Certified guest of honour French actress Juliette Binoche posed to the lens of Bassam El-Zoghby at the Giza Plateau with the Sphinx in the background. The Academy-Award winner is the guest of honour at the 34th round of the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), along with the American star Richard Gere. Binoche's latest hit Certified Copy, directed by Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, is screened at the CIFF and has been awarded at the 2010 Valladolid Film Festival in Spain. Binoche won the Best Actress Award when Certified Copy was screened at the prestigious 2010 Cannes Film Festival. Lebanese Ambassador to Egypt Khaled Ziyada hosted a reception at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza Hotel marking Lebanese Independence Day. The reception was crowned by the presence of Minister of State for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Moufid Shehab, former prime minister Abdel-Aziz Hegazi, Moroccan Ambassador to Egypt Mohamed Farag Al-Dokali, Omani Ambassador to Egypt Sheikh Ali Bin Khalifa Al-Harithi and his Kuwaiti counterpart Mohamed Al-Rashid, Assistant to the Secretary-General of the Arab League Mohamed Sobeih, Al-Ahram back page editor Mona Ragab as well as veteran actor Mahmoud Yassin and actresses Ghada Ibrahim and Nour. Four Seasons Nile Plaza Hotel hosted another spectacular reception, this one marking the 40th Omani National Day held under the auspices of Omani Ambassador to Egypt Sheikh Ali Bin Khalifa Al-Harithi. A coterie of dignitaries attended, including Speaker of the People's Assembly Fathi Sorour, Minister of Waqf (Religious Endowment) Mahmoud Hamdi Zaqzouq and several Arab and foreign ambassadors. Media figures Dina Farouk, Iman Negm, Counsellor Melika Idris, head of Garden City Lions Club Awatef Serageddin and actor Mahmoud Yassin were present as well. photo: Nasr Attia Internationally acclaimed Egyptian scientist Farouk El-Baz delivered a lecture at the British University in Egypt (BUE) with the attendance of Chairman of the Board of Trustees of BUE Farid Khamis, former ambassador of the European Union to Egypt Klaus Ebermann as well as a luminary of media figures, journalists and BUE students. photos: Ayman Barayez Citadel Yard was where the 2010 prizes of the Freedom to Create Association in theatre were distributed. Prizes went to Ali Mahdi from Sudan, Toto Keyasku from Congo and Oden Masiko from Zimbabwe. The celebration was enlivened by popular singer Hakim and the presence of former first lady Gihan El-Sadat. photos: Abdel-Hamid Eid The World Health Organisation (WHO) hosted a press conference at Le Méridien Heliopolis Hotel, announcing actress Dalia El-Beheiri as goodwill ambassador for fighting stroke in Egypt. El-Beheiri expressed her happiness with the honour and confirmed the important role played by celebrities in raising awareness against the illness. The conference was attended by physicians Alaa Farghali and Mahmoud Abdel-Sattar. The National Library and Archives celebrated its 140th anniversary at the Cairo Opera House Small Hall, followed by an address by the National Library and Archives head Mohamed Saber. The celebration also featured the screening of a documentary film about the history of the organisation. Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni, Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Ahmed El-Tayeb, Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa and Secretary- General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference Ehsan Oghlo were present. Lebanese singers Nagwa Karam and Rami Ayash rocked the stage at Soho Square in Savoy Hotel in Sharm El-Sheikh. Music Syndicate Chairman Mounir El-Wessemi was among the attendees as were other high-profile personalities and celebrities who enjoyed a lovely evening. During ceremonies attended by representatives of the US and Egyptian governments, the American University in Cairo (AUC) welcomed 34 new students from 22 Egyptian governorates selected to receive full academic scholarships as part of the Leadership for Education and Development (LEAD) programme. The event, marking the admission of the seventh batch of LEAD students, was attended by US Ambassador to Egypt Margaret Scobey, AUC President David Arnold, and senior officials from the Ministry of State for International Cooperation. Established in 2004, LEAD offers full scholarships and accommodation to public school students -- one male and one female -- from each of Egypt's governorates. LEAD is a joint programme of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Egyptian Ministry of State for International Cooperation and AUC. It provides distinguished Egyptian students graduating from government schools a chance to attend AUC. It also provides the students with opportunities to develop their leadership and intercultural skills through training, workshops, teamwork, symposia and conferences. In her remarks, Scobey lauded President Arnold 's work to establish the LEAD programme which she called one of the most beneficial programmes that the US has been associated with in Egypt. More news on the US Embassy in Cairo which has invited Berklee College musicians to an interactive and engaging concert with young Egyptians on 4 December at the Integrated Care Society in Heliopolis starting at 12pm. A large number of Berklee College musicians are visiting Egypt upon an initiative by Egyptian-American singer and songwriter Yasmin Tayeby, a graduate of the Berklee College of Music. Tayeby is back in the Egyptian music community after being featured as a homegrown talent on Nile FM, performing at the Pyramids, and creating a fan base for herself around Cairo. The musicians will be holding several performances in cooperation with Egyptian bands. ( see Listings p.5 ) More news on the US Embassy in Cairo which has invited Berklee College musicians to an interactive and engaging concert with young Egyptians on 4 December at the Integrated Care Society in Heliopolis starting at 12pm. A large number of Berklee College musicians are visiting Egypt upon an initiative by Egyptian-American singer and songwriter Yasmin Tayeby, a graduate of the Berklee College of Music. Tayeby is back in the Egyptian music community after being featured as a homegrown talent on Nile FM, performing at the Pyramids, and creating a fan base for herself around Cairo. The musicians will be holding several performances in cooperation with Egyptian bands. ( see Listings p.5 ) The ENT (Ears, Nose and Throat) Department at the Faculty of Medicine in Banha University, in collaboration with the Egyptian Pediatric ENT, Head and Neck Surgeons Society, will hold its second international conference at Alexandria Sheraton Al-Montaza from 2 to 4 December, to be followed by a number of workshops and surgeries at Banha University Hospital from 4 to 5 December. A galaxy of senior professors from Europe will participate in the conference and the workshops including professor Guy Lacher of Portman Institute (otology), Bordeaux, France, professor Gilbert Aiach, world-renowned rhinoplasty surgeon in Paris and professor David Albert, head of London's Great Ormond Street Hospital (pediatric otolaryngology). The conference is held under the auspices of Banha University President Mohamed Zahran, dean of Banha University Faculty of Medicine Ahmed El-Gazzar and the conference head Ahmed Selat. Celebrating the centenary of Harpur Memorial Hospital, this week saw the opening of the hospital's branch in Sadat City and Menouf by Mouneer Anis, Bishop of the Episcopal/Anglican Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa and the Bishop of the Episcopal/Anglican province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. A panel of educators representing Eduniversal, the first tool offering a truly universal perspective on higher education, has awarded AUC's School of Business the highest distinction in Egypt and the second in Africa at the third annual Eduniversal World Convention held in Prague, the Czech Republic. The selection came after an Eduniversal survey of more than 1,000 business schools worldwide on their capacity for international influence. For the second consecutive year, Eduniversal declared AUC to be the second most distinguished school of business in Africa. University of Cape Town's Graduate School of Business and the University of Stellenbosch Business School, South Africa, were awarded first and third place respectively. Sherif Kamel, dean of AUC's School of Business, emphasised that the award is especially significant because of the weight given to opinions from the deans of other top ranked business schools worldwide. "This means that AUC's School of business has the support and acknowledgment of a large segment of the 1,000 deans surveyed by Eduniversal," explained Kamel. During the world convention event, Kamel was given the honour of addressing the first plenary session titled "Global Crisis and Business School Response: The Role of Business Education in Society". The subject was also discussed by Spanish, Ukrainian, New Zealand and Chinese business schools to offer a global context.
