In a bid to curb widespread corruption in the public and private sector, the Russian government has warned that people who give or take bribes will "burn in the flames of hell. " The warning was carried in leaflets distributed freely in every home and also advises the public on what to do if they are asked for a bribe.

The mayor of a coal mining town in the Komi Republic of Russia is asking the government to legalize prostitution with the aim of arresting the increasing number of extremist violence in the region. Igor Shpektor, mayor of Vorkuta, said legalizing the flesh trade would give men another way to spend their time rather than getting involved in racist attacks.

Russia's parliament on Wednesday rejected a proposal to send the celebrated U. S. singer and actress Madonna to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2008. The motion had been introduced by Alexei Mitrofanov, a member of the Duma for the ultra-nationalist LDPR party, saying the trip would be "a serious event" to organize in the same year as presidential elections in the United States and Russia. Madonna had expressed her desire to go into space and board the ISS, during her first ever Russian concert.

A study made by KRC Research and Goodyear found that Russians were the worst drivers in Europe with 25 percent admitting to having had sex while driving. According to the survey, Russians do not use seatbelts, break speed-limits, drive through red lights, drive drunk and have sex while driving more often than other Europeans.

Next year, the first Malaysian astronaut in space aboard a Russian rocket will try to make the nation's favorite hot drink, teh tarik. "The physics experiment is to see what happens to teh tarik in space," Haniff Omar, head of Malaysia's astronaut selection program, told Reuters.