Culture and Sports: The Police to perform in Belgrade

23/04/2008

Serbia's capital hosts a famed British rock group. Also this week: a leading Romanian exile during the communist era dies in Paris, and Albanian weightlifter Romela Begaj wins silver at the European Weightlifting Championship.

The Police are on a world tour marking thirty years since their first hit, "Roxanne". [Getty Images]

Sting and The Police will hold a concert in Belgrade on Thursday (June 24th) as part of a world tour, marking 30 years since their first hit, "Roxanne". The Belgrade concert will be the only one by the group in that part of Europe, Venice being the nearest other city in the region.

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Romanian literary critic Monica Lovinescu died in Paris on Monday (April 21st). Lovinescu, 85, was a journalist, literary critic and radio commentator for Radio Free Europe. She was one of the leading voices in exile to write about Romanian culture under the communist regime.

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Albanian Romela Begaj won the silver medal in the women's 58kg division at the European Weightlifting Championship in Italy. Besides competing in the snatch, she won the bronze for the clean and jerk and after that lifted 212kg in total to win the silver medal, breaking the national record.

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Greek Culture Minister Michalis Liapsis attended an artefact return ceremony at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens on Monday (April 21st). The ancient funerary urn "Lekythos" arrived from Switzerland. The artefact, which dates from 400 to 500 BC, previously belonged to a private collection in Basel, Switzerland.

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The movie "Yumurta" (Egg) by Turkish director Semih Kaplanoglu won the Golden Tulip award at the 27th Istanbul International Film Festival on Saturday (April 19th). Kaplanoglu beat out 12 other directors. The festival was created in 1982 to boost Turkish cinema.

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Romanian boxer Adrian Diaconu won at the World Boxing Council bouts on Saturday (April 19th), becoming the interim light-heavyweight champion. Diaconu, 29, represented Romania in the 2000 Olympics. He currently is competing for Canada.

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Pristina Ethnological Museum is hosting an exhibition of Kosovo cultural heritage artefacts, aimed at highlighting the importance of protecting Kosovo national culture and traditions. The exhibition opened on Friday (April 18th), International World Heritage Day.

(Various sources – 16/04/08 - 23/04/08)