The Ministry of Tourism, in cooperation with Ministry of Culture, organised a new celebration in Sharm Al-Sheikh under the auspices of South Sinai Governor General Khaled Fouda in the framework of promoting tourism: “Egypt in the Eyes of the World.” The celebration was coordinated with the Daily Telegraph newspaper publishing a guide to tourist sites in Egypt. Present were the Deputy of the Ministry of Culture Iman Negm and a delegation of journalists from the Daily Telegraph newspaper as well as celebrities who were honoured including actresses Ilham Shahine, Nermine Al-Fiki, Hala Sedki, composer Hani Mehanna, TV presenter Poussy Shalabi, tourism expert Hisham Bahgat, Egyptian Consul in London Hisham Khalil, head of the Tourism Chamber Hossam Al-Shaer and head of the Investors Association Hisham Ali. Under the title “Old-Time Ramadan”, the Ministry of Tourism and the General Authority for Tourism Promotion organised a celebration at the Salaheddin Citadel to promote domestic tourism. It featured an Umm Kulthoum song concert and a puppet show performance of Al-Leila Al-Kebira (Anniversary Night). Present were the Minister of Tourism Hisham Zaazou, together with his daughter, Minister of Communication and Information Technology Atef Helmi and his family, Minister of Planning Ashraf Al-Arabi and actors Ezzat Abu-Ouf, Arwa Gouda as well as Soheir Abdel-Qader from the Ministry of Tourism. Also present were Finnish Ambassadress Tuula Yrjölä, Greek Ambassador Chris Lazaris and Tunisian Ambassador Mahmoud Al-Khoumeri. During the event, Zaazou delivered a speech announcing that a number of artistic caravans will tour Egyptian streets to promote domestic tourism and call on Arab countries to make Egypt their destination in the Summer of 2014. Indian snooker player Pankaj Advani won the World 6-Reds Snooker Championship during a match that took place in Sharm Al-Sheikh on 29 June. Advani commented, “It's like a dream, I wasn't expecting to win this championship.” Twenty seven year-old Advani won the World Snooker Championship in 2003 in China. Advani seized the opportunity to visit a number of Egypt's tourist attractions such as the Egyptian Museum, while Indian Ambassador to Egypt Navdeep Suri congratulated Advani on his triumph before his departure at the airport. Venezuelan Ambassador to Egypt Juan Antonio Hernández gave a reception marking Venezuela's 203rd National Day at the Sofitel Hotel. Present were former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi, son of the late Egyptian president Gamal Abdel-Nasser, Abdel-Hakim Abdel-Nasser and former coordinator of Egyptian-Libyan relations Ahmed Gaddafi Al-Dam. Also present were the head of the Foreign Cultural Relations Sector at the Ministry of Culture Kamilia Sobhi, painter Farid Fadel, Austrian Ambassador Ferdinand Maultasch, Polish Ambassador Michal Murkociński, Vatican Ambassador Jean-Paul Gobel, Ecuador Ambassador Edwin Johnson, Brazilian Ambassador Marco Brando, South Korean Ambassador Yung-So Kim and Peruvian Ambassador Alberto Galve. The Head of the Young Muslims Association Ahmed Al-Fadali organised a Ramadan Iftar with the attendance of celebrities and politicians at Al-Quwat Al-Baharia (the Marine Forces) Club. Al-Fadali honoured Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II, former head of National Intelligence Mourad Mowafi, Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim, football coach Farouk Gaafar, Islamist thinker Kamal Al-Helbawi and former prime minister Yehia Al-Gamal. Director of the Cultural Development Fund (CDF) Sector Mohamed Abu-Saada has announced the CDF's miscellaneous Ramadan programme at various venues, including 117 art shows, cultural salons with the participation of artists and writers. He pointed out that the shows will be presented in 11 centres affiliated to the CDF such as the Amir Taz Palace, Artistic Creativity Centre in Cairo, Talaat Harb Cultural Centre, Al-Ghouri Dome, Umm Kulthoum Museum and Al-Horriya Creativity Centre in Alexandria. Abu Saada added that the programme offers various items be they theatre, music, poetry or inshad dini (religious chanting) by a number of Egyptian troupes such as Samaa, Al-Mashayekh, and Sufi chanters such as Ali Al-Helbawi, Hossam Saqr, Mahmoud Al-Toni and Ibrahim Farouq. This, in addition to exhibitions like the calligraphy exhibition currently on show at the Talaat Harb Cultural Centre, Ahna (We) and an exhibition at the Amir Bashtak Palace showcasing works by graduates at the faculties of fine and applied arts. The Head of the General Organisation of Culture Palaces Abdel-Nasser Hassan welcomed Alexandria Governor Major General Tarek Al-Mahdi to the opening of Ramadan Cultural Nights at the Falls Garden in Alexandria. The evening featured mizmar and tannoura performances, as well as a bazaar for women's hand-made products and a workshop for children in addition to ten nights of celebrations at the Qait Bay Fortress. The Hamdan Bin Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) hosted the renowned Iranian-French photojournalist Manoocher Deghati for a workshop at the Dubai International Financial Centre under the title “How to be a successful Photojournalist”. This took place in the framework of HIPA offering training and support for young and amateur photographers in various fields. A renowned name in the photo world, Deghati is well-known for documenting wars such as Persian Gulf War and the Iranian Revolution and has won many awards such as the World Press Photo first prize in 1983. Assistant Secretary-General of HIPA Sahar Mohamed Al-Zarei said how happy she was to be hosting a famous figure like Deghati, reaffirming HIPA's commitment to Arab talents in the field of photography. The German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière accepted the invitation of a group of Muslims in Germany to participate in an Iftar banquet held at the Kreuzberg Cultural Foundation on 7 July. The Iftar gathered a number of Christians and Jews as well as politicians and luminary figures in the fields of culture and science. In cooperation with a big café company, the Misr Al-Kheir Foundation's education department organised a graduation ceremony for the first class of the Technological Education Initiative for Community Schools yesterday. The company has financed the initiative in two affiliated schools of Misr Al-Kheir, namely the Sanhour Al-Qibliya and Khalaf schools in Al-Fayyum Governorate. In partnership with local NGOs in Upper Egypt, the leading foundation manages and operates 800 community schools, serving 20,850 dropouts in remote and underprivileged areas. The graduation ceremony was attended by Governor of Al-Fayyum Hazem Atiyatallah, Director of the Educational Sector at Misr Al-Kheir Nashwa Ayyub, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Education in Al-Fayyum Mahmoud Abu Al-Gheit. In addition, representatives from Misr Al-Kheir Foundation and the Family and Local Community Development Association in Al-Fayyum were also present. The ceremony featured a computer skills competitions for students from Khalaf and Sanhour Al-Qibliya schools, with students demonstrating their Microsoft Office skills, designing greeting cards through specialised programmes and surfing the internet. Following the competitions, the students performed a few songs. Two female students told their story of success inspired by their parents and the Family and Local Community Development Association in Fayoum. The ceremony concluded with the honouring of outstanding students and the distribution of certificates of appreciation and awards. This graduation ceremony was the culmination of the joint initiative “for a better future of Fayoum children”, launched by Caravan and Misr Al- Kheir last year. It includes processing two computer labs inside two schools in Fayoum governorate, to teach students aged 7-12 how to use computers and develop technological skills.
