*Pure Technology today announced winning a 3-yr $4 mn leak and tapping detection contract for Kahramaa's large-diameter pipes delivering desalinated water in Qatar (United Arab Emirates) to be filled via its Abu Dhabi sub.

Gazprom OAO ADRs which trade here as OGZPY sound like a great buy: the stock yields 4% and trades at a luscious looking trailing price-earnings ratio of 3x.

The boost came from a Japanese shopping spree ahead of a rise in the sales tax April 1, to 8% from 5%. So the boom in consumption was a one-off.

Alibaba note 2: Tencent for $187 mn has bought 11% of the Shenzhen-listed shares of NavInfo, a maker of mobile map aps. There are rumors it will buy the rest and block Baidu's access, just as Alibaba has blocked its dealing with larger rival AutoNavi. TCTZF shares are up 6%+ on the news.

We examine the underlying reasons for the Russian withdrawal from the eastern Ukraine border region and the delay allowed for Ukraine to pay its gas bill.