Today is the birthday of the star of world ethnic music -  one of the most internationally famous Tuvan women - talented, inimitable Sainkhoo Namchylak. Lyudmila Okan-oolovna Namchylak - that is the singer's real name - started her life in a small Tuvan village in a family of schoolteachers in 1957. Her parents loved music very much, and played musical instruments when they were young. Her father had a pleasant baritone, and he often performed with musicians - amateurs in concerts in Tuva. Later the family moved to Kyzyl,, because the head of the family received a new position, and became apolitical supervisor of TASS in Tuvan television. On Sundays, he liked to teach his daughter to sing and dance. Her father also often read poems and verse to his wife and daughters. On one of such evenings, on the holiday of March 8, he dedicated a poem to his wife and to Sainkhoo, with many words which were incomprehensible to the little girl. She looked out the window, where a bridge was lit by yellow beads of street lamps, and thought: "When I grow up like Papa, I will leave over this bridge and go far away, and I will also read my poems."

The Head of Tuva and Speaker of the Parliament presented greetings to women for the holiday of  March 8 (International Women's Day).

"In the name of all men of the republic, I present greetings to all of you with the International Women's day!  On this spring holiday, we bring words of sincere recognition, love and respect to the better half of humanity - to our mothers, wives, sisters and daughters. Everything dearest to us is connected with the name of Woman, and Her eternal striving towards peace and goodness, - states the greeting.

The president of the foundation "Prussian Cultural heritage" Hermann Parzinger will give a lecture today at the National Museum of Georgia (Gruzia) about the archeological research in Siberia, as announced by "Novosti-Gruzia" and the press-service of the museum on Wednesday.

The theme of this public lecture is "The latest archeological research in Siberian steppes - royal burial Arzhaan" is the study of  the earliest known kurgan containing an "elite" burial of Early Scythian period.

The German professor led the archeological excavations in the Russian republic Tuva, in South Siberia, which were performed in the Valley of Czars, where  rich Scythian burials were discovered.

As a result of this year's spring lambing and calving season, Tuva  is expected to have 45 thousand heads of  calves, 490 thousand lambs and kids, more than 12 thousand heads of colts, 570 calves from (vazhenka?), and 12  baby camels. The mass birthing season is expected in the middle of March. But according to vice-minister Sergei Oyun, by this time in 9 districts of the republic, already 1358  calves and 20.5 thousand lambs and kids have already been born. That is 3% of this year's plan. The majority of these young are in private farms.

Today is the eve of Shagaa, the Lunar New Year, - buduu. As the scholar-ethnographer Mongush Borakhovich Kenin-Lopsan writes, children up to 13 years of age may sleep during the "buduu' night, but the adults did not sleep, and spent the night telling and listening to stories and playing games. Early in the morning, between 3 - 5 a.m. ,  is when the New Year comes.  In Tuvan this time is called  "Shagaa bazhy chalarady",  - "Shagaa is showing its head". "The first day of Shagaa is definitely the greatest day of the year. People's age is determined by Shagaa, people would say "I have met so-and-so many Shagaa." A newborn would be considered to be one year old, and a baby born on the eve of Shagaa would be two."

During this time, when the sun is rising, everybody would put on their best traditional clothes, would go outside, and carrying trays "despi", wooden platters with boiled mutton ribs and various delicacies, would ascend to a hill, where they would perform the "san salyr" ritual - lighting of the sacred fire.

The citizens' safety  was declared to be task number one during the days of  celebrations of eastern New Year - Shagaa. Today the head of the republic held a special meeting on the subject with participation of regional administrations and territorial organs of federal government, as well as municipalities. As announced at the meeting, according to a decision approved at all levels of administration,  there will be "dry law" in effect for the entire period of Shagaa celebrations from  February 3 to 6.

The home of  the journalist Ryszard Badowski in Warsaw is decorated with souvenirs from all the continents - evidence of a life filled with trips and encounters.

"Six continents" - that is the name of Ryszard Badowski's long-running show about various countries and cultures on Polish TV. "Six continents" -  repeat all the cab-drivers, as soon as they recognize the man on the porch of the house.

When I returned from a trip to Poland in early January, I realized that the house in Warsaw with its hospitable owners has become one of my beloved places on Earth. Memory of Mr. Ryszard, enhanced by photographs, TV films, journal articles, scenarios of broadcasts and letters make up a time-travel machine which takes the visitor decades back, from one country to another, and offers the opportunity to hear about nuances of historical events from an eyewitness.

When Stalin died, the young journalist took a train to Turkmenistan to undergo practice at the offices of "Iskra" newspaper. 

Tuva is mobilizing its resources for a war with wolves, whole population reached record numbers in the republic, after the prohibition on using poisons for their control took effect in Russia. Currently the numbers are in the vicinity of 2500-3000 individuals. In 2011,  3 million 250thousand rubles will be apportioned for this goal. This is  four times more than in 2009, when the question was first posed about the necessity for regulation of the numbers of these predators. In the population density of wolves, according to data of Commission of hunting and fishing, is in the first place in the Russian Federation. Just the reported losses from wolf attacks on sheepherding stations counted 34 million rubles in 2010. In 2010 hunters killed 433 wolves, which was several times more than in then preceding years. For comparison: in Irkutsk region and in neighboring Khakassia, only 30 wolves were killed  in each.

Why does the New Year in various countries have different names? Professor Nikolai Abayev has his own opinion about it.

-  It is necessary to realize  that this holiday of the nomads originated long before the advent of Buddhism, - said the professor. - And the first herdsmen-nomads based their  calendar on the realities of life. During many centuries, they attentively observed natural events and seasonal life cycles of various animals.

Today the Russian Orthodox Christians observe a great church holy day -  "Kreshchenie Gospodne" (The Baptism of the Lord). In Kyzyl, on the night from 18 to 19 January, the "kreshchenie' baths were organized in the park by the Yenisei river, and in a suburban town Serebryanka. Without regard for the -45 degree cold, about 1000 people participated in the holiday, which consists in consecration of the water and immersion in an ice hole. At 12 o'clock at night, together with the city residents,  the members of the government with Premier Sholban Kara-ool at the head, Pavel Bukhtoyarov-the procurator, and many others participated as the good tradition asks.