Russia can’t seem to keep their market open for any length of time, but PM Vladimir Putin has found time to buy Iceland (supposedly; Russia remains tight-lipped on the EUR $4bn loan Iceland claims they’ve got in hand) and even get a kitty!

From Yahoo: MOSCOW – There’s no doubt what Vladimir Putin’s favorite birthday present is this year — a rare Ussuri tiger cub. State television showed the Russian prime minister affectionately petting the two-month-old female cub on Friday. The tiger weighs only about 20 pounds and sleeps in a wicker basket at Putin’s residence outside Moscow.

It’ll end up in a zoo or wildlife preserve eventually, but for now, it seems to be enjoying the opportunity to chill at Putin’s house (though someone should tell Vlad that the red-tartan pet bed is a little hackneyed and using a tiger-print pillow FOR A TIGER is completely gauche). LOLFed inquired as to whether he plans to teach it Judo before relinquishing it from his care, but our emails were not answered.