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Russian President Putin cuts his staff's pay

The latest business and finance news from around the world, on the 大象传媒.

The Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that the salaries of his staff are to be cut by 10%. Moscow economist Oleg Buklemishev tells us it's a symbolic move which won't make much of a difference to public spending whilst Moscow bureau chief of the Economist Arkady Ostrovsky says Putin is using the war in Ukraine as a distraction from Russia's own ongoing economic problems. After a video purportedly from Islamic State showing the destruction of ancient statues in Iraq, we ask Christopher Ratt茅 from the University of Michigan about how IS have sold other artefacts to fund their campaigns. We have our review of the week's news in business and finally we remember Leonard Nimoy, otherwise known as Mr Spock, who has died at the age of 83 and ask why the Star Trek franchise has endured.

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28 minutes

Last on

Fri 27 Feb 2015 22:32GMT

Broadcast

  • Fri 27 Feb 2015 22:32GMT