Today in Russian Business – July 21, 2009

The ruble has made its biggest leap in a decade, jumping 2.4% against the dollar, with Urals crude advancing to more than $65 a barrel.  GM has three final offers for the Opel sale, which included a modified proposal from Magna which would reduce the size of Sberbank’s stake. Home improvement retailer Kingfisher is planning to expand in Russia with a new format store in Moscow, hoping the country has the market potential to be the ‘next Poland’ where sales have been buoyant.  Premier League side Tom Tomsk, which owes almost $6.4 million in arrears, will not be forced into bankruptcy says the Sports, Tourism and Youth Politics Minister.  Lawyers for billionaire Roman Abramovich have asked a judge to throw out a $3.5 billion lawsuit that former business partner Boris Berezovsky has filed against him.  Oleg Deripaska has launched a legal challenge to try and stop a case brought by former partner Michael Cherney to trial in Britain.  A High Court judge in London had decided that Cherney was entitled to a hearing in England, to protect him from the risk of ‘assassination or arrest on trumped-up charges’.  A commentator in the Guardian wonders why Alexander Lebedev’s revelation that he has mercury poisoning has not received more media attention.  Business as usual perhaps?