Putin to discuss Russian navy development.

MOSCOW, December 18 (Itar-Tass) -- Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will
travel to St. Petersburg on Friday to chair a meeting devoted to navy
upgrading and development.
The government press service said Deputy Prime Ministers Sergei Ivanov
and Igor Sechin, as well as Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov will
participate.
Putin will also attend the floating ceremony of Kirill Lavrov tanker
adapted for Artic navigation and intended to deliver oil round-the-year
from Prirazlomnoe field. The tanker needs no ice-breakers when ice is up
to 1.2 meters thick.

.Russia to host Tiger summit in 2010.

MOSCOW, December 18 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia will host a tiger
preservation summit in Vladivostok in 2010, according to Director of the
Russian branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Igor Chestin.
Scientists decided to use the Oriental calendar and the coming year of
the Tiger to promote public awareness of the situation with Amur tigers,
he told a press conference on Thursday.
Chestin said the Russian government, the WWF and the World Bank
initiated the Tiger summit, in which the heads of 13 states are expected
to participate.
Only 3200 wildlife tigers remain today, according to Vyacheslav
Rozhnov, deputy director of the Ecology and Wildlife Evolution Institute.
WWF estimates Russia's Khabarovsk and Primorye retions have 500 Amur
tigers at present.
The Natural Resources ministry will draft a tiger preservation program
for the summit, which along with anti-poaching measures will call to stop
cutting cedar forests - the natural habitat of tigers, and expand the
territory of wildlife reserves.

.AvtoVAZ unionists to cut benefits to workforce.

SAMARA, December 18 (Itar-Tass) -- Trade unionists of the debt-ridden
AvtoVAZ carmaker will meet on Friday to cut benefits to the workforce.
Trade union leader Nikolai Karagin told Tass 700 representatives will
attend to discuss a new collective labor contract, the situation at the
enterprise and plans for 2010.
"The labor contract will drop various benefits to the personnel
because of the complicated financial situation," he said.
Karagin specified corporate pension payments will be suspended and
would-be mothers will go on maternity leave on the seventh month of
pregnancy as is envisaged by Russian labor legislation instead of the
fifth month, as the enterprise earlier allowed. Welfare assistance to
low-income workers and families with many children will be paid once a
year instead of previous two times.
The contract will also suspend wage increases.
"Wage indexation issue remains suspended in 2010, but if the economic
situation improves at the enterprise we shall definitely raise the
question about wages," Karagin said.

.Moscow to erect giant ice bell.

MOSCOW, December 18 (Itar-Tass) -- A giant ice bell will appear in
downtown Moscow on Saturday to mark the annual Russian Winter festival,
organizers said on Friday.
The Tzar bell will be two meters high and accompanied by two smaller
bells. It will take famous ice cutter Sergei Zaplatin one hour to cut the
Tzar bell in Revolution Square.
The event is timed to the Holy Day of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Maker
marked on December 19.
Last week The Strongest Ruble was installed in Revolution Square in
the framework of the Russian Winter festival. The 150-kilogram coin of
1.5-meters in diameter was minted by the Russian Blacksmith Guild.
Festival organizers also promise a giant confectionary and other
record-big handicrafts before the festival ends on January 19.

.Ian Gillan back in Moscow with symphonic orchestra.

MOSCOW, December 18 (Itar-Tass) -- English rock music vocalist and
songwriter and Deep Purple lead singer Ian Gillan will perform again in
Moscow on Friday, this time with a symphonic orchestra.
Organizers told Tass the sole 90-minute show will take place in the
Moscow Music House and will comprise "a cocktail of classical jazz
compositions" accompanied by the symphonic orchestra from St. Petersburg.
Gillan will also perform Deep Purple hits Smoke on the Water, Black
Night, and Highway Star.
Gillan visited Moscow last time in April and said he was always
interested in classic music and has even performed on one stage with great
tenor Luciano Pavarotti.

.Ukraine makes new attempt to get IMF tranche.

WASHINGTON, December 18 (Itar-Tass) -- Debt-ridden Ukraine will make a
new attempt to secure a loan tranche from the international Monetary Fund
(IMF).
Deputy Prime Minister Grigory Nemyrya arrived in Wsshington to meet
IMF leadership, IMF spokeswoman Caroline Atkinson said on Thursday.
She reiterated Ukraine has to fulfill IMF loan terms for securing a
new tranche and made it clear the president and the prime minister, who
are at odds on the eve of upcoming presidential election, have to join
efforts in implementing the anti-crisis program.
Nemyrya already visited Washington last Monday.
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