The Russian Information Agency Novosti begins hotline coverage for Wednesday, February 18th, 2004.
MOSCOW
* Heads of anti-terrorist departments, security bodies and offices of the Interior of the Collective Security Treaty Organization's member states will have a conference to focus on issues of fight against political and religious extremism.
* A session of a government commission for the prevention and liquidation of emergencies and provision of fire safety will be held by Russian Minister of Emergencies Sergei Shoigu. Prominent on the agenda will be the issue of measures to take ahead of spring floods.
* A board of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade will sum up Russia's social and economic development in 2003. The session will be followed by a press conference given by Russian Minister of Economic Development and Trade German Gref.
* The Russian Culture Ministry's collegium will sum up the work carried out in 2003 and consider prospects for 2004 in this sphere. The session will be attended by Vice Premier Galina Karelova. Russian Minister of Culture Mikhail Shvydkoi will give a press conference after the session.
* Italian Minister of Cultural Heritage Giuliano Urbani will arrive in Moscow.
* A round table for the problems of Russia's aerospace defense will take place. Participants in the round table will represent the Russian President's administrations, the Russian government, the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff, the Federal Assembly, the Academy of Sciences, federal defense agencies, the defense industry and other departments and organizations. The round table is to be followed by a press conference.
* The Russian Information Agency Novosti will host:
- a press conference devoted to the Fire and Ice show of the world's figure skating champion Mariya Butyrskaya;
- the round table Interaction of the Commonwealth of Independent States and Other International Organizations: New Features of Economic Integration;
- the Creation of Common Energy Space: a New Step in CIS Integration round table.
* The organizational committee of the World Russian Forum, which will take place in Washington in April 2004, will hold a session.
* The opening of the Youth. Sports. Tourism. International scientific forum (February 18th-21st) will take place.
PLESETSK
* The launch, for the first time in 2004, of a Molniya-M launch vehicle, which will put a Kosmos military satellite in orbit, at the northern cosmodrome of Plesetsk.
BRASILIA
* Boris Alyoshin, Russian Vice Premier, will assist the work of the Russian-Brazilian intergovernmental commission for trade-economic and science and engineering cooperation (February 18th-20th).
ROME
* Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Eleonora Mitrofanova will arrive in Italy to discuss issues of Russo-Italian cultural and humanitarian cooperation.
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