The Russian Information Agency Novosti begins Hotline coverage for Monday, January 26, 2004.
MOSCOW
* A routine visit to Moscow by US Secretary of State, Colin Powell is to start. Mr. Powell will be received by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
* Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov will hold a meeting with his Japanese counterpart Hitoshi Tanaka.
* The Russian Information Agency Novosti will host a press conference with Alexander Livschits, deputy director general of the Russky Aluminy company, called "Results of the World Economic Forum in Davos and Prospects of Development of Financial and Economic Situation in Russia."
* The Russian Academy of Sciences Space Research Institute will host a press conference on the issue of Russia's participation in Mars exploration.
The Pushkin Fine Arts Museum's White Hall will host the ceremony of giving the Russian independent award for the best achievements in literature and art, "Triumph" for the year 2003. Among the laureates are Alexei Batalov, actor and director, Oleg Lundstrem, composer and conductor, Yuri Temirkanov, conductor, and Nikolai Tsiskaridze, Bolshoi Theater ballet soloist.
ST PETERSBURG
* The Moskovsky railway terminal of Russia's "northern capital" will host the ceremony of meeting the Glory Train, which will deliver from Moscow the hero cities' torches lit near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in connection with the 60th anniversary of full lifting of Leningrad siege.
SALEKHARD
* The second All-Russian Youth Hockey Tournament will open here. Winners will receive prizes by two-time champion of the Olympic Games, Vyacheslav Starshinov. The tournament will close on January 29.
SOFIA
* A meeting of mediators from Russia, the OSCE and Ukraine is planned. They will try to agree upon the restoration of negotiations on the Transdniestrian problem in the five-way format, with Russia, Ukraine, the OSCE, Moldova and Transdniestria (a territory on the left bank of the Dniester with mostly polyethnic Russian-speaking population, de facto independent from Chisinau) participating. Bulgaria will join the process as the OSCE present chairman.
WASHINGTON
* Hearings on the case of the former Russian banker, Alexander Konanykhin will be resumed in the district court of Washington's suburb, Alexandria. US law enforcers accuse him of violating the agreement with the American authorities on several items, including the change of the place of residence without notifying the authorities about it.
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