SETimes.comCulture and Sports: Belgrade welcomes Djokovic home
06/02/2008
Australian Open champ Novak Djokovic is honoured in Belgrade. Also this week: the UNESCO-protected Old Bridge of Mostar is threatened.
A crowd of about 10,000 people gathered in front of Belgrade's Town Hall on Saturday (February 2nd) to welcome Novak Djokovic home after winning the Australian Open. The 20-year-old Serb defeated Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final, giving Serbia its first Grand Slam title.
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The Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) national soccer team lost to Japan 3-0 in a training match Wednesday (January 30th) at Tokyo's National Stadium, as part of preparations for the World Cup qualifiers next month.
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A chink has appeared on the Old Bridge in Mostar, one of the relics on UNESCO's World Heritage List, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Commission on Preservation of National Monuments head Amra Hadzimuhamedovic said on Monday (February 4th). Previously, UNESCO warned BiH authorities they should stop building a hotel near the structure, but BIH only complied after UNESCO threatened to remove the bridge from its list.
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Greek Education Minister Evripidis Stylianidis inaugurated on Friday (February 1st) the first children and teenager's books exhibition in Athens. Under the motto "Reading is Every Child's Right", it continued until Monday and was co-organised by the National Book Centre and the culture ministry.
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The 2nd edition of the World Press Photo Exhibition opened on Friday (February 1st) at the National Gallery of Arts in Tirana. It captures the most important events of 2007 through the eyes of the best photo journalists.
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The Shkodra Carnival 2008 began on Saturday (February 2nd) and included a horse and motorbike race and a variety of traditional foods. The carnival is a local feast celebrated mainly in the city of Shkodra, but its organisers plan to expand it to the rest of Albania.
(Various sources – 30/01/02-06/02/08)