LOCAL NEWS

FINNS SEE OPPORTUNITY AMID MASSES OF WASTE

MOSCOW — Riches from oil, gas, metals and timber have beckoned dozens of multinational companies to Russia, but just one has set up shop here to cash in on the country’s abundant supply of garbage.

And when many of those same industrial giants had to cut down on business during last year’s economic slowdown, the Finnish firm Lassila & Tikanoja faced no disastrous drop in the amount of waste — and so it kept investing.

“It’s good to be in a different kind of business than all the others,” said Jaana Mulari, L&T director for Baltic countries and Russia. “In many cases, we are like pioneers. We are proud of it.”

She described waste recycling as “untouched ground” in Russia.

HUNDREDS PROTEST CLOSURE OF CITY MARKET

Hundreds of business owners who used to work at the Khasansky market in the East of the city came out in protest this week against its closure to make way for the construction of a new market complex, saying the closure was illegal and would leave up to 4,000 people unemployed.

Lovers Donate Blood for St. Valentine’s Day

As Russian hospitals struggle with shortages of blood, the St. Petersburg branch of the Russian Red Cross and the St. Petersburg Blood Transfusion Center are organizing a blood donation project aimed at loving St. Valentine’s Day couples. The volunteers of the “Heart to Heart” program believe this is exactly what a loving couple might consider: sharing some of their warmth with the people in need.

NATIONAL NEWS

PRIME MINISTER PROMISES A CLEANER BALTIC SEA

MOSCOW — Prime Minister Vladimir Putin promised Baltic statesmen Wednesday that Russia would curtail its sewage dumping and reassured them that the Nord Stream pipeline would not harm the Baltic Sea, as Finland was nearing a decision on the final permit for the pipeline.

UNITED RUSSIA DOESN’T WANT ALEXEI KUDRIN

MOSCOW — United Russia does not want Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin as a member because of fundamental disagreements over economic policy, State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov said Tuesday.

ST. PETERSBURG BUILDS BRIDGES TO BAVARIA

The innovations, high technology and automobile industry of Bavaria will play a huge role in advancing the economy of St. Petersburg, according to participants in the Days of the Bavarian Economy event that has been taking place in the city this week.

LEADING INDICATOR PREDICTS Q1 GDP GROWTH OF 3.5%

MOSCOW — Economic growth in Russia will likely be swifter than expected this quarter, with gross domestic product rising 3.5 percent from the last quarter of 2009, according to RenCap-NES’s leading indicator, released Wednesday.

OPINION

INNOVATIVE LEAP BACKWARD

It seems that every time Russia’s leaders proclaim an “innovative leap forward,” the West publishes fresh statistics indirectly proving that such a leap is impossible. For example, a recent report on the number of patents registered with the U.S. Patent Office over the last five years shows that Denmark has more than twice as many patents than Russia, Sweden has 6.

LETTING POOR PEOPLE VOTE IS DANGEROUS

Viktor Yanukovych’s victory in Sunday’s presidential election — not unlike the victories of former Chilean President Salvador Allende, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or Adolf Hitler — once again raises doubt about the basic premise of democracy: that the people are capable of choosing their own leader.

CULTURE

STILL STANDING

Chufella Marzufella is pure rock and roll. One of the best local live acts, the garage rock band inspired by the early Rolling Stones and Who has been pumping out great music since its first performances in the early 1990s.

With its comical lyrics, the band was a breath of fresh air after the poetry-conscious Russian bands of the 1980s, playing no-frills, rough rock music without sounding like an imitation of Western bands.

SPEECHLESS CINEMA

Cinema doesn’t necessarily need words to be expressive, according to the organizers of a year-long festival titled “Silent Film + Live Music” that kicks off in the city this weekend.

Sweet Georgia?

When God was distributing portions of the world to all the people of the Earth, the Georgians were having a party and doing some serious drinking. As a result, they arrived late and were told by God that all the land had been distributed. When they replied that they were only late because they had been lifting their glasses in praise of Him, God was pleased, and gave the Georgians that part of Earth He had been reserving for Himself.