Electricity to be restored in Moscow region weather permitting.

MOSCOW, December 29 (Itar-Tass) - The Moscow region authorities and
power engineering specialists expect that electricity will be fully
restored in the Moscow region on Wednesday weather permitting.
"If meteorological conditions allow us to work and don't add problems,
I hope that within the next 24 hours we will fully restore electricity in
the region," the deputy head of the Moscow region government, Vassily
Gromov, has said. Meanwhile thousands of people in the region remain
without electricity and often without water and heating for the fourth day
running.
Many municipal authorities have failed to promptly react to the
difficult situation. Supplies of water and foodstuffs have not been
organized in many settlements amid blackouts. Some settlements have no
sites where people could warm up. People are not informed on what is going
on after icy rains during the weekend damaged power transmission lines.
Specialists from the MOESK electricity network control center have so
far failed to restart all major substations. However, thousands of
specialists working round-the-clock have managed to restart 21 substations
during the past 24 hours.
Electricity has been restored to the settlements of Kzhel, Pakhra,
Rastorguevo, Molokovo and some others. Electricity supply has been once
again restored in the town of Zheleznodorozhny outside Moscow, with the
population of about 130,000 people, Vitaly Strugovets from the MOESK
electricity network control centre told Tass late on Tuesday.
"Electricity supply to Zheleznodorozhny was restored at about 23:00
Moscow time on Tuesday," he said.
The city has faced repeated blackouts starting from Sunday, following
icy rains that caused blackouts in many settlements and at airports.
Strugovets said another 15 substations must be restarted in the Moscow
region.
Meanwhile, a cyclone from the Black Sea is expected to reach the
Moscow region on Wednesday. Snowfalls and snow mixed with rain are
expected, Alexander Golubev from the Hydrometeorological Center said. The
cyclone can add to tons of ice that has already uprooted thousands of
trees, which damaged power transmission lines. The situation may repeat
once again.
Temperatures on Wednesday will fall to minus eight degrees Centigrade,
and up to minus 15 degrees in the coming few days. If electricity is not
restored, this will aggravate the situation for thousands of people who
are already freezing in their apartments without electricity.

.Russia's Father Frost to travel by high-speed Sapsan train.

MOSCOW, December 29 (Itar-Tass) - Russia's Father Frost will on
Wednesday travel from Moscow to Tver by the high-speed Sapsan train.
The magician "wants to personally make sure that the train develops
high speed and is safe," sources from the Russian Railways company told
Tass smiling.
"Passengers of the train leaving Moscow at 13:30 pm, Moscow time, will
get a unique opportunity to receive personal congratulations from Father
Frost and say what their most cherished wish is," they said.
Those seeing them off and people who happen to be at the railway at
that time will also get an opportunity to receive wishes of happiness,
love, success and wonderful travels through the public-address system, the
sources said.
Father Frost will be warmly welcomed at the railway of Tver, where he
will arrive in an hour's time.
Sapsan high-speed trains designed by specialists of German Siemens
have been in use in Russia for more than a year. They travel between
Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as between Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod,
developing the speed of up to 250 kilometres.

.Unions, employers and govt to sign agreement on labour relations.

MOSCOW, December 29 (Itar-Tass) - A general agreement of trade unions,
employers and the Russian government for 2011-2013 will be signed on
Wednesday in the presence of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the government
press service reports.
The document will be signed by the coordinators of the parties -
Minister for Healthcare and Social Development Tatyana Golikova, Chairman
of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions Mikhail Shmakov and
President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs
Alexander Shokhin.
The document will be signed for three years and will establish general
principles for regulating labour and economic relations on the federal
level. The previous agreement for 2008-2010 was signed on December 21,
2007. Work on drafting the new agreement was done within the framework of
the Russian three-party commission for regulating labour and social
relations.

.Circus Arts Festival to be held in Russian Izhevsk in March.

IZHEVSK, December 29 (Itar-Tass) - The fourth International Festival
of Circus Art will be held in Russia's Izhevsk on March 2 to 7. This time
it will be devoted to the 90th birth anniversary of Yuri Nikulin
(1921-1997), sources from the State Circus of Udmurtia told Tass on
Wednesday.
They said 200 circus artists from 18 countries would take part in the
festival. Tickets are already on sale, and the best seats have already
been sold out.
Yuri Nikulin was a Russian film actor, comedian, mime, and circus
clown who was also Artistic Director of Moscow Circus and popular TV show
host.
-0-zhe/


Delete & Prev | Delete & Next