Souma El-Helw photos: Abdel-Hamid Eid The Cairo Opera House organised a commemorative evening for the late Algerian singing icon Warda, who passed away at the age of 72 this May, "Egyptian Night in the Love of Warda". The event coincided with the 50th Algerian Independence Day, and according to the idea of Minister of Culture Saber Arab that featured an exhibition about Algeria presenting various kinds of art followed by the screening of a documentary on Warda's rich artistic life by media figure Wagdi El-Hakim. Singers Mohamed El-Helw, Khaled Selim, Riham Abdel-Ghafour, Marwa Nagui, Souma, Somaya Wagdi, Marwa Hamdi, Samar Safwat, Rehab Motawei and Iman Abdel-Ghani performed a number of Warda's beautiful songs accompanied by Cairo Opera Orchestra conducted by maestro Abdel-Hamid Abdel-Ghaffar. Present were former minister of culture Emad Abu Ghazi, Lebanese Ambassador to Egypt Khaled Ziyada, actresses Yossra and Nabila Ebeid, belly dancer-cum-actress Fifi Abdu and vernacular poet Ahmed Fouad Negm. photos: Ayman Barayez US Ambassador to Egypt Anne Patterson gave a prestigious reception at the headquarters of the US Embassy in Garden City to celebrate the 236th American Independence Day on 4 July in the presence of diplomats and public figures. Patterson delivered a speech during the ceremony applauding the new beginning of a democratic country and expressing her happiness on seeing scores of Egyptians lining up to cast their vote for the presidential elections. Minister of State for Scientific Research Nadia Zakhari, Minister of Health Adam El-Nawawi, President of the International Union of Muslim-Christian-Jewish Dialogue and Peace Education Ali El-Samman, Giza Governor Ali Abdel-Rahman, head of the National Women Council Mervat El-Tellawi, Editor-in-Chief of the Al-Ahram quarterly magazine Al-Demoqrateya (Democracy) Hala Mustafa, Lebanese Ambassador to Egypt Khaled Ziyada, Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed Al-Qattan, European Union Ambassador to Egypt Marc Franco, Italian Ambassador to Egypt Claudio Pacifico and his Canadian counterpart David Drake and head of the Salafist Nour Party Emad Abdel-Ghaffour were all present. The Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Cairo Danti Marianacci organised an honorary ceremony for the head of the Italian Archaeological Institute and Egyptology professor at Milano University Rosanna Pirelli to bid her farewell after finishing her work in Egypt. Present were the Italian Ambassador to Egypt Claudio Pacifico and members of the Italian Embassy in Cairo. The President of the International Union of Muslim-Christian-Jewish Dialogue and Peace Education Ali El-Samman held a farewell ceremony for Vatican representative Michael Fitzgerald on the occasion of ending his terms in Cairo. The farewell ceremony was attended by Grand Mufti Sheikh Ali Gomaa, professor of international law Fouad Abdel-Moneim Riad, Turkish Ambassador to Egypt Héysein Avni Botsali, media figure Salma El-Shamaa, Ambassador Nihad El-Asqalani and society lady Brigitte Louvivre. Last weekend, singer Mustafa Qamar rocked the stage at Porto Sokhna for a large number of his fans. At Alef Bookstores Zamalek, the launch of journalist and media figure Youssri El-Fakharani's book Nafeza Saghera Ala Bahr (A Small Window on a Sea) was attended by ONTV channel anchor Youssef El-Husseini, actress Yossra, shaaby singer Hakim and actor Mohamed El-Tagui as well as El-Fakharani's wife journalist Hanan Sabra. This is not just a book but a project documenting 44 stories of women in Egypt and reflecting their experiences and thoughts. The American University in Cairo (AUC) celebrated the graduation of the first class of students of the Medical Technology Training Programme (MTTP) at AUC. The MTTP is the first of its kind in Egypt to offer specialised training to medical technologists in accordance with globally recognised standards. "The basis of medicine is diagnosis, which relies on the work of medical technologists and clinical laboratorians," said Hassan Azazi, founder of the programme and professor of chemistry at the School of Sciences and Engineering. "The AUC programme provides students with extensive, hands-on training and is of great service to Egyptians because it trains medical technologists according to the highest international standards. Students are given the opportunity to work with real patients at some of the most advanced facilities in Egypt. The programme builds on the critical role of proper diagnostics in providing good healthcare." Following Amr Diab's announcement of the "Amr Diab Academy", fans and singers from around the world have been rushing to his YouTube channel to submit their videos. More than 700 videos have been submitted so far; and the unique partnership between Diab and YouTube will allow undiscovered talent exposure. The majority of the videos come from Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco. To enter the academy, individuals must submit a video of themselves singing an Amr Diab song. Submissions will then be judged by a team of music industry experts who work closely with Diab. Videos will be accepted until 15 September. "I am delighted with the feedback we have received so far," said Diab. "This is a great initiative that really highlights the immense talent my fan base has to offer. I can't wait to start the coaching process and believe that the final winner will definitely be a star in the making." Not only do competitors get the chance to receive mentoring and performance advice from a panel of industry experts, the voting is also open to the YouTube community. Academy participants can receive immediate feedback from potential fans. This provides participants with the opportunity to get a real feel for the music industry. The grand prize is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share the stage with Diab during his New Year's Eve concert. The winner will be announced on 15 December 2012. The M�ïvenpick Hotel in 6 October City witnessed the closing ceremony of the Oriental Dance Festival presided over by artist Raqia Hassan with participation from 18 countries including Egypt, France, USA, Russia and Korea. Egyptian belly dancer Dina gave a spectacular performance to the melodies of a remarkable troupe.
