The innovation incubator Skolkovo will house the first Russian Center for High Technology and Continuous Medical Education, courtesy of in-house experts and Johnson&Johnson. According to the director of the Biomedial Skolkovo cluster, the need for this new facility is obvious - most doctors are not able to operate modern equipment and are not aware of the full array of the latest drugs available on the market. The Center will most likely follower the rules of a non-commercial partnership in the form of an educational consortium, open for all organizations to participate as long as they share the Center's goals. Representatives of Skolkovo suggested large medical equipment manufacturers will be such partners, with rumors of Eli Lilly pharmaceutical company already on board. The main objective, the daily emphasizes, is training medical professionals to work with cutting-edge equipment - this form of education is globally accepted. However, some Russian medical professionals are cautious about the endeavor and warn of the facility becoming a marketing tool for companies producing pharmaceuticals and medical equipment. Skolkovo was quick to dismiss their fears, explaining that the form of a consortium that includes competing companies will make sure they control each other and operate on a purely educational level. Currently around 10 companies are expected to equip and finance operation of the Center; Skolkovo's job is to construct the building for it. The article concludes with an unofficial independent estimate of $150 million dollars to launch the facility and up to $5 million annual operating costs.
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RBC Daily takes a look at a new controversial bill according to which convicted defendants will not be able to enjoy an early parole unless they've compensated damages to victims of their crimes. This limitation would also apply to convicts with a softer sentence instead of the full incarceration term and those whose conviction was overturned ahead of schedule. In theory, this reinforces the justice system in the sense of making sure crime victims are paid what they're entitled to according to courts' decisions. However, in reality this would only mean less people being granted early release on parole. For instance, Dmitry Lipatov, partner of the legal firm "Nalogovik" told the daily that places of incarceration do not provide any means to earn a significant amount of money. Thus the only way to compensate victims would be for offenders to sell their personal effects, which will unlikely gather the required sum in most cases, the expert concluded.
Novye Izvestia looks over the legislative initiative of the Minister of Transport - to introduce airline tickets that could be sold without a right for a refund. These would be the cheapest tickets, sold long before the actual flight dates. In theory, this would allow to fill plane seats that are usually empty, but provide a lower price for the passenger. This also includes insurance for the airline - there is no risk of financial losses in returned tickets. While such non-refundable tickets are legal in some countries, in Russia they're currently prohibited by the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service. While proponents of revoking the ban believe it will end up in cheaper air fares and less risk for companies, opponents claim it might end up in a price hike instead. For instance, head of the Consumer's Union of Russia Piotr Shelish believes that not only airline companies will increase the price of regular tickets in order to sell the cheaper non-refundable ones, but potentially they will be able to sell one seat twice. In case a passenger cannot take the flight with a non-refundable ticket, his money is not returned, but the seat can be still sold at the last minute. Thus he proposes some sort of mutually beneficial agreements, such as partially refundable tickets - for example, passengers being refunded only if the airline has found a new passenger for their seat.
The Moscow Times looks into the pockets of State Duma deputies. According to an investigation by Transparency International and the Higher School of Economics, 100 deputies understated their incomes last year. The research compared deputies' income declarations for 2010 and 2011 and analyzed their purchases of big-ticket items such as cars and real estate, which greatly exceeded their annual salaries. Yelena Panfilova, director of Transparency International Russia, stressed that no deputy was being accused of wrongdoing at this time. She told the daily that this is not any attempt to accuse anyone of corruption. The whole point of this report is to ask questions [like] 'Dear members of parliament, let us know whether you forgot to put something in or have some proper explanation [for the discrepancy].'" Duma deputies must be reminded that the moment they decide to become public officials they fall under the scrutiny of the people, she added. The article concluded with a reminder that 98 percent of Russians do not trust the income declarations made by senior officials and members of the government, according to a recent survey by the Levada Center pollster.
Source: The Voice Of Russia Radio