Collection of the means to help seven-year-old Arat, who has a brain tumor, is going on in Tuva. The action was initiated by Tuvan reporters. As soon as the first announcement that the little boy needs urgent help appeared, the Tuvan journalists immediately reacted. Quickly, contact with Arat’s mother, Anisya Kim-oolovna was established. She was invited to a press conference, where she told the reporters about her son’s condition.

The chief of Regulation of Courts, Alexandr Saryglar, deputy of Legislative House, president of foundation “Mama” Galina Munzuk, merited artist of Republic Tuva Galina Syuryun, and chief of department of propaganda of the “United Russia” party Saima Dalchin came to her support.

On April 24, 2009, Flight SL 2037 opened on the route Novosibirsk - Abakan – Kyzyl, which will fly twice a week.

As announced by “FederalPress” in the press service Interregional association “Siberian Agreement”, such an extraordinary event as establishing a new air route in the period of economic crisis was necessitated because over the past few months, practically no interregional flights to Tuva remained active.
“Airplane An-24 will go from Novosibirsk to Abakan and Kyzyl on Mondays and Fridays”, announced “FederalPress”. “The return flights will be on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The cost from Novosibirsk to Kyzyl will be 6,400 rubles; the partial route, Novosibirsk to Abakan will be 4,900 rubles, and Abakan to Kyzyl 2,500 rubles.”

Today is the 84^th birthday of one of the first Tuvan novelists, doctor of historical sciences, the famous researcher of shamanism, Mongush Borakhovich Kenin-Lopsan.

The head of Tuva, Sholban Kara-ool came to wish “Happy Birthday” to the shamanist researcher of world fame.

A 7-year-old child from Tuva, who has cancer, urgently needs help. His mother posted an appeal to all the good-hearted people on internet site advita.ru . This is the text of her letter:

The cultural fund “Por-Bazhyn” will concentrate its efforts on finishing the construction of the unique Buddhist temple “Ustuu-Khuree”. The other project of the fund – the ancient island Uighur fortress, where in 2007-2008 extensive multidisciplinary archeological excavations took place, will be temporarily put on hold.

The heads of the Buddhist communities of two regions of Russia – shadzhin-lama of Kalmykia Telo Tulku Rimpoche, and kamby-lama of Tuva, Jampel Lodoy approached the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a common plea for the Dalai-Lama to be given an entrance visa to Russian territory.

Tuvan children’s folk music ensemble Oktay, by their victory in the division “Folk Song” of the festival-competition of children’s and youth creativity “Moskva-Kansk Transit”, which took place in Kansk on March 13 – 16, won the right to participate in the Moscow final of the competition in November of this year, the leader of the famous ensemble Nadezhda Ponomareva told Tuva-Online.

Tuvan actor Eduard Ondar, who plays the title role in the film “Secret of Genghis Khan”, the premiere of which successfully transpired in many regions of Russia, was nominated as a candidate for the title of “Siberian of the Year”. Altogether 32 candidates for this title were nominated by the internet portals of various regions of Siberia. After internet voting, which will take place on the site www.sib21vek.ru during the seven work days and two non-working days – from March 31 to April 8, seven Siberians with the greatest number of votes will receive the honorary title “Siberian – 2008”.

Alash are featuredas guest artists on a CD which has just won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album. The album, Jingle All the Way, presents familiar American holiday music in innovative and imaginative arrangements by the celebrated American band Béla Fleck & the Flecktones. Grammy Awards are given by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry. The announcement was made at the 51st Grammy Awards ceremonies in Los Angeles on February 7, 2009.

The premiere of the full-length, artistic film “Secret of Genghis Khan” (By the Will of Genghis Khan), produced in Yakutia, will take place in Ulan-Bator on February 19.

In Russia, the showing will be on March 12, 2009. In the capital of Buryatia, according to the numbers of tickets sold in each movie theatre where the premiere will be held, it should be a true Yakut diamond.