The Russian Information Agency Novosti begins Hotline coverage for Saturday, January 24, 2004.
KIEV
* On a second day of his routine visit to Ukraine, Russia's President Vladimir Putin will see hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the Moscow Patriarchate at the Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev Cave Monastery.
MOSCOW
* Sergei Ivanov, Russia's Minister of Defence, will attend a military research conference on, "Contemporary Military Command and Control: Problems and Ways of Streamlining in the Context of Changing Future Warfare Patterns ".
* The political party, Union of Right Forces is opening congress. The gathering is expected to make a resolution concerning Union stances on a forthcoming federal presidential election, and on presidential self-nomination of Irina Hakamada, party co-president.
* The Assembly Hall of the Moscow State University central premises will host a gala conference on the university establishment day. The university anthem will be played for a first-ever time. Academician Victor Sadovnichi, university Rector, will address the audience. Guests of honour will also make speeches, among them Boris Aleshin, federal Deputy Prime Minister; Alexander Rumyantsev, Minister of Nuclear Power Industry; and Speaker Sergei Mironov of the Federation Council, parliament's upper house.
* An 11th Moscow international judo competition, of Super A category, opens at the Luzhniki Sport Palace. To last two days, it has gathered wrestlers from more than fifty countries.
DAVOS, SWITZERLAND
* A World Economic Forum is underway. Alexei Kudrin, Russia's Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister, will go on taking part in its events. He will attend a forum plenary session on Russian, Brazilian, Chinese, Indian and other dynamically developing national economies. Mr. Kudrin will address an annual Davos roundtable, to involve the consultative council for overseas investment. This year's roundtable will concern improvement of Russian capital investment terms. The Vice-Premier has also scheduled a number of bilateral conferences with other forum delegates. Alexei Kudrin is returning to Moscow, Sunday.
CAIRO
* The Russian-Arab Business Council is opening its maiden session. The nonprofit organisation has been established to promote trade and other economic contacts between Russia and the Arab world. The session will gather spokesmen of Russian and Arab countries' business circles.
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