Abdel-Salam Ragab, chairman of the Pharaonic Village, warmly welcomed Jimmy Ross, president of the International Lions Club and his family to the village during their stay in Cairo this week. Former head of Lions Club in Egypt Mohamed Zidan and its present head Ahmed Khaled and their spouses accompanied Ross on the visit, which included a tour of the newly opened Gamal Abdel-Nasser and Anwar El-Sadat museums. The World Environment Day took place at Al-Azhar Park this week, reports Amira El-Naqeeb, organised by the British Council in collaboration with the Wadi Environmental Science Centre. The dignitaries present included Minister of State for Environmental Affairs Maged George, British Ambassador to Egypt Sir Derek Plumbly, Cairo Governor Abdel-Azim Wazir, Director of the British Council in Cairo Paul Smith and Founding Director of the Wadi Environmental Science Centre Lynn Freiji. Activities shedding light on the individual's role in protecting the environment kept attendees busy, while representatives of National Geographic and Reuters, Nile TV International as well as Otv bustled about. The Environmental Compliance Office (ECO) of the Federation of Egyptian Industries took part in the World Environment Day celebrations, reports Mahmoud Bakr. According to ECO representative Sherif El-Gabaly, "this year the office focuses on raising the awareness of manufacturers about climate change and the importance of employing clean development mechanisms." For his part, Ahmed Kamal, head of the office, said the celebrations concentrated on raising awareness of all categories of industry about climate change with the help of presentations, images and leaflets showing the effects of this phenomenon on the society as a whole. The office also organised a lecture in which managers of various chambers in the federation talked about the role of the office in achieving harmony between industries and the environment. To mark the convergence of the Egyptian and Canadian Chambers, Canadian Ambassador to Egypt Philip Mackinnon held a reception party at his residence. Present were Minister of Communications and Information Technology Tareq Kamel, Minister of Administrative Development Ahmed Darwish, head of the Communications Authority Aqeel Bashir, General Manager of Al-Ahram Establishment Mohamed Taymour, Chief Editor of Nisf Al-Donia magazine Afkar El-Kharadli and former minister of interior Hassan El-Alfi. On the occasion of the Norwegian National Day, the Ambassador of Norway Lasse Siem launched the first Norwegian Sea Food Festival at the Marriott Hotel, with performance of the music of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) among other attractions. Present were the presidential adviser for political affairs Osama El-Baz, Minister of Education Youssri El-Gamal and a number of foreign ambassadors, together with actress Poussi and pop singer Hakim. photos: Ayman Barayez American Cultural Councillor Haynes Mahoney held a farewell party for press attaché John Berry, who is now leaving Egypt. Present were deputy editor-in-chief of Al-Ahram Kamal Gaballah and media figures Nehal Saad and Randa Abul-Azm as well as Manal Rezqallah from the American Embassy. In the framework of its cultural programme, the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC) is organising an exhibition of paintings entitled "Phoenician Imagination in Book Art", by Rania El-Hossari, professor of graphics at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University. El-Hossari participated in several exhibitions in Egypt and one international exhibition in Spain in 2006. (See Exhibitions in Listings p.18). At the Cairo Opera House Small Hall, 200 American City College School students celebrated their American Diploma commencement in the presence of Saudi businessman Sheikh Saleh Kamel, the owner of the ART satellite network and his wife prominent ART presenter Safaa Abul-Saoud, whose daughter was among the graduates. Veteran caricaturist Mustafa Hussein, media figure Soheir Shalabi and members of the American Embassy in Cairo were also present, while the National Arab Music Ensemble, conducted by maestro Selim Sahab, provided the entertainment. photo: Hani Abdine To promote his initiative "In search of understanding", diplomat-cum-musician Mohamed Kazem gave a concert at Al-Sawy Culture Wheel last week. Kazem sings his own original compositions in Arabic, English and Spanish to the accompaniment of the guitar, focussing on universal themes of hope, insecurity, love, and peace. The auditorium was filled to overflowing, with audience members thoroughly enjoying both lyrics and music, especially the piece composed to accompany a slideshow of images, "Egypt: Faces and Places". Revenues generated from Kazem 's concerts are channelled into humanitarian causes, which include donating money to NGOs in the fields of development and charity in addition to Rotary clubs.
