SOURCE: The St. Petersburg Times
DATE: Issue #771 (37), Friday, May 24, 2002
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TITLE: Leaders To Sign Energy Accord
AUTHOR: By Anna Raff
PUBLISHER: Staff Writer
TEXT: MOSCOW - In the hours before U.S. President George W. Bush flew into Moscow on Thursday night, U.S. Commerce Secretary Donald Evans laid the ground for closer cooperation between the United States and Russia in the key areas of oil and aviation.
 
Bush and President Vladimir Putin are expected to sign off on an energy agreement during their summit talks Friday that could open the door to Russia becoming an important energy supplier to the U.S. market.
 Formal bilateral cooperation in oil would be the obvious culmination of events following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, when supplies from the Middle East began to look less reliable, analysts said.
 The form of the arrangement was unclear Thursday. It could be a Russian-American Energy Dialogue group, similar to the Russian-American Business Dialogue and Russian-American Media Dialogue groups set up at previous presidential meetings, or even an energy-cooperation pact.
 "We seek to reduce volatility and enhance the predictability of global energy markets and reliability of global energy supply," reads a draft of the agreement, obtained by Reuters on Thursday. 
 The aim is "to promote access to world markets for Russian energy, including that through the development and modernization of Russia's ports," the draft says.
 Russia currently exports an insignificant amount of crude oil and a small amount of oil products to the United States. Finding a way to increase those deliveries figures prominently on the summit agenda, said Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref, with Evans at his side.
 "America is the world's second-biggest energy consumer after Europe," Gref said, speaking after a signing ceremony between oil major ExxonMobil and the Amur Shipbuilding Plant for a $140-million offshore platform. 
 "For Russia, of course, this is a new market. We believe Russia can be the United States' strategic partner in ensuring steady supplies of energy to the U.S. as well as to global markets," he said.
 The $140-million platform is for the Sakhalin-1 project headed by ExxonMobil affiliate Exxon Neftegas in Russia's Far East. Developed in the framework of one of Russia's first production-sharing agreements, the project's billions of barrels of reserves represent the fastest way Russian oil can get to America's West Coast.
 "Certainly, those resources can add to the energy security, energy stability and energy supply of the world," said Evans, himself an oil-industry veteran and long an advocate of sending tankers from the Sakhalin Peninsula across the Pacific Ocean.
 The development costs for Sakhalin-1's first phase total more than $4 billion and represent Russia's largest foreign direct investment.
 "The conditions for investment and trade between the United States and Russia continue to grow," Evans said. "I'm confident that you'll see more foreign direct investment coming to Russia in the years ahead and, particularly, in the energy sector."
 Russia's rapidly increasing oil production has taken the world aback somewhat. It seems only yesterday that extraction fell from a peak of 570 million tons in 1987 to 301 million tons in 1996. Since then, Russia has railed up production 15 percent, becoming the world's No. 2 after Saudi Arabia.
 These extra barrels have led to banner profits and revenues for Russia's oil companies, many of which now believe that foreign oil companies aren't needed enough to warrant extra privileges outlined in production-sharing agreements.
 No. 1 LUKoil, for example, laid out its own plans earlier this week to build northern ports that would serve the U.S. market. Russian oil companies such as LUKoil say they can take care of the energy sector themselves.
 Gref disagrees, saying foreign investment is necessary to push the pace of the sector's development. He listed three spheres where U.S. and Russian interests coincide: infrastructure, transit and jointly formulating strategy in other countries' markets.
 "If we see the need to substantially increase Russia's role in the balancing act that is global energy, then we're going to have to attract investment," Gref said.
 It is expected that the new energy agreement will address Central Asia and how its energy supplies can be integrated into international markets.
 The Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, however, has yet to be forced off the world arena, said Roland Nash, Renaissance Capital's equity strategist.
 "While Russia can fiddle with the oil price through supply on the world market, the absence of a direct supply route leaves OPEC with the trump cards," Nash said.
 Gref said that an enhanced role for Russia is far from a foregone conclusion. Without regulatory changes, any kind of up-tick could be a long time coming. "There is a lot of bureaucracy," he said. "We must continue with reforms."
 Prior to his meeting with Gref, Evans appeared briefly at a roundtable on U.S.-Russian aerospace cooperation, held under the auspices of the Russian-American Business Dialogue, where top-level representatives of both countries' government and private sectors pledged to work together to overcome trade barriers and spoke out in favor of further cooperation.
 Yury Koptev, head of the Russian Aviation and Space Agency, proposed creating a permanent coordinating body to monitor cooperation in the aerospace industry. "Such a body would meet not only on the eve of summits, but regularly," he said, adding that such a forum would help turn the improving political climate into a fruitful business climate.
 Andrew Somers, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, suggested that the body could be a subcommittee of the chamber's aerospace committee, which was established a month ago to bring together private businesses and government officials working in the industry. Somers said that the permanent body could meet every six to eight weeks and periodically draw up policy recommendations.
 The proposal won overwhelming support from aerospace officials and industry leaders, who agreed that a number of important issues - especially concerning government regulations - needed to be ironed out.
 Russian space officials and industry representatives voiced concern about two problems that have already hindered some joint projects. They lamented that private U.S. companies were not allowed to invest money in the development of rocket technologies by foreign countries, which has left some Russian companies scrounging for cash to fund the development of joint projects. Russian officials also complained that U.S. export restrictions have prevented the serial production of certain U.S. technologies, such as rocket engines, by Russian enterprises.
 Participants from the U.S. side complained about the regulation that caps foreign ownership in the aerospace sector at 25 percent plus one share.
 The U.S. side also lobbied Thursday for a lifting of prohibitive duties on foreign aviation technology. The duties of value-added tax and import tax total 40 percent.
 "[By not lifting the tariffs] the Russian government would force the Russian airlines out of any oversees business," said Thomas Pickering, Boeing's senior vice president for international relations. "Without Russian airlines it's hard to see how you will have an aviation industry."

TITLE: What Is it Like Being a Bush in Petersburg?
AUTHOR: By Irina Titova
PUBLISHER: Staff Writer
TEXT: When the local traffic police stop Viktor Bush to check his license and registration documents, they always ask him the same question: "A relative?"
 
The 45-year-old engineer just answers: "If I were a relative, I doubt we would be having this conversation in the first place."
 A search in an internet phone book for the city turns up 63 families with the surname Bush. The name, German in origin, is the legacy of immigrants to Russia in past centuries, and none of the families are believed to be related to U.S. President George W. Bush.
 Viktor Bush and his family - his wife, Marina, 16-year-old son, Vladimir, mother, Galina, and himself - live in a two-bedroom apartment on the city's outskirts.
 His son, who shares his first name with Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, and the surname of the U.S. president says that he isn't really struck by the coincidence.
 "The combination is just fine for me," Vladimir said. "I'm pretty much used to it now and don't think about it much."
 But for others, the opportunity to make note of the surname is just too difficult to pass up.
 "Right now, I'm applying for a new passport, so I don't have my old one anymore," Viktor said. "After a recent party at our office, where I had had a bit to drink, my colleagues were joking that I should be careful on the way home, in case the police stopped me on the street and asked my name."
 "They said that, if I tried to convince them that my name was Bush, the police would probably haul me off to an insane asylum, saying that they've already got a Reagan."
 Viktor Bush says that his ancestors moved to Latvia from Germany in the 19th century, although he doesn't know much about the specifics or reasons.
 While the Bush name is the source of jibes and good-natured humor now, Galina says that, during World War II, its German origin caused hardships for many who bore it.
 After the Nazi German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, most people of German heritage were rounded up and shipped to Siberia, Tatarstan and other remote easterm regions. Galina says that the parents of her late husband, Edmund Bush, both still spoke German, but registered their nationality as Latvian in the 1930's just to be safe. Unlike many familes, who registered their German roots and were subsequently exiled during the war, Edmund and his parents remained in what was then called Leningrad during the almost 900-day blockade of the city.
 Galina says that the war connection was a factor in their feelings for a President Bush - but not the one visiting during the summit meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
 "We liked Bush senior," she said. "He fought during World War II and was one of the youngest pilots in the U.S. Air Force. He is a man with very rich life experiences."
 The father-in-law of Nadezhda Bush, a 43-year-old worker at the Severnaya cosmetics firm, also remained in the city during the blockade.
 "My late father-in-law, Pavel Bush, began working as a blacksmith at a factory here during the blockade while he was still a boy," she said. "Later in his life, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and the very prestigious Order of Lenin."
 Antonina, Pavel's 74-year-old widow, and Nadezhda proudly show the photos of Pavel Bush that used to hang on the plant's honor board.
 "I don't think there is any other Bush in St. Petersburg as accomplished as my husband," Antonina said, beaming.
 "He was a metal worker, and he loved his job so much that, in 57 years of work, he took only one sick day," Antonina said.
 Nadezhda says that the Bush name doesn't really make much of a difference in their lives other than the fact that her son's friends often refer to him by the nickname "president."
 She says that her own friends refer to the family in a gentler, familiar Russian manner, as the <i>&quot;Bushariki,&quot; </i>and that little jibes about the name would likely not have sat well with her father-in-law.
 &quot;He was a dedicated Communist and the family was always careful not to tell political jokes in his presence.&quot; Nadezhda said. &quot;He himself did speak some German, though.&quot;
 Nadezda's husband, Alexander, has been in the hospital since October with a head injury and she, her mother and son Sergei presently get by on her salary of $150 per month and her mother's pension. They live in a modestly furnished, two-bedroom aparment in the city's outskirts that is in need of repair. The wallpaper is old and gouged in some places and the kitchen ceiling is crumbling.
 &quot;The last major purchase we made was a refrigerator, which we bought seven years ago,&quot; Nadezhda said.
 Asked what she would say to the U.S. president during his visit to the city this weekend if she had the opportunity, Nadezhda finds it difficult to provide an answer. &quot;Maybe we could ask him for some help,&quot; she said. &quot;But we understand that this is not at all possible.
 Viktor Bush, asked the same question, responds with his characteristic humor.
 &quot;I would ask him if he could launch a pinpoint strike on our upstairs neighbors,&quot; he said. &quot;They are very loud sometimes, to put it mildly - especially when they have been drinking. We always have to listen to their swearing.&quot;

TITLE: Security Services Set For Weekend Guests
AUTHOR: By Vladimir Kovalyev
PUBLISHER: Staff Writer
TEXT: Federal and city workers and U.S. government staffers spent Thursday putting the finishing touches to the security preparations for the arrival of U.S. President George W. Bush this weekend.
 
Bush and President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by their wives, are scheduled to arrive in St. Petersburg on Saturday morning, and a hectic Saturday schedule includes a wreath-laying ceremony at the Mother Russia monument at Piskaryovskoye Cemetery; a two-hour visit to the State Hermitage Museum; a meeting with students at St. Petersburg State University; followed in the evening by a performance of Tchaikovsky's ballet &quot;The Nutcracker&quot; at the Mariinsky Theatre and a cruise on the Neva.
 On Sunday, the presidents are due to attend a service at Kazan Cathedral and visit a synagogue in the city.
 Security preparations ahead of the event have been extensive, and City Hall representatives said Thursday that over 700 staffers from the U.S. side began preparations here immediately following the May holidays.
 &quot;The U.S. delegation arrived earlier this month, right after the celebrations [finished], but their accomodations had been booked far in advance,&quot; said Yelena Khindikaine, the head of the City Hall Hotel Infrastructure Development Department, in a telephone interview on Thursday. &quot;They include a large number of specialists. I don't just mean security specialists, but representatives of different areas, because the visit has a many-sided character,&quot; she added.
 Bush will be staying at the Astoria Hotel and, while employees say that the security preparations only became visible recently, work toward the visit has been going on for quite a while.
 &quot;It became noticeable when they began sealing off the area around the hotel with a tape barrier about a week ago,&quot; Yelena Kuznetsova, a spokesperson for the Astoria said on Thursday. &quot;But the security work had begun long before, as there are a number of companies that also work out of offices in the hotel.&quot;
 Security preparations on the Russian side have been split between the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Federal Guard Service (FSO), the organization tasked with guarding Russian and visiting dignitaries. St. Petersburg FSB representatives say that the main security functions will be the responsibility of the FSO, which is working closely with its American counterpart. The local FSB will take responsibility for monitoring the movements of illegal extremist and terrorist groups in the city.
 &quot;The situation in the city in general was stable until now and we don't expect any significant changes,&quot; Vladimir Gusyev, St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast FSB deputy head told Interfax on Wednesday. &quot;The FSB is following reports on the activities of groups that have [repeatedly] been mentioned in the media and are well-known. These include anti-globalists and so on.&quot;
 The local FSB denied reports by the radio station Ekho Moskvy on Wednesday that law-enforcement agencies had been informed of possible terrorist acts planned by Chechen rebels for the summit.
 &quot;We don't have any information about this. Such acts are possible, but in Chechnya, not here,&quot; said Valery Kuznetsov, the St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast FSB spokesperson in a telephone interview Thusday.
 According to the City Hall Media Committee, only one official protest action has been registered to take place in the city this Saturday, organized by Trudovoi Leningrad, a radical wing of the Communist movement. The group plans to organize a so-called &quot;life line&quot; of about 100 people holding hands on Nevsky Prospect to protest American foreign policy in the former Soviet republics.
 &quot;We know that the presidents won't be driving past here, but we want to express the people's attitude toward the problem anyway,&quot; said Gennady Turetsky, the co-head of Trudovoi Leningrad in a telephone interview on Wednesday.
 Turetsky said that, while it may be joined by other groups who didn't register their protests on time, his group's plans were peaceful. &quot;We're not going to be throwing tomatoes or more explosive things. Everything will be fine,&quot; he said.

TITLE: Press Gets an Anniversary Home
AUTHOR: By Irina Titova
PUBLISHER: Staff Writer
TEXT: While most of the preparations taking place in the city have been for the weekend visit of U.S. President George W. Bush, the official opening ceremony held in <i>Dom Radio </i>on Italianskaya Ulitsa on Wednesday was looking a little further ahead.
 
Sergei Yastrezhembsky, the head of Russia's presidential information service, joined Governor Vladimir Yakovlev to open the International Press Center, which has been set up for journalists who will be covering the city's 300th Anniversary celebrations next year.
 &quot;There isn't another press center in Russia that compares with this one with regard to the level of technology and telecommunication equipment and of the available resources,&quot; Yastrezhembsky said at the opening ceremonies.
 Those in attendance had the opportunity to get a sense of what Yastrezhembsky meant during the ceremonies, watching a message from Deputy Chief of the Presidential Administration transmitted live on a large video display in the adjoining press room. The press room itself is equipped with 30 computer stations and 40 sound-proof cabinets for television and radio broadcasts
 The center, which was set up over the last 1 1/2 months is meant not only to cover the events llinked with the preparation for and celebration of the city's 300th birthday next year, but will be the largest federal press-center in the Northwest Region and will be available to journalists wishing to use its resources during Bush's visit.
 Over 100 media outlets have already applied for accreditation with the center, which was equipped with financial help from sponsors such as Xerox and the Allianz Goup.
 The building in which the center is located, <i>Dom Radio, </i>is best known as the location from which radio broadcasts to the city's population were made during the blockade of the city by German forces during World War II.
 &quot;I think that this center will play an active role in developing the image of St. Petersburg,&quot; Yastrezhemsky said. &quot;The world has a right to know how important St. Petersburg is for Russia from the historical, economic and cultural stanpoints, as well as what a significant event the jubilee is for the whole country.&quot;

TITLE: Study: Russians Pay Out $36Bln per Year in Bribes
AUTHOR: By Valeria Korchagina
PUBLISHER: Staff Writer
TEXT: MOSCOW - Russians pay out a staggering $36 billion a year in bribes and unofficial charges, an amount that adds up to more than half of 2002 government spending, or 12 percent of gross domestic product, according to a study released Tuesday.
 
Cash or expensive presents are given in exchange for everything from better treatment at a hospital to a business license or a favorable court ruling.
 &quot;The figures could be even higher. We were using the minimum levels,&quot; said Georgy Satarov, president of the Indem think tank.
 The astounding picture of widespread corruption was uncovered by Indem in the course of a two-year project funded by the Danish government via the World Bank.
 The report came just days after Transparency International, the Berlin-based anti-corruption watchdog, declared that Russian companies are the most likely to pay bribes to win or retain business in emerging market countries.
 The Indem study found that Russian businesses paid about $33.5 billion a year in bribes in 2000 and 2001. Some 82 percent of Russian companies and individual businesspeople were involved. The bribes eat up about 10 percent of each business transaction.
 Another $2.8 billion was coughed up by individuals in so-called cases of casual corruption - payments and bribes for free services such as education and health care.
 About 75 percent of the bribes paid by businesses go to low-ranking local officials, either in city administrations or the local branches of federal authorities such as tax inspectors, according to the study. An additional 20 percent go into the pockets of regional authorities, while 5 percent go to federal officials.
 &quot;But it has to be noted that a share of the bribes taken by local officials are probably passed higher up,&quot; Satarov said.
 Satarov said that the executive branch of power took 99 percent of bribes, a sign that the economy remains tightly regulated.
 For the study, Indem interviewed 2,000 individuals, 700 companies and 23 experts, a group that included former ministers, state officials, retired law-enforcement personnel and &quot;people who are often referred to as oligarchs,&quot; Satarov said.
 &quot;It is clear that on top of the legal tax burden there is a shadow burden on companies in the form of bribes,&quot; Satarov said.
 The largest share of bribes, or 34.6 percent, is collected by services such as fire and sanitary inspectors. The average bribe amounts to $2,532 and, on average, a business has to pay off each service agency twice a year.
 Licensing authorities come in a close second with 34.2 percent and an average bribe of $4,686. Fiscal officials like tax inspectors have 22 percent, and the average bribe is $3,830.
 Everyday Russian don't have life any easier.
 Thier biggest beneficiaries, however, are not the traffic police, so notorious for their roadside checks. They come in third place, taking $368.4 million a year from the pockets of individuals. With roughly 100,000 people - including secretaries and other support personnel - employed by the traffic police across the country, that breaks down to about $300 per employee per month in bribes. The average official salary of a traffic police officer in Moscow, meanwhile, stands at 2,000 rubles ($64) a month.
 The majority in bribes goes for health care, costing patients $602.4 million a year. This is followed by education, where students pay $450 million a year to get into colleges and universities.
 Courts, which charge for just or favorable decisions, come in fourth place at $274.5 million a year.
 Satarov said that the hidden costs of supposedly free higher education have grown rapidly in recent years because of the ongoing conflict in Chechnya. School provides a way out of compulsory military service for young men.
 Paying doctors and military recruitment offices to get out of the army costs $13 million a year, the report said.
 Satarov said the root of the problem in health care and education is low state funding.
 &quot;It [taking bribes] is just a way to compensate in order to survive,&quot; he said.

TITLE: Protesters Attack American Passerby
PUBLISHER: The St. Petersburg Times
TEXT: While law-enforcement and security officials say they expect the city to be relatively peaceful during the visit of U.S. President George W. Bush, an incident that took place Thursday on Universitetskaya Nab., near St. Petersburg State University, might raise some doubts.
 
About 50 protesters, wearing nationalist symbols, staged an anti-globalist rally outside the university grounds.
 During the rally, David Francis, 42, who said he is from Texas and teaches English at the university, was attacked by some members of the group.
 Francis, who was passing by the protest wearing a cowboy hat adorned with a U.S. flag, received a number of blows before being pulled away by police on the scene.
 &quot;I just wanted to show that people shouldn't be afraid of these activists,&quot; Francis said. &quot;These people should have the right to hold such meetings, So that other normal people can see how ridiculous they are - what idiots they are,&quot; he said.
 No charges were laid in relation with the incident.

TITLE: Russia's 'Amerika' Fading Away
AUTHOR: By Sarah Karush
PUBLISHER: The Associated Press
TEXT: NAZIYA, Northwestern Russia - Amerika is a forsaken corner of the earth, where towns that once thrived are left to rot and rust in a swamp and hardworking people are abandoned in their old age.
 
This is Russia's America, a name born of historical accident for land left behind amid historic change. Just 80 kilometers east of St. Petersburg, which U.S. President George W. Bush will visit this weekend, it is a place of shattered dreams and hungry desperation.
 Not so long ago, it boomed with activity, harvesting the peat that fueled the power plants around Leningrad, as St. Petersburg was known in Soviet times. People converged on the town of Naziya and the marshy forest around it, coming from all over the Soviet Union and even from the United States.
 In the 1930s, a group of American peat specialists came to work near Naziya as part of a technical-exchange program. Little is remembered about their stay but, on maps of the area, the place where the visitors lived is marked &quot;Amerika.&quot;
 Later, Workers' Settlements Nos. 1 to 5 were built to serve the peat industry - five gleaming towns with schools, day-care centers and clinics.
 &quot;Life was good. There were a lot of people,&quot; said 73-year-old Anna Yefimova, who arrived in Workers' Settlement No. 4 in 1944. &quot;We were all young.&quot;
 But, as Soviet-era subsidies dried up and power plants switched to coal, diesel and gas, the peat industry died. The railroad, the settlements' lifeline, was dismantled in the 1990s by scavengers who sold the metal for scrap. There are no paved roads to the settlements, and only big trucks and jeeps can cut through the mud.
 As the towns became more desperate, the electricity supply died, because scavengers stole the power lines. Next to succumb was running water, supplied by an electrically operated well. The local administration had no money to rebuild the utilities, and the towns emptied out. Today the five settlements, once home to up to 10,000 people, have a total of 45 inhabitants, mostly elderly.
 Ornate apartment buildings, neat one-family houses, schools and stores stand abandoned. Old mailboxes creak in the wind. Abandoned tractors and railroad cars rust in the mud. Only the occasional human figure on the bleak landscape, or some laundry hung out to dry, suggest there is still some life here.
 Meanwhile, to compound the humiliation, Russian journalists have taken to calling the settlements &quot;Amerika,&quot; with a heavy-handed irony that makes Naziya officials bristle.
 The residents themselves seem indifferent to the name. They have other problems on their minds.
 &quot;I live badly. Can't you see?&quot; said Vasily Shilo, 79, before bursting into tears.
 All around his dark and dirty apartment are signs that he once lived decently. There is wallpaper, now blackened by smoke from his wood-burning stove; a faded and drooping rug hanging on the bedroom wall; a refrigerator that stopped humming when the lights went out four years ago.
 Only one other person lives in the long, two-story building with Shilo. Five others live elsewhere in the settlement. For food, they must walk 5 kilometers to the store that opens once a week in neighboring Settlement No. 4. In emergencies, the only help is in Naziya, 119 kilometers away.
 A 10-minute trudge through the mid-spring snow from Shilo's building stands the tidy red house of Uliana Shramko, 87, and her son. Years of standing waist-deep in peat bogs has damaged Shramko's legs and just moving around her home is a major effort.
 &quot;I don't know what's left for me - just to die,&quot; she said.
 Regional politicians have argued long and hard about Amerika's predicament.
 &quot;Nobody needs our settlements except around election time,&quot; said Alexander Vavilov, a Naziya businessperson who operates the loss-making store in Settlement No. 4.
 Naziya officials hope to resettle all the families in a new apartment building in the center of Naziya. But the building has been under construction for 14 years, and they have no idea when the money for completion will come through.
 Meanwhile, the local government has put 21 elderly people, mostly women, in a dormitory in Naziya. Conditions in the run-down building are spartan, but the residents say they're relieved to be out of Amerika.
 &quot;What is there to do there?&quot; asked Vera Kolotova, 62, who shares a room with her 86-year-old mother. &quot;Everything has fallen apart.&quot;

TITLE: On Sakharov's Birthday, Moscow Promises Statue
AUTHOR: By Robin Munro
PUBLISHER: Staff Writer
TEXT: MOSCOW - Moscow City Hall announced on the 81st anniversary of Andrei Sakharov's birth on Tuesday that it would raise a monument to the 1975 Nobel Peace Prize winner.
 
Politicians and human-rights activists, meanwhile, laid flowers outside Sakharov's former apartment and a commemorative concert was held in the Bolshoi Zal of the Moscow Conservatory in the evening.
 Sakharov, the father of the Soviet hydrogen bomb, earned the title of &quot;conscience of the nation&quot; for his fight for the rights of ordinary Russians. A key political figure during perestroika, he died in December 1989.
 Yury Samodurov, director of the Sakharov Museum in Moscow, compared Sakharov's role in history to that of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.
 &quot;[Lincoln] was a person who embodied the beginning of a state that exists for the benefit of everybody, not just white people,&quot; he said in a telephone interview. &quot;For me, Sakharov embodies the idea that our society can be free, but that that freedom is not just for those who have money.&quot;
 A City Hall spokesperson said Moscow will hold a contest for a statue to Sakharov, but it was too early to give a date for the unveiling. The Liberal Russia party had approached Mayor Yury Luzhkov with the idea, he said.
 Meanwhile, a U.S. group of Sakharov supporters, including his stepdaughter Tatyana Yankelevich, have launched a campaign to have him granted honorary U.S. citizenship. Only a handful of people, including Mother Teresa, Winston Churchill and Raoul Wallenberg, have been granted honorary U.S. citizenship.
 The Sakharov Museum on Monday opened an exhibition of photographs of Soviet dissidents from the collection of longtime Russia watcher Peter Reddaway.
 In Nizhny Novgorod, where Sakharov and his wife Yelena Bonner spent seven years in political exile, an international arts festival named in his honor will run from May 29 to June 16.

TITLE: Polls Show a Russian Public Unimpressed by the Summit
AUTHOR: By Oksana Yablokova
PUBLISHER: Staff Writer
TEXT: MOSCOW - All the hubbub surrounding this week's summit between Presidents George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin fails to impress Felix Mikhailov, a 52-year-old auto plant worker.
 
&quot;Summits mean little these days and are only held to observe protocol and demonstrate mutual respect,&quot; said Mikhailov, pausing near Moscow's Pushkin Square as he headed home from work.
 He said that the last time U.S.-Russian summits held any significance was in the 1980s, when Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan met to bring an end to the Cold War.
 Mikhailov is one of many ordinary Russians who are showing scant interest in the Bush-Putin summit, a sign that people are more concerned about their day-to-day lives than foreign affairs, analysts said.
 &quot;Foreign policy remains on the periphery of public opinion and only occasionally receives attention when it gets into the media spotlight,&quot; said Andrei Ryabov, political analyst at the Moscow Carnegie Center.
 Two polls conducted ahead of the summit also illustrate the public's indifference toward foreign affairs. The polls arrived at contradictory conclusions. One poll found that the majority of Russians have negative feelings about the United States, while the other found that more people felt positively.
 Both polls showed that Russians' attitude toward the United States has improved since early March, when many were incensed over the perceived ill-treatment of Russian athletes at the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.
 &quot;Now our people have recovered from the post-Olympic shock and see the United States in a more positive light,&quot; said Yelena Petrenko, research director at the Public Opinion Foundation, which conducted one of the polls.
 The Public Opinion Foundation survey found that 58 percent of Russians view the United States as an unfriendly country, while 25 percent regard it as a friend. In March, 71 percent of respondents said the United States was unfriendly, and 17 percent said it was friendly.
 The foundation polled 1,500 people across the country. No margin for error was given.
 The other recent poll, conducted by the All-Russian Center of Public Opinion Studies, or VTsIOM, found that 59 percent of Russians had good or very good feelings toward the United States, while 34 percent felt negatively. In comparison, a similar VTsIOM poll conducted in March found that 48 percent felt good about the United States and 41 percent felt negatively.
 The latest VTsIOM poll interviewed 1,600 respondents across the country. No margin for error was provided.
 VTsIOM sociologist Leonid Sedov credited Putin's high popularity for the strong showing for the United States.
 &quot;Putin's popularity is still very high, and his meeting with Bush is widely seen as something positive for Russia,&quot; he said. &quot;This makes the United States more attractive in the eyes of many.&quot;
 The VTsIOM poll also found that slightly more than half of Russians worried that U.S.-Russian relations were based on mutual distrust.
 On the street, some Muscovites said that Russia was going too far in trying to improve ties with the United States.
 &quot;It is one thing to just get along with a superpower like the United States and unite in the face of a terrorist threat,&quot; said Irina Fedorovskaya, a 29-year-old historian. &quot;It's quite another thing to become both politically and economically dependent on the States. We should be more pragmatic in dealing with them.&quot;
 Others simply shrugged their shoulders. &quot;All these American presidents sort of look the same and smile the same,&quot; said Gennady Artyomov, 39, a furniture maker. &quot;But Bush is OK, a good guy.&quot;
 Mikhailov, the auto plant worker, said he saw a big difference between Bush and Putin. &quot;Putin came from the KGB, but at least he is educated and intelligent, a thing that cannot be said about Bush,&quot; he said.

TITLE: Trade Chiefs Lay Out Key Summit Issues
AUTHOR: By Irina Titova
PUBLISHER: Staff Writer
TEXT: The issue of Russian steel imports to the United States and Russia's status as a market economy will be key themes for the economic talks at the Bush-Putin summit, said U.S. and Russian trade chiefs Donald Evans and German Gref, who met in St. Petersburg on Tuesday to discuss the economic agenda for the summit.
 
&quot;We continue to work through the issue of the Russian steel imports and I'm optimistic on that,&quot; Evans told journalists while visiting the new Ford Motor Co. plant, one of the largest U.S. investment projects in Russia, located at Vsevolozhsk in the Leningrad Oblast.
 &quot;Now, the resolution of many problems depends on Russia being approved as a market-economy country,&quot; Gref said.
 &quot;If we receive that status we'll have the opportunity to review the majority of the current restrictions on our country,&quot; he said.
 &quot;We can also expect the cancellation of the Jackson-Vanik amendment, but it is still a matter of time,&quot; Gref said. 
 &quot;I think that, technically, the U.S. Congress won't be able to solve this question in the time of the summit, but we can expect good news in the future,&quot; he said.
 &quot;I think it will be a very positive summit,&quot; Evans said, adding that, by now, U.S. investment in the Russian economy totals $5 billion.
 Valery Serdyukov, the governor of the Leningrad Oblast, who was also present at the talks, said that the participants had also discussed the opportunities for increasing the volume of U.S. investment and sales in Russia, and the realization of co-operative projects in the Leningrad Oblast.
 For the most part, the trade chiefs held their talks while traveling around St. Petersburg by car and helicopter to visit different sites, such as the new auto plant at Vsevolozhsk, a town 40 kilometers north-east of St. Petersburg. The plant is due to open on July 9.
 The Ford project is the second-largest U.S. investment in the Leningrad Oblast, totalling $150 million. The planned capacity of the plant allows for the manufacture of 25 thousand cars per year. The Ford Focus, which will be produced at the new plant, will be available in three models: sedan, hatchback, and estate.
 &quot;We're preparing many nice surprises for our customers,&quot; said Henrik Nenzen, head of the Ford Motor Company in the CIS. 
 Nenzen said that the Ford models produced at the plant would have a number of modifications to allow for the Russian climate, roads and other specifics related to the country. He said that the plant employed 800 people. However, he refused to reveal the cost of the automobiles, saying that prices will be announced on July 9.
 The large number of successful investment projects, such as Ford's, in the Leningrad Oblast has made the region one of the five most successful in Russia in attracting investment.
 While visiting the plant, Gref and Evans not only viewed the facilities, but also joined the plant's workers for lunch in the cafeteria.
 Evans and Gref sat with several Ford employees, and the American secretary had a 20-minute chat with the workers, asking them about their work and lives.
 A light-hearted moment came when Evans attempted to pay for his meal with a $20-dollar bill. Gref was forced to warn him that it is against Russian law to pay with foreign currency in Rusia, offering to pay for Evans with his own Russian money. All the visitors, however, received lunch for free.
 &quot;The United States is working on strengthening economic ties with Russia, and this new Ford plant is a good example of that,&quot; Evans said.
 Evans then joined U.S. President George W. Bush for a summit to be held in Russia from May 24 to 26.

TITLE: PwC Loses Auditing Job With No.1 Bank
AUTHOR: By Victoria Lavrentieva
PUBLISHER: Staff Writer
TEXT: MOSCOW - No. 1 bank Sberbank has split with PricewaterhouseCoopers, members of the bank's board of directors said Thursday, choosing not to renew its contract with the auditing giant.
 
The move comes just a day after PwC spoiled an oil major's $500-million Eurobond issue and months after a raucous scandal surrounding a controversial audit of gas monopoly Gazprom.
 The board of directors at state-controlled Sberbank on Wednesday chose Ernst &amp; Young as the bank's new auditor following an open tender announced May 15, said board members, who declined to be identified. PwC had audited Sberbank since 1995. 
 Sberbank, PwC and Ernst &amp; Young declined to comment. 
 The bank's board of directors decided April 26 to hold the tender at the behest of minority shareholders. A representative of Hermitage Capital Management, which is headed by outspoken foreign investor William Browder, complained at the meeting that Sberbank should hold a tender to choose an auditor, in accordance with a federal law on auditing approved in September 2001. 
 The law states that all companies with government stakes of more than 25 percent should choose an auditor based on an open tender. 
 Auditing-industry officials said PwC had committed no errors in its Sberbank audits, but they saw the move as positive, since companies should rotate auditors regardless of their performance. 
 &quot;In the West, it is generally accepted to rotate auditors every five to seven years,&quot; said a representative of a large Russian auditing firm who declined to be identified. &quot;Sberbank looks quite professional, and PwC can always say they understand this decision.&quot;
 PwC will lose between $2 million and $3 million annually, according to various estimates, but Sberbank's decision will do even more damage to the firm's reputation, shareholders said.
 &quot;Half the value of the auditor is its name,&quot; said Vadim Kleiner, who represents Hermitage on Sberbank's board. &quot;After the questionable activity in Gazprom, they already had lost the confidence of the market, and it will be very difficult to get it back.&quot;
 PwC announced Wednesday that it had rescinded its seal of approval on its audits of Tyumen Oil Co.'s 2000 and 2001 financials, sending the oil major's historic $500-million Eurobond issue into a tailspin.
 PwC was still reeling from sharp criticism over its handling of an audit of Gazprom's relationship with Florida-registered gas trader Itera. Investors called the audit sloppy and PwC has been hit with a series of lawsuits. 
 Earlier this month, the Finance Ministry began investigating PwC following complaints from investors, including Hermitage, which asked the ministry to revoke the auditor's license.
 The Russian auditing firm official, however, said he saw no connection between PwC's problems with Gazprom and TNK, and Sberbank's decision to end the contract. 
 &quot;The Gazprom case is very weak, and Hermitage has no chances of winning it. It is just a PR move,&quot; he said. &quot;In the case of TNK, it is clear that it was the auditor's mistake, and [PwC] will try to compensate the company for the damage, to avoid legal suits. 
 &quot;With Sberbank, the decision does not damage PwC's reputation in any form.&quot;

TITLE: American Poultry Finally Released From Petersburg's Port
AUTHOR: By Alla Startseva
PUBLISHER: Staff Writer
TEXT: MOSCOW - The Agriculture Ministry has finally allowed two freighters filled with frozen U.S. poultry shipments to off-load in St. Petersburg, where they have been moored for more than a month as a result of a ban on U.S. chicken.
 
The decision to clear the poultry, known colloquially in Russia as &quot;Bush legs,&quot; came one day before U.S. President George W. Bush arrived in Moscow and one day after Agriculture Minister Alexei Gordeyev and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman discussed the controversial ban, imposed March 10, by telephone.
 &quot;This decision was made after U.S. government and poultry producers presented official guarantees that this poultry is safe,&quot; Interfax quoted Deputy Agriculture Minister Sergei Dankvert as saying Wednesday.
 Last week, Dankvert said the poultry on the ships was believed to be infected with avian influenza and demanded that they be returned to the United States.
 A senior Bush-administration official was quoted by Reuters as saying in Washington on Tuesday, more than a month after Moscow officially lifted the ban, that Russia had promised that U.S. poultry shipments would soon return to normal levels. Russia halted imports on March 10 over health concerns, but the ban coincided with Washington's decision to slap hefty tariffs on Russian steel imports. Although neither side linked the two issues, the trade spat soured U.S.-Russian relations and threatened to cloud the Bush-Putin summit, which is to begin Thursday.
 The five-week ban was formally lifted April 15, but the Agriculture Ministry's veterinary service canceled all import permits issued earlier, making imports impossible.
 The two ships in St. Petersburg each carried 15,000 tons of U.S. poultry and had valid import permits from the veterinary service, issued months before the ban, but later canceled
 As a result of the delay, the owners of the shipments lost an estimated $800,000, said Albert Davleyev, director of the U.S.A. Poultry &amp; Egg Export Council's representative office in Russia.

TITLE: Turning the Window on Europe Into a Door
AUTHOR: By Grigory Yavlinsky
TEXT: AFTER Sept. 11, there was an abrupt shift in Russia's foreign policy. Despite the course that was still being pursued last summer- symbolized by Korean leader Kim Jong Il's trip across Russia in an armored train - and in the face of the opinion of the so-called political elite, President Vladimir Putin unreservedly supported the United States in its fight with Osama bin Laden's terrorists and the Taliban.
 
The initial reaction to developments in New York and Washington, coupled with the decisions taken by Putin within a fortnight of Sept. 11, represented a serious change in the value system of the Russian authorities. On Sept. 24, at a meeting between Putin, the leaders of parliamentary factions and the State Council presidium, one of the participants advocated supporting the Taliban, while 18 participants proposed that Russia preserve neutrality vis-a-vis the United States fight against terrorism. Only two participants said that Russia should take part in the anti-terrorism coalition. Effective and multi-faceted support for U.S. anti-terrorism efforts in Afghanistan was a direct result of the Russian president's own independent decision.
 There was, of course, a tactical logic to this decision. The Taliban regime, with its links to terrorist groups in Central Asia and the Caucasus, posed a direct threat to Russia's security. Possibly for the first time in history, the country had the opportunity to resolve at least one of its many problems through diplomatic means and through using the military strength of another state.
 However, tactics are not the be-all and end-all. The September decision and subsequent related ones may serve as the basis for establishing a strategic line that will allow Russia to survive as a modern, sovereign state in the 21st century. I am, of course, talking about this country making an unambiguous move toward the West.
 After Sept. 11 and Russia's foreign policy shift, the logical question arose: Has there been a change in the West's attitude toward Russia? So far, not really. Behind the speeches and actions of Western representatives, the former mistrust, incomprehension and fear still lurk.
 It should be recognized, however, that there are, in fact, weighty reasons for such mistrust. For the West, Russia remains unpredictable, and this unpredictability is a reflection of the internal problems of the Russian authorities and of the elites. Changes in foreign policy have not had an impact on the course to build a &quot;managed democracy&quot; within the country. Russia lacks real freedom of speech. There is no mass media capable of systematically providing a majority of the population with coverage of key issues that differs from that generated by the authorities. Elections - regional elections in particular - have been transformed into an empty ritual of appointing a pre-selected candidate.
 Finally, the events in Chechnya also make Russia unstable and unpredictable. The situation has reached a deadlock. The only solution would require a the holding of a conference involving all interested parties and chaired by Putin, to determine the proper way to regulate the situation there, on the basis of the Russia's constitution and laws. But there has been no movement in this direction.
 Does this mean that the West should wait until Russia matures and is able to manage its problems by itself, whereupon it will call the West and say: &quot;I am ready, will you accept me?&quot; No. This will never happen, and there is no time to waste waiting for it. Developments are such that the West should recognize Russia as a member of the Western community today. Russia should be taken on board warts and all.
 To accept Russia, the West must adopt at least two theses. First, it should recognize the existence of a very important priority for Russia - the security of existing borders separating Russia from the most unstable, dangerous and unpredictable regions in the world. Second, the West's understanding in principle, and willingness in practice, to admit Russia as a fully-fledged member of all of Europe's economic, political and military structures in 15 to 20 years' time are needed.
 A first step in this direction could be the signing of a document on military and political union between Russia and the United States during U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to Russia this week. In form, this could be an agreement, memorandum or treaty. Most importantly, it should qualitatively differ from a politely formulated cooperation within the framework of NATO, or some agreement covering only arms issues.
 The fight against the present terrorist threat differs from the military science of the past century. Without Russia's help, this fight cannot be won. In addition to purely military tasks - and today Russia unfortunately can only play a very limited role (indeed, this is an area it seems the United States can genuinely handle on its own) - help is needed in providing: diplomatic support and sanctions against those harboring terrorists; intelligence information; assistance in monitoring financial flows and detecting the sources and methods used to finance terrorists; guarantees of nonproliferation of various types of weapons and technologies; and many other things as well.
 And, finally, political support is also very important. Military actions alone, deprived of such support, are futile and never ending.
 Without a doubt, Russia has a major interest in containing the terrorist threat. However, this is not the only issue. The post-Sept. 11 foreign-policy course is obviously beneficial to Russia, and is the only possible course from the perspective of the country's medium-to-long-term interests.
 A fully-fledged union with the United States and the West could facilitate the consolidation of genuine democracy in Russia as well as enabling the fuller realization of the country's endogenous potential. This may be the only way to ensure that reforms in Russia are brought to fruition - reforms that have been conducted in such a way over the past 10 years that they seem to have completely exhausted people's appetite for them.
 A union with the West is most definitely what Putin wants, and in the current circumstances, his political will is pretty much sufficient. He has support and public opinion on his side.
 Since Sept. 11, Russia has sent very clear signals to the West through concrete actions. All of this has been done in spite of the position and opinion of virtually the entire presidential entourage, many Foreign Ministry officials, many politicians and the military. Putin has extended a hand to the Western world, and this has been noted.
 However, it is possible that nothing serious will happen. The opportunity for a strategic rapprochement between Russia and the United States (or, more broadly, the Western world) that opened up after Sept. 11 remains in a very fragile state.
 It would be all too easy to substitute a serious, modern political process with the well-known Soviet politics of detente: the counting of warheads and statements regarding the &quot;victory of Soviet-Russian diplomacy in the fight for peace between Russia and the United States.&quot;
 Detente as a foreign-policy concept in the current situation, however, is absolutely useless. Therefore, if talks this week conclude with an agreement on disarmament, on NATO, on the Jackson-Vanik amendment and some general declarations, it will mean that the opportunities that opened up after Sept. 11 will have been squandered and that everything will revert to its previous form (to the type of agreements that were signed in the 1970s).
 Realizing the new opportunities should be the personal responsibility of the leaders of Russia, the United States and the European countries.
 The huge divergence between the foreign and domestic policies of the Russian government cannot last for very long, and the options are limited. Either domestic policy will be brought into line with the foreign policy course or, on the contrary, the decisions taken after Sept. 11 will turn out to have been a temporary zigzag subject to correction.
 Under the first scenario, Russia will gradually become a European country in terms of democratic procedures, economic development and living standards.
 Under the second scenario, the symbol of Russia's foreign policy will once again become the armored train with which authoritarianism feels comfortable.
 However, it is necessary to understand that Putin cannot be absolutely certain that a document on partnership will be signed, and even if it it is, we must have doubts about the extent of its implementation and the real extent of support for Russia's course toward the West. This is why he does not burn his bridges and retains his former entourage in case he needs to retreat.
 In the case of such a retreat, it is not clear what Putin's position power base will be. A repeat of the putsch of 1991 cannot be ruled out in such a case.
 However, today there is still a chance. Putin can make a most important decision by opening the door to Europe for Russia, and not just a window.
 
 <i>Grigory Yavlinsky is the leader of the Yabloko party. This comment is excerpted from an article published in Obshchaya Gazeta last Thursday. The full English text can be found at www.eng. yabloko.ru </i>

TITLE: Death and Renewal in the Media Industry
TEXT: THE motto of this year's World Russian Forum in Washington was &quot;Towards Economic, Political and Military Alliance.&quot; As a Russian participant in the forum, I was most struck by the atmosphere of respect and enthusiasm for Russia.
 
The businesspeople present gave high marks to the measures taken and planned by the Russian government to create a civilized market. They spoke of the improving investment climate in the country and called on the U.S. government to take a leaf out of Russia's book on tax reform. And rare was the legislator who neglected to mention that President Vladimir Putin was the first world leader to offer condolences and aid to the United States after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington last September.
 It's a shame that the articles on the upheavals in Russian-U.S. relations that have filled the Russian and foreign press in the run-up to this week's Putin-Bush summit give no indication of this because, to my mind, this positive atmosphere is what really matters.
 On the other hand, when people at the forum learned that I worked in the mass media, their faces fell and they expressed their condolences at the stifling of the free press in Russia. Somehow they managed to keep their enthusiasm for certain changes in Russia entirely separate from their pessimism about the fate of the Russian press.
 I tried to combine these two issues in my speech. I said that the forum had formed a realistic assessment of the problems of post-Soviet economic development - corruption, the lack of transparency in all aspects of life, poor corporate governance, etc.
 These sins are perhaps more endemic to the mass-media business than to others, because most of our media companies cannot survive other than as leeches on the back of our deformed economic system. Our mass media suffers more than most from the rationalization and liberalization of the economy. And it opposes reforms where it can by complaining about threats to the freedom of speech.
 The battle for &quot;freedom of speech Yeltsin-style&quot; is essentially an attempt to make the death agonies drag on forever. The government's economic policy, for all its faults, offers an opportunity for the press to restructure itself. There is a difference, after all, between growing pains and deathbed convulsions.
 We were &quot;given&quot; our own ministry - but why do we need Press Minster Mikhail Lesin when we already have Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref? We're constantly asking for special concessions. Our info-bandits enjoy reliable protection in the foreign press, Western governments and international organizations. We have turned into a ghetto where decent people are afraid to venture.
 What will come of all this? When foreign investors inject serious money into the Russian media market (which they will do inevitably), that money will flow not to established Russian outlets, but to the creation of new media companies from the ground up. This is what Russian media companies need to focus on now, and they should get to it!
 
 <i>Alexei Pankin is the editor of Sreda, a magazine for media professionals (www.internews.ru/sreda) </i>

TITLE: city set to party like it's 299
AUTHOR: by Alice Jones
PUBLISHER: Special to The St. Petersburg Times
TEXT: With the preparations for next year's 300th-anniversary celebration gathering steam and tourists flocking to St. Petersburg for the start of the White Nights, one could quite easily overlook the fact that next Monday, May 27, the city celebrates its 299th birthday. To mark this, the whole city will get down to some serious partying this weekend, with a host of events aimed at people of all ages. 
 
The two-day birthday bash begins at noon on Saturday in a suitably official fashion, with St. Petersburg Governor Vladimir Yakovlev laying flowers at the statue of the Bronze Horseman on Ploshchad Dekabristov - in tribute to the city's founder, Peter the Great - and inspecting cadet troops on Palace Square. At the same time, a rousing musical start to the festivities will be sounded by a parade of military brass bands marching down Nevsky Prospect.
 As usual, the hub of the action will be Palace Square, offering non-stop entertainment from noon to midnight, with shows for children and choral concerts for adults among the events contributing to the party atmosphere. The main event, which takes place at 8 p.m., will be a gala show - somewhat sentimentally titled &quot;The Town is Always With Me&quot; - that features Russian stars such as renowned actor Mikhail Boyarsky, pop singer Tatyana Bulanova, rocker Valery Syutkin and group Doctor Watson, among others.
 For those who are not fans of Russian rock and pop music, at 7 p.m. a mysterious-sounding theatrical show called &quot;White Nights Fantasy&quot; will be played out at the Strelka on Vasilievsky Island. The &quot;fantasy&quot; will center around the starting of a clock that will count down the minutes to the 2003 jubilee. The festivities on both sides of the Palace bridge will be brought to a spectacular conclusion with a fireworks display at 11 p.m.
 The celebrations are not confined to the center of town. On the other side of the Neva, at the Peter and Paul Fortress, the Baltiisky Dom theater and the Baltiisky Festival Center will construct a unique &quot;festival city.&quot; From 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, the beach by the Alekseyevsky Ravelin will be transformed into an arts-and-crafts center, where visitors will have the opportunity to watch potters, wood-carvers, glass-blowers and blacksmiths demonstrating their crafts in open-air workshops. The aim, according to the organizers, is for &quot;no-one to go away empty-handed&quot; and everyone will be encouraged to have a go at creating their own souvenirs. Scattered around this &quot;craftsperson's city&quot; there will be bliny stalls, bars and entertainment in the form of puppet shows and street theater. 
 The organizers of the extravaganza, Olga Semenova and Marina Korotkova, explain that the location at the fortress is a deliberate &quot;return to the roots&quot; of St. Petersburg and a reminder of the city's founder, Peter the Great. Given Peter's predilection for all things maritime, there is also a nautical theme to events, with master classes in boat-building and sail-making and a flag-designing competition for children. The festivities draw to a close with traditional dance and games and a grand procession of characters from Russian history - with Peter himself set to make an appearance.
 Sunday will see the highlight of the city's celebrations, as the Second International St. Petersburg Carnival hits the streets. The carnival will set off from Ploshchad Vosstaniya at 1 p.m., and make its way up Nevsky Prospect - past spectators on specially constructed stands - to Palace Square. Last year, more than 400,000 people turned out to watch the event and this year the organizers are expecting more. 5 million roubles ($161,290) have been poured into the carnival kitty and nearly 5,000 people will take part in the procession. 
 The carnival promises to celebrate not only the city's birthday, but also to herald the arrival of summer, with salsa schools and samba groups from Estonia, Helsinki and Moscow taking part. According to the carnival's director, Igor Gavryushkin, &quot;When summer comes to Piter, everyone can dance to this beat ...&quot;
 The official opening of the carnival will take place outside Gostiny Dvor at 2 p.m. Here the carnival chaos will commence, as Yakovlev cedes power to the carnival government for a day and Gavryushkin cuts off Yakovlev's tie to signal the start of the saturnalia. The parade will continue all the way to the Yubileiny Sports Palace on Prospect Dobrolyubova, where the participants will carry on celebrating, dancing the night away at a Latin Dance Party. 
 If all this revelry sounds a bit too energetic, those with a sweet tooth will be pleased to know that a two-day ice cream festival is also planned at Yekaterinsky Garden over the weekend.
 The carnival will, in fact, be the first of three this summer. A children's carnival will take place on June 1, followed by the traditional Tsarskoye Selo carnival in Pushkin on June 29. As Gavryushkin states proudly, &quot;We used to say that Piter was the city of three revolutions, now we say that it is a city of three carnivals!&quot;

TITLE: giving substance to female love
AUTHOR: by Sergey Chernov
PUBLISHER: Staff Writer
TEXT: &quot;Female Substance,&quot; an exhibition of lesbian-themed works by Moscow art-photographer Tatyana Sazanskaya, opened at the club Coco Bango last week. The exhibition, organized by Yelena Inozemtseva, the head of the group LesbiPARTYa, is not just artistic - it aims to have a social message as well.
 
Inozemtseva, a self-described &quot;convinced lesbian,&quot; says that &quot;Female Substance&quot; is the first project with a social message organized by the group, which also organizes &quot;girl-to-girl parties&quot; at Coco Bango and has the &quot;unification of homosexual-oriented women and their creative and personal self-fulfillment&quot; as its aim.
 The group, it appears, has good grounds for this, given certain public attitudes, which found expression - in the same week as the exhibition was launched - in the words of State Duma deputy Alexei Mitrofanov, a member of Vladimir Zhirinovsky's Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, brought in a bill suggesting adding a clause to the Criminal Code that would sentence lesbians to between one and five years in prison.
 Mitrofanov explained his bill thus: &quot;Lesbianism is more dangerous than male homosexuality because it leads to a decrease in the birth rate and a drop in the state's population.&quot;
 Sazanskaya says that the idea for the exhibition came from Renata Babushkina, a St. Petersburg lesbian artist and photographer.
 &quot;It's a sweet poison which envelopes everybody from birth,&quot; says Sazanskaya of the title of the exhibition. &quot;It is inherently present in women, while it flows into men with their mother's milk. It is something that nobody can get rid of.&quot;
 Unlike last year's &quot;Lesbian ConneXion/s,&quot; a large-scale international exhibition at Borey Art Gallery, Sazanskaya's display features only 11 photos, but they are more artistic than many works in the earlier exhibition. The largely amateur documentary-style &quot;Lesbian ConneXion/s&quot; - which featured a few Sazanskaya photos - was criticized by some in the local lesbian community for giving lesbians a bad image by featuring unattractive, and often old, women. 
 Sazanskaya, in contrast, claims that she is interested in beauty. She says that she drew inspiration from a remark of Canadian film director Patricia Rozema, whose &quot;When Night is Falling&quot; (1995) was a passionate love story between two women. Talking about the film to Eye magazine, Rozema said, &quot;What's more enjoyable than watching one beautiful woman? Two beautiful women.&quot;
 &quot;I thought that there was logic to it, and I also like the idea,&quot; says Sazanskaya. &quot;In photography, nobody showed lesbianism in a beautiful way - at least I didn't see it. And I thought that it would be interesting to do it. I'd like to picture male love as well, but in a completely different way, of course.&quot;
 However, Sazanskaya says, she had difficulty finding lesbian models. &quot;I wanted to do an authentic photo session of genuine lesbians who wanted to have their photographs taken - who have lesbianism in their eyes and have this 'female substance' oozing out of them,&quot; she says.
 &quot;I went to lesbian parties in Moscow clubs, approached girls whom I found interesting, [but] the girls somehow were frightened of it and didn't want to have their photos taken. In the end, I took two of my friends and said, 'Come with me, now you'll be lesbians!'&quot;
 
 <i>
&quot;Female Substance&quot; is on display daily, 10 a.m. to 9 a.m., through June 5 at Coco Bango, 3 Kazanskaya Ul. M: Nevsky Prospect/ Gostinny Dvor. Tel.: 318-4989. Girl-to-girl parties, Saturday, 6 p.m. to midnight. </i>

TITLE: chernov's choice
TEXT: Whether or not you like <strong>Muse, </strong>the guitar-based trio is an integral part of the current British music scene, which is poorly represented in Russia, both live and on record. This is a good reason to catch their show at the 2,000-seat LDM, at 47 Ulitsa Professora Popova, on Tuesday. According to a spokesperson for local promoter NCA, &quot;The show has been organized because the band has a lot of fans who have been waiting for it for a long time.&quot; Tickets for the show cost between 450 and 600 rubles ($14.50 and $19.35).
 
In contrast to Muse, ex-Pink Floyd frontman <strong>Roger Waters</strong> is likely to win the nostalgia vote, and will probably attract an audience of former - and current - hippies and techie types. Waters plays the Ice Palace on Monday. Tickets cost between 500 and 3,500 rubles ($16.13 and $112.90).
 On the club scene, German electro-pop band <strong>Stereototal </strong>plays at Red Club on Saturday. The Berlin-based duo - French singer/drummer Francoise Cactus and German guitarist/keyboardist Brezel Goring - is modestly described as the &quot;Greatest Pop Band in the World&quot; on its official Web site, www.stereototal.de. The band's press release says that the band's music is influenced by French <i>chansons </i>and German electronica, and that Cactus' voice is reminiscent of Jane Birkin and Nico. Stereototal's fifth album, 2001's &quot;Musique Automatique,&quot; is described as an &quot;eclectic cocktail ... from club easy listening to punk rock.&quot;
 The concert's local promoter, Svetlaya Muzyka, works in cooperation with <strong>Artyom Troitsky, </strong>the Moscow music writer, radio personality and show promoter, who follows new trends closely and gratifies his whims by bringing Western club acts to Moscow - a recent example being Canadian &quot;porn-rap&quot; singer Peaches' concert at Red Club. Troitsky's latest obsession is easy-listening music and Stereototal somehow chimes with this.
 As for Troitsky, his column, &quot;Diversant Daily&quot; - which used to appear on Independent Media's ill-fated Web portal www.eStart.ru - was relaunched as a separate Internet publication last month. It is still published by IM and can be found at www.diversant-daily.ru. Troitsky's radio show, FM Dostoevsky, is aired on Ekho Moskvy at 11:05 p.m. on Saturdays.
 Meanwhile, an international <strong>psychobilly gig</strong><i> </i>- featuring Finland's 15 Megatones, Cherepovets band Stockmen, and local group Bike 'n' Holers - takes place at underground rock club Poligon on Saturday.
 Probably the most exciting part of the concert will be a collaboration between The Bombers - arguably St. Petersburg's finest local surf band - and British psychobilly musician Howard Raucous, who is also head of Raucous Records, the label that has The Meteors, the band which originated psychobilly music, on its roster.
 On a sad note, there is another loss on the club scene. The student-oriented rock-and-folk club Eurasia, which continued the trends started by the now-defunct club Africa, has followed its predecessor, though its art director claims that will be soon reopened elsewhere.
 Finally, the rumors that popular grungy student hangout <strong>Cynic </strong>will move to St. Isaac's Square were partly confirmed this week by its owner, Vladimir Postnichenko. He failed, however, to provide any details, saying that &quot;everything will be clear in a week.&quot; Meanwhile, Cynic continues its activities on Goncharnaya Ulitsa, near Moskovsky Vokzal.
 
 <i>- by Sergey Chernov </i>

TITLE: another useful one for the list
AUTHOR: by Peter Morley
PUBLISHER: Staff Writer
TEXT: The last time that members of my family came to St. Petersburg, I introduced them to the exotic - at least to a British palate - delights of cuisine from the Caucasus and Central Asia. Living here, it is easy to take this for granted, but they were smitten - especially by one local Georgian eatery - and the ominous comment left hanging in the air as I waved them off from Pulkovo-2 was, &quot;Next time, we want Georgian food every night.&quot;
 
Since then, I have been living in terror - well, mild apprehension - of having to fulfill the glib pledge I gave to carry out this wish: Surely there can't be that many Caucasian restaurants and cafes here? As a result, I have been keeping a beady eye out for new ones appearing on the scene.
 I was pleased, therefore, to see a new place by the name of Zakavkazye getting ready to open on Nab. Reki Moiki back in April. Often, on my way to work, I would check the notice on the door to see when it would open. The opening was first scheduled for April, but this was repeatedly delayed until, at last, Zakavkazye opened last week.
 So was it worth the wait? At least for now, I am going to take the coward's route out and reserve judgment, if only on the basis that, when I dropped in with my ever-ready sidekicks, the Gopher and Vovka, Zakavkazye had only been open three days. However, early indications are promising.
 We went down the standard route of cold starters between us and a main course each. The Gopher decided he was hungry enough for four courses, and also ordered a hot starter and a soup. We also went for a bottle of passable Saperavi red wine at 550 rubles ($17.74). Vovka helpfully pointed out that this was genuine Georgian, to which the Gopher's reply was unfortunately unprintable, but along the lines of, &quot;I should think so too at that price.&quot; Vovka and I also went for a caffeine fix, in the shape of a Pepsi each at 30 rubles ($0.97).
 After a few minutes, our quietly efficient server brought the cold starters: <i>satsivi </i>(100 rubles, $3.26), aubergines with nuts (90 rubles, $2.90) and <i>lobio </i>with nuts (80 rubles, $2.58); and a hot <i>khachapuri </i>(100 rubles). These were uniformly satisfying, although I was disappointed by the size of the aubergine dish. The lobio was fresh and slightly crunchy and the khachapuri was, if not bursting, then sufficiently stuffed with suluguni cheese.
 In terms of main courses, Zakav kazye presents vegetarians with a problem, as there is not one main course that does not contain meat or fish. Vovka and I both went for <i>shashlyk </i>- he for pork (180 rubles, $5.81), I for sturgeon fillet (250 rubles, $8.06) - that we accompanied with a spicy tomato sauce (30 rubles) and some <i>po-domashny </i>potatoes (30 rubles). The shashlyks came served on flatbread, which allowed us to create our own wraps, with a simple garnish and were both fine, especially with the tomato sauce.
 Meanwhile, the Gopher had made his way through an innards-laden <i>kuchi-machi </i>(190 rubles, $6.13) and a <i>chanakhi </i>soup (160 rubles, $5.16), both of which passed the test. Finally - although this defeated him and Vovka combined - he went for <i>plov </i>with mutton, which, from the amount sampled, was also judged more than acceptable.
 And so, pausing only to admire the Pizza Hut sign on the toilet door - Zakavkazye partially occupies a former section of its more international neighbor on Gorokhovaya Ulitsa - we meandered, or in the Gopher's case waddled, out into the balmy evening.
 The problem was, we mused, that there was nothing really to make Zakavkazye stand out: the usual dishes were there, cooked to a decent standard. The service was very good - a change of cutlery for each course, and proper glasses for the different drinks - which was encouraging. One for the family list, and, given time, a possible winner.
 
 <i>
Zakavkazye. Monday through Friday, 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sunday, noon to 11 p.m. Nab. Reki Moiki 71/16. Tel.: 315-7706. Dinner for three with alcohol: 1,970 rubles ($63.55). </i>

TITLE: a mountain of young talent
AUTHOR: by Gyulyara Sadykh-zade
PUBLISHER: Special to The St. Petersburg Times
TEXT: The White Nights are approaching, and with them comes a series of festivals, of which &quot;Musical Spring,&quot; &quot;Musical Olympus&quot; and, of course, &quot;Stars of the White Nights&quot; are the outright leaders. Almost getting in each other's way, the festivals compete for the acquisition of concert stages and sponsors and for the attention of the public and tourists, whose numbers are swelled at this time of year.
 
Among the traditional musical events scattered across the Petersburg concert season, however, &quot;Musical Olympus&quot; undoubtedly occupies a special place. Only at the Olympus can music lovers get to know the young musicians who, in the future, may make it to the upper echelons of the international establishment.
 For the seventh year running, from the end of May to the beginning of June the musical year will be inviting the newly crowned laureates of the most prestigious competitions. The festival has securely carved out its own niche, filling a gap in the international festival circuit and winning the right to present the most talented and promising young musicians. In doing so, the event at first appeared to be a risky undertaking - who would come to hear unknown musicians still wearing their water wings, metaphorically speaking? The risk, however, proved to be a wise one, and, within a year, Petersburg's music lovers already considered the Olympus concerts to be an essential addendum to their calendars, ranking the festival alongside others that have far more years under their belts. 
 The concept behind the festival - to promote both newbies and winners of international competitions - seems simple at first glance. Before Irina Nikitina, however, nobody had attempted to put that concept into practice. Born and bred in St. Petersburg, but currently living in Switzerland, Nikitina is herself a pianist who has been through the festival-competition mill. She knows the festival drill and understands how difficult it can be to break through to the major stages at the beginning of a performing career. She took to her task with enthusiasm and energy, creating the Musical Olympus fund, and attracting a solid set of sponsors and an Honorary Committee, featuring such luminaries as Claudio Abbado, Matthias Bamert, Eliso Virsaladze, Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Yo-Yo Ma, Yuri Temirkanov and Maris Janssons. She also got backing from the International Musical Competition Federation, an organization that is not free or easy in choosing events to support. Nikitina travels to the competitions personally in order to select the &quot;Olympians,&quot; choosing not only those who have received awards before, but also those who possess the makings of a major musical personality: a high level of musicality and artistry and clear individuality.
 This year's festival starts on Monday, with concerts being held in the Shostakovich Philharmonic and the Hermitage Theatre, with the participation of the Hermitage Orchestra, conducted by Saulius Sondetskis, and the Capella Orchestra, conducted by Vladislav Chernushenko. Young conductors will also be performing: the winner of the last Prokofiev Competition held here, Alexander Sladkovsky, and the winner of Spain's Antonio Pedroti contest, Mikhail Agrest - the latter being particularly promising and currently working with the Mariinsky.
 For many, the main attraction at the first concert will be a performance by the world-renowned Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie. Glennie works with world-famous orchestras, giving over a hundred concerts a year and recording compact discs that have received Grammies. Those are no mean feats in their own right, but they are astonishing coupled with the knowledge that Glennie was born deaf and only percieves music as a form of vibration through her body and hands. 
 In the same opening concert, there will be a composition by the young Danish composer Soren Nils Eichberg, &quot;Qilaaterzorneg&quot; (&quot;Ritual Drum Dance&quot;) for violin and orchestra. The piece won the Grand Prix at the last Queen Elizabeth competition in Brussels. It will be performed by Zoe Beyers, a winner of several international competitions.
 The following days of the festival will bring perormances by Polish guitarist Marcin Dylla, Norwegian soprano Marita Kvarning Solberg, Colombian tenor Cezar Guttierez, Italian flautist Francesca Canali, her compatriot, pianist Filippo Gamba and American composer Dorian Wilson. Wilson has proved such a favorite with the Petersburg public that, despite the festival's code, he has been invited back a third time. Conducted by Wilson, the St. Petersburg Philharmonia Academic Symphony Orcestra will accompany the winner of the last Rachmaninov Competition in Pasadena, California, Yevgeny Mikhailov, in a performance of Rachmaninov's &quot;Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.&quot; The intrigue here is that the American competition, supported by one of Rachmaninov's grandchildren, began as an alternative to the Moscow event when that event came into conflict with the Rachmaninov Fund.
 The festival program will be concluded by the French conductor Philippe Bender, who will give his interpretations of Liszt's &quot;Les Preludes,&quot; the overture to Berlioz's opera &quot;Benvenuto Cellini&quot; and Andrei Petrov's overture, &quot;Vivat, Olympus!&quot; which was commissioned by the festival itself. 
 During the course of the festival, Nikitina will hold a ball at Peterhof, to which well-known politicians, businesspeople and cultural figures will be invited. This is another festival tradition, which began three years ago. In recent years, the balls have been held in the Catherine Palace in Pushkin, and this year the social event has moved to the palace at Petrodvoets. The park will no doubt be lit by a fireworks display, there will be a fashion show, and guests will be treated to a refined supper prepared by Hungarian chefs.
 
 <i>
&quot;Musical Olympus&quot; runs through June 4. See Stages for details. </i>

TITLE: chao down with radio bemba
AUTHOR: by Sergey Chernov
PUBLISHER: Staff Writer
TEXT: In an unprecedented month of international concerts in St. Petersburg, Manu Chao's gig at the Yubileiny Sports Palace on Saturday was one of the most exciting events in the city for months, despite not selling out - Chao's popularity in Russia notwithstanding.
 
Despite high expectations and the cheap tickets - one of the many conditions Chao laid down to the promoters - only about 4,000 people turned up to hear the Manu Chao Radio Bemba Sound System, as the French-Spanish singer insists on calling his eight-member, mulicultural band.
 Compared with the Zemfira-headlined festival at the Yubileiny last month - which was packed with at least twice as many fans - this was not a big achievement. But those present were singing and dancing throughout the two-hour show, which was followed by a DJ set from the band's bassist, Jean-Michel &quot;Gambeat&quot; Dercourt.
 The concert opened with a danceable reggae introduction sung by Jean-Philippe &quot;Bidji&quot; Boukaka, the band's second vocalist, cleverly recruited by Chao to provide the continuity for the non-stop show, which had every break between songs filled with sound and beats, even if pre-recorded.
 Then on came Chao, throwing himself into a frenetic punk number, French-style, pogoing and mic-stand exercises included. Then reggae, ska, Latin, and again punk.
 The concert included familiar songs from Chao's two albums, 1998's million-selling &quot;Clandestino&quot; and 2001's &quot;Proxima Estation: Esperanza&quot; (Next Station: Hope), but also had some numbers from Chao's days with folk-punk band Manu Negra. Live, the albums' relaxed numbers were substantially rearranged and sounded tight and fast. 
 At the pre-show press conference, Chao - controversial for his support of anti-globalism and Mexico's Zapatista rebels - was concerned about the future of humanity, but did not offer cogent arguments or solutions. Mankind is heading to collective suicide, he argued: Politicians don't mean anything - it's businesspeople, the people you don't elect, who take the important decisions.
 Live, however, he was all reckless rock n' roll, with the only political reference coming between the show's first and second sets, when a pre-recorded speech in Spanish assailed the audience with lists of revolutionary ideals - freedom, dignity, bread, health and so on.
 Mainly, though, it was &quot;sex, drugs and rock n' roll,&quot; or &quot;tequila, sexo y marihuana,&quot; as Chao puts it in the song &quot;Welcome to Tijuana.&quot; The band-members reportedly lived up to this lifestyle in Petersburg, throwing themselves into an all-night drinking bout which even included a drunken fight. As a result, Chao missed the trip he had planned for the following day to one of the city's marketplaces - the only place he wanted to visit in the city with an apparent aim to get the beat of the street.
 Chao's concert was an incredible set of different music, where anyone - from a punk fan to a Latin lover - could find something. But, unlike sterile contemporary Latin pop a la Enrique Iglesias, what he offers sounds real. His punk past and extensive travels throughout the third world have not been in vain.

TITLE: a case of writer's blockade?
AUTHOR: by Victoria Rowan
PUBLISHER: Special to The St. Petersburg Times
TEXT: The Siege is one of those books you're supposed to love.
 
The novel's subject - a family's struggle to endure the World War II Nazi blockade of Leningrad, which resulted in the deaths of half the city's 3.5 million citizens - is noble and worthy of epic treatment. Furthermore, the book's award-winning author, Helen Dunmore, has published in 15 countries and received rave reviews from British and Amerian critics for this, her latest effort. Nevertheless, despite its impressive resume, &quot;The Siege&quot; falls short of attaining the distinction that it might have gained.
 The book's heroine is Anna, daughter of blacklisted writer Mikhail Levin and driven doctor Vera. When Vera dies giving birth to a son, Kolya, the adolescent Anna assumes a maternal role. Because Mikhail refuses to produce politically acceptable work, the family is almost destitute and Anna must get a job, in the process abandoning her dream of pursuing an arts education.
 With the Nazi invasion, Mikhail's former mistress, Marina Petrovna, a glamorous actress who left Russia years before, resurfaces to live with the sorry trio in Leningrad. Fiercely loyal to her mother's memory, Anna is unhappy with the situation, despite Marina's wealth and willingness to care for Kolya, which allows Anna the time to do her patriotic duty of digging ditches. Later, when Mikhail leaves for the front and is wounded, young Siberian doctor-to-be Andrei tracks Anna down to inform her of her father's condition and the two fall in love. The remainder of the book chronicles Anna and Andrei's fate during the rest of the seige.
 That Dunmore herself seems disinterested in her own rich cast of characters is &quot;The Siege's&quot; main flaw. Dunmore squelches all intrigue. Instead, most of the novel gets bogged down in documentary-style reportage about the blockade. Again and again, the author bizarrely interrupts her narrative with descriptions of anonymous suffering. 
 &quot;Anna trudges past a building where an old woman has lain with flu for a week. She lies alone, although at her side there is a half-drunk glass of tea made for her by a neighbor the day before. But now the neighbor is ill herself, and can't come. There's ice on the tea. As Anna passes and as day wheels round into night, the old woman's lungs cease to resist the secondary infection, which she has been holding off for the past twenty-four hours. Pneumonia takes hold ... In the center of each grey, seamed cheek there is a small purplish-red spot. ...&quot; While such passages do contribute to the composite portrait of a city under siege, they derail the momentum of the novel and rob it of pages that could have made the main characters more complex.
 Dunmore's poetic sensibility is the book's strength and also its weakness. Her facility with exquisite metaphors like, &quot;The tree's roots arch above the forest floor like arthritic fingers playing the piano,&quot; and, &quot;parachutes coming down like thistle-heads with a beautiful, rocking, side-to-side motion,&quot; makes her prose a delight to read and reread. The knowledge that Dunmore is capable of such eloquence foments frustration when she does not trust her talent. She has a self-conscious stylistic tick for the short, staccato declarative sentence or fragment, either as an unnecessary paragraph coda or in order to put melodramatic emphasis on an image or a point. This spareness may work in her widely acclaimed poetry, but here it results in the reader half-expecting to hear a mad organist pounding chords in the background. 
 Like Michael Ondaatje's &quot;The English Patient,&quot; another World War II novel by an accomplished poet/novelist, &quot;The Siege&quot; displays an intimate understanding of humanity - minus any sense of humor. Ironic, even wise, observations abound, but always with the depressing resignation that mankind is forever doomed to repeat and suffer the most brutish behavior. While one is naturally hesitant to belittle the genuine tragedy of the subject, too much World War II literature has been published in the last century on this very theme. Without a fresh take, &quot;The Siege,&quot; feels cliched and overly long, even at a modest 294 pages.
 Because death and suffering are referred to so often, one suspects that Dunmore has a morbid fascination with hunger, winter and death. The grotesque is everywhere. Several times, &quot;The Siege&quot; mentions that starving Leningraders often lived for days in close quarters with corpses because they were too deranged by hunger to accept their loved ones' deaths, or because there was no one strong enough to move the bodies to the street. Perhaps Dunmore thought that shocking images would keep readers turning pages, but she panders to rubbernecking, rather than using the techniques of fine literature, which certainly are within her grasp.
 In his dark fable, &quot;The Fasting Artist,&quot; Franz Kafka writes, &quot;Only the fasting artist himself ... [could] be a wholly satisfied spectator of his own fast.&quot; Similarly, as a reader of &quot;The Siege,&quot; one is superficially happy for the survivors, but not emotionally involved in their triumph against the grim odds. As Kafka's story ends, the artist wastes away at the bottom of his circus cage, still buried under straw when a panther moves in. Immediately, spectators flock back again, fascinated by the panther's vitality, in contrast to the boring malingering spectacle of the fasting artist.
 Dunmore has taken on an enormous challenge: to render a historical crisis interesting even though the only action she permits her characters is passive coping and nostalgic flashback. While she is a lyrical writer and an impressive researcher, her slimly delineated characters ultimately make this reader, like Kafka's spectators, crave something livelier.
 
 <i>
&quot;The Siege.&quot; By Helen Dunmore. Grove Press. 292 pages. $24.00.
 
 Victoria Rowan lives in New York, where she teaches writing at mediabistro.com and organizes literary events. </i>

TITLE: dutch conquer peter and paul
AUTHOR: by Charles Hoedt
PUBLISHER: Special to The St. Petersburg Times
TEXT: The Peter and Paul Fortress was originally built to defend Russia from Western invaders. Now, however, the bastion is embracing the West, with an ambitious photographic project documenting Western-related places in the Northern Capital. Seven European countries with long historical connections to the city are taking part in this year-long exhibition, entitled &quot;A Window on ... ,&quot; which doubles as a competition for Russian photographers.
 
Every couple of months, a new country will take over the fortress. At the moment, fifty pictures of &quot;Dutch Petersburg&quot; are on display in special frames on the roof of the Naryshkin Bastion. The Dutch will be replaced by the French on July 14 - Bastille Day, France's biggest national holiday. The other countries taking part are the U.K., Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Sweden. The exhibition culminates with an exhibition of the winning photos from all of the countries on May 27, the city's birthday, next year.
 According to the City Museum Foundation, which is organizing the project, &quot;Dutch Petersburg has attracted at least 50,000 visitors over the last three weeks. One reason for this is the exhibition's location: As well as the photos, visitors get a prime view of the Hermitage from the Nevskaya Panorama.
 For the project, CMF Director Alexei Balakhonsky expects dozens of well-known and unknown Russian photographers to compete for the $350 first prize. &quot;Most of the photographers are local, but we have also had entries from Moscow and Sochi,&quot; he says.
 Thirty-two photographers submitted 332 pictures for &quot;Dutch Petersburg.&quot; For the next exhibitions, the CMF is expecting a stronger showing. As Balakhonsky explains, &quot;There is much more French and Italian architecture in the city.&quot;
 The winner of the Dutch competition was local photographer Alexander Petrosyan, with a picture of a bridge across Kanal Griboyedova. &quot;It represents the fact that Peter the Great wanted a capital like Amsterdam, with many canals,&quot; explains Olga Gavrilova, vice director of the CMF. &quot;But, even more than that, the photo symbolizes the bridge between Russia and the West.&quot;
 The entries in the competition differ wildly in style and content. Some are broadly realist, while others are more fantastical or have been manipulated on a computer. For example, an entry from Mikhail Kheifets mixed together local images with paintings by 16th-century Dutch painter Pieter Breughel.
 The five-member jury that chose the winner included Mikhail Pyotrovsky, the director of the State Hermitage Museum, who saw Kheifets' entry as &quot;hooliganism, but very good hooliganism,&quot; laughs Gavrilova. 
 Many foreign visitors to the exhibition regretted the fact that no translations of the photographs' Russian titles were supplied. Due to this, they could not understand, for example, the portrait of the Dutch businessperson who founded the city's zoo in Alexandrovsky Park on the Petrograd Side in 1865. The Tsar's family liked this idea so much that they gave her two elephants, a leopard and a monkey, while the Academy of Sciences donated a whale skeleton.
 &quot;In the future, we will correct this,&quot; says Balkhonsky. &quot;From now on the titles will be in both Russian and English. The first time, we left too little space for translations.&quot;
 Of the future exhibitions, &quot;German Petersburg,&quot; in particular, will evoke mixed feelings, says Balakhonsky. During World War II, Leningrad was besieged by Nazi German armies for nearly 900 days and hundreds of thousands of Russians died in the city. Balakhonsky is aware of the city's sensitivity. &quot;Therefore,&quot; he says, &quot;The pictures will not be about just German culture in St. Petersburg, but about the siege.&quot;
 &quot;We should not forget what happened then,&quot; Balkhonsky says. &quot;We are negotiating with the German consulate.&quot; &quot;German Petersburg&quot; starts on Oct. 3.
 Balkhonsky is also planning a &quot;Russian Petersburg&quot; competition for spring 2003. &quot;It's not necessary to explain why we want this,&quot; he says.
 
 <i>
&quot;Dutch Petersburg&quot; runs through June 10 on the roof of the Naryshkin Bastion at the Peter and Paul Fortress. </i>

TITLE: lucas sends in the clones
AUTHOR: by Kenneth Turan
PUBLISHER: The Los Angeles Times
TEXT: We'll never see another &quot;Star Wars,&quot; no matter how much we want to. And we want to very much.
 
But, like the cherished passions of first love, the fervor called forth by the landmark film is never coming back, and no amount of prequels or sequels is going to change that. Paradoxically, the fact that the latest prequel, &quot;Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones,&quot; is a bit better than its predecessor, serves only to illuminate how lacking these newcomers are in the things that matter.
 Given its huffy 9-year-old protagonist and off-putting characters like Jar Jar Binks and Watto the junk dealer, &quot;Episode I - The Phantom Menace&quot; was anything but a tough act to follow. Picking up the adventures of Anakin Skywalker 10 years later, &quot;Clones&quot; (which opened this week in St. Petersburg) has more menace and less Jar Jar, better battles and an impressive parade of eye-catching splendors. But like the Tin Man, &quot;The Wizard of Oz's&quot; C-3PO predecessor, it doesn't have a heart. Writer-director George Lucas' gift for animating the inanimate turns out to ride tandem with a tendency to deaden what should be completely alive.
 As with &quot;Phantom Menace,&quot; it is the pictorial element of &quot;Clones&quot; that makes the biggest impact. Production designer Gavin Bocquet, aided by four visual-effects supervisors, three concept-design supervisors, an animation director and a previsualization and effects co-supervisor (no, I don't know what that is either), has created some truly evocative alternative universes, and costume designer Trisha Biggar has determined what should be worn in each of them.
 Also well-executed are some of the film's action sequences, especially a thrilling mid-air chase through the dizzying nighttime urban caverns of Coruscant, the &quot;Blade Runner&quot;-reminiscent capital city. But, except for a climactic appearance by the venerable Yoda - whose computer-generated light-saber skills merited him a cover spread on the American news magazine Time under a &quot;Yoda Strikes Back!&quot; headline - creating emotion is beyond this film's powers.
 One reason behind this is a script that feels, well, cloned - something Lucas and co-writer Jonathan Hales threw together in their spare time. The plot is standard, and the dialogue, even for something intended for young people, is particularly flat. It ranges from the pious, &quot;The day we stop believing democracy can work is the day we lose it,&quot; to the predictive, &quot;Why do I get the feeling you're going to be the death of me,&quot; from Obi-Wan Kenobi to Anakin, to the pathetic, as when Anakin grumbles about Padme Amidala, &quot;I've thought about her every day since we parted - and she's forgotten me completely.&quot;
 These tired lines are matched by line readings so uniformly impassive that even such typically lively performers as Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan) and Natalie Portman (Padme) can't animate them. Only the veteran Christopher Lee gives a worthwhile performance as the villainous Count Dooku. For what Lucas gets out of his cast, the actors might as well be digital too.
 This dramatic stolidity underlines yet again how fortunate Lucas - and the world - was in the Harrison Ford-Carrie Fisher-Mark Hamill troika that animated the original &quot;Star Wars&quot; in 1977. Ford was especially adept in employing the kind of wickedly nonchalant sense of humor that is markedly absent this time around.
 To be fair to the current &quot;Clones&quot; team, there's perhaps something more at work here. When that first film was being made, it meant less than zero to say you were part of &quot;Star Wars.&quot; 
 Now, the original Lucas trilogy has been all but sanctified, and those involved in the more recent additions seem weighted-down by the knowledge that they're part of a phenomenon. There's an unshakable self-consciousness about &quot;Clones&quot; that does not work to its advantage.
 Still, the picture does start promisingly, with Senator (and former Queen) Amidala coming to Coruscant to try and preserve the Republic against a secessionist movement. She's quickly the target of multiple assassination plots, and the Jedi knight Obi-Wan and his Padawan learner-apprentice Anakin are called in to protect her.
 Judging by his performance here, the young Canadian actor Hayden Christensen was picked for Anakin strictly on his ability to radiate sullen teen rebellion, something he does a lot in the film. Anakin chafes like a grounded adolescent at the restrictions Obi-Wan places on him, grousing that the master is &quot;overly critical. He never listens. He just doesn't understand. It's not fair.&quot;
 This tone is continued in the forbidden romance (Jedis aren't allowed to fall in love) that develops between Anakin and the senator. As the young people hide from danger in an elegant Naboo retreat, they're burdened by a formidable lack of chemistry. And they're saddled with dialogue that might have been ransacked from old Harlequin novels: &quot;I'm haunted by the kiss you never should have given me.&quot;
 Everything inevitably ends in a climactic battle, where the senator gets to fight bad guys while baring her midriff, Britney Spears-style. Though the computer work is impressive, it too soon descends into video game overkill. Only a teenage boy could find this kind of stuff continually diverting, and only a teenage boy would not notice such flimsy emotions and underdeveloped acting. It seems Lucas, like Peter Pan, has never really grown up.

TITLE: Pakistan, India Exchange Threats of War
PUBLISHER: Combined Reports
TEXT: SRINAGAR, India - India's prime minister held talks with senior cabinet ministers and military officials in disputed Kashmir on Thursday, as shelling between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan pounded villages on both sides of their border.
 
At least one Indian soldier was killed and seven civilians injured in overnight firing, police said.
 In Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu-Kashmir state, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee held talks with Defense Minister George Fernandes, Interior Minister Lal Krishna Advani, top military officers, intelligence chiefs and senior civilian leaders.
 Amid fears of a fourth war between India and Pakistan, it was the first time that an Indian prime minister headed a meeting of the Unified Command, which includes the chiefs of India's army, navy and air force. In the past, the state's chief minister has chaired emergency military talks.
 On Wednesday, standing about 18 kilometers from the disputed frontier, Vajpayee addressed hundreds of soldiers on the tense Kashmir border and told them to prepare for war. Army officers responded by declaring that the troops were ready to die and India's navy moved five warships nearer to Pakistan.
 Late on Wednesday, Pakistan, which had repeatedly called for talks, explicitly pledged for the first time that it would not allow the area of Kashmir that it controls to be used for cross-border raids by Islamic militants.
 As the nuclear powers traded fire across their cease-fire line in the Himalayan region, killing several people on Thursday, the United States and its European allies said they were working behind the scenes to stop the two sides from slipping back into war.
 In Washington, the U.S. State Department called for an end to shelling in Kashmir and for Pakistan to curb the influx of Islamic militants into the contested territory. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell telephoned British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw to coordinate policy.
 In London, Straw warned that the two countries lack the highly developed control systems that helped prevent nuclear conflict in Europe for 40 years during the Cold War.
 &quot;In contradistinction to the situation finally achieved in Europe between NATO and the Soviet bloc, there isn't a highly developed nuclear doctrine or well-developed back channels of communication between these two parties, then there is a risk of nuclear warfare,'' he told BBC radio on Thursday. &quot;It is another reason why we have to do everything we can to avert a crisis.''
 Powell is sending his deputy, Richard Armitage, to the region shortly to confer with Indian and Pakistani leaders, and Straw is due there next week.
 At the Pentagon, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Wednesday that he was attempting to reach Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes by telephone to discuss the situation.
 &quot;The message to everyone is that this is a dangerous situation,'' he said.
 Rumsfeld said the confrontation is detrimental to the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan because Pakistan has moved some of its forces from the Afghan border, where they work in coordination with the United States to hunt down al-Qaida fighters.
 In Islamabad, Pakistan's top military leaders and cabinet issued a statement endorsing efforts to resolve the dispute through negotiations, but warned that Pakistan was ready &quot;to meet any contingency resolutely and with full force.'' They also reiterated a pledge made by Pakistani President, General Musharraf, in January, saying that Pakistan would not allow its territory to be used for terrorist activity.
 Pakistani analysts said that Wednesday's pledge by Islamabad went further than earlier assurances, as it was Pakistan's first public commitment not to permit terrorist activity from the part of Kashmir that it controls. India is demanding proof of such assurances.
 India and Pakistan have gone to war three times since gaining their independence from Britain in 1947. India sees Kashmir as an integral part of its territory. Pakistan wants a plebiscite to determine the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
 More than 33,000 people have been killed since late 1989 in a revolt against Indian rule in Kashmir.
 
 <i>(AP, Reuters) </i>

TITLE: Civil War Spreads to Urban Colombia
PUBLISHER: The Associated Press
TEXT: MEDELLIN, Colombia - Soldiers crouched behind a Coca-Cola sign, squeezing off bullets at an unseen enemy. Frightened teenagers stumbled through the streets, carrying wounded children in their arms.
 
For many Colombians, images from this week's battle in Medellin- the second largest city in Colombia- underscored a terrifying new phase in their country's long cycle of violence: urban warfare.
 For the last 38 years, Colombia's civil war has been fought mostly in the countryside. But, in recent months, leftist rebels, rival right-wing paramilitaries and even common criminals have battled for control of the hillside neighborhoods that surround Medellin.
 &quot;We're looking for control of the cities because whoever has that is one step ahead in the war,'' said a man who called himself Gomelo, a paramilitary leader in a Medellin barrio who guided an AP team around his territory during a recent trip.
 His fighters, dressed in the camouflage uniforms of the illegal United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC, openly roam some neighborhoods. Children watch with apparent admiration as the fighters stroll by with Kalashnikov rifles slung over their shoulders.
 The paramilitaries didn't participate in Tuesday's street battle, which erupted after security forces raided one of the hillside slums early Tuesday morning.
 Among the nine dead were two small girls. Another 30 people were injured during the gunfight.
 The guerrillas control some neighborhoods, the paramilitaries others. And then there are the areas whose fate is still being decided. The fighting hasn't reached downtown yet, and hasn't spread to other cities.
 Gomelo looked out over the city, indicating areas that the AUC's &quot;Metro Block'' control just three kilometers from Medellin's center. He described a recent battle - his fighters killed two people they believed were helping the guerrillas. The guerrillas responded with a rain of gunfire in Metro Block territory.
 Despite the battles, some residents say they are glad that the paramilitaries have invaded their neighborhood, taking control from the common criminals.
 &quot;They're the ones who take care of the neighborhood,'' said an old man who would only give his name as Samuel. He came to this neighborhood to escape the violence that plagues the countryside.
 Colombia's other large cities, such as Bogota and Cali, also have guerrilla cells, but their principal job is to support the rural fighters. Medellin is the first to see major urban fighting.
 A city of 3 million people in central Colombia, Medellin has a history of violence. It was the home of the late cocaine lord Pablo Escobar and the base for his drug-trafficking empire.
 During the height of the drug wars, in 1991 and 1992, Medellin had one of the highest homicide rates in the world, with 444 murders for every 100,000 residents dying. The rate fell to 150 per 100,000 residents in 2000, but it is going up again. Last year it was almost 200.
 In the early 1990s, drug traffickers based in Medellin collected money to arm a force to fight their rivals, the guerrillas. Later, the group evolved with help from cattle ranchers and businesspeople tired of being targeted by the guerrillas.
 &quot;We're living in the recycling of the drug trafficking violence, transformed into new structures and groups,'' said Luis Pardo, a former peace commissioner in Medellin.
 Jose, another Metro Block leader, says his father was killed by the guerrillas. Jose joined the rebelts to avenge his death, but after killing the alleged assassin, he defected to the paramilitaries. In Medellin, he appears to be on the winning side.
 Medellin police chief General Leonardo Gallego said that 70 percent of the city's slums are controlled by the AUC. &quot;They're gathering up various gangs and the ones who don't join them disappear,'' he said.

TITLE: WORLD WATCH
TEXT: Arafat Talking Elections 
 

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian President Yasser Arafat said in an interview on Thursday that he would hold presidential and legislative elections for the Palestinian Authority by early next year, adding that regional and municipal voting would be conducted toward the end of the year.
 When asked whether the election date was conditional on an Israeli military withdrawal, Arafat said: "It's not conditional,'' but added "I hope there will be a withdrawal so we can have our election freely in Palestine.''
 
 
Indian Heat Kills 1,030
 

HYDERABAD, India (AP) - The death toll from a heat wave that has gripped southeastern India rose to 1,030 Thursday as reports trickled in from remote rural villages. Most of the dead were older people unable to bear temperatures that reached 50 degrees celsius. 
 Officials were still adding up the toll in Andhra Pradesh state, but it was already the highest one-week death count on record for any Indian heat wave. In the hardest-hit districts, mostly on the Bay of Bengal, the heat was so intense that tin-roofed shanties turned into ovens, ponds and rivers dried up, birds fell from the sky and animals collapsed. 
 
 
Levy Body Found
 

WASHINGTON (WP) - A man walking his dog on Wednesday found remains that the police identified as those of Chandra Ann Levy, the 24-year-old Washington intern who has been missing for more than a year and was linked romantically to Representative Gary Condit of California.
 Condit, who the police have said is not a suspect in the case, issued a statesaying that he and his family extended their condolences.
 Condit was subpoenaed to testify last month before a grand jury investigating Levy's disappearance. He has acknowledged a close relationship with the intern but denied involvement in her disappearance.
 
 
Suicide Bomber Blast 
 

RISHON LETZION, Israel (WP) - A Palestinian suicide bomber, dressed like an Israeli and with his hair dyed blond, detonated a powerful explosive Wednesday night on a pedestrian mall frequented by elderly chess players, killing two Israelis in the second suicide attack in this city in two weeks.
 The bombing injured more than 25 people - many of them seriously -continuing a relentless rhythm of attacks against Israeli civilians, despite Israel's military operation in the West Bank last month, designed to smash what Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon described as a Palestinian terrorist infrastructure.
 
 
Pope Addresses Baku
 

BAKU, Azerbaijan (NYT) - On his first foreign trip since child-abuse scandals racked the Roman Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II arrived Thursday in the former Soviet republic, vowing to continue his peace-seeking missions "as long as I have breath within me."
 After reading the first paragraph of his speech in faint, hobbled Russian, however, he gestured for a local priest to read the rest to his audience of politicians, intellectuals and diplomats. 
 The pope ostensibly came to Baku to minister to what the Vatican says are his 120 followers in this Muslim country. 



TITLE: Unsung Olausson Leads Wings Past Avs
AUTHOR: By John Marshall
PUBLISHER: The Associated Press
TEXT: DENVER, Colorado - Fredrik Olausson, who played in Switzerland last year and didn't even watch the NHL playoffs, led the Detroit Red Wings past the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3 on Wednesday night.
 
He scored his first playoff goal in 10 years at 12:44 of overtime, sending the Red Wings to a 2-1 victory and a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference finals.
 &quot;Last year I was in a hospital bed. I was in Switzerland with a ruptured spleen,&quot; Olausson said. &quot;Playing hockey was the farthest thing from my mind. I was grateful to come to Detroit and play, and here I am scoring an overtime goal. I'm very fortunate.&quot;
 Olausson's goal was his first in the playoffs since April 18, 1992, when he scored against Vancouver as a member of the Winnipeg Jets.
 Olausson beat goalie Patrick Roy from just inside the blue line, on a shot that appeared to hit Colorado defenseman Martin Skoula in the leg.
 Colorado allowed 42 shots - nine fewer than the first two games combined - and made it to overtime only because of Roy.
 Roy made several spectacular saves in regulation and stopped seven shots in overtime, but he shook his head and slumped to the ice after Olausson scored. Normally forthcoming about his performance, Roy was reduced to mostly one- and two-word replies after the game.
 When asked if he was screened on the winning goal or if he saw the puck, Roy said no. When asked the last time he made 40 saves and lost, he said: &quot;I can't remember.&quot;
 The Avalanche played physical seven-game series' against Los Angeles and San Jose, but coach Bob Hartley brushed aside the theory that fatigue was a factor.
 &quot;This is the worst excuse in the book,&quot; Hartley said. &quot;I don't even want to hear until the end of the playoffs the word fatigue. This is for losers.&quot;
 &quot;We didn't want the puck. They wanted the game and, for some reason I can't explain, we were not there.&quot;
 Detroit goalie Dominik Hasek stopped 20 shots and had an assist on Olausson's goal. Roy was equally effective, but faced 21 more shots than Hasek.
 &quot;Patrick was outstanding, of course, and particularly in overtime,&quot; Detroit coach Scott Bowman said. &quot;But before that, there wasn't much room for both teams.&quot;
 Colorado's Rob Blake opened the scoring with 4:06 left in the first, redirecting a shot from Joe Sakic on a power play. It was his sixth of the playoffs, but first since Game 4 against San Jose in the conference quarterfinals.
 Luc Robitaille tied it 5:20 into the third after Colorado's Greg de Vries swatted a rebound off his skate. It was Robitaille's third goal of the playoffs.

TITLE: Keane Sent Home After Coach Row
PUBLISHER: The Associated Press
TEXT: SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands - Manchester United captain Roy Keane was sent home from Ireland's World Cup squad on Thursday after a training bust up with a coach.
 
The departure of the team's biggest star is a major blow to its World Cup chances.
 Team manager Mick McCarthy announced at a news conference that the 30-year-old midfielder was a &quot;disruptive influence,&quot; would be going home and would not take part in the World Cup.
 &quot;I have made the right decision not only for the benefit of me but for the squad,&quot; said McCarthy, whose team has three-time champion Germany and African Nations and Olympic champion Cameroon in its group. &quot;We will move on and be all right because we are collectively strong.
 &quot;We all know his ability but, when he makes a public and open show of his opinions and makes such public criticism, everybody starts talking about it.&quot;
 McCarthy met with his Irish team on Thursday to deal with the Keane situation, which is when Keane sounded off and the coach exploded.
 &quot;I cannot and will not tolerate being spoken to with that level of abuse being thrown at me so I sent him home,&quot; McCarthy said. &quot;I am sad to lose him. As a player his is absolutely brillant. He is one of the best in the world.&quot;
 Milo Corcoran, president of the Football Association of Ireland, said: &quot;We're a 23-man team and the fact that one man is gone is not the whole story.
 &quot;This has been going on for a long time and now that it's resolved there will be better team spirit for the side.&quot;
 Keane is not leaving because of injury or medical reasons, and that means Ireland may not be able under FIFA rules to get a replacement.
 Ireland's top player, Keane, who had an argument and training ground flare up with coach Packie Bonner, had threatened to leave on Wednesday and also announced his retirement from international soccer.
 The Manchester United captain has complained about training camp facilities on the American-administered Pacific island, but said that was just the &quot;tip of the iceberg.&quot;
 &quot;I've come over here to do well and I want people around me to want to do well,&quot; Keane said. &quot;If I feel we're not all wanting the same things, there's no point. It's been going on a while. It's the whole fact of being away. Maybe I should be OK with it, but enough is enough. I'm banging my head against a brick wall regarding certain issues about this trip. From the training facilities to all sorts. This trip is the tip of the iceberg.&quot;

TITLE: Bonds Moves to Fifth All-Time
PUBLISHER: The Associated Press
TEXT: PHOENIX, Arizona - Barry Bonds hit his 583rd home run Wednesday night, tying Mark McGwire for fifth on the career list and leading the Giants to a 12-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
 
Bonds' two-run shot in the sixth inning off Arizona reliever Eddie Oropesa was his 16th this year - one behind Sammy Sosa for the major league lead.
 Bonds went 1-for-8 in the two-game series in Phoenix, dropping his average to .367 - still enough to lead the National League.
 And his only hit gave the Giants the runs they needed to hold on against the Diamondbacks, who beat them 9-4 the previous night. But Bonds wouldn't acknowledge his contribution.
 &quot;Let the guys who won the game talk,&quot; he said.
 David Bell homered twice and drove in three runs, the second multihomer game of his career. He had a solo shot off Arizona starter Miguel Batista in the third inning and a two-run drive in the sixth off Mike Morgan (1-1) that gave San Francisco a 5-4 lead.
 Later in the sixth, Bonds made it 7-4 when he pulled a 2-2 pitch off the foul pole in right field with Ramon Martinez aboard. The pole is 100 meters from home plate, but the ball was so high the homer was estimated at 114 meters.
 It left him needing four to pass Frank Robinson, who hit 586, for fourth.
 
 <strong>
Chicago Cubs 7, Pittsburgh 4. </strong>At Chicago, Mark Prior lived up to his considerable hype Wednesday night, striking out 10 and allowing two runs in his debut as the Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates. He became only the 14th Cubs starter since 1920 to win his big league debut - something Greg Maddux and Kerry Wood couldn't do.
 
And he helped the Cubs get their third win in four games - what passes for a streak this season.
 &quot;There's a lot of pressure on him with all the fanfare and everything,&quot; Cubs manager Don Baylor said. &quot;It's probably tough for anybody, especially a young kid, his very first time pitching, at home. His mental toughness is exceptional.&quot;
 So is his stuff. The No. 2 pick in last year's draft scattered four hits over six innings, walking two and hitting one batter. His only real blemish was a solo homer by Brian Giles.
 He struck out at least one batter every inning, and retired seven of eight during one stretch.
 Though the Cubs gave Prior an early lead on Sammy Sosa's solo homer and Fred McGriff's two RBIs, Pittsburgh rallied, cutting it to 5-4 on RBI singles from Adrian Brown and Jason Kendall.
 But pinch-hitter Darren Lewis and Joe Girardi each had RBI doubles in the bottom of the eighth, and Antonio Alfonseca got five outs for his seventh save.

TITLE: Officials Drafting New Rules To Weed Out the Real Cheats
PUBLISHER: The Associated Press
TEXT: KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - World anti-doping officials have drafted new rules that distinguish between true drug cheats and athletes who test positive for substances that don't help them perform better.
 
The move by the World Anti-Doping Agency comes in response to cases where athletes have been stripped of medals after positive tests for recreational drugs or substances in cold remedies.
 WADA officials briefed the Association of National Olympic Committees on Thursday on draft proposals for a world anti-doping code, which Olympic leaders hope will be enacted before the 2004 Summer Games in Athens.
 WADA has drafted a new definition of doping, specifying that a doping substance or method &quot;has the potential to enhance sport performance&quot; as well as posing a health risk to athletes. Previous definitions did not single out performance-enhancing drugs.
 Rune Andersen, WADA's director of standards and harmonization, said marijuana and other nonperformance enhancers would no longer be included on the list of banned substances. Instead, they would be listed in a new &quot;code of conduct&quot; category.
 These substances &quot;will be prohibited but it will not be a doping offense,&quot; Andersen said in an interview. &quot;There will be a code-of-conduct list, and sports will have their regulations and their own penalties for that. It will be a breach of the code of conduct, which is not related to doping.&quot;
 The existing banned list includes hundreds of steroids, stimulants, narcotics and related substances.

TITLE: SPORTS WATCH
TEXT: Kafelnikov Flat
 

DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) - Yevgeny Kafelnikov fell to his eighth defeat in nine clay-court matches, but Russia still defeated Spain 2-1 in the World Team Cup on Wednesday with a doubles win and Marat Safin's 6-4, 6-4 victory over Alex Corretja. 
 Britain also defeated Germany, on a day in which play was moved to a special indoor court because of rain. 
 The format for the event, celebrating its 25th year, consists of two groups of four teams. The teams in each group play each other in a tie consisting of two singles matches and one doubles match, with the winners of each group advancing to Saturday's final.
 
 
A Rogge Return
 

MOSCOW (Reuters) - International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge will visit Moscow next month to open the youth games of the former Soviet republics. 
 "Mr. Rogge will come to Moscow for the opening of the International Youth Games of the CIS and Baltic states on June 15," Sergei Korol, the chairman of Moscow's Sports and Physical Culture Committee, told a news conference on Wednesday. "During his four-day visit to Moscow, Rogge will meet with various high-ranking Russian sports and government officials, including President Vladimir Putin." 
 It will be Rogge's first visit to the Russian capital since his election there as the IOC chief last July.
 
 
Guy Talk
 

MONACO (Reuters) - Canadian Jacques Villeneuve has joined in the Formula One "team orders" debate by telling Ferrari's world champion Michael Schumacher to "stand up and be a man."
 Ferrari sparked an outcry 10 days ago in Austria, when Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, who had led from pole position, was ordered to allow Schumacher to win.
 "I don't really have a problem with team orders at the racetrack," said 1997 world champion Villeneuve, sitting alongside Barrichello at a news conference on Wednesday ahead of Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix.
 "The only thing that I felt was unacceptable was the podium situation.
 "If you win a race, even if its in a way that you didn't like, be a man and step on the top step and just take your trophy, even if you are embarrassed because everybody is booing at you.
 "You accepted taking the win, you didn't slow down, you felt good about it, you raised your hand on the last lap until you heard people booing at you.
 "Step up there, take the trophy and be a man."
 
 
Quinn on Ice
 

TORONTO, Canada (Reuters) - The injury-plagued Toronto Maple Leafs had a new gap in the lineup on Wednesday after doctors confirmed coach Pat Quinn would miss at least the next two playoff games because of an irregular heartbeat.
 The portly, cigar-chomping Quinn was reported to be in stable condition and resting comfortably after he was admitted to hospital in Toronto on Tuesday afternoon.
 Team President Ken Dryden said early Wednesday evening that Quinn was feeling much better and doctors could allow him back behind the Leafs' bench for Game 6 in Toronto on Monday.
 The Maple Leafs are currently behind the Carolina Hurricanes two games to one in their best-of-seven series in the National Hockey League's Eastern Conference final. The winner of the series will go on to battle either Detroit or Colorado for the Stanley Cup.
 Quinn missed Tuesday night's Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, which the Hurricanes won 2-1 in overtime.
 
 
Passport Control
 

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Reuters) - Diego Maradona's famed number 10 jersey may not be going to the World Cup in Japan - but neither will he, unless his travel visa comes through soon.
 Maradona, who led Argentina to World Cup victory in Mexico in 1986, is barred by law from entering Japan because of a drug offence dating back to 1991, and is waiting to hear whether an exception will be made, his agent Guillermo Coppola said on Wednesday. 
 "It's a shame about Japan," Coppola said. "They let in the people who dropped the bomb on Hiroshima and yet they won't let Diego in. The [embassy] has not answered yet. There is still a chance but there are only five days left." 
 Maradona has been contracted to work for a Mexican TV channel and newspaper covering the tournament from Japan.
 
 
Taking Flack
 

NEW DELHI, India (Reuters) - Indian players were criticized for poor temperament after their 2-1 defeat in West Indies dashed their hopes of a rare test-series victory abroad. 
 "We lost a golden opportunity after a gap of 16 years," former skipper Ajit Wadekar said after India lost the deciding fifth test in Jamaica by 155 runs on Wednesday. 
 India raised hopes of scoring its first series victory outside the sub-continent since its 2-0 win in England in 1986 when it won the second test in Trinidad.
 
 
Duck Vacancy Filled
 

ANAHEIM, California (Reuters) - The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim promoted from within Wednesday, naming Mike Babcock the new coach of the struggling franchise.
 Babcock coach ed the National Hockey League team's top minor-league affiliate, the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the American Hockey League, the last two seasons.
 Earlier this month, the Ducks elevated coach Bryan Murray to the post of senior vice president and general manager. Murray began a search for Anaheim's sixth coach in its nine-year history.
 Murray decided on the 39-year-old Babcock, who posted a 74-59-20-7 record at Cincinnati and led the team to the playoffs in each of his two seasons.
 
 
Running Away
 

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (AP) -USA Track &amp; Field's national indoor championships will move to a new city in 2003, leaving the Armory Track &amp; Field Center in New York after just one year.
 While some complained during this year's event that the New York facility was too small, officials say the move is to accommodate the construction of the National Track &amp; Field Hall of Fame in the armory.
 "There is concern that if we were to have the indoor championships there next year it would slow down construction," USA Track &amp; Field spokes person Jill Geer said Wednesday. "Right now the hall of fame is our No. 1 priority."
 The hall of fame is scheduled to be completed in November 2003.