photos: Ayman Barayez It was Egypt's turn this year to host the Lions Clubs' international conference. The InterContinental Citystars Hotel was abuzz with thousands of heads and members of Lions Clubs who gathered to honour the international head of the Lions Clubs Jimmy Ross during his short visit to the country. During the conference, Egypt, being one of the most operative countries in civil activities, presented a number of Lions' recent projects. In addition, the annual reports produced by each branch of the club were reviewed. It was definitely an enticing party held by the Italian Ambassador to Egypt Antonio Badini and his lovely Moroccan wife Donia at their Garden City residence. The occasion was to celebrate Italian President Giorgio Napolitano 's merit of art critic and head of Al-Hanager Art Centre Hoda Wassfi one of the highest Italian decorations for her relentless efforts in reinforcing cultural relations between Egypt and Italy. The party was graced by the attendance of Minister of State for Parliamentary and Legal Affairs Moufid Shehab, head of the People's Assembly Foreign Relations Committee Mustafa El-Feki along with gorgeous actresses Laila Elwi, Poussi, Elham Shahine, Dalal Abdel-Aziz and theatre director Lenein El-Ramly. Also present were Chairman of the Arab Publishers Union and Chairman of the Board of Dar Al-Shorouq Publishing House Ibrahim El-Moallim and his wife. Caps flew in the air at the French University in Egypt to celebrate the graduation of its first batch. The ceremony, gathering the graduates' families, was held at the university situated in Al-Shorouq city on the outskirts of Cairo. Helmy El-Boulek, head of the Supreme Council of Private Universities, attended the graduation party. Also present were former foreign minister and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the French University Ahmed Maher, the French Ambassador in Egypt Philippe Coste, President of the French University Tahani Omar and Vice-President of the Sorbonne University in France Polymnia Zagefka. The Arab Boy Scout Organisation celebrated it's centenary in the presence of 150 participants from 17 Arab countries. Marking Paying Homage for Charitable People day, the organisation honoured its former secretary-general Fawzi Farghali for his notable efforts in serving the organisation. It seems that the spring breeze of April spurs good news everywhere. The American University in Cairo (AUC) came in second at the 2007 National Model United Nations Conference held in New York. This largest conference in the world witnessed the participation of 3,000 student delegates representing more than 270 schools from around the world. The 25-student AUC delegation represented Brazil and tackled a number of UN-related topics including human rights, disarmament, Avian Flu, HIV/AIDS and water management. "The conference was very competitive and different from the Cairo International Model United Nations," said AUC delegate Salma El-Husseini. "I practised more negotiation and debate. It was more about developing skills rather than substance. And since it is an international and diverse conference, one has to try very hard to leave an impression. It was a great experience to learn from." The opening and closing sessions of the conference were held at the UN General Assembly Hall where participants simulated their sessions. During their stay in New York, a panel discussion entitled "Effecting Change Through Careers in Diplomacy" was organised for AUC delegates. Panelists were AUC graduates Sherin Saadallah, United Nations Population Fund, Moez Doraid, United Nations Development Fund for Women and Nina Lahoud, Department of Peacemaking Operations at the United Nations. The delegation, regarded the best in the Middle East, is run under the auspices of the AUC's Political Science Department and faculty advisor professor Maye Kassem. UNICEF Egypt announced this week the appointment of Khaled Abul-Naga as a goodwill ambassador. Abul-Naga, star of numerous Egyptian movies and a top anchor, joins some 200 international celebrities working voluntarily with UNICEF to bring children's problems and concerns in the limelight. "This is a role I have long wanted to play," Abul-Naga said. "With my new position, I will voice out issues regarded by society as taboo, such as the HIV/AIDS and female genital mutilation." He added that he is particularly interested in the younger generation because they possess immense dynamics that need to be better channelled. Abul-Naga has a long history with the UNICEF. He was formerly part of the Unite for Children and Unite against AIDS programmes and the Hepatitis C Campaign launched in November. UNICEF Egypt Representative Erma Manoncourt said Abul-Naga 's public profile is a an added plus to the agency's work. "Celebrities who work with us have a wide range of talents and achievements," said Manoncourt. "But they all share a commitment to improving the lives of children worldwide. And in Abul-Naga 's case, he has already demonstrated such commitment." photo: Mohamed Lotfi Al-Ahram Chairman of the Board Salah El-Ghamri and Chairman of the Board of the Shooting Club Hussein Sabbour inaugurated a photography exhibition at Al-Ahram's lobby last week. On show were 210 spectacular photos snapped by 57 professionals from the Photography Club Group. The opening was attended by Al-Ahram daily newspaper veteran photographer Antoine Albert and his Al-Akhbar renowned counterpart Farouk Ibrahim in addition to Adel Gazareen. It might not be, after all, a lost Egyptian art. Classic stand-up comedy -- one man and a microphone -- will finally find its way home with Stand Up Cairo Auditions. On 15-16 of this month, 6-10pm, the Contemporary Image Collective (CIC) will give talented individuals the chance to perform five-minute skits of original material in Arabic or English. Theatre troupes and re-enactments of the 1960s' monologues will not find room at the CIC. Rather, it will be accountants, students, waiters and doctors who find in Cairo's madness rich material for scathing criticism. If you are interested, head to the CIC at 20 Safeya Zaghloul Street, off Qasr Al-Aini Street, Mounira, or flock to [email protected]. The Emirates Foundation, a leading philanthropic organisation in the UAE, has launched the International Prize for Arabic Fiction on 5 April. In association with the UK's internationally reputed Booker Prize Foundation, prizes will be distributed among winners in prose fiction, with the first receiving $60,000, while $10,000 will be granted to each of the five shortlisted authors. "We see this annual award as highly important for the Arab world. It marks our commitment to celebrating the richness, diversity and importance of the Arabic language and culture and introducing both to a global audience," said Omar Seif Ghobash, deputy CEO of the Emirates Foundation. The aim of this prize is to reward excellence in contemporary Arabic creative writing and to encourage wider readership of quality Arabic literature on the regional and international levels. The prize also recognises distinguished translated works -- already a number of European and US publishers have expressed their interest in publishing winning translated works.
