You wait ages for a powerful and influential person to be caught trying to hide an extremely expensive watch – and then two come along at once.

Patriarch Kirill (AP Photo/Patriarchia.ru)

First it was Russian Patriarch Kirill I, whose photograph on the church’s website was digitally altered to erase a $30,000 Breguet watch from his wrist — except whoever made the change forgot about the clear reflection of the timepiece in the mahogany table. This did little to enhance the patriarch’s reputation or that of his church, which faces increasing allegations of corruption and criticism for interfering in Russian politics. Read more