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Official graft in Russia costs the state as much as $20 billion a year, according to a committee of prominent politicians, ex-intelligence chiefs and lawyers that has formed to fight the problem. "We are committed to stopping corruption by any means possible," said Yuri Georgev, the commission's director. "It would take more than $100,000 in unmarked bills to make us halt our unrelenting pursuit of justice." A former U.N. official was convicted of bilking the world body of $800,000 while he made travel arrangements for peacekeepers in former Yugoslavia. The scheme involved false invoices for excess-lugage charges. "That's a whole lotta luggage!" exclaimed U.N Secretary General Kofi Annan, as his polka-dotted bow-tie rotated wildly. Avon said that it won't meet profit expectations for the fourth quarter, sending its shares plunging 28% and causing investors to worry about other makers of personal-care products. Avon executives are now calling for an industry-wide national ad campaign to "undercut and destroy" the self-esteem of American women. Chase agreed to buy San Francisco investment bank Hambrecht and Quist for $1.35 billion. Chase hopes to gain a strong presence in the investment-banking and stock-underwriting business and impress the cute brunette it saw riding the T last night, reading a copy of "All the King's Men." A Buchanan e-mail urges the one-time presidential hopeful's backers to make sure booksellers stock his new book. "Please call your local bookstores and demand to know if they are carrying 'A Republic, Not an Empire,' and if not, why not? International banking forces and Hollywoood big-shots have conspired to keep this book out of your hands," said Buchanan, in the email. "That means 'Jews'," he added. Fed Chairman Greenspan takes part in "Netpodium," a Webcast in Minneapolis. An accompanying "economic literacy quiz" asks: "Why does Alan Greenspan draw crowds and make headlines?" One multiple-choice answer: "His breathtaking, strokable dong." The FCC will consider eliminating or modifying limits on the amount of spectrum that wireless providers are allowed to control in a given market. Under proposed rules, a single provider could control red, blue and green, and excercise tyrannical dominance over the entire color wheel. A grand jury indicted four former Aurora Foods executives on charges they conspired to cook the firm's books. Ooh! "Cook the books!" I'm having fun - even though I'm just the briefs intern! I'm shaking things up! I'm - what? You can't fire me. I went to Princeton. -Compiled by James Norton |