Briefs | Russia statue dismantled after Apple CEO comes out

A two-meter statue of an iPhone on a university campus in St. Petersburg has been taken down in response to last week’s announcement by the CEO of Apple that he is gay. In a statement, ZEFS, which according to its website owns construction, advertising, and finance enterprises in St. Petersburg, describes Tim Cook’s revelation “a public call to sodomy.” ZEFS said Monday it was taking down the statue because it violated Russia’s controversial law protecting minors from homosexual propaganda. The law has been condemned by critics as a means of repressing sexual minorities in the country. Apple declined to comment on the removal of the statue, which featured former CEO Steve Jobs.

Chinese firm wins Mexican rail contract

A consortium headed by China Railway Construction Corp. Ltd. won the contract to build a high-speed inter-city rail line in central Mexico Monday after submitting the only bid on the project. Another Chinese firm, CSR Corporation Limited, and the Mexican companies Constructora y Edificadora GIA, GHP Infraestructura Mexicana, Prodemex and Constructora Teya are included in the consortium. Mexico’s Communications and Transport Department announced the awarding of the contract, saying the train was expected to run at about 300 kph and serve 27,000 passengers per day. The rail line will connect Mexico City with the north-central industrial hub of Queretaro, a distance of about 210 kilometers. It will cost about USD3.7 billion and is expected to shorten travel times from about 2 ½ hours to less than one hour. Potential bidders had been given only two months to put together a bid on the extremely complex project, and 13 companies asked for — but were denied — more time. The government has pledged to revive passenger rail service, which was largely abandoned in a 1990s privatization of the industry.