The smell of gingerbread reminds children and adults throughout the world of the Christmas and New Year holiday period -- and in Russia, things are no different.

The sushi-bot has arrived. No, it's not some B-movie mechanical monster with a brain made of sushi, but the brawn behind the new chain concept from Yakitoria: Bento Yakitoria.

Borat may have created a sense of ridiculousness about Kazakhstan, but its largest city shatters stereotypes.

As the 200th anniversary year of formal diplomatic ties between Russia and the United States comes to a close, it is a natural moment to reflect on where we have been and where we are going. That is not exactly an easy thing to do these days. In our broader relationship, mutual frustration often obscures mutual interest.

The strike at the Ford factory in Vsevolozhsk, located right outside St. Petersburg, ended on Dec. 14. It was the longest and most intense standoff in post-Soviet times. The strike began on Nov. 20 and continued for three weeks.

A federal cultural agency has canceled a major exhibition of French and Russian paintings set to open in London in January, fearing the art could be seized to settle private legal claims, a museum official said Wednesday.

The world's top magazine papermaker, UPM-Kymmene, agreed Wednesday to form a 50-50 joint venture with Sveza to invest more than 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion).

An agency within the state-owned Development Bank will counter the flow of negative political news out of the country and lure foreign investors with positive information, the Economic Development and Trade Ministry said Wednesday.

Closely held oil firm Surgutneftegaz has elected a career oil manager, Vladimir Yerokhin, as its new chairman after the previous head of the board of directors, Nikolai Zakharchenko, resigned for health reasons.