The Russian Information Agency Novosti begins Hotline coverage for Tuesday, April 13, 2004.
MOSCOW
* The federal Defence Ministry is hosting a news conference by Colonel-General Yuri Baluyevsky, Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, on Russia-NATO relations.
* The Federation Council, parliament's upper house, has the following events scheduled for the day:
- house commission for natural monopolies holds session. Spokesmen of the Federal Tariff Service, United Russian Power Grid Co., and Russian Rail Co. have been invited to attend;
- a news conference on, "The Problems of Indigenous Ethnic Entities of the Russian North through the Prism of the UN Millennium Objectives". Stefan Vasilev, permanent coordinator for the UN system in Russia, is prominent among the speakers;
- the house defence and security commission holds session on the present state and prospects of Russian nuclear power industry.
* The Federation Council commission for information policy arranges a roundtable on, "The Legal and Normative Basis of Internet Development in Russia: Present State and Prospects".
* The State Duma, parliament's lower house, has the following events scheduled for the day:
- parliamentary hearings on, "Topical Issues of Legislative Bases of the Anti-Terror Cause", with a summing-up news conference;
- a roundtable on, "Streamlining Legislation on Secondary School Students' Health Preservation and Improvement".
* The foundation, Unity for Russia's Sake arranges a roundtable on, "Business and the State: Penitence On". Gleb Pavlovsky, Alexander Livschitz, Vyacheslav Nikonov and other prominent political and economic experts are taking part.
* The National Currency Association holds conference on, "Analysing the Impact of Euro Rates on the Russian Economy: Rate Formation Prospects in the Domestic Market".
* A 5th national symposium, "Strategic Planning and Corporate Development" is opening to last into April 14.
* The federal Chamber of Commerce and Industry is hosting a roundtable on, "Economic Fruit of Corporate Price Formation in Russian Business, as Exemplified by Metal Price Formation".
* RIA Novosti hosts a news conference on preparations for the EXPO 2005, due in Japan.
* The Alexander House business centre is offering a roundtable on, "The Russian Advertising Market: Deficient Allocations". The country's leading company bosses attend.
* Spokesmen of the Russian-based Yukos petroleum mammoth and the Russian office of Great Britain's Charities Aid Foundation address a news conference to announce another stage of the I Create! Social project contest.
* Mayor Edgar Savisaar is leading a Tallinn delegation to visit Moscow on its Mayor Yuri Luzhkov's invitation. Spokesmen of the Russian and Estonian capitals are expected to sign a partnership protocol during the visit.
KIEV
* Sergei Lavrov, Russia's Foreign Minister, is arriving in Kiev on a routine visit to meet Konstantin Hrischenko, Ukraine's Foreign Minister, at the negotiation table. Ukraine's President Leonid Kuchma is expected to receive Mr. Lavrov, who is scheduled to arrive in Dublin the same day for a Russia-EU conference of April 14.
HELSINKI
* Sergei Shoigu, Russia's Minister for Emergency and Calamity Relief, is in Finland on an official visit. He is meeting Kari Rajamaki, the host country's Interior Minister, at the negotiation table, next to get firsthand acquaintance with the Vantaa municipal rescue service.
RIGA
* The HQ for protection of Russian-language schools in Latvia intends to launch a sequence of mass protest actions, April 13-16, against a decision of the country's authorities to shift to Lettish as tuition language for a majority of disciplines in secondary schools for ethnic minorities, Russians among them.
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