♣ Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday named Archbishop Jean-Paul Gobelas Apostolic Nuncio to the Arab Republic of Egypt and delegate to the Arab League. The 70-year-old ambassador was born in France in 1943 and named a priest in 1969. In the early 1990s, he was chosen by Pope John Paul II to serve the papal diplomatic mission, and has since spent time in Armenia, Georgia, Mali, Guinea and most recently, Iran. Archbishop Jean-Paul Gobelwill start performing his duties at the Vatican Embassy headquarters in Zamalek, succeeding former ambassador to Egypt Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald who has been serving as Nuncio in Egypt and the Arab League since 2006. ♥ Veteran actress Ragaa Al-Geddawiinaugurated an exhibition by jewellery designer Ehsan Nada, painter Emad Rizkand florist Elham Diabat Mashrabia Gallery. The exhibition showcases a selection of flower arrangements, jewellery, paintings, vases and handmade crafts as well as precious stones. Present at the opening were Major General Magdi Diab, author LotusAbdel-Kerim, Magda Abu Emera, Soheir Keretam, Mahfouz Nadaand SaidEmera. ª Fashion designer Sarah Adel Imam, the daughter of comedy superstar Adel Imam, participated in the charitable bazaar organised by the Zamalek Innerwheel Club, presided over by Samia Abul-Fotouh. Revenues are earmarked for people with special needs. The bazaar displayed a variety of handmade crafts, textiles and copper utensils. It was crowned by the presence of society ladies Gihan Halawa, Soha Al-Kadi, Al-Ahram writer Aisha Abdel-Ghaffar, Amani Bahgat, Naglaa Al-Dessouki, Zeinab Diaa, Nadia Eissa andLaila Nour. ¨ Lebanese singers Wael Gassarand Nicole Saba, together with Egyptian shaabisingerAmina, rocked the stage at Concorde Al-Salam Hotel in Heliopolis to celebrate the New Year's Eve. For over an hour and a half, Gassarperformed a number of his romantic songs, followed by Amina. In an elegant dress, Sabaconcluded the concert, entertaining her audience till the early hours of 2013.
♣ Professor Jennifer Bremer, chair of the Department of Public Policy and Administration at the American University in Cairo (AUC), is working with the residents of Ezbet Al-Haggana, the largest informal settlement in eastern Cairo, to find ways to address some of the problems associated with deprived regions in the nation's capital. “The priority is to help people there register their property and formalise their presence, although it will take a lot of resources,” Bremer noted. “The main need at this point is to shift the focus from building communities for the elite to dealing with the urgent housing needs of the less fortunate urban working classes. This would entail integrating informal areas into the formal system, providing essential social services and granting them a secure status, thereby giving residents of these areas a stronger incentive to build for the future. The first step, however, is to fill the services gap in low-income areas by ensuring garbage collection, providing adequate access to water and sewage, and enabling all children to attend schools in their own neighbourhoods.”
♥ Minister of Culture Saber Arab inaugurated a group exhibition at the Fine Arts Lovers Association in Garden City, showcasing the work of 50 artists. Present were Al-Ahram writer Afkar Al-Kharadli, Al-Ahram art critic Mohamed Morsi, artists Mohamed Abdel-Aal, Ahmed Nawwar, Ashraf Reda and maestro Gaber Al-Beltagui who played a song on the occasion.
