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Governor Challenged Over City’s Preservation
Living City, the local non-governmental organization that delivered a list of recently demolished historic buildings to City Hall late last month, has announced it is putting together an exhibition to demonstrate the scale of the historic center’s destruction under Governor Valentina Matviyenko. “St. Petersburg is being destroyed, but the administration does not want to admit it at all and tries to hush it up, one way or another,” said Dmitry Vorobyov, an activist with Living City, by phone on Sunday. “It’s the normal policy of the administration to turn everything inside out.” Earlier, the pressure group struggling to protect the city’s endangered historic buildings ... |
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| A marching band takes part in the Victory Day Parade by Palace Square on Friday. For photo essay, see page 16. |
Food Prices Forecast to Keep Rising
Food prices in Russia are expected to rise steadily now that a temporary price freeze on “basic essentials — such as milk, flour and oil — has been lifted ... |
Tanks, Missiles On Red Square
MOSCOW — Russia showcased its military might and youthful new president to the world Friday, as heavy tanks and missile launchers rumbled across Red Square in a Victory Day parade for the first time since the Soviet era. In a nationally broadcast speech two days after his inauguration, President Dmitry Medvedev avoided the bellicose rhetoric of his mentor and predecessor, Vladimir Putin, who drew parallels between United States and Nazi Germany during last year’s parade. However, in his speech marking victory over Adolf Hitler’s Germany, the 42-year-old Medvedev said the history of World War II demonstrated that military conflicts are rooted in “irresponsible ambitions ... |
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U.K. Cancels Visa Fees for Fans
Britain cancelled visa fees for soccer fans traveling to Manchester this week to attend the UEFA Cup final in which the St. Petersburg soccer club Zenit faces off with Scotland’s Glasgow Rangers. The match at the City of Manchester Stadium on Wednesday ... |
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Ukraine Fills Freedom Gap in Ex-Soviet Bloc
KIEV, Ukraine — A gloomy Vladimir Putin wears a Czarist crown, clutching a bag full of dollars and a miniature television tower. Filipp Pishchik says this and similar cartoons, depicting the former president as a corrupt leader who stifles free speech, got him in trouble with authorities and forced him to leave Moscow last year for neighboring Ukraine. “Ukraine is just great,” said the 37-year-old designer and architect. “Here there is hope.” Since the 2004 Orange Revolution ushered in a vigorous, sometimes chaotic democracy, Ukraine has become an island of freedom and tolerance in an ex-Soviet bloc still dominated by authoritarian regimes, and journalists, political activists, artists, and business professionals have flocked here. In Soviet times, a dissident wanting to live free ... |
Putin Becomes Prime Minister
 MOSCOW — Vladimir Putin became Russia’s prime minister on Thursday after winning parliamentary approval. Before the vote he urged increased spending to ... |
Vox Populi
Vladimir Ignatenko, 55, electrician: I noticed how the prices for food went up. About eight months ago, I used to spend only 200 rubles [$8.10] when I stopped by a grocery store to buy the most essential food, and now I have to spend 500 rubles [$20] on the same items. That is — I pay more than twice as much for food now. It’s a nightmare. However, since my wife and I are getting older we have decided to keep eating what we are used to in order to stay healthy and ‘keep the doctor away.’ What we noticed, though, is that now we can’t save anything anymore. We used to save something for our grandson but we can’t do it now. The prices are terrible. Yelena Timofeyeva, 43, box office administrator: We have begun to buy less food. For instance, we hardly ever buy cottage cheese or cheese. ... |
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Design Forum To Visit City
The city is set to host Architectural Dialogue 2008, an international forum and exhibition of architecture and design, whose sponsors include City Hall’s committee for investment and strategic projects. The event will take place from May 23 to June 1 at the Popov Museum of Communications. The forum will include a series of lectures and masterclasses given by representatives from leading design and architecture firms, as well as an international conference devoted to architecture and an exhibition of architectural projects. The forum’s participants will examine the most relevant and controversial issues faced by modern architecture — urban construction, education in the field of architecture and design, the investment climate and copyright issues. Participants will include representatives ... |
DHL Opens New Terminal Near Airport
 A new DHL terminal opened in St. Petersburg on Wednesday to handle the rapidly growing volume of DHL customers in the North West region of Russia. The ... |
Art Sales Fall Amid Fake Revelations
Russia’s booming art market is facing the worst crisis of confidence in the post-Soviet era as hundreds of paintings have been identified as fakes, said dealers and collectors. About 800 works, most still in private collections, are listed in “The Catalog of Fraudulent Art Works” now on its fourth volume. There are “possibly thousands more” still to be named, its co-author Vladimir Roschin said in an interview. The 800 pictures wrongly authenticated by venerable institutions include almost 100 cleared by the State Tretyakov Gallery, its deputy director Lidia Iovleva said in a separate interview. “Sales in Moscow of 19th-century Russian art have fallen because of the hysteria over fakes,” said Georgy Putnikov, vice president of the Confederation of Art and Antique Dealers. The Moscow-based ... |
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New Surprise Claims Made Against TGK-11 Over Stake
MOSCOW — A Rosneft subsidiary filed new claims against TGK-11 in a Moscow court on Wednesday, saying the vote to create the utility was invalid because the shareholders’ ballots were miscounted. The claim came as a surprise after Anatoly Chubais, CEO of Unified Energy System, TGK-11’s parent company, said last month that then-First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev had stepped in to mediate the dispute between the state-owned companies. The fight revolves around the creation last year of TGK-11, one of western Siberia’s largest electricity generators. Rosneft unit ... |
In Brief
Bottler Profits Increase MOSCOW (Bloomberg) — Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Co., the world’s second-largest bottler of Coke beverages, said first-quarter profit rose 11 percent, driven by sales growth in Russia and eastern Europe. Net income for the three months to March 28 rose to $43 million from $39 million a year earlier, according to an e-mailed statement from the Athens-based company Thursday. Sales gained 9 percent to $2.1 billion. Coca-Cola HBC gets more than half its revenue from emerging markets such as Russia and Romania, where economic growth is outpacing ... |
Publishing Industry Dynamic Despite Fears
 More than 70,000 visitors, including traders, bibliophiles and book market professionals, visited the Third St. Petersburg International Book Fair at the ... |
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Experts Slam Gas Excise Tax Plan
MOSCOW — A government plan to differentiate gasoline excise taxes based on fuel quality will raise the tax burden for the country’s oil companies, benefiting only a few firms owning sophisticated refineries, analysts said. Troika Dialog brokerage said the Finance Ministry’s proposal could raise the tax burden for the oil industry next year to $4.9 billion, or $260 million more than it would otherwise pay. By 2010, the industry may end up paying an extra $1 billion. “The Finance Ministry seems either to be living in a dream world or is not supportive of the oil industry ... |
Gazprom Leaps As Medvedev Takes Over
 MOSCOW — Gazprom overtook China Mobile and General Electric to become the world’s third-largest company by market value after its chairman, Dmitry Medvedev, ... |
Russia Boosts Richter’s Profits
BUDAPEST — Gedeon Richter Nyrt., eastern Europe’s biggest drugmaker, said first-quarter profit rose 42 percent on increased exports to Russia, where executives forecast sales rising more than 10 percent this year. Unconsolidated profit climbed to 10.2 billion forint ($62.1 million) from 7.19 billion forint, ($44 million) a year earlier, the Budapest-based company said Friday in a statement to the local stock exchange. Revenue gained 5.7 percent to 43.3 billion forint. Richter benefited from stronger sales to Russia, where the drugmaker protected itself against foreign-exchange ... |
 Qatar Sees Development Program Bear Fruit
With 122 students successfully completing their studies at the campuses of high-ranking western universities in Qatar last week, the country saw the preliminary results of its new national development program. During the next 10-20 years, this petro-state ... |
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The Day of the Bear
 President Dmitry Medvedev has a very Russian surname, one derived from one of the more prominent symbols of Russia — the medved, or bear. Bears have served ... |
How to Invent Enemies and a Strong Russia
Who is Mr. Putin? Until 2003, he was a leader who could have made Russia a truly great country if he followed through on his liberal economic program. But he had one weakness. As a former security services operative, machinations became his modus operandi for ruling the country. And he who lives by machinations sooner or later falls victim to them. President Vladimir Putin surrounded himself with people who were terribly unqualified to run a business or government. But they were very skilled in another area — exposing Putin’s enemies. If there are no enemies, you can always invent them. And once the enemies were exposed, Putin’s friends grabbed up their ... |
Remembering Victory Day in a Different Way
May 9 marked the 63rd anniversary of Victory Day, the day that Stalin set aside to commemorate the end of the World War II in Europe. The fighting had ended by May 5, and the Western allies accepted Germany’s surrender three days later. But the Soviet Union opted to recognize the following day. Victory Day, as its name suggests, was intended originally to celebrate the Soviet victory over fascism. Today, it is used to remember those who took part in the greatest conflict in history and those who sacrificed their lives in the Red Army. Very few of them remain alive today. Though the government of former President Vladimir Putin has continued to incorporate ... |
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Bush’s Daughter Marries
CRAWFORD — President George W. Bush’s daughter Jenna was married on Saturday evening to Henry Hager, the son of the Virginia Republican Party chairman, in front of more than 200 family members and close friends. The 26-year-old teacher and author, wearing a white Oscar de la Renta dress, and Hager, wearing a suit, were married around sundown before a limestone altar with a giant cross erected on Bush’s 647-hectare ranch. The wedding was a private affair with no press in attendance, but information dribbled out over the past few weeks, including the decor for the evening — landscape colors: green, lavender and blue — and the live entertainment for the reception: Super T. Jenna Bush’s twin sister, Barbara, served as the maid of honor, and Hager’s brother Jack was the best man, according to the White House. The wedding party also included 14 female attendants and 14 male ushers. A White House spokeswoman declined to comment on whether Bush would take Hager’s name or where the newlyweds would take their honeymoon. The Washington Post reported they would spend it in Europe. The couple plan to live in Baltimore, where she plans to teach and he will work at Constellation Energy, according to media reports. The 30-year-old groom is receiving his master’s degree in business next week, the reports said. Hager worked as a ... |
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| London’s new Mayor Boris Johnson (l) poses with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg during a meeting at City Hall in London on Friday. |
‘Unimaginable Tragedy’ Awaits Myanmar
 YANGON — Desperate survivors of Cyclone Nargis poured out of Myanmar’s Irrawaddy delta on Sunday in search of food, water and medicine but aid workers ... |
Blair, Brown Bickered, Says Ex-Deputy
LONDON — Prime Minister Gordon Brown was dealt a further blow on Sunday when former deputy prime minister John Prescott disclosed he had urged Tony Blair to sack Brown when he was chancellor. In memoirs serialized in The Sunday Times, Prescott described the tempestuous relationship between the two men in the years before Blair stood down last June, and said the prime minister had been scared to act against Brown. Prescott’s claims come at a difficult time for Brown, already struggling after crushing local election losses, collapsing opinion poll ratings and damaging revelations about his behavior while serving in Blair’s government. In extracts from her memoirs on Saturday, Blair’s wife Cherie accused Brown, who had long sought the prime minister’s job, of “putting too much pressure on Tony to quit when Tony wasn’t ready.” Prescott said he spent much of his time acting as a conciliator, with “hundreds” of phone calls and meetings dealing with “Blair-Brown issues.” |
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Obama Lays Bare McCain Strategy, Looks Ahead to November Election
BEND, Oregon — Barack Obama began sketching the outlines of his expected presidential contest against Republican John McCain on Saturday, saying the fall election will be more about specific plans and priorities than about questions of political ideology ... |
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 Russia’s Disabled People Find Life a Struggle
Every morning, Vadim Voyevodin performed the same ritual: Bending over almost parallel to the ground, he lifted the baby onto his back, slung a towel around his son and knotted the edges around his chest. The little boy remained pressed close to his father’s ... |
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Felipe Massa Wins Turkish Grand Prix
ISTANBUL — Ferrari’s Felipe Massa won the Turkish Grand Prix from pole position for the third year in a row on Sunday after tyre concerns slowed Lewis Hamilton’s challenge. The Brazilian took the chequered flag 3.7 seconds ahead of the 23-year-old McLaren driver, who ran most of the race on the harder tyres and had to make three pitstops compared to his rivals’ two. It was Massa’s seventh win in Formula One, at the anti-clockwise track where he took his first in 2006, and his second in five races this season. Ferrari’s world champion Kimi Raikkonen saw his overall lead trimmed to seven points from nine after finishing a ... |
Russia Beat Sweden to Maintain Record
 HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Eric Staal scored four goals and Martin St. Louis chipped in with five assists to lift Canada to a crushing 10-1 win over Germany ... |
French Soccer Championship To Be Decided by Last Matches of Season
PARIS — Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc is confident his side have what it takes to claim their first French league crown in nine years at the expense of champions Lyon as both won their penultimate games on Saturday to ensure the title race will be decided on the final day of competition. Blanc’s side maintained their title push with a 2-0 win against Sochaux as Lyon, the six-time consecutive champions, emerged 1-0 winners from their home encounter with Nancy, who are fighting to retain third place. However, the display from Alain Perrin’s champions, who needed a 62nd-minute own goal from Andre Luiz Silva to ensure victory, ... |
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Chelsea Hit by Injuries Ahead of Moscow
 LONDON — Chelsea manager Avram Grant said Didier Drogba as well as John Terry had picked up injuries on Sunday, 10 days before they play Manchester United ... |
Dinara Safina Wins In Germany
BERLIN — Dinara Safina of Russia fought back from a set down for the third time in the tournament to win the German Open on Sunday with a 3-6 6-2 6-2 victory over seventh-seeded compatriot Yelena Dementieva. The 22-year-old Safina came from behind to beat world number one Justine Henin and eight-times grand slam winner Serena Williams en route to the final, where she captured her sixth career singles title. The 13th seed was far too erratic in the first set but came back strongly in the second with some lusty hitting and won it with an ace down the middle. She then broke twice in the deciding set and sealed victory when Dementieva netted a backhand return on the first match point after just over two hours of play on the clay at the Steffi Graf stadium. Safina said the key to her victory ... |
Australian Athletes Permitted To Speak Freely at Olympics
SYDNEY — Australian athletes at this year's Beijing Olympics have been told they will be free to express their opinions on any issues, including Tibet and China's human rights record. The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) said their athletes would be allowed to discuss anything they wanted in media interviews and online blogs, but would not be allowed to make political protests inside Olympic venues. “The bottom line is that, for us, athletes are entitled to an opinion and express that opinion,” AOC president John Coates told reporters in Sydney on Saturday. “We are trying to maintain a decency about the way the Games are conducted… but still we are giving the athletes the opportunity to express for what many of them are important issues.” Coates said the AOC did not believe that ... |
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In Brief
Record-Breaking Walk CHEBOKSARY, Russia (AP) — Denis Nizhegorodov set a world record in the men’s 50-kilometer race walk at a World Cup meet Sunday, shaving 1 minute, 34 seconds off the old mark.The Russian finished in 3 hours, 34 minutes, 13 seconds ... |
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Newspaper’s Founder Recalls the Early Days
 The St. Petersburg Times celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. Lloyd Donaldson was one of the founders of The St. Petersburg Press, which was later ... |
Looking Back Over 15 Years of News Coverage
1993 On May 11, The St. Petersburg Press — later to be renamed The St. Petersburg Times — brought out its first issue. St. Petersburg People Vote for Independent City Republic Status, read the issue’s top headline for a story written by Konstantin Borisov. In a four-question federal referendum on the presidency, the congress and reforms, 75 percent of St. Petersburg voters answered yes to an extra question on whether they favored turning the city into an autonomous republic. Greater independence was something that would remain a popular theme among Petersburgers during the trials and tribulations of 1993. In August, the Central Bank ... |
Former Editor Recalls His Darkest Hour
 Robert Coalson was editor-in-chief at the time of the Sept. 11 attacks of 2001. Here he writes about the newspaper’s coverage of the event and his time ... |
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