| L-r; Samir Sobhi, Assem El-Kersh and Galal Nassar photos: Nader Habib The seven-year itch After seven years with the paper -- one year longer than he was planning on, as he wryly said on the occasion -- Al-Ahram Weekly's third editor-in-chief Assem El-Kersh is moving on, handing over the reigns to the young managing editor Galal Nassar: now the fourth editor-in-chief of the Weekly. Before a sumptuous in-house Iftar on Tuesday to bid El-Kersh farewell and congratulate Nassar, each gave a brief speech in honour of the other and the Weekly: the late Founding Editor Hosny Guindy's dream which, by coming true, has shaped generations of some of the most competent journalists in Egypt and established a tradition, hitherto unavailable, of the country speaking for itself in English. Despite past disagreements -- all in a day's work -- many members of staff were visibly emotional to see El-Kersh go. Not that this or excitement to see Nassar at the helm prevented anyone from eating their fill of the Weekly staff's very own home-made delicacies. The Egypt Lions Club in cooperation with its Lebanese counterpart organised a Ramadan Iftar at Sonesta Cairo Hotel to celebrate giving 100 children prosthetic limbs. Popular singer Sayed Anwar sang a number of folkloric songs to entertain, among others, Lions district governor Nagwa El-Sheyoukh, head of Rehab Lions Club Mahmoud El-Maghrabi, former Lions district governors Abdel-Fattah El-Deidi, Magdi Azab and Hossam Khodeir and members of the Lions Clubs in Egypt. photos: Ayman Barayez President of the International Union of Muslim-Christian-Jewish Dialogue and Peace Education Ali El-Samman held a ceremony at his residence in Giza to honour actress Elham Shahine for her role in the TV series Qadiyat Maali Al-Wazira (The Minister's Case). Present were the Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed Al-Qattan, former minister of tourism Mounir Fakhri Abdel-Nour, military analyst Major General Sameh Seif El-Yazal, nutritionist Maha Radamis, diplomat Nehad El-Asqalani, media figures Mufid Fawzi, Tarek El-Fatatri, Dina Ramez and Soheir Abu Gouda, writer Hanan Mufid Fawzi and journalist Adel Hamouda. photos: Abdel-Hamid Eid Lebanese singer Assi Al-Hillani rocked the open-air stage at Al-Salam Concorde Heliopolis Hotel in an annual charity concert for the benefit of the Food Bank. Among the high-profile figures were the Lebanese Ambassador to Egypt Khaled Ziyada and his wife, media figure Soheir Shalabi, head of Garden City Lions Club Awatef Serageddin, actress Menna Fadali and fashion designer Hani El-Beheiri. Al-Nahar satellite channels held a Ramadan Iftar at the M�ïvenpick Hotel to celebrate the success of the TV series they have been screening. Present were actors Gamal Suleiman, Khaled El-Nabawi, Ahmed Bedeir, Sami El-Adl, Mondher Rihana, Ghada Adel, Horiya Farghali, Rania Youssef, Aiten Amer and belly dancer-cum-actress Fifi Abdu as well as talk show hosts Mahmoud Saad, Ibrahim Hegazi, Poussy Shalabi and Al-Ahram journalist Ahmed El-Meslemani. Egyptian traveller Ahmed Haggagovic has managed to raise the Egyptian flag in 94 countries and over 200 cities around the world to promote tourism in Egypt and the values of peace, freedom and cultural dialogue among nations. His last stop was in Fukushima, Japan; his work is sponsored by one of Egypt's leading mobile companies. Diplomats and members of the Pakistani community in Egypt flocked to the Cairo Opera House Small Hall to see an enchanting performance by the Pakistani Sufi masters Farid Ayaz and Abu Mohamed and their Qawali group. The event was organised by the Embassy of Pakistan, in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the group participating in the fifth International Samaa Festival for Spiritual Music and Chanting.
