According to Forbes magazine, Russia homes the 30 of one of the worlds richest people Top of the list is the owner of the Chelsea football club, Roman Abramovich, whose personal fortune is estimated to be close to $15bn (£8bn). This is an unimaginable sum of money for most Russians, whose average salary is $250 a month. Russian academics warn the gulf between the rich and the poor is now so great it could …showed first 75 words of 339 total…

…showed last 75 words of 339 total…of an impending HIV/Aids time bomb. Of more immediate concern is the country's birth rate, which is also continuing to drop. Even cautious economists warn that a fundamentally new approach to social and economic policy is needed. They say Russia cannot continue to rely on exports of gas, oil, steel and timber for its long-term survival - and that much more needs to be done to encourage the development of small- and medium-size business.