... with Rosatom contrasts with Siemens' announcement four months ago that it would abandon a planned return to the nuclear power industry and drop plans to cooperate with Rosatom in reactors. The French company is forging partnerships in countries such as Brazil and Russia to tap rising infrastructure needs. (Bloomberg)

... an "outrage" that lifts corporate borrowing costs and increases risks. The nation's sovereign credit rating was last raised by New York- based Moody's Investors Service in 2008 to Baa1, the third-lowest investment grade, one level ahead of Brazil and four below China. "Political uncertainty increases the risk of capital flight, which could put greater pressure on the Central Bank of Russia's reserves and the ruble," the ratings company said. "A government under popular pressure...

... Zolotukhin said Monday that his estimate was based on calculations, and no witness reports had been received. The deputy head of Russia's space agency, Anatoly Shilov, told state news channel Vesti that agency data assumed the craft broke up somewhere over Brazil. A statement Monday from the Federal Space Agency cited the reported Defense Ministry assessment, but gave no further information, noting "the lack of means of visual and other monitoring" in the region. The Fobos-Grunt probe was designed...

... of France, Italy's Finmeccanica and UniCredit and a unit of South Korea's Hyundai have also expressed interest in the high-speed link, said Yelena Shebunina, deputy head of High-Speed Rail Lines, in an interview in Moscow. A Portuguese group led by Brazil's Grupo Andrade Gutierrez expressed interest earlier this month, she said. High-Speed Rail Lines, a unit of state monopoly Russian Railways, plans to name a shortlist of bidders in September or October, followed by more detailed negotiations on...

... superpower. Thanks to high oil prices of the past decade, it is now richer than at any time since the 1917 Bolshevik takeover. But under Putin's kleptocracy, Russia has become all but irrelevant, falling behind not only its BRIC co-members China, India and Brazil, but the likes of Indonesia and Turkey as well. Russia now resembles a nontransparent, authoritarian Arab nation more than a European country or a dynamic developing one. Putin, who has now staked a claim to being Russia's strongman for life,...

... country's most innovative minds. Of course, much of this was caused by the global economic crisis and even the most advanced economies experienced a slowdown. But over the same period, the economies of Russia's BRIC partners — China, India and Brazil — grew 31 percent, 26 percent and 11 percent, respectively, and the price of oil was, and still is, very favorable for Russia. There is no need to point fingers, but the Russian people now face another choice like that of the early 2000s...

... than U.S. Treasury bonds narrowed four basis points to 340, according to JPMorgan Chase's EMBIG indexes. The difference compares with 236 for debt of Mexico — rated the same Baa1 level as Russia by Moody's Investors Service — and 229 for Brazil, which is rated one step lower at Baa2 by Moody's. The yield spread on Russian bonds is 80 basis points below the average for emerging markets, up from a 10-month low of 32 on Oct. 4, according to JPMorgan's indexes. Export steel prices from Russia...

... from about 20,000 students in 1996 to a peak of more than 150,000 in 2008, and roughly 1 million foreign students have taken part in the past decade. The students come from around the world, with some of the top participating countries being Russia, Brazil, Ukraine, Thailand, Ireland, Bulgaria, Peru, Moldova and Poland. The proposed changes would require sponsors to "use particular prudence and caution when dealing with jobs that offer legitimate employment but also have been known to be associated...

... States, in Western Europe and Japan, most likely exceeding China's expected increase in oil demand to 6 million barrels per day this year. To put this in perspective, global demand is presently 89 million bpd. At the same time, however, new oil fields in Brazil, Canada, Angola and the Gulf of Mexico are now coming on stream and Libya's and Iraq's oil production is back to normal. Surplus capacity is presently about 4 million bpd. In addition, oil market disruption caused by potential military action in...

... Switzerland to Venezuela. It is the biggest overhaul since President Barack Obama took office. Officers working to promote U.S. exports in Algeria, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, Libya, Senegal, Switzerland and Venezuela also will be moved to such markets as China, Brazil, Mexico, Turkey, India and South Africa, according to the Commerce Department. "Our goal is to ensure that U.S. companies have the support they need in markets with the greatest opportunity for U.S. exports, and where demand for our services...

... on its stock of public debt, which amounts to another $72 billion, according to Bloomberg. Meanwhile, Russia owes only $13 billion, by far the lowest amount due among the world's 10 largest economies and significantly less than the $169 billion for Brazil or the $121 billion for China. What Russia owes this year amounts to less than 3 percent of last year's exports or of the current stock of foreign exchanges reserves held by the Central Bank of Russia. It is almost as if the tables have turned...

... started out as accountants and analysts and now are the general directors of some of our businesses. This is confirmation for me that we have developed them well.   Q: Who or what inspires you? A: We have 12 factories in China, six in India, five in Brazil, and seven in Russia, among other places. We are No. 1 in many countries around the world. What inspires me is the people who create this value, the people who bring our team up to new levels of development and knowledge. For me, my most important...