World Cup host city fires contractor for major stadium (The Associated Press)

The Russian city of St. Petersburg says it has fired the general contractor building the stadium which is to host World Cup matches in 2018. The stadium, provisionally called Zenit Arena, has taken almost a decade to build, prompting Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to publicly call it ''disgraceful.'' The stadium, which is to host a semifinal match, is set to cost more than $620 million. St. Petersburg City Hall says it is firing the general contractor over the repeated delays and cost overruns.