Shaabi star Hakim started shooting his TV show Negm Al-Shaab (The People's Star), touring different governorates of Egypt to discover the talent. The show will screen on Al-Mehwar satellite channel. The Ayyam Gallery Dubai (Al Quoz) is holding an opening reception and artists' talk for Syria's Apex Generation, an exhibition featuring recent works by artists Nihad Al-Turk, Abdul Karim Majdal Al-Beik, Othman Moussa, Mohannad Orabi, and Kais Salman. The event will take place on Monday 9 June, 7-9pm, at the gallery's space in Alserkal Avenue in Al Quoz, Dubai. Curated by art historian Maymanah Farhat, the artistic director of Ayyam Gallery, exhibition spotlights a new school of Syrian painting that is expanding despite the disintegration of the Damascus art scene, its original centre. This multi-venue group show will be held at the gallery's Dubai and Beirut venues (9 June - 2 August and 11 June - 2 August, respectively). Syria's Apex Generation explores the myriad ways artists are responding to the current conflict in Syria through multifaceted works that reflect a new phase in the country's contemporary art. Focusing on painters who launched their careers in the 2000s when the Damascus art scene experienced significant growth, the exhibition will demonstrate how these artists have contributed to the catapulting of Syrian art over the last decade, which reached a high point just before the onset of the war. Ecuador Ambassador Edwin Johnson gave a reception at the Marriott Hotel in Zamalek to mark the end of his term in Egypt and the 192nd anniversary of the Battle of Pichincha. Present were Japanese Ambassador Toshiro Suzuki, Argentinean Ambassador Sergio Alberto Baur, Swiss Ambassador Markus Leitner, Singaporean Ambassador Premjith Sadasivan, Colombian Ambassador Álvaro Sandoval, Belgian Ambassador Gilles Heyvaert, Cuban Ambassador Otto Valliant Frías, Venezuelan Ambassador Antonio Hernández, Australian Ambassador Ralph King and his Georgian counterpart Archil Dzuliashvili. Also present was the daughter of the late president Mona Abdel-Nasser. Argentinean Ambassador Sergio Alberto Baur gave a reception to celebrate Argentinean National Day at the Marriott Hotel in Zamalek. Present were former minister of administrative development Ahmed Darwish, Saudi Ambassador Ahmed bin Abdel-Aziz Al-Qattan, Bahraini Ambassador Sheikh Rashed Al-Khalifa, Omani Ambassador Khalifa Al-Harithi, Tunisian Ambassador Mahmoud Al-Khomieri, Pakistani Ambassador Manzoor Ul-Haq, British Ambassador James Watt, Canadian Ambassador David Drake, Japanese Ambassador Toshiro Suzuki, Colombian Ambassador Álvaro Sandoval, Ecuador Ambassador Edwin Johnson, Greek Ambassador Chris Lazaris, Russian Ambassador Serge Kirpichenko, Lithuanian Ambassador Dainius Junevicius, Mongolian Ambassador Odonjil Banzragch and his Estonian counterpart Paul Teesalu, together with First Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Cultural Relations Camelia Sobhi. During the current Cannes Film Festival, the managers of the Luxor African Film Festival in Egypt and the Malmo Arab Film Festival in Sweden have signed a cooperation protocol to co-organise events. Among the programmes planned is a panorama on the diaspora in African cinema to be presented at the fourth edition of Malmo Arab Film Festival in September, and the Africa through the Eyes of Malmo, to be presented at the fourth edition of the Luxor African Film Festival in March 2015. This is in addition to the contribution of Malmo Arab Film Festival to the network of ETISAL Fund to support the production of films by young African filmmakers in Africa and in its Diaspora across Scandinavian countries. The classes of 2013 and 2014 at the German University in Cairo (GUC) faculties of management technologies, engineering, applied arts, pharmacy and biotechnology celebrated their graduation last week. The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) organised a workshop on E-safety at its Smart Village headquarters. The event witnessed the announcement of the results of an international research project about the use of mobile phones and Internet by children. The multiyear project is a joint effort between GSM association and the ministry; and it was sponsored by Egypt's first mobile operator. The event also presented Orange group's ‘Digital Society Forum' that aims to shed light on changes in our society created by using digital technologies. Thierry Taboy; one of the founders explained that the forum “relies on a participatory approach between public and experts in fields like psychology and sociology as well as educators and parents. Now that the presidential elections have ended the Ministry of Culture is embarking on the “Beautiful Egypt” initiative. Starting with Assiut this week, the Umm Kulthoum Arabic Music ensemble and the Youth Melodies troupe will tour the whole country. Among the highlights in June is the Art Creativity Centre's Ghona Al-Watan (or “Homeland Singing”) show on in Ismailia, the Folk troupe in Hurghada and the Asatizat Al-Tarab troupe in Banha. To celebrate the 68th anniversary of the Republic of Italy and Expo Milan 2015, Italian Ambassador to Egypt Maurizio Massari and Mrs Mary Massari held a lavish reception party at their residence in Garden City, Pack of Cards page-editor Reham El-Adawi was present. It was crowned by the presence of a galaxy of senior state officials, ministers as well as Arab and foreign ambassadors. Among others were Minister of Tourism Hisham Zaazou, Al-Fayoum Governor Hazem Attiyatallah, Major-General director of the artillery army sector Hamdi Hamed, Palestinian Ambassador Bararkat Al-Fara, Tunisian Ambassador Mahmoud Al-Khoumeri, Hungarian ambassador to Egypt Peter Kveck, Russian Ambassador to Egypt Serge V Kirpichenko, French Ambassador to Egypt Nicolas Galey and his wife Camilia Galey, South Korea Ambassador Yung-So Kim and his Lithuanian counterpart Dainius Junevicius, and last but not least, the Vatican's Ambassador Jean-Paul Gobel. Massari explained that the Milan 2015 Universal Exposition is an event bringing the people of the world together every five years around a theme of global importance. The theme of Expo Milan 2015 is “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”, which will offer visitors a veritable journey around the world, through the cultures, histories and innovations of more than 140 countries participating with the contribution of civil society, international organisations, NGOs and companies.
