Days of hunger Baladi cats are a breed of a kind. They probably are the smartest, most sensitive and most interactive of all felines. Born and bred in the alleyways of Cairo, they have such an amazing skill to adapt to fast changing circumstances. To the bewilderment of photographer Sherif Sonbol, this furry carnivore has made an overhaul shift in its diet. For the time being it's gone vegetarian. Fuul, a staple for Egyptians, has apparently become a favourite on street cats' menu. photos: Ayman Barayez Italian Ambassador to Egypt Claudio Pacifico welcomed guests at an extravagant reception held at the Italian Embassy in Garden City celebrating the 64th anniversary of the Republic of Italy. The reception was graced by an array of high-profile personalities and dignitaries who were delighted with the exceptionally beautiful view of the Nile. Attendees included Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni, Minister of State for Environmental Affairs Maged George, Minister of State for Parliamentary and Legal Affairs Moufid Shehab, Minister of State for Family and Population Mushira Khattab, Minister of Manpower Aisha Abdel-Hadi, Minister of Transportation Alaa Fahmi, Minister of State for Administrative Development Ahmed Darwish, Qalioubiya Governor Adli Hussein, head of Garden City Lions Club Awatef Serageddin as well as a number of European ambassadors. Gifted Lebanese singer Assi Al-Hillani featured in a charitable concert at the Cairo Opera House Main Hall organised by Zamalek Inner Wheel Club (ZIWC), presided over by Samia Abul-Fotouh. The concert's proceeds were allocated for the benefit of the Children's Kidney Dialysis Unit at Abul-Reish Hospital. The event was crowned by the presence of Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Cairo University Sameh Farid, head of the People's Assembly Fathi Sorour, spouse of Chief of Presidential Staff Zakaria Azmi, spouse of Minister of State for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Moufid Shehab, Al-Ahram back page editor Mona Ragab, Amal Touqan spouse of Al-Ahram Chairman of the Board Abdel-Moneim Said as well as ZIWC members Wafaa El-Ghazali, Bahiya Youssef, Gihan Halawa, Fatma Barada and Somaya Shawqi. Arts, crafts and music are three aspects of life that fit together perfectly, so it was no wonder that when the musical minds from the Cairo Jazz Club united with the creative minds from Darb 17 18, the concept of Artbeat came to life! Artbeat is a simple idea of harmoniously combining arts and crafts with local and international music in a festival to be enjoyed and appreciated by people from all nationalities, ages and classes. Artbeat's excellent cultural diversity and exchange is encouraged by support received from the embassies of Germany, Spain and Switzerland. Artbeat will run over four days across four different venues in Cairo and Minya: Darb 17 18, the Cairo Jazz Club, El Genaina Theatre in Al-Azhar Park and the Roman Theatre on the Corniche in Minya, from 10-13 June. Darb 17 18 will showcase "Uncovered", a contemporary art exhibition featuring Spanish and Egyptian artists alongside open craft workshops for children and adults. Minya spontaneous artist Hassan El-Sharq will exhibit his paintings next to contemporary artists from Cairo at the Cultural Palace in Minya. Egypt's home grown bands, such as Al-Dor Al-Awwal, will perform as well as international bands, including La Banda Del Pepo (Spain) and i.trio (Switzerland). Local folkloric bands and the Mallawi Stick Dancing Group from Minya will also display their talents in both cities. ( see Listings p.6 ) A delegation from the American University in Cairo (AUC) inaugurated the first breast cancer unit in Banha University, Qalioubiya governorate, funded by AUC students. The delegation included AUC President David Arnold, Vice-President for Student Affairs Ashraf El-Fiqi, and students from the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Anti-Cancer Team (ACT) club who led the initiative to establish better access to breast cancer screening and support. Sherine Fahmi, professor of journalism and mass communication, developed the project two years ago as a marketing class assignment. Students were directed to develop and implement a fully integrated marketing strategy to launch a facility that would offer breast cancer awareness and detection services. The project attracted more than 150 students from the department and the club. "We chose Banha University as the host facility for the unit because Qalioubiya is one of Egypt's largest governorates and there isn't one mammogram device there," said Fahmi. Fahmi and the students were able to buy mammogram and ultrasound devices for the unit after a successful fundraising campaign that included holding two concerts. More news from AUC! Medhat Hassanein, professor of banking and finance at AUC, and Egypt's former minister of finance, has been selected to serve on the Commission for the Legal Empowerment of the Poor, a committee formed by the UN Development Programme (UNDP). Chaired by Madeleine Albright, the former US secretary of state and permanent US representative to the United Nations, and Hernando de Soto, president of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy, the committee includes prominent politicians, former heads of state, and advocates. It is divided into four working groups, with each area engaging academics, business people, educators and other members of civil society to understand impediments that low income individuals often face when seeking to advance their rights and interests through judicial channels. On the occasion of the World MS Day 2010 (multiple sclerosis), the Egyptian Centre for Rights of Medicine organised a celebration last week in cooperation with Cairo University Association. The celebration was held under the auspices of Cairo University President Hossam Kamel, and Vice- President Heba Nassar. More than 150 patients attended the celebration along with doctors representing the National Council for Women, the National Council for Motherhood and Childhood, members of the Health Committee of the Shura Council and People's Assembly, representatives of the World Health Organisation, in addition to a number of civil society organisations. Actor and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa Mahmoud Qabil delivered a heart wrenching speech. At the garden of the French Embassy, Ramses Hilton Hotel recently organised a fashion festival where 14 French and Egyptian models presented the latest creations of haute couture created by famous French designer Leonard. The revenue of the event was directed to the Charity Association in Egypt. The fashion show took place on two consecutive days, and a large number of state officials, ministers, ambassadors as well as celebrities attended and were received by French Ambassador Jean-Felix Paganon. An evening gala was organised by Onsi Barakat, Ramses Hilton director of international events -- one of numerous charitable events borne of cooperation between Egypt and France. Breast Cancer Foundation of Egypt (BCFE) Chairperson Mohamed Shaalan met with Joseph Biden, US vice-president, and his wife Jill Biden last Saturday at the commencement of a new campaign by Susan G Komen for the Cure. Shaalan shared his vision of American-Egyptian cooperation to fight breast cancer in the Middle East and North Africa. Shaalan will participate in the launch of the Komen Global Health Alliance, bringing together health ministers, officials from the World Bank, World Health Organisation, UNAIDS, and the Global Fund, along with ambassadors from over 15 countries. BCFE represents Egypt as the first NGO to initiate breast cancer awareness and early detection campaigns in Egypt. The US-Middle East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research, in collaboration with Susan G Komen for the Cure, organised a celebration on the occasion of selecting Egypt as the third state globally -- following Germany and Italy -- as a partner in the global alliance of fighting breast cancer chaired by Komen. Shaalan will present a paper at the Global Summit on International Breast Health in Chicago from 9-11 June. The paper tackles the situation of breast cancer patients in Egypt, along with tools for diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. Part of the Korean Culture Festival organised by the Korean Embassy in Egypt that included a Korean film festival was a traditional dance performance and break-dancing by a Korean group that took place at the Cairo Opera House Main Hall. It was attended by Korean Ambassador to Egypt Jong-Kon Yoon, Minister of State for Administrative Development Ahmed Darwish, as well as director of the Cairo Opera House Abdel-Moneim Kamel. Ahmed Megahed Hani Mustafa Congratulations! Al-Ahram Weekly 's very own film critic Hani Mustafa, assistant editor-in-chief of the paper, is now head of the General Department of Cinema at the General Organisation of Culture Palaces (GOCP). Ahmed Megahed, chairman of the board of GOCP, tipped Mustafa for the post. The latter has also taken over the editorship of Afaq Al-Cinema (Cinematic Horizons) series of books, formerly headed by Samir Farid.
