The St. Petersburg Times

Endurance in Sport and Business: Sir Rocco Forte

By Galina Stolyarova — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

As the city’s Hotel Astoria celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, its owner, Sir Rocco Forte, talks to The St. Petersburg Times about combating Sicilian bureaucracy, learning from wasted opportunities, storming out of a fencing competition and his plans to conquer Moscow and New York.

A Land of Volcanoes and Geysers

By Julia Phillips — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY — In a corner of this huge country, at the very edge of the world, the Kamchatka Peninsula juts 1,500 kilometers into the Pacific.

THE DISH: Little Italy

By Shura Collinson — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

Family values While Italianskaya Ulitsa certainly did not get its name from being home to a wealth of Italian restaurants and could hardly be described as the city’s Italian district, new trattoria Little Italy, which opened on the street in March, is certainly doing its best to live up to its name.

Divas and demonstrators

By Peter Leonard — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

BAKU, Azerbaijan — Sweden’s Loreen clinched the top spot at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest at the weekend with her dance hit “Euphoria,” pushing aside competition from a sextet of Russian grannies and a Serbian balladeer.

Behind the scenes

By Kristen Steagall — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

We download their music and become familiar with their voices. We would recognize them on the street and we envy their swagger. But what do we really know about our favorite musicians? After this weekend, hopefully a little bit more.

the word’s worth: Asking for trouble

By Michele A. Berdy — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

Провокатор: plant, rabble-rouser, troublemaker, provocateur One of my favorite new language toys is Google’s Ngram Viewer, which lets you — in highly technical Googlese — “search lots of books” to find the frequency of a word or phrase.

A mirror of modern life

By Galina Stolyarova — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

Looking at one’s reflection in the mirror can be a most sobering sight. This is certainly the case with British director Graham Vick’s daring production of Modest Mussorgsky’s opera “Boris Godunov,” which premiered on Friday, May 25 at the Mariinsky Theater.

Skyline surfing

By Sergey Chernov — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

St. Petersburg will now have its own BalconyTV, the international daily online viral music show that features bands, musicians and other variety acts on balconies around the world.

FROM A SAFE DISTANCE: Why Russia’s Mafia State Is So Inefficient

By Alexei Bayer — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

In “The Godfather,” author Mario Puzo describes criminal boss Don Corleone’s organization as a highly centralized money-making machine. The Godfather is the CEO of an underground business empire, a kind of shadowy Henry Ford who collects all the money and makes all the decisions.

There’s Just One Nationality — Mathematician

By Victor Davidoff — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

“Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind.” This quote from Albert Einstein is a very convenient explanation for the surge of nationalist sentiment in Russia.

Worldwide Web Poses Challenge To Russia’s TV Viewership

Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

For the first time ever, the number of Internet users took the lead over television in Russia in April. Yandex website became the new leader on the Russian media market, outstripping the country’s leading Channel 1 TV station, Vedomosti newspaper reported.

High-Speed Train Between Capitals to Cost $35.1Bln

By Irina Titova — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

A high-speed railway project between Moscow and St. Petersburg is ready for realization, said Vladimir Yakunin, head of Russian Railways. When the new route opens, which is planned to coincide with Russia’s hosting of the 2018 World Cup, the trip between Moscow and St.

Shareholders Quarrel, TNK-BP CEO Quits

Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

MOSCOW — Russian tycoon Mikhail Fridman on Monday unexpectedly announced his resignation as chief executive of TNK-BP, a sign of rising tensions between shareholders at the Russian venture of British company BP.

ExxonMobil Pours Concrete for Phase 3 of Sakhalin-1

By Howard Amos — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

VOSTOCHNY PORT, Primorye Region — The bottom half of what will be Russia’s biggest ice-resistant drilling platform looked like a gigantic upside-down table.

Foreign Ministry Blasts American Ambassador

Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

MOSCOW — The Foreign Ministry assailed U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul for comments he made to students last week, saying the ministry was “utterly shocked” and that McFaul’s remarks went “far beyond the bounds of diplomatic etiquette.

Hague and Lavrov Work to Smooth Over Syria Crisis

By Nikolaus von Twickel — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

MOSCOW — British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Monday became the first senior Western official to hold talks with the new Russian government, in what analysts labeled an initiative to prevent further deterioration of relations.

Medvedev Appointed United Russia Chair

By Alexander Bratersky — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

MOSCOW — Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev called for United Russia to be “rebuilt from scratch” at a convention that elected him party leader over the weekend.

Opposition Activists Ask For 50,000-Strong June 12 Rally

Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

MOSCOW — Opposition activists have submitted an application to hold a rally June 12, asking Moscow authorities to approve the attendance of up to 50,000 people in a protest that may serve as the first test of a new rally law that could be approved as early as next week.

Russia Accepts 210 Foreign Diplomas

By Natalya Krainova — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

MOSCOW — Diplomas from 210 foreign universities will now be acknowledged in Russia without additional state evaluation, according to a government order published Friday by Rossiiskaya Gazeta.

150 Detained at Anti-Kremlin Rallies

By Alexandra Odynova — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

MOSCOW — About 150 people were detained Sunday as scores of people gathered for a series of anti-government demonstrations in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

IN BRIEF

Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

Tokyo Route Begins ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) — City residents and guests will once again have the opportunity to fly directly between St. Petersburg and Tokyo.

2 Shot Dead In Restaurant

Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

A criminal investigation has been opened into a fatal shooting that took place in a local restaurant, resulting in the deaths of two people Sunday night.

Tallinn Train Route Reopens

By Olga Kalashnikova — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

A direct rail link between St. Petersburg and the Estonian capital of Tallinn reopened Sunday after a four-year break. The train service between St. Petersburg and Tallinn was canceled in 2008 because of both technical and economic reasons, including insufficient demand.

Undercover Agent Serves As Witness in Trial of 12

By Sergey Chernov — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

The prosecution presented its most intriguing witness yet during the trial of the 12 Other Russia activists Tuesday. An undercover agent, who reported to counter-extremism Center E on the activists’ meetings and protests, took the stand at the trial’s latest session.

City Dwellers Show Loyalty

By Irina Titova — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

The majority of St. Petersburg and Moscow residents love living in their cities, according to a new poll. According to a sociological survey carried out by the website Superjob.