Culture news

Jayden Felder from the U.S. won the 10th New Wave competition for young pop music performers in Latvia`s Jurmala.

Historical – architectural reserve “Scythian Naples” was created in the southern-eastern outskirts of Simferopol on the territory of the capital of ancient Scythians in Crimea.

 Ukraine will host the 32nd World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in 2013. The respective agreement has been signed between the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the Ukrainian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation in Lausanne, Switzerland. The official FIG statement explains that Ukraine deserves the honor of hosting this major sports event being “a country that boasts such a rich Gymnastics tradition and has long been one of Rhythmic Gymnastics’ leading lights”.

While events in the Middle East and the Greek financial meltdown continue to monopolise the EU’s agenda, important developments are also taking place in the EU’s Eastern neighborhood as the EU enters the latter stages of negotiating a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) with Ukraine. 

Kyiv, July 25, 2011. An American college student Meghan Dano who is currently an intern at Worldwide News Ukraine volunteered to help show Kyiv from the perspective of a foreigner. She developed a one day excursion route along Kyiv downtown area. Meghan’s inspiration for the sightseeing trip came from her initial surprise at the magnificence of Kyiv upon her first days in the city.

A renowned American actor John Malkovich arrived to Odesa for the 2nd InternationalOdesa Film Festival that lasted from July 15 to July 23. Among other high guests of the festival were the famous film critics Mark Travis and Klaus Eder.

Works by the Ukrainian artist Oksana Mas are currently displayed on Monte Carlo’s Henri Dunant Avenue. Mas won the honor to be exhibited in Monaco following an 8-month long application process, with Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco, himself making the final choice. The work on display consists of five huge spheres made out of small wooden decorated eggs that carry modern artistic value while representing the Ukrainian folk tradition of Easter eggs decoration.

Kiev city authorities have determined the list of souvenirs, which will be on offer in the capital during EURO – 2012. Dolls, pictures, made of flaky dough, pigs –whistles, painted eggs, patriotic bags and key rings, tobacco pipes in the form of Cossacks will be offered to fans.

The second international festival of balloons “Air Adventures 2011” will take place near Kiev on August 24-28. Demonstrative flights, night shows, contests and other events have been planned in the framework of the event.

Head of Kyiv Regional State Administration Anatoliy Prysiazhniuk has said that the preparations for holding the F1 Powerboat World Championship in Vyshgorod (Kyiv region) are coming to an end.

For the first time, the Greek traders started the season of sales with discounts reaching 50%. Higher taxes, reduced consumption and market decrease made the traders who have survived so far to start much bolder sales than in previous years. In the previous years the summer sales, which traditionally begin in the middle of July, started only just with discounts between 10% and 30% at best. Now, the windows of large and small shops are attracting the customers with "Everything at half price" or up to 60% sale and other similar baits. Wishing to make the ordinary customers with empty pockets to spend some money just in their shop, the merchants are writing all sorts of messages.

I've been hiding a deep dark secret for years. You see, I have never, not even once, attempted to make perogies from scratch.

I come from a long line of strong Ukrainian women who toiled for hours in the kitchen to feed their families. But for years I took the easy way out, relying on my Baba Shymkiw and my mother to make our family perogies.

A central office for media representatives that will be open in Kharkiv during the Euro 2012 European Football Championship will be constructed near the Metalist Stadium, with some Hr 2.4 million being allocated from the city budget for this.

The project will be implemented with the partial participation of the city, reads a posting on the Web site of the Ukraine 2012 Information Center with reference to First Deputy Kharkiv Mayor Oleksandr Kryvtsov.

The Giffords Circus company of actors, learned geese, tumbling pigeons, hawks, clowns, musicians and runaways will roll out a new show in 2011. The show titled ‘War and Peace at the Circus’ is another opportunity for Giffords Circus to show off their brilliant theatricality and glamorous take on the traditional village green circus.

The city electric train, which is also called “above-ground metro”, will start running in September. There will be 12 stops on the line altogether: “Petrovka”, “Syrets”, “Rubezhovskaya”, “Borschagovka”, “Kiev Volynskiy”, “Kardachy”, “Vokzalnaya”, “Vydubichi”, “Left bank”, “Darnitsa”, “Levoberezhnaya”, “Troyeschina”. And seven more stations will be opened next year” – “Segodnya” informs.

Festival of champagne, where a new Guinness record is going to be set, will take place in Balaklava on September 6.

Date: July 15-17
Location: Donetsk Regional Universal Scientific Library named after Krupskaya (84, Artema street)
The conference of science-fiction writers "Via Lactea" will be held in Donetsk on July 15-17 (Fantlab-2011)

The Deputy Chairman of Kiev City State Administration Anatoliy Golubchenko said that Kiev was ready to provide football fans with accommodation.

Five new shopping malls are planned to be opened in Kiev by the end of the current 2011 year. The total leasable area of the objects will be 134 thousand square meters.

The International Literary Festival started in Odessa on Saturday, July 9. The writer-satirist Mikhail Zhvanetskiy took part in the opening.

The registration of volunteers for preparations for and holding the Euro 2012 has started in Ukraine, UEFA Euro 2012 Director in Ukraine Markiyan Lubkivsky said at a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday.
"The registration of volunteers was launched today," he said, and added that it is planned to involve 6,000 volunteers in Ukraine and Poland in the preparations for and holding the Euro 2012.

Fine tortes of many flavors are commercially produced in Kyiv. Each type is distinguished by the frosted design on top and is packed into a uniquely patterned box. The city's namesake cake, the Kyivsky torte, is frosted with sugar chestnut (kashtan) leaves and blossoms. A chestnut leaf motif is printed on its pretty box.

Film farewells don't get much bigger than Harry Potter, and thousands of fans prepared on Thursday to say goodbye to their beloved boy wizard at the world premiere of the final movie in the record-breaking

series. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 is the eighth instalment - and first
in 3D - of a
franchise that has generated more public excitement and media hype than any other in living memory. For Hollywood studio Warner Bros it has been a magic pot of gold, with the seven films released so far grossing $6.4 billion in ticket sales and billions more from DVDs and merchandise.

Sting's concert will be held at the Kyiv Palace of Sports on July 7. Following a 10-year interval, well-known British musician will perform in Kyiv to the accompaniment of the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine and his group.

EMC News - No doubt there hasn't been this much excitement in Ottawa's Ukrainian-Canadian community since that country claimed its independence from the Soviet Union 20 years ago.

The occasion was the unveiling of a monument to Taras Shevchenko, the iconic poet and artist who urged Ukrainians to love one another even as he urged them to throw off the shackles of their foreign oppressors and throw the usurpers out.