Topic: Russia

When Hong Kong businessman Mr. He paid a 35,000 pound ($56,000) deposit on a four-bedroom apartment in Britain, he believed it was a 40-minute walk from central London, his lawyer says. In fact it was a 40-minute journey by high-speed train.

Demand for the world's priciest houses is likely to cool this year after two years of strong growth, as concerns over Europe's debt crisis, the health of the global economy and governments price cooling measures in Asia dissuade buyers, research showed.

Russia's UC RUSAL, the world's biggest aluminum producer, posted an 84 percent drop in first-quarter net profit, potentially fuelling a shareholder conflict over the company's refusal to sell its stake in Norilsk Nickel.

Walking through his high-ceilinged factory here, explaining the production of sheets of copper, M. Brian O’Shaughnessy comes across as a staunch advocate of manufacturing in America.

A rescue team found no survivors but several bodies on Thursday when it arrived at the wreckage of a Russian plane that crashed into an Indonesian mountain during an exhibition flight with 45 people on board. 

A new Russian passenger plane went missing in Indonesia while on a demonstration flight arranged for potential buyers. Fifty people were on board, including diplomats, businesspeople and journalists.

German lawmakers likely will delay a vote on the euro zone's fiscal compact on budget discipline because the country's main opposition party wants to insert growth-focused measures into the pact, a coalition source told CNBC.

Just weeks ago, the idea that Greece would leave the euro zone was almost unthinkable. Now, with Greece’s newly empowered political parties refusing to abide by the terms of the country’s international loan agreement and Europe’s leaders talking tough, that outcome is looking increasingly likely. The NYT reports.

Vladimir Putin was sworn in as Russia's president in a glittering Kremlin ceremony on Monday, starting a six-year term in which he faces growing dissent, economic problems and bitter political rivalries. Putin took the oath with his hand on the Russian constitution at a ceremony attended by about 2,000 dignitaries.

To understand the effect that events have  on global oil markets a key figure to watch is the amount of crude produced daily in each country. With data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), a division of the Department of Energy, CNBC.com took a look at the countries that produce the most crude oil on that basis. (Production is defined as extraction from the Earth’s crust, prior to the refining process.)

As Prime Minister Wen Jiabao of China tours Europe this week, it is no accident that Germany occupies a special place on his itinerary. The New York Times reports.

The oil giants unveiled an offshore exploration partnership that could invest upward of $500 billion in developing Russia's vast energy reserves in the Arctic and Black seas.

Directors often dole out personal safety perks to ease a chief executive’s tax bill. By classifying the benefits as security measures, the executives typically get a better tax treatment on the services.  It’s a common corporate tax trick. The New York Times reports.

Potential weakness in the materials and commodities sectors is likely to drag on equities prices.

South-Eastern Europe could throw up some surprises to the downside, Peter Attard Montalto, emerging market economist at Nomura, told CNBC on Thursday.