The Economist has this chart showing rents for "high-end flats of the type commonly let by expatriates," and guess what, there are three cities that are more expensive than NYC when it comes to a three-bedroom apartment. more ›

An explosion at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport has left at lead 31 people dead and 130 injured. The explosion reportedly occurred in a baggage area, and CNN reports, "In a post on its website, the Russian Investigative Committee is blaming terrorists for the attack." According to the NY Times, "The airport, southeast of the capital, is Russia’s largest hub for international travelers, with more than 20 million passengers passing through last year... Russian news agencies, citing witnesses, said airport halls were filled with so much smoke that it was difficult to count the dead." more ›

After the apparent suicide bombings in two Moscow subway stations that left 39 dead yesterday, the NYPD increased its presence at subway station around the city. Mayor Bloomberg condemned the attacks, "The New York City Police Department stepped up its patrol of the subways. We will learn from the terrible tragedy in Moscow, as we do from every terrorist incident around the world, and we will continue to do everything possible to protect our transit system - and our entire City - from the threat of terrorism." more ›

During the morning rush hour, Russian officials say that two suicide bombers set off explosions in two central Moscow subway stations. At least 35 are dead and over 100 are wounded; Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov said, "It was a terrorist act carried out by the female suicide bombers. They were specifically timed -- for ... the train was nearing the station -- to make the most damage." He added, "The blast was caused by 300 to 400 grams of explosives." The attacks have prompted the NYPD to step up security at various subway stations around the city. more ›

Yes, the mayor of Moscow has called war against snow—hey, it's expensive to shovel— and "will marshal the Russian air force and air defense systems to intercept advancing storm fronts and hit them with dry ice and silver iodine particles." The Daily News has an editorial denouncing the idea—and prefaces it with, "Mayor Bloomberg, stop reading this editorial. Right now. Thank you," lest our mayor get any ideas. (Well, a Russian lawmaker did say, "If it works out, Chicago or Montreal may want to copy us.") more ›

As the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) investigates how on earth a print ad and a commercial recreating 9/11 (with more planes) got through any stage of the approval process, AnimalNY points to a new ad that's just as tasteless. They report that another Omnicom agency (BBDO Moscow) created a "digital papercraft Twin Towers project for the Moscow News ... a free weekly English language paper founded in 1930 by American socialist Anna Louise Strong." C'mon Russia, it's not like we're over here hocking Diet Coke with some imagery of Moscow burning in 1812 (no matter how refreshing a cola would have been after Napoleon's invasion). more ›

Passengers aboard a flight from Moscow to New York December 28th staged a mini "rebellion" before take-off when they noticed that the pilot was inebriated. How did they come to this conclusion? Because it took him three tries to say the words "duration of flight." Also, as one of the passengers told the Moscow Times (which happened to have a reporter on board!): "I don't think there's anyone in Russia who doesn't know what a drunk person looks like." more ›

Yesterday Forbes magazine, in their annual ranking of the rich, declared New York City is no longer the billionaire capital of the world. Where have all the dollar signs gone? To Moscow, of course, who beat us out by 3 billionaires (they have 74 to our 71). more ›