Transaero will begin regular flights to Rome beginning June 27, the airline's chief executive Olga Pleshkova announced on her Twitter account Saturday, writing, "Received confirmation of schedule from airports in Italy)) 27.06 we start flights to Rome)) waiting for everyone)) flying from Vnukovo." The twice-daily Rome flights will be Transaero's first under a new deal between Russia and Italy that broke rival Aeroflot's long-held monopoly on routes between the two countries. The Federal...

<table cellspaceing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0"> <tbody> <tr><td><b>Last position:</b></td><td>chef</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Experience:</b></td><td>24</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Citizenship:</b></td><td>Italy</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Date of Birth:</b></td><td>04/08/1971</td></tr>...

Transaero has launched sales for its long-awaited Italian routes with an aggressive undercutting of prices offered by rival Aeroflot. Transaero has launched sales for its long-awaited Italian routes with an aggressive undercutting of prices offered by rival Aeroflot. The airline announced late Tuesday that it would begin flying to Rome from Moscow's Vnukovo Airport on June 27 and to Milan from June 30, confirming remarks made by chief executive Olga Pleshkova on her Twitter...

Italy's Eni scored another point in Russia when its subsidiary won an offshore-services contract from LUKoil. Italy's Eni scored another point in Russia when its subsidiary won an offshore-services contract from LUKoil. The subsidiary, Saipem, on Saturday signed a deal to lay pipelines that will carry oil and gas from an offshore Caspian Sea field. Saipem and LUKoil, which plans to launch the Vladimir Filanovsky field by the end of 2015, haven't named the price of the contract. Eni...

A dark cloud was cast Wednesday on the revival of Russia’s aviation industry when a Sukhoi-built Superjet 100 with 50 people on board disappeared from the radar screens of Indonesian flight controllers. A dark cloud was cast Wednesday on the revival of Russia’s aviation industry when a Sukhoi-built Superjet 100 with 50 people on board disappeared from the radar screens of Indonesian flight controllers. On a promotional tour of Asia to drum up interest among potential buyers, the plane...

As the financial crisis began to bite in 2009 and AvtoVAZ lurched toward bankruptcy, French auto giant Renault must have rued the day it heard of the Soviet behemoth. As the financial crisis began to bite in 2009 and AvtoVAZ lurched toward bankruptcy, French auto giant Renault must have rued the day it heard of the Soviet behemoth. In alliance with Nissan, Renault bought into Russia's biggest car manufacturer in late 2008 for the tidy sum of nearly $1 billion, but...

MILAN, Italy — Former Milan defender Kakha Kaladze says he will retire from football to start a career in politics in his homeland. The 34-year-old Kaladze, who is from Georgia, says venturing into politics after a 19-year career in football will be "the most important game of my life, for freedom and democracy in my country." Kaladze currently plays for Genoa and also had spells at Dynamo Tbilisi and Dynamo Kiev. He was Georgia's captain and had 84 appearances before his international...

Enel's interest in the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, or TAP, project that aims to pump Azeri gas to Italy will boost TAP's chances of being picked as the pipeline of choice, analysts said. Producers in the Shah Deniz-2 field in Azerbaijan plan to ship about 16 billion cubic meters a year through Turkey into Europe from 2017 or 2018. "Enel is interested in projects that bring gas to the country," Enel chief executive Fulvio Conti said Wednesday. Asked whether such projects included the TAP, Conti...

Telecommunications holding VimpelCom Ltd. plans capital expenditures at 19 percent of revenue in 2012, according to company materials issued Wednesday. Capital expenditures in 2011 totaled about $6.35 billion, or 31.3 percent of revenue, of which $2 billion went into Russia, Interfax reported. The high expenditures in 2011 are attributed to investment in acquiring LTE licenses in Italy and extending a 2G license in Bangladesh as well as increasing investment in the Russian business, VimpelCom said...

Russia's group Buranovskiye Babushki has made it into the finals of the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, Azerbaijan, bringing the elderly folk singers from a far-off Russian village to the attention of more than 100 million viewers around the world. Russia's group Buranovskiye Babushki has made it into finals of the Eurovision Song Contest in Azerbaijan, bringing the elderly folk singers from a far-off Russian village to the attention of more than 100 million viewers around the world. The Buranovskiye...

Ksenia Chernyavskaya is the fundraising manager for Downside Up, a Russian charity providing support for children and families affected by Down syndrome. Ksenia Chernyavskaya is the fundraising manager for Downside Up, a Russian charity providing support for children and families affected by Down syndrome. The charity also works toward raising public awareness of Down syndrome with the aim of changing attitudes. As part of their efforts, Downside Up will host a charity...

American Depositary Receipts of VimpelCom Ltd. closed down 16.27 percent Friday on the New York Stock Exchange as U.S. investors reacted after a Moscow court blocked payouts from its Russian unit in response to a disputed share purchase in the group by Norway's Telenor. American Depositary Receipts of VimpelCom Ltd. closed down 16.27 percent Friday on the New York Stock Exchange as U.S. investors reacted after a Moscow court blocked payouts from its Russian...

TNK-BP saw its net profit to International Financial Reporting Standards drop 17 percent year on year to $2.18 billion in the first quarter. TNK-BP saw its net profit to International Financial Reporting Standards drop 17 percent year on year to $2.18 billion in the first quarter, Interfax reported Thursday, citing the company's financial report. Revenue expanded 16 percent to $16.1 billion in the first quarter thanks to 14 percent growth in the price of Urals oil, as well...

When Yury Yelashkin first encountered a camper van on holiday in Germany, it seemed like a somewhat alien concept. When Yury Yelashkin first encountered a camper van on holiday in Germany, it seemed like a somewhat alien concept. "You know when you see a yacht or something, and there is a mental barrier saying 'That's not for me' — you just don't associate yourself with it," he said. "Then when I tried it — it was eye opening." Since then, he...

Dozens of Russian parents stripped of their parental rights abroad following difficult custody battles called for help Thursday from Russia’s top children’s ombudsman. Dozens of Russian parents stripped of their parental rights abroad following difficult custody battles called for help Thursday from Russia’s top children’s ombudsman. Irina Bergseth, of the public advocacy group Russian Mothers, delivered a list at a  news conference to children’s ombudsman Pavel Astakhov, naming...

The state-backed Russian Direct Investment Fund has attracted a Middle East private equity firm to co-invest in a blocking stake in power producer Enel OGK-5, with the deal slated to be closed by the end of next week. The state-backed Russian Direct Investment Fund has attracted a Middle East private equity firm to co-invest in a blocking stake in power producer Enel OGK-5, with the deal slated to be closed by the end of next week, the fund's chief executive Kirill Dmitriyev said Friday. With a...

World leaders have indicated they are ready for productive work with Prime Minister Medvedev at the G8 summit, a Kremlin economic aide said. Correction appended The leaders of seven of the world's largest economies have made it clear that they are ready for productive work with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev at the G8 summit where he will represent Russia instead of President Vladimir Putin, acting Kremlin economic aide Arkady Dvorkovich said Thursday. Russia’s participation in the two-day...

If Putin was seen as getting too close to Obama at Camp David, it would have been a blow to his tough-guy image as someone who stands up to the United States. At a time when the protest movement is gaining momentum in Moscow and other cities, Putin could ill afford to be seen schmoozing with Obama — whose administration, in Putin's own words, serves as the opposition's main sponsor. When U.S. President Barack Obama congratulated President Vladimir Putin by telephone on the May 9 Victory Day...

The hilltop crash of a Sukhoi Superjet ferrying journalists and dignitaries on a mission to drum up foreign sales in Indonesia potentially casts a shadow over Kremlin efforts to restore Russia's once-mighty aerospace industry. PARIS — The hilltop crash of a Sukhoi Superjet ferrying journalists and dignitaries on a mission to drum up foreign sales in Indonesia potentially casts a shadow over Kremlin efforts to restore Russia's once-mighty aerospace industry...

Search and rescue helicopters and volunteers struggling through thick forest and mountainous terrain spotted bodies but no survivors on the Indonesian mountainside where a Sukhoi Superjet 100 crashed by the time darkness forced an end to the search Thursday night. Correction appended Search and rescue helicopters and volunteers struggling through thick forest and mountainous terrain spotted bodies but no survivors on the Indonesian mountainside where a Sukhoi Superjet 100 crashed by the time darkness...