The Russian Information Agency Novosti begins Hotline coverage for Thursday, February 12, 2004.
MOSCOW
* A cabinet meeting will be held. The Russian government will consider measures to provide agricultural works in 2004 and results of the 2002 all-Russia population census.
* Israeli Vice Premier, Minister of Industry and Trade Ehud Olmert will start a routine visit to Russia. He is to meet with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and Communications Minister Leonid Reiman and participate in the Russian-Israeli seminar on cooperation in the telecommunications sphere.
* German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer will officially open the German Consulate General in Kaliningrad. After that, he will go to Moscow. Fischer is expected to meet with his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov.
* The Russian Information Agency Novosti will host the press conferences on the future of the Union of Right Forces, the prospects for the right movement in Russia and on the results of the 2002 all-Russia population census.
* Moscow will host the presentation of the analytical report of the All-Russia Center for the Study of Public Opinion on the topic "Russia before the presidential elections."
* The All-Russia State Foreign Literature Library will host the Day of Florence in Moscow. Italian ambassador to Russia Gianfranco Facco Bonetti, Russian Culture Minister Mikhail Shvydkoi and Florence Vice Mayor Eugenio Giani will participate in the event.
* The All-Russia Koreans' Association and staff of the Russian Koreans newspaper will hold a press conference on the issue of the governmental statement on the celebration of the 140th anniversary of Koreans' voluntary immigration to Russia.
* Moscow will host a press conference on the opening of the Wrestling Palace in Moscow and the 10th international youth Greco-Roman wrestling competition.
NOVOSIBIRSK
* A three-day seminar on information and telecommunications technologies will open in Novosibirsk.
ST. PETERSBURG
* The Sergei Prokofyev 4th international pianists' contest will open in St. Petersburg. All in all, 33 pianists aged 16-30 from Russia, Belarus, Korea, Great Britain, China, Ukraine, France, Japan and Bulgaria will participate in the contest.
NEW YORK
* The farewell show of nine imperial Easter eggs from the Faberge collection purchased by Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg will begin at Sotheby's. The exhibition will close on February 15. After that, the collection will go to Russia.
WASHINGTON
* The court of Alexandria (Washington's suburb) will see the final sitting on the case of former Russian banker Alexander Konanykhin. The court is settling his conflict with the US migration authorities and considers his right to stay in the United States.
RIA Novosti holds a full copyright for all its published materials. Upon any republication of RIA Novosti materials reference to RIA Novosti is mandatory.
