Strange behavior ?!
I start a new PPT, declare through Format/Font that all fonts will be
Verdana and not Ariel. Then check Options/Save - Embed all characters ...
(though don't believe it is necessary).
If I try to write some text in Latin everything is OK and the font is
Verdana. If I try to write in Cyrillic - PPT by itself switches to Ariel. If
I have mixed Latin and Cyrillic - the first is in Verdana, the second - in
Ariel and nothing can make it transform into Verdana.

This partially is overcome if I declare Verdana in Slide Master, not only
generally, but have to do it for all text boxes that form the template. But
if I insert another text box or a shape, the text reformats back to Ariel.

As Times New Roman and Courier New are considered more basic fonts, I have
to clarify that the problem with them occurs in the same way as with Verdana.
So ARIEL to the end of the world!
There is no such problem in Word 2003 which makes me think it is not a
Windows problem but a PPT one.

Has anyone come accross something like that?