Passengers will no longer slide paper tickets into metro turnstiles -- from now on, only contactless Ultralait tickets will be accepted.

Andrei Nikitin is chef at the Conservatory Lounge & Bar at the Ararat Park Hyatt Hotel.

A name like Fusion Cafe evokes images of high-tech, club-like interiors, copious chrome fittings, acid-etched glass tables and tiny halogen lamps strung above on wires. Naturally, you would expect to find such dishes as lightly seared tuna served with foie gras, wasabi mashed potato and the like. So, it's a bit of a shock to find the recently opened Fusion Cafe could not be more different.

One of the international snowboarding events, the Snowboard FIS World Cup, will take place in Moscow this year. Fifty snowboarders from 14 countries will show their skills in an event called Big Air, one of the more high-risk freestyle disciplines, which consists of one ""big jump."" To accommodate for this in the generally flat Russian capital, a huge trampoline has been constructed on Vorobyovy Gory, right across from the main building of Moscow State University. For nearly a month, students watched as the 46-meter structure was taking shape and being covered with artificial snow.

U.S. Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were in a dead heat a day before the biggest round of presidential voting so far. With 24 states holding nominating contests Tuesday, the candidates crisscrossed the country, leading rallies and urging supporters to get out and vote.

Corporate America is pouring money into the U.S. presidential campaign at an unprecedented rate, with a torrent of donations coming from the businesses behind the subprime mortgage crisis.

Millions remained stranded in China on Monday ahead of the biggest holiday of the year as parts of the country suffered their coldest winter in a century.

Brazil's carnival parades got off to a majestic start on Sunday night as dancers dressed as monarchs, courtiers and even roast pheasants at a royal feast shimmied their way through Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome.

U.S. President George W. Bush acknowledged Monday that a slowing U.S. economy would lead to a higher budget deficit this year and next, as he unveiled a $3.1 trillion fiscal 2009 spending plan that would boost military funding but nearly freeze many domestic programs.

France's finance minister on Monday proposed tighter risk controls on banks after a rogue-trading scandal cost Societe Generale 4.9 billion euros ($7.3 billion), saying the bank was warned last year its security systems were not up to scratch.

Fancy a sleek made-in-North Korea SUV? How about a pair of boxing gloves from the famously pugnacious communist country? They're potentially just a click away.