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The Idea of an Artist as a Brand was Picasso’s

  Marketing genius: Picasso at his villa in the South of France in 1957   A new tribe of hyper-rich global nomads is distorting the international property market. Like Hans Holbein’s anamorphosis, it can only be understood when seen from an acute angle. In this case the angle of arrogant wealth. It is not unusual…

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Julian Assange, a card-carrying whistleblower, can wear more than one hat.

Perhaps some Assange-bashers are envious. Despite his legal problems, he’s the host, director, and producer of a program that makes us care about his predicament—even if you’re not a full-fledged fan. We’re finally getting a chance to know this guy, through the questions he asks and the way he asks them   Julian Assange prepares…

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Kremlin Power Politics: Khodorkovsy and Lebedev and Russia

Hope for Khodorkovsky, and for Russia? Amy Knight Alexey Sazonov/AFP/Getty Images Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev standing behind a glass wall in a Moscow courtroom, May 17, 2011 At first glance, it is hard not to conclude that the future looks dire for Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev, the former Yukos executives who have been…

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Russian Medvedev says No: To Kurils mineral-rich islands despite Japanese protests.

Rocky barriers to Russo-Japanese peace By Kosuke Takahashi TOKYO – Unnecessary provocations by Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev are being blamed for the reawakening of a decades-old island feud between the countries, with both leaders accused of pandering to nationalism ahead of key elections. Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara landed…

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FilmMaker of Khodorkovsky Saga fears for Safety in Putin`s Russian

‘Khodorkovsky’ director wary of showing film in Russia German film director Cyril Tuschi reads a newspaper as he sits in a porch swing in his office in Berlin on February 3. The maker of a twice-stolen documentary on jailed Russian former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the hottest ticket at the Berlin film festival, is wary…

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Outrage in Russia: The Merchant of Death is Trapped

Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU, lends its help to shady weapons merchants in Moscow in return for a slice of the proceeds . Viktor Bout, the alleged arms dealer who was extradited to the US on Tuesday, could shed an embarrassing light on those connections if he testifies in court.