks see the invasion as payback time for George Bush and Nato. But a military triumph will leave Moscow the loser in the long run... more
David Cameron has compared Vladimir Putin's war in Georgia to Nazi invasions of the Thirties as he called for international retaliation against Russia... more
There may be a three-way split at the Bank of England over what to do with interest rates, with some arguing for a cut, others a rise, and the rest no change at all. ... more
Vladimir Putin is no slouch. So when he says that he advised BP and its Russian billionaire partners not to set up a 50-50 joint venture, you have to think he is on to something... more
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