& Text 2. Radziwill Archives and Nesvizh Library Collection Enter unesco's Memory of the World Register

The Radziwill family archives and Nesvizh Library Collection, the diaries of Anne Frank, the Royal Archives of Thailand and Madagascar, and the records of the League of Nations are among 35 new pieces in UNESCO's Memory of the World

Register, which enlists documentary heritage of global importance as selected by the International Advisory Committee and approved by the UNESCO Secretary-General.

As of today, 193 items are on the Register, which was launched in 1997. In July, an addition was made in the form of the League of Nations archives of 1919-1946, which testify to the willingness of politicians and diplomats to create an intergovernmental organization to support peace and "institutionalize" international relations.

The Register includes the Radziwill Archives and Nesvizh Library Collection heritage of Belarus, Finland, Lithuania, Poland, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine. The Radziwills were one of the most prominent aristocratic families in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Polish Rzeczpospolita. Many members of the family occupied the highest state posts and later played important roles in the histories of Prussia, the Russian Empire and Poland. The Radziwill archive was in fact the official archive of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania state records and treaties were preserved side by side with the private correspondence of the family.

& Text 3. Maria Sharapova Supports Talented Youth from Chernobyl-affected Regions

Belarusian State University and Belarusian State Academy of Arts have announced a competition for Maria Sharapova Foundation scholarships. The targeted scholarships are a joint initiative of the Maria Sharapova Foundation and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), where the tennis player serves as a Goodwill Ambassador.

The programme will enable 12 talented youths from Chernobyl-affected regions in Belarus to undertake a full course of study at two leading universities in the country. The $3,500 scholarships will be provided during the academic yearand will supplement other stipends.

Maria Sharapova explained her desire to help talented youths from these regions: she has always dreamed of making a personal contribution to the rehabilitation of this region, which she is personally connected to. The world tennis star was born in 1987 in the Siberian town of Niagan - her parents had moved there from the city of Gomel, escaping from the fall-out of the Chernobyl catastrophe.

"Providing talented young people with an opportunity to attain a higher education is part of the effort to create a better future for the affected regions", Maria Sharapova believes.

Full-time first-year students at the Belarusian State Academy of Arts and the Humanities Faculty at Belarusian State University (majoring in design), who have suffered from the Chernobyl disaster or who have lived for at least 10 years in the territories of Luninets, Pinsk, Stolin Districts in Brest Region, Bragin, Buda-Koshelev, Vetka, Dobrush, Yelsk, Kalinkovichi, Kormiany, Lelchitsy, Narovlya, Rechitsa, Rogachev, Khoiniki, Chechersk Districts in Gomel Region, and Bykhov, Kostiukovichi, Krasnopolye, Slavgorod, and Cherikov Districts in Mogilev Region are eligible to apply. Applicants should have a strong grade average in their secondary school or specialized secondary school graduation diploma. They should also be active in social, scientific and/or volunteer activities.

The scholarships are awarded on the basis of competition results for the whole study period.

In September 2008, Maria Sharapova announced the launch of a $210,000 scholarship programme for students from Chernobyl-affected areas of Belarus. The projected duration of the programme is 8 years. Three incoming students will be awarded scholarships each year, over an initial four-year period.

As of 2007, the Maria Sharapova Foundation has already contributed $100,000 to youth oriented projects in the Chernobyl-affected regions of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. $35,000 was allocated to three Belarusian projects implemented in Gomel Region.

The selection commission, comprising representatives from the two participating universities, UNDP, and the Belarusian Ministry of Emergency Situations, will draw up a list of 10 contenders by 15 September, which will then be submitted to the Maria Sharapova Foundation. The Foundation will select the scholarship winners no later than 1 October 2009.