The Egyptian Tourist Authority (ETA) is set to welcome the finalists of Miss Scuba UK 2014 to the Red Sea town of Al-Gouna, a diver's paradise offering clear warm waters and an abundance of reefs and marine wildlife. Miss Scuba UK is a competition that promotes safe diving practices and marine conservation. Taking place from 26 April to 3 May 2014, the competition is the brainchild of scuba diver and conservation devotee, Robert Lo, owner of the Sipadan Mabul Resort in Malaysia, who established the event as part of the Miss Scuba International competition. The event has seen the 10 finalists put through a series of water-based and scuba diving related rounds, including a three-day scuba diving PADI certification course, free-diving, swimming with dolphins and a finathon. “Given Al-Gouna's reputation as a world-class diving destination for all skill levels we were naturally delighted to host this event, which not only promotes marine conservation but also provides a platform to encourage a wider audience to try diving for the first time,” commented Jens Freise, VP Sales and Marketing for Destinations and Hotels in Orascom Development, developers of Al-Gouna. The reigning Miss Scuba International and winner of the first Miss Scuba UK competition in November 2013, Jaime-Lee Faulkner, has been on hand to assist the finalists through the 12 rounds in Al-Gouna prior to presenting the Miss Scuba UK 2014 her crown during the final gala evening. The winner of Miss Scuba 2014 was Alicia Caley, 20 years old from Mansfield, studying Global Politics and International Relations at Birkbeck College, London University in her second year. The winner will then go on to Miss Scuba International, held in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, on 28 November 2014. Omani Information Minister Abdel-Moneim bin Mansour gave a dinner banquet to celebrate the Egypt-Oman media agreement in the presence of the Minister of Information Doria Sharafeddin and the Omani Ambassador to Egypt Khalifa Al-Harithi. Among the attendees were the head of the State Information Service Salaheddin Abdel-Sadek and the head of the Board of Trustees of Akhbar Al-Yom Mohamed Al-Hawari. The European Union Ambassador James Moran welcomed diplomats and officials for Europe Day at his Zamalek residence. Minister of Industry Mounir Fakhri Abdel-Nour, Minister of Health Adel Adawi, German Ambassador Michael Bock, Spanish Ambassador Fidel Sendagorta, Swiss Ambassador Markus Leitner, artist Farid Fadel and his wife AUC professor Mona Zaki and political activist Mona Seif were all present. Marie Louis fashion house presented its latest for the summer of 2014 during a spectacular fashion show that took place at the Salaheddin Citadel showing elegant soirée and wedding gowns at the historically ravishing citadel. Dubai's Ayyam Gallery announced that 38 works by 13 of its artists will be featured alongside other prominent Arab artists in Fluid Forms II, a travelling exhibition focusing on contemporary Arab art at Samsung Blue Square in Seoul from 21 to 31 May, and at the Busan Museum of Art from 5 June to 4 July. The featured artists include Abdel-Nasser Gharem, Faisal Samra, Safwan Dahoul, Khaled Jarrar, Walid Al-Masri and Tammam Azzam. Directed by internationally renowned independent curator Yu Yeon Kim in collaboration with the Korea-Arab Society, Fluid Forms II will introduce South Korea to the varied talents, perspectives and diversity of media currently being produced throughout the Middle East and the Arab diaspora. Living between Seoul and New York, Yu Yeon Kim has acted as curator of the Gwangju, Liverpool, and Johannesburg biennales and organised exhibitions in Cuba, Mexico, South Korea, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, working with such prestigious institutions as the Tate Modern and the Guggenheim. Fluid Forms II will be the second exhibition of Contemporary Arab Art organised in South Korea. The late screenwriter Nadine Shams' family and friends gathered to remember her for “A Night of Love for Nadine” at the Cairo Opera House Small Hall. Nesmahar Sayed was present at the event with Shams' mother Professor Nabaweya Al-Guindi and her brother Ahmed Shams, who gave a speech expressing gratitude to his elder sister. Among those who expressed warm and deep feelings for Nadine's person and work were the critic-scholar Sayed Al-Bahrawi, the veteran theatre actress Samiha Ayoub, the filmmakers Khairy Beshara and Mohamed Khan and the screenwriters Azza Shalabi, Mariam Naoum and Wessam Suleiman, Khan's wife, together with one-time culture minister Emad Abu Ghazi, TV anchor Reem Maged, actress Caroline Khalil, journalist Amal Fawzi, television directors Mohamed Ali, Tamer Ezzat and Akram Farid. The sisters Nabiha and Arab Lotfi were also there. The event was directed by the theatre director Nasser Abdel-Moniem and presented by the TV anchor Dina Abdel-Rahman. The event was personally supervised by the Opera House director Inas Abdel-Dayem, and among the singers performing movingly for Shams were Mariam Saleh, Fayrouz Karawia and a choir led by Lana Moshtak. At the end of the event, Nabil Al-Kot, Shams' husband, and her best friends Olfat Allam and Hala Lotfi announced the establishment of the Nadine Shams Association for Screenwriting and its annual competition. They also announced the establishment of the Patients' Rights Network, a civil body to prevent the misfortune that befell Shams in hospital from occurring again. Minister of Culture Saber Arab, Giza Governor Ali Abdel-Rahman and Head of the General Organisation of Culture Palaces Saad Abdel-Rahman opened the new Zenein Culture Palace. The Emirati Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre (RPTC) organised a charity concert at the Grand Hyatt Hotel aimed at supporting Al-Nour Wal Amal Association, the NGO for blind girls. The concert featured Mohamed Fouad, Safaa Abul-Seoud and the Al-Nour Wal Amal troupe. Present were Minister of Tourism Hisham Zazou, Emirati singer Hussein Al-Jasmi, actors Fifi Abdou, Nelly, Hala Sedki, Magda Zaki, Safaa Galal, and Amina, journalist and TV presenter Hala Sarhan, TV presenter Poussy Shalabi, tourism expert Atef Abdel-Latif and, representing RPTC, Sheikh Juma bin Juma Al-Maktoum. Zazou and the director of Al-Nour Wal Amal Esmat Yehia were honoured at the end of the festival. The Lebanese Association for Nursing Care headed by Assia Qassem honoured a number of Egyptian and Arab national figures, celebrities and politicians at a ceremony in Alexandria. Present were Pope Tawadros, Alexandria Governor Tarek Al-Mahdi, actress Elham Shahine, TV presenter George Qerdahi, novelist Youssef Zeidan and former deputy foreign minister Abdallah Al-Ashaal.
