IN BRIEF

Published: March 6, 2013 (Issue # 1749)

Flu Deaths Rise

ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) — At least nine lethal cases from flu complications have been registered in the city since the beginning of this year’s flu season, the local chapter of the Russian Consumer Watch said Monday, Interfax reported.

Among those who died were five people in their forties, three people in their seventies and one person in their fifties.

Lab analysis confirmed six of the cases as flu of the A(N1H1)pdm09 type; two cases as flu virus of atypical A type; and one case as flu virus of B type.

None of those who died had received anti-flu vaccinations and all of them had other health problems such as heart illnesses, diabetes, leukemia and chronic alcoholism.

Last week classes were suspended for 112 groups of schoolchildren at 59 elementary schools and 87 kindergarten classes at 75 of the city’s kindergartens.

Moving Targets

ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) — City police are looking into several incidents in which marshrutka minibus taxis operating routes in the south of the city were shot at on Sunday, Interfax reported.

Police are investigating five cases of such shootings.

Meanwhile, the transport company Piteravto has said at least 13 of its marshrutki were shot at on Sunday. Four of them were attacked in the south of the city, three more a few minutes’ drive from Zvyozdnaya metro station, while the rest were shot at in the city’s Kirovsky district.

None of the passengers of the marshrutki suffered any injuries.

In mid-January police also opened an investigation into cases in which marshrutkas were shot at on Prospekt Stachek, Prospekt Marshala Zhukova, the crossing of Prospekt Zhukova and Prospekt Veteranov, and on Tallinskoye Shosse. No passengers suffered in any of those attacks, although the buses had their windows damaged.

Olympic Incentives

ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) — The St. Petersburg administration will pay 5 million rubles ($163,000) to each local athlete who wins a gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014. Silver medalists will get 2.5 million rubles and bronze medalists will get 1.5 million rubles.

The coaches who have trained such athletes will also receive financial benefits, Interfax reported.

Pulkovo Wins Award

ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) — St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport Monday won a Silver nomination among public private partnership projects run in Europe, Central Asia, Middle East and North Africa in the nomination for emerging markets chosen by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and Infrastructure Journal.

Each of the projects recognized demonstrated high levels of innovation, development vision, replicability and social impact, IFC said in its press release.

John Kjorstad, editor of Infrastructure Journal, said the Emerging Partnerships report “has chosen the most innovative and exciting PPP infrastructure projects from around the world.”

“These projects have improved the daily lives of tens of millions of people by providing new infrastructure services. Increasingly governments are turning to PPPs as an affordable funding method,” he said.

The Gold award in the category went to Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan and the Bronze award was given to the New Cairo Wastewater Treatment Plant in Egypt.

The gold, silver and bronze projects will be honored at an awards ceremony in April 2013 in Washington, D.C.