World Bank Loans St. Petersburg $160 Million

The World Bank is loaning St. Petersburg, Russia $160 million to help improve its cultrual sites and infrastructure. “The loans are part of the St Petersburg Economic Development Project, a joint initiative between the Russian government and the World Bank which will see some $240 million spent to improve the city’s business climate, notorious for its corruption and red tape, and to restore important cultural sites which are not attracting as many tourists as they could.”