IN BRIEF
Published: April 13, 2011 (Issue # 1651)
Girl Froze To Death
ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) — Three-year-old Alyona Shchipina, whose body was recently found in melting snow outside St. Petersburg, died from exposure to cold, the city’s forensic medical experts said last week, Fontanka reported.
The girl disappeared from the dacha where she was staying with her mother and stepfather on January 24 under unclear circumstances. Alyona went missing after being left home alone while stepfather Roman Polevoi went to buy cigarettes from a nearby kiosk.
Police suspected the girl had been murdered, and Polevoi was arrested but subsequently released. Last week, the girl’s body was found on the side of the road about 800 meters from her home. The toddler was wearing only a blouse, tights and other light clothing as well as valenki, traditional Russian felt boots.
It is now assumed that the girl wandered off by herself when left alone and then died of exposure.
Newborn Jaguars
ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) — Three jaguar cubs of different colors were born in the Leningrad Zoo in St. Petersburg last month, the Zoo’s press service announced Tuesday.
The cubs were born to the zoo’s well known jaguar couple, Rock and Agnesse. This time, Agnesse gave birth to two male and one female cub. Agnesse and Rock have different colored coats, and of their young, one is black and the other two are spotty.
The baby jaguars already know how to spit, show their claws and scratch, the zoo announced.
Ex-Cop Sentenced
ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) — Former policeman Andrei Petrov, who was found guilty of assaulting his stepdaughter Olga’s teacher at her school in October last year, has been sentenced to four years in a penal colony by the Nevsky district magistrates court.
Petrov repeatedly punched the teacher in the head and continued even after she had fallen to the ground, following with kicks to the stomach. Petrov also threatened to murder the teacher.
Mall’s ‘Crazy Days’
ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) — Finnish shopping center Stockmann will hold its “Crazy Days” sales for the first time in St. Petersburg from Wednesday through Sunday, during which time known brands and even air tickets will be on sale at reduced prices.
Held biannually in April and October in order to attract clients and boost sales, Stockmann has been holding its “Crazy Days” sales in Finland since 1986. This will be the 50th time the event has been organized in a number of countries.
The event logo is a yellow ghost, symbolizing the secretive way in which the organizers leave revealing what exactly will be on sale until the very last day.