Notebook

NOTE THE BIT ADDED IN PARENTHESES IN THIS FIRST BRIEF. I RECALL THE REMAINS BEING CERTIFIED BY THIS COMMISSION, NO?

Tsar on hold?

The Russian Orthodox Church has expressed doubts that remains identified as those of Tsar Nicholas II and his family are authentic, which could mean a delay in the planned burial of Russia's last emperor. According to Metropolitan Yuvenali, a member of the government commission on the identification of the tsar's remains (the same commission that recently certified the remains), many issues need to be clarified before the church can decide whether he should be canonized. Yet Yuvenali also confirmed that the church would still like the tsar to be buried on Forgiveness Sunday, February 25, 1996 in St. Petersburg's Peter and Paul Fortress, traditional resting place of Russian monarchs since the time of Peter the Great.

For whom the bells toll

Russian Patriarch Alexi II has consecrated the bells of Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral. Since the foundation stone was laid last January 7 (Orthodox Christmas), one of the world's largest cathedrals has been rebuilt at an astounding pace. Thousands of workers have toiled 24 hours a day -- even through the bitter Russian winter to erect a steel skeleton covered in brick and concrete. With the cathedral's superstructure all but complete, the project is expected to be finished in time for Moscow's 850th anniversary in 1997. The original, ordered destroyed by Stalin in 1931, took decades to build and was completed in 1883.

Talk is cheap?

The Moscow City Telephone Network (MCTN) is preparing to implement a new tariff structure whereby customers will pay for local calls on a per-minute basis, announced deputy general director Semyon Rabovsky. In the past, local calls within Moscow and other cities have always been free of charge from private phones. Though no target date has been set for the new system, MCTN is planning an experimental run in several Moscow regions.  Full implementation will depend on several factors, including installation of necessary equipment, approval of tariffs by the city government, and the "training of phone subscribers."

Remember when?

With no advance warning, public transport fares were increased by 50% on the eve of the new year. This fourth hike in 12 months means that users will now pay R1,500 (35 cents) for each metro, bus, or trolley trip  three times higher than at the beginning of 1995. The price of a yediny bilyet (monthly system-wide pass) is now R180,000 ($39), up from R120,000. With the average monthly wage at about R600,000 ($130), getting to work has become a new hardship for most Muscovites. Today's fares are a far cry from the five kopeks that Muscovites paid for metro tokens throughout the Soviet era. Prices took off for the first time in 1992, first to 15 and then 50 kopeks, and have risen steadily since.

Yeltsin on flight safety

President Boris Yeltsin has ordered his government to urgently improve flight safety in the wake of a series of Russian aviation disasters, the latest of which was the December 7 crash of a Tu-154 airliner in the Far East that killed all 97 persons on board. "Flight safety hasn't improved in 1995, which is evidenced by the recent air tragedies," read a statement from the Presidential Press Service. Yeltsin ordered top officials to "take urgent organizational, administrative and technical measures to enhance flight safety."

Orthodox Encyclopedia

Russia will celebrate 2,000 years of Christianity by publishing a 24-volume Orthodox Encyclopedia. Each volume will be 800 pages long. The first is to be released in 1998 and the last in 2010. The project is backed by Russia's Patriarch Alexi II and President Boris Yeltsin.

Wired in Moscow

The joint stock company Vzlyot ("Take-off"), a major defense conversion concern, has developed a new electronic database system for use by Moscow citizens. The system, which resembles a computer screen and keyboard, provides practical information such as emergency phone numbers, city street information, medical, accommodation and other service-related listings, and government contact information. The first dozen terminals are already operating in Moscow railway stations.  Three minutes of use costs R1,000 (about 22 cents). Vzlyot plans to install up to 300 such units in major shops and hotels by the end of 1996.

A kinder, gentler capital

In a new effort to remove the homeless from Moscow streets and train stations, the city government  has announced a multi-pronged effort to collect, house and employ the estimated 250-300,000 persons currently huddled in cold basements, alcoves and walkways. The plan  in contrast with earlier attempts, which consisted mainly of mass deportations beyond city limits  is to combine the forces of city housing, employment, law enforcement and social service agencies. The centerpiece of the new effort will be the construction of dormitories for the homeless in each of Moscow's 10 administrative districts.

Feting the fleet

In honor of the 300th anniversary of the Russian Navy (founded in 1696 by Peter the Great), the Russian government has launched a year-long celebration. The festivities were opened on New Year's Day with a formal "Marines' Ball" at the Union of Nobility. According to vice-premier Yuri Yarov,  who announced the government's plans, the anniversary will fete over 20 million Russians  not just active sailors and veterans, but also marines, merchant sailors, fishermen, and other maritime occupations. The festivities will conclude on October 20 with a solemn Orthodox service at the Assumption Cathedral in memory of all Russian seamen, followed by a gala folk concert at the Kremlin Palace  of Congresses. The federal government will pay for the festivities, but is counting on private contributions to supplement its budget. (Russian Life will feature the anniversary this fall.)

Drink ad ban flouted

A new ban on television advertising of alcohol and cigarettes went into effect January 1st, but was almost immediately violated. Advertising of Stroh's Red Bull beer and Eldorado Osborne whisky went unnoticed by the State Antitrust Committee, the body responsible for enforcing the ban. A Stroh representative claimed that the company had not broken the law, as its ad contract was signed before the ban went into effect. Once all-powerful in the electronic media, alcohol and tobacco producers seem unlikely to fight the ban, but will switch to billboard advertising, leaving television to confectionery and toiletries.

Underground city

After consultations with architects and builders, Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov has revealed new details about the giant subterranean complex on Manezh Square. It will contain shops, parking space, children's cafes decorated in Russian fairytale style and an archaeological museum. Each of the complex's three stories will be decorated in the style of one of the last three centuries, with the 18th at the bottom. Work should be completed by the 850th anniversary of Moscow in 1997.