* The Russian federal fishery agency will hold auctions to sell shares in the general volumes of quotas of catch of water biological resources for industrial purposes (10.00 - open auction; 16.00 - closed auction).
* The 9th presentation of the Themis-2004 high juridical award established by the Moscow Club of Lawyers will take place (17.00).
* The Pensioners' Party will hold the 6th extraordinary congress. The new party program will be central on the agenda (11.00).
* Sanctioned rallies of protest against the replacement of social benefits with cash payments will be held by the Communist Party (12.00) and the Council of Public Solidarity (16.00). The Moscow branch of the United Russia party will hold a rally to support the President's foreign and domestic policy (12.00).
* The Bolshoi Theater's ballet artistic director Alexei Ratmansky will give a press conference on the forthcoming premiere of the ballet Bolt after Dmitry Shostakovich's music (15.15).
NIZHNY NOVGOROD REGION
* Russian Education and Science Minister Andrei Fursenko, currently on a routine trip to the Nizhny Novgorod region (the Volga Area), will attend the Russian federal nuclear center in Sarov and participate in the discussion of prospects of the implementation of the innovation program as part of the regional technological park project.
ST. PETERSBURG
* The 1st Tchaikovsky festival will open in the Mariinsky Theater to present the opera and ballet heritage of the great composer (February 12-20).
SUKHUMI
* The inauguration ceremony of new Abkhazia's President Sergei Bagapsh will take place.
MUNICH
* Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov will take part in the 41st international security conference (February 12-13).
TALLINN
* The Kadriorg Palace in Tallinn will host a charity ball organized by the World Club of Petersburgers. Russian and Estonian politicians, businessmen and culture figures are invited. The money gained by the charity event will be used to restore the monuments to Peter the Great near Narva and the Mermaid in Tallinn.
ABU-DHABI
* The IDEX-2005 7th international defense exhibition will open in Abu-Dhabi. The exhibition features samples of weaponry, ammunition, combat systems and equipment of over 800 companies from 45 countries including Russia.
MILAN, ITALY
* The International Tourism Exchange (BIT) will open in Milan (February 12-15). A number of Russian tourist agencies will participate in the event.
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