Solzhenitsyn gets with top Kremlin award
Afp, Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded a top state honour to ex-dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn yesterday, lauding his devotion to the "fatherland" at a lavish ceremony in the Kremlin. Solzhenitsyn's wife Natalya accepted the State Prize, Russia's highest, on behalf of her husband, who at 88 was unable to attend the ceremony. "Millions of people in the world link the name and works of Alexander Isayevich Solzhenitsyn with Milan and Lyon. The cars they were driving were adorned with self-adhesive race numbers, which led other motorists to alert police. Police said "motoring offences" had been committed, without giving details. The phenomenon of illegal, high-speed rallies on public roads using specially adapted sportscars originated in the United States but the races have become popular in Europe.
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