LOCAL NEWS

WHAT DID THE 300TH REALLY DO FOR CITY RESIDENTS?

A great hope expressed before St. Petersburg's 300th-anniversary celebrations was that the occasion would provide a much-needed boost to the massive repairs needed by some of the city's decaying sights and crumbling buildings. But while many of the city's historical buildings got at least a new coat of paint on their facades, the ambitious plans made for the repair and construction of some crucial infrastructure are still unrealized.

MEDIA BARON GUSINSKY HELD IN GREECE

MOSCOW - A Greek prosecutor on Monday ordered Vladimir Gusinsky transferred from a detention facility at the Athens airport to a local jail, pending hearings on whether to extradite him to Moscow.

COSSACKS SADDLE UP FOR FIRST CONGRESS

NOVOCHERKASSK, Southern Russia - An invading French regiment is routed by a Cossack cavalry unit amid deafening cannon fire near the Tuzlovka River, a few kilometers outside Novocherkassk, the Don Cossack capital. After the lopsided battle, combatants from both sides sit down to drink vodka together while cannon smoke still lingers over the steppe.

But this is no mutual epiphany about the brotherhood of man.

WAS THE ANNIVERSARY GOOD FOR BUSINESS?

Much was said before the event about the effect that St. Petersburg's 300th-anniversary celebrations could have on business in the city. Angelina Davydova spoke with members of the business community to find out what the effects have actually been.

CULTURE PROVIDES MAIN DRAWS

While nearly everything this year has born the tag "In Honor of St. Petersburg's 300th Anniversary," there have been some genuinely important events in the sphere of culture.

Many of the events that attracted the most interest from city residents can be found in this area: the State Hermitage Museum opening through the night, the Mariinsky Theater's mammoth Stars of the White Nights festival and the Year of Japan.

DID SOMEBODY SAY THIS SHOULD GO ON ALL YEAR?

Although the main celebrations for St. Petersburg's 300th anniversary are already a distant memory for many, jubilee organizers say that the festivities are carrying on as planned until the end of the year.

NATIONAL NEWS

KUNGAYEVS MOVE TO NEW NORWAY HOME

MOSCOW - Fearing for the safety of their remaining children, the family of murdered Chechen woman Elza Kungayeva has moved from the squalor of an Ingush refugee camp to an apartment in a small town off Norway's coast.

For three years, Visa and Rosa Kungayev have been in and out of courtrooms fighting for the conviction of former Colonel Yury Budanov, who last month was sentenced to 10 years in a high-security prison for strangling their 18-year-old daughter in March 2000.

'LARA CROFT' STAR VISITS CAMPS IN CHECHNYA

MOSCOW - Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie is currently in movie theaters all over the country as Lara Croft, the pneumatic computer-action figure whose missions require impossible feats and mind-boggling stunts.

LOCAL BUSINESS

MID-TERM MACRO PLAN TOUTED

MOSCOW - Russia's gross domestic product is expected to grow 15 percent to 18 percent by the end of 2005, according to the government's midterm socioeconomic program released Monday.

To achieve this, the economy would have to expand 5 percent to 6 percent peryear for the next three years.

COURTS PREPARE TO RUN MOST-INDEBTED REGIONS

MOSCOW - In 2007, federal arbitration courts will be able to appoint special financial administrations to intervene in heavily indebted regions, according to amendmends to the Tax and Budget codes approved at last week's Cabinet meeting.

FIRMS SPLIT OVER WTO ROLE IN GOVERNANCE

MOSCOW - Russian membership of the World Trade Organization would create a chasm between companies with good corporate governance and those with none, as a few firms would attract increased foreign investment while many more would perish, a survey by the Investor Protection Association has shown.

AEROFLOT'S NEW IMAGE SET TO TAKE TO THE AIRWAVES

MOSCOW - As Aeroflot works to implement the new image crafted for it by British branding firm Identica, the flagship airline said on Monday that it will launch an 18-month television and billboard advertising campaign in October.

REPORT: ABRAMOVICH CONSIDERING F1 ADDITION TO SPORTS STABLE

MOSCOW - Having recently bought English soccer club Chelsea, Chukotka Governor Roman Abramovich is considering investing in Formula One, planning to buy one of the sport's financially troubled teams, British newspapers reported.

Formula One racing is the oil and aluminum tycoon's second-favorite sport after soccer, popular tabloid The Sun reported last Thursday, noting that Abramovich has recently been in contact with the sport's senior officials.

NORILSK REAPS BENEFITS OF RECOVERING EXPECTATIONS

MOSCOW - Bolstered by expectations of global economic recovery and a labor strike at the mines of its major international competitor, Norilsk Nickel has seen its fortunes soar.

OPINION

THE REAL PROBLEM? VISAS

The Russian-American relationship has a serious problem. No, it's not Iraq, Iran or North Korea, each of which is the subject of complex but productive dialogue. The problem is more mundane but still potentially disruptive. It is the problem of American visas.

WHAT'S UP WITH RUSSIA'S SOCCER TEAM?

Russian Football Union President Vyacheslav Koloskov was right to call last Thursday's resignation of national-team coach Valery Gazzayev "a sad day for Russian football.

Journalists Have A Jolie Time for Visit of Actor

Going into the weekend, virtually everyone in the media that noted Angelina Jolie's visit to Russia complained that she was not immediately and at all times available to journalists. "According to [Jolie], the attention of journalists will distract her from her peacekeeping duties, and she also would like to be 'completely focused on her mission,'" Gazeta.

WORLD

SPORTS WATCH

Khorkina Triumphs

ANAHEIM, California (AP) - With the all-around gold medal on the line and an entire arena spellbound, Svetlana Khorkina was at her captivating best Friday night in the World Gymnastics Championships. She oozed charisma and charm as she sashayed through her floor exercise, giving the "routine" the feel of a prima ballerina's finest performance.