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The tide of protest against the arrest of Maxim Reznik, the leader of the local branch of liberal party Yabloko, showed no sign of ebbing Monday as the prominent oppositional leader began his second week behind bars. The Prosecutor’s Office Investigative Committee officially charged Reznik on Friday. |
All photos from issue.
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MOSCOW — An opposition activist who was drafted into the Army despite a medical exemption has been released from active duty after spending six weeks confined to hospital, he said Thursday. Oleg Kozlovsky, the 23-year-old leader of the Oborona youth group and a fixture at anti-Kremlin rallies, said he would seek 100,000 rubles ($4,160) in compensation from the Defense Ministry. Kozlovsky said his ordeal was a plan by the Federal Security Service to keep him from organizing and participating in rallies during State Duma and presidential elections. “It’s the old Soviet tactics at work,” Kozlovsky said. The FSB could not be reached for comment on Monday. |
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 MOSCOW — Former Arkhangelsk mayor and would-be presidential candidate Alexander Donskoi was convicted Thursday of abusing his office and handed a three-year suspended sentence in a case he called politically motivated. |
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A St. Petersburger has set a new Guinness world record for eating pancakes. Andrei Smirnov, 33, ate 73 pancakes, or blini, in 60 minutes in the village of Lakhta, 20 kilometers west of St. Petersburg, on Thursday during traditional Maslenitsa or Shrovetide festivities. |
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University Protest ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) — About 70 students held street-side lectures on Sunday in act of protest against the closure of the European University last month on fire safety regulations, Fontanka. |
 RIGA, Latvia — Pitch-black corridors, the stink of damp and peeling walls give the impression of a medieval dungeon: The Russian writing on heavy metal doors hints at the building’s true purpose. This was the basement of the “House on the Corner,” the headquarters of the KGB in Latvia. The building, a satellite of the notorious KGB headquarters on Lubyanskaya Ploshchad in Moscow, is soon to be vacated by the Latvian state police, and some are campaigning for it to become a place of remembrance for those who suffered during 50 years of Soviet occupation. |
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 This year, for the first time the Commercial Real Estate Awards ceremony will take place in St. Petersburg to recognize the specific achievements of leading local developers and real estate professionals. 350 market players will attend the ceremony, which will take place on March 28 in Smolny Cathedral. |
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Water Rules Violated ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) — The Northwest Prosecutor’s Office has identified 221 violations in the sea ports and water transportation system so far this year, Interfax reported Friday. |
 MOSCOW — From the titans of industry to the friends of President Vladimir Putin, Russia’s richest just had one hell of a year. Boosted by soaring oil and commodity prices, the ranks of the country’s billionaires have swollen to 87, up from 53 a year ago, according to Forbes’ new world rich list, released Thursday. |
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MOSCOW — Russian Railways, or RZD, is considering buying a controlling stake in power generation company TGK-14 jointly with ESN-Energo, an industry source said Thursday. |
 MOSCOW — The government wants foreign investors to seek its permission for buying control of mobile and landline communications companies, a measure that could hamper growth in the booming sector, according to draft legislation made public Thursday. The requirement is the latest addition to the bill seeking to regulate foreign investment in strategic industries that are crucial for national security. |
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WASHINGTON — With oil above $100 a barrel and Arctic ice melting faster than ever, some of the world’s most powerful countries — including the United States and Russia — are looking north to a possible energy bonanza. |
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NEW DELHI — India has awarded Russia a 965-million-dollar contract to upgrade its multi-role MiG-29 warplanes, officials said on Monday. The two post-Cold War allies Saturday signed the deal to extend the life of India’s fleet of 70 MiG-29 jets another 15 years from their current 25 years, an air force official said. |
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LONDON — A British company has developed a camera that can detect weapons, drugs or explosives hidden under people’s clothes from up to 25 meters away in what could be a breakthrough for the security industry and the fight against terrorism. The T5000 camera, created by a company called ThruVision, uses what it calls “passive imaging technology” to identify objects by the natural electromagnetic rays — known as Terahertz or T-rays — that they emit. |
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CUPERTINO, California — Apple, Inc. said on Thursday its iPhone soon will support corporate e-mail, targeting a new market and challenging the dominance of Research In Motion Ltd’s popular BlackBerry devices. |
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You’ve seen this feature they added to Google Maps last spring called Street View, right? Click on certain streets and highways highlighted in blue on the map, and you get a panoramic street-level view of the place, including anyone who happened to be there when the Google camera van drove by to capture the images. |
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 Rossia state television showed “The Fall of an Empire: The Lessons of Byzantium,” a film by Archimandrite Tikhon Shevkunov, in late January. The film sparked a heated debate about the role that the West played in the collapse of the Byzantine Empire, whether modern Russia faces similar dangers, and whether the Russian Orthodox Church could help prevent a similar collapse. |
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Today the Baltic Sea is dead in many places, and human beings have caused this. Massive discharges of nutrients have slowly brought about the considerable eutrophication which can be seen in the summer as a green and, in places, poisonous algae sludge. |
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Another week passes and another automotive company has set up shop here in St. Petersburg. This week, Hyundai finalized a December agreement to build a plant in the city. The buzz created by General Motors’ CEO Richard Wagoner dubbing St. Petersburg the “Detroit of the North,” has yet to subside here, almost two years later. |
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PARIS — President Nicolas Sarkozy’s center-right UMP party suffered losses in the first round of French municipal elections on Sunday but avoided the crushing defeat some had predicted. Results showed the Socialists had convincingly kept control of France’s second city Lyon and looked sure to maintain a firm grip on the capital Paris after the March 16 runoff ballot. The first round was branded “Warning” by Le Parisien daily but with much still to play for in a host of cities, leftist leaders urged their supporters to turn out in force next weekend and transform initial gains into ballot triumphs. “Everything remains open. Nothing has been won or lost,” said Socialist leader Francois Hollande. The municipal vote is the first major electoral test for Sarkozy since he stormed to power 10 months ago, and comes at a time when his own approval ratings have slumped. |
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SURF’S UP!
/ Reuters
Stormy seas hit coastal sea defenses at Seaford in Sussex, England, on Monday. A storm rushing in from the Atlantic brought the risk of flooding. |
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LONDON — Work on Heath Ledger’s last film, suspended due to his death by accidental overdose in January, has resumed after three Hollywood stars agreed to play his character, director Terry Gilliam said on Monday. Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law will step in to complete Ledger’s unfinished role in the movie “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” which is due for release next year.
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AMSTERDAM — The Danish cartoonist behind controversial images of the Prophet Mohammad has urged a Dutch right-wing politician to broadcast a film expected to be critical of the Koran despite fears it might spark violence. Kurt Westergaard is the author of a series of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed including one showing him with a bomb as a turban which triggered riots in the Muslim world and a boycott of Danish products when they were published in 2006. |
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DHARAMSHALA, India — Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on Monday attacked China’s human rights record, accusing it of “unimaginable and gross violations” in his Himalayan homeland. |
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MADRID — Fresh from a second consecutive election victory, Spain’s Socialists began to prepare a public works programme on Monday to reinvigorate a flagging economy. Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who boosted his tally of parliamentary seats but once again fell short of an absolute majority, said he would approach smaller parties to forge alliances. |
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BEIJING — China insisted on Monday it would be able to hold a safe Olympics after officials said they had foiled two terrorist plots, while analysts and activists expressed skepticism about the extent of any threat. |
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 DUBAI — When Andy Roddick defeated Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-7 6-4 6-2 to win the Dubai Championships on Saturday, he did it against the odds. The sixth-seeded American had arrived late after competing in Memphis the week before and admitted that he almost sleepwalked through his first two rounds. |
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VALENCIA, Spain — Russian middle distance runner Yelena Soboleva stole the show on the final day of the world indoor championships when she smashed her own indoor world record to take gold in the 1,500 meters. |
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LONDON — Barnsley’s reward for knocking holders Chelsea and Liverpool out of the FA Cup is a semi-final against fellow Championship (second division) side Cardiff City. Monday’s draw also pitted Portsmouth, the only Premier League side left in the competition, against Championship high-flyers West Bromwich Albion. |
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ADDIS ABABA — Marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie said on Monday he would not compete in the Olympic marathon because of fears that Beijing’s air pollution would damage his health. |
Temp: -2°C moderate or heavy snow showers
Issues Archive