Karnak unveiled For near 30 years, tourists in Luxor who had been on a Nile cruise were unable to see a full view of Karnak Temple. Sherif Sonbol captured this picture showing that all buildings that were impeding a complete vision of Karnak from the Nile have been removed. On the occasion of the third International Day of Non- Violence, the Embassy of India in Cairo and the Arab League are organising a panel discussion on 4 October on "The Relevance of Gandhi's Philosophy and Ideas in Today's World", accompanied by a photo exhibition entitled "Gandhi: His Life and His Message" to be at the General Secretariat of the Arab League on Tahrir Square, Cairo. Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa will be the keynote speaker at the panel discussion. Former foreign minister Ahmed Maher, Chairman of the Board of Al-Ahram Establishment Abdel-Moneim Said, and head of the Wafd Party Mahmoud Abaza are among other eminent panelists. The discussion will be moderated by president of the Egypt-India Friendship Association (EIFA) Alieddin Hilal. The photo exhibition will be jointly inaugurated by Moussa and Indian Ambassador to Egypt R Swaminathan. A remarkable private screening was held at Tahrir Cinema in Doqqi for Eid Al-Fitr blockbuster Al-Dictator (The Dictator), starring Lebanese singer-cum-actress Maya Nasri and actor Khaled Sarhan, who also wrote the script of the film, as well as veteran comedian Hassan Hosni, actor Ezzat Abu Ouf and directed by Ihab Lamei. Sarhan was lucky enough in the beginning of his cinematic career to have his first experiences with veteran comedian Adel Imam, who topped attendees at the screening, along with talented actress Lebleba and actor Tamer Abdel-Moneim, to congratulate the cast of the film. photos: Abdel-Hamid Eid Celebrating Eid Al-Fitr, a dazzling concert featuring gorgeous Lebanese singer Nancy Agram and powerful Iraqi voice Kazem Al-Saher was held at Stella Heights Resort on the North Coast. Some 5,000 fans flocked to celebrate the feast and enjoy a lovely night on the seashore with their favourite singers. Al-Saher seized the opportunity to celebrate his birthday on stage among his beloved audience, while Agram celebrated with the Egyptian youth the victory of the Egyptian football team in their first match in the U20 World Cup singing her famous song Law Saaltak Enta Masri (If I Asked Are You Egyptian). photos: Ayman Barayez Garden City Lions Club (GCLC), presided over by Awatef Serageddin, held an honorary ceremony for the cast of the Ramadan TV series Hala wal Mestakhabi (Hala and the Dark Side), starring beautiful actress Laila Elwi, veteran actor Ahmed Rateb and talented actor Bassem Samra, scripted by Hazem El-Hadidi and directed by Mariam Ouf. The ceremony was attended by an array of high-profile and media figures, among them were Al-Ahram back page editor Mona Ragab, President of the International Union of Muslim-Christian-Jewish Dialogue and Peace Education Ali El-Samman, head of the People's Assembly Foreign Relations Committee Mustafa El-Feki, former minister of development Yehia El-Gamal and members of the GCLC Bahiya Youssef, Samia Abul-Fotouh and head of Al-Rehab Lions Club Mahmoud El-Maghrabi. The Association of Giza Critics and Artists, presided over by veteran actor Mahmoud Yassin, held an honorary ceremony at the Police Rowing Club in Giza to honour veteran actors Ezzat El-Alaili, Omar El-Hariri, Madiha Yousry and Lebleba for their long and rich cinematic careers. The ceremony was attended by a galaxy of luminaries including Giza Governor Sayed Abdel-Aziz, media assistant to the minister of interior Hamdi Abdel-Karim, Judge Khaled El-Qadi, media figures Amin Bassiouny and Mahmoud Marouf as well as comedian Talaat Zakaria, veiled retired actress Shahira and actress Nahla Salama. Former head of the Tahrir Innerwheel Club Gihan Halawa and vice-president of Osrati (My Family) Association founded by Al-Ahram back page editor Mona Ragab, hosted a delegation of Rotary clubs from Bangkok and Thailand. The delegation honoured Halawa for her relentless efforts in serving Egyptian society while they expressed their intention to activate the cooperation between the Rotary clubs to develop social activities. The ceremony was attended by tourism expert Tamer El-Shaer. Elissa Saba Hamaki On the occasion of celebrating Eid Al-Fitr, sultry Lebanese singer Elissa gave a thrilling concert at Al-Meshmishiya tent at the Sheraton Heliopolis Hotel. Elissa rocked the stage with her gorgeous looks, wearing an elegant black gown while her fans enjoyed her beautiful voice. Another successful concert featured highly sought after singer Mohamed Hamaki at the InterContinental Citystars Hotel. Singer Haitham Shaker and Lebanese actress-cum-singer Nicole Saba featured in a lovely concert in Ramses Hilton Hotel. American University in Cairo (AUC) graduate student Reem El-Olaby was chosen from among 25 young men and women from Egypt, Morocco and Palestine to attend the Novartis Biotechnology Leadership Camp in the United States. El-Olaby, along with her team consisting of six members from different cultures and backgrounds, developed a strategic plan to prevent Hepatitis C and B from spreading. "We decided to work on the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) because Egypt has the highest prevalence of HCV worldwide (12 per cent), making it a national problem that needs to be tackled," said El-Olaby. The biotechnology camp is a two-day seminar designed for entrepreneurial, postgraduate students in science or economics who are interested in pursuing a career in biotechnology. It has been held in Switzerland, Japan, China and Taiwan over the past four years. El-Olaby, who is now working on her masters' degree in biotechnology at the AUC and who earned her bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from Ain Shams University, was chosen along with Maha Omar, a graduate student at the Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, for their academic excellence, professional focus and presentation skills. El-Olaby heard about the competition from her professor Hassan Azzazy, chair of the Chemistry Department at the AUC, who is also her supervisor for her thesis on designing a vaccine against HCV using a new technique that was earlier used against cancer. El-Olaby is a fellow in the Nadhmi Auchi Fellowship for Young Arab Leaders and is currently working on creating a campaign to increase awareness on HCV that will start in October 2009. Gifted Egyptian photographer Walid Montasser was given the award of best photographer for three of his masterpiece photos while the award of best photo went to Fabrizio Ricci at the international photo contest organised in the framework of the project, "Words and Notes: A visual travel between music and literature". Funded by the delegation of the European Commission in Egypt, the contest was organised by Ricerca e Cooperazione and Al-Sawy Cultural Wheel in Zamalek. Also there is an exhibition of the contest. Some 35 selected photos are currently on show at Al-Sawy Cultural Wheel until 9 October. ( see Listings p.5 ) The photo contest aimed at stimulating creativity and imagination in photography amongst Egyptian and international photographers, providing winners with an opportunity to exhibit their works. The theme of the contest was the photographer's personal vision of travel, including travelling to other places, travelling into places, travelling through the mind or with the mind, travelling through taste and sight, and travelling through fantasy.
