Oligarch news. Len Blavatnik has offered to buy a controlling stake in the Setanta pay TV channel (Forbes). Alexander Lebedev says "no comment" to suggestions he may buy the Independent newspaper (Reuters).
Ukrainian oligarch art-collector Igor Kolomoisky is the richest Israeli citizen and second-richest man in Ukraine (Izrus, in Russian).
Abramovich launches world's biggest yacht, the Eclipse; his fleet has 50 million euros p.a. running costs (Sail World):
The Eclipse is also being equipped with armor plating surrounding the bridge and Abramovich's master suite, as well as bullet-proof windows. There's also a submarine that can be launched underwater and dive to a depth of 160 ft. that doubles as an escape pod, as well as two helicopter pads. Civilian ships are not allowed to carry weapons and so have to limit themselves to defense systems, but Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz gets around this by having his 482-ft. yacht registered as a Royal Saudi Navy vessel, said to be equipped with French-made Exocet missiles.
How does he get away with it in Russia, PR-wise?
Finally, vice-chairman of the Eurasian Jewish Congres Telman Ismailov is under attack in the Russian media because of the claimed presence of $2 billion dollars-worth of contraband goods in Moscow warehouses controlled by him; Ismaillov is a business partner of Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov (Izrus, in Russian)