Culture and Sports: Turkish writer Pamuk honoured in Romania

30/04/2008

Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk of Turkey earned an honourary degree at the University of Bucharest. Also in news this week: an international photography festival will take place in Ankara, and scientists found a new archaeological site in Albania.

Orhan Pamuk. [Gabriel Petrescu]

Turkish writer and Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk was in Romania on Wednesday (April 23rd) and April 24th to meet his readers at the Athenaeum in Bucharest. Pamuk also received the Doctor Honoris Causa title at the University of Bucharest.

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An international photography festival will take place in Ankara from Friday (May 2nd) through Sunday. The event will gather professional and amateur photographers from Turkey and abroad. The World Art Centre in Ankara is hosting it, under the auspices of the Ankara Photography and Cinema Amateurs Society.

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Cyprus will host the 2008 Cyprus auto rally on May 17th and May 18th, round two of the 2008 FIA Middle East Rally Championship. The Cyprus Automobile Association announced a new route for the rally in 2008, which will consist of new stages, some introduced in 2007 and a selection of classic stages.

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An archaeological expedition discovered objects in Elbasan, central Albania, dating as early as the city of Scampa, 2nd century AD. Parts of the discovery may have originated in the wealthy Illyrian-Roman Lane at Scampa.

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The city of Rijeka, Croatia, hosted its 7th half-marathon on Sunday (April 27th). More than 3,000 disabled young athletes and professional marathoners joined the event. Proceeds will help fund young athletes. This year's winner was Kenyan Isaak Tanui.

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The first Banja Luka International Film Festival (BLIFF) will run in Republika Srpska (RS) from Friday (May 2nd) until May 9th. It will feature 43 movies and 22 students' films with an educational programme. After the festival, a BLIFF film caravan will tour RS to present the best films.

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Serbia's Ana Ivanovic defeated Croatia's Nika Ozegovic on Sunday (April 27th) 7-5, 6-1 in the Fed Cup 2010 playoffs, enabling Serbia to top Croatia 3-2 and reach World Group II. In the reverse singles, Serbia's Jelena Jankovic defeated Ozegovic 6-1, 6-2, and Jankovic's teammate Ana Jovanovic defeated Jelena Kostanic-Tosic 6-4, 7-5. Also, Croatia's Ana Vrljic beat Teodora Mircic 6-4, 7-5.

(Various sources -- 23/04/08-30/04/08)