In Ulan-Ude, Buryatia, the 4^th International Festival-contest of throat-singing, “The Breath of the Earth” just took place.

Throat singers from Khakassia, Tuva, Altai, Khabarovsk and Trans-Baikal regions, Irkutsk region, Buryatia, and Mongolia participated in the contest.

Diplomas of th 1^st order were received by Yevgenii Ulugbashev (Khakassia), and the Tuvan folklore group “Arzhaan” (Tuva, leader Opuyla Artysh), as the information portal “Baikal24” announced.

In Tuva, Sergei Kuzmich Kochetov is a legendary personality. The village where he spent his youth and one of the central streets in Kyzyl bear his name. He was a participant in three wars – The World War I, the Civil War, and the Great Patriotic War. He fought at Moscow, battled at Kursk, liberated Kiev. When he returned to Kyzyl, he became the first delegate to the Supreme Soviet of USSR from the republic. Sergei Kochetov was born on November 7, 1894 in the Kodybai village of Minusinsk district.

A meeting dedicated to the victims of political repressions was held by the Monument of the Undefeated Arat in the capital of Tuva on October 30. 10-20 meters from the monument, there is a one-story grey wooden building, which today contains a museum of political repressions. Its history is closely related to this tragic page in the history of Tuva. In the basement of this house, by the burning-hot stove, confessions were extracted from the accused.

An airplane arrived with the most eagerly awaited cargo – 1000 goldedn Buddha statuettes – destined for the “Ustuu-Khuree” temple, the opening of which is planned fro the spring of next year. The priests of the administration of the Kamby-Lama of Republic Tuva carried out the active collecting of the means in the districts.

Tuvan state ensemble of song and dance “Sayany” introduced their new concert program, “In the Cradle of Sayans and Tandy”, to the Kyzyl audience. The program was prepared for the occasion of the 40^th anniversary of the team.

The premiere of the program is being presented during these days in the Tuvan State philharmony. Experts from Mongolia and Tuva participated in the preparation of the production.

A short movie “Citizen of the World”, made by 17-year-old Denis Yadykin, a student of Kyzyl Roads and Transportation institute, was selected into a special program of the XIV Internationa festival of Ecological Films “Green Vision-2009”. An official announcement was sent from the organizing committee to the address of the director of the “Dersu Uzala” foundation, Svetlana Munzuk.

At the end of October, the Premier of Tuvam sholban Kara-ool will meet with the president of Mongolia, Tsakhiagiyn Elbegdorj. The head of the border region of Russia received an official invitation to visit Ulan-Bator from the new government of Mongolia in June of theis year.

Tuva, there fore , plans to re-establish once-close economic and cultural ties with their neighbors, which were interrupted during the “perestroika” years.