Princess of Atlantis For three days all eyes were on Dubai for the legendary launching of Atlantis the Palm, Dubai, located on top of the Palm at Jumeirah with extensive Arab and international celebrity presence, as well as local and international media coverage. Livening up the luxurious celebrations were Lebanese singer Nawal Al-Zoghbi, followed by an exceptionally glamorous performance by Australian pop star Kylie Minogue. Following Minogue 's performance, a dazzling panorama about the great story of Atlantis was presented as gorgeous Indian Miss Universe Priyanka Chopra appeared in the role of the goddess of Atlantis. The launch was crowned by the presence of world renowned actor Robert De Niro, singer Janet Jackson, Hollywood actresses Charlize Theron, Mischa Barton, basketball player Michael Jordan, owner of the UK-based Virgin company Richard Branson, singer Shirley Bassy and former German tennis player Boris Becker. Egyptian celebrities did not miss the legendary launching as beautiful actresses Laila Elwi, Ghada Adel and Fedra as well as controversial media figure Hala Sarhan, producer Magdi El-Hawwari, actor Ahmed Helmi, director Sherif Sabri, Lebanese director Laila Kanaan were all present and enjoyed the stunning fireworks display. On the occasion of celebrating Lebanon's 65th Independence Day, Lebanese Ambassador to Egypt Khaled Ziyada hosted a lavish reception at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza Hotel. Attending the reception were Secretary- General of the Arab League Amr Moussa, Egyptian Minister of Social Solidarity Ali Meselhi, National Democratic Party Secretary for Media Affairs Alieddin Hilal, Moroccan Ambassador to Egypt Mohamed Farag Al-Dokali, Omani Ambassador to Egypt Abdel-Aziz Al-Hanaai and his Emirati counterpart Ahmed Al-Zoabi, permanent Saudi Representative to the Arab League Ahmed Al-Qattan, as well as actor Khaled Zaki and Lebanese actress Nicole Saba. A thrilling private screening was held at Good News cinema showcasing film Khaltet Fawzya (Fawzya's Secret Recipe), starring actresses Elham Shahine, Hala Sedqi and actors Fathi Abdel-Wahab and Ezzat Abu Ouf, scripted by Hanaa Fathi, directed by Magdi Ahmed Ali and produced by Shahine herself. Shahine received the Best Actress Award for her role in the film from the Middle East International Film Festival 2008 and the film also participated in the 32nd Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF). Actress Samah Anwar, veiled actress Sabrine and actor Hani Salama were all present to congratulate the gifted actress for the success of her movie. photos: Abdel-Hamid Eid It seems that celebrations organised on the occasion of the 32nd Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) were everywhere. US Ambassador to Egypt Margaret Scobey held a lavish party at the US Embassy for the foreign artists and jury members as well as a galaxy of Egyptian and Arab celebrities who participated in the CIFF. Among the guests were actresses Yossra, Athar El-Hakim, Nabila Ebeid, Safia El-Emari, Ragaa El-Gedawi, Hala Sedqi, Ola Ghanem, Elham Shahine, actors Mahmoud Qabil and Ahmed El-Saqqa as well as singer Hisham Abbas, belly dancers Dina and Fifi Abdu and media figure Lamis El-Hadidi. Meanwhile, the CIFF administration organised an African night in honour of the African stars who were among the members of the festival's jury committee and were honoured by secretary-general of the festival Soheir Abdel-Qader. The African evening was crowned by the presence of actresses Pousy, Laila Taher, Sawsan Badr, Karima Mokhtar as well as singer Assala who all enjoyed and danced to thrilling African beats. A third celebration took place at Al-Ezba resort on Saqqara Road, also hosted by the administration of the festival, but this time along with producer Hisham Abdallah. It was attended by a galaxy of Egyptian, Arab and foreign artists who enjoyed watching Fifi Abdu and Lucy dance. Among the attendees were actors Ezzat Abu Ouf, Khaled Zaki, Sami El-Adl, Farouk El-Feshawi, Samir Ghanem, Ahmed Adam as well as actresses Jomana Mourad, Donia and fashion designer Hani El-Beheiri. photos: Ayman Barayez Garden City Lions Club, presided over by Awatef Serageddin, held a seminar at the Cairo Capital Club (CCC), where Sixth of October Governor Fathi Saad discussed the future plans for the urban and investment development in the governorate. The seminar was attended by President of the International Union of Muslim-Christian-Jewish Dialogue and Peace Education Ali El-Semman, TV presenter Soheir Shalabi, veteran actress Laila Taher as well as club members Bahiya Youssef and Sekina El-Sadat. In the presence of Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohamed bin Rashed, the activities of the Sixth Arab Paralympic Championship were recently held in Abu Dhabi. Among those who participated in the inauguration were Ayman Abdel-Wahab, regional director of Special Olympics for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Special Olympics World Chairman Tim Kennedy Shriver, Special Olympics Egypt President Magda Moussa as well as head of the Egyptian delegation Nagwa Gomaa, and actor and goodwill ambassador for the intellectually disabled Hussein Fahmi. Nineteen Arab countries including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Lebanon, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania participated in the championship. Egyptian athletes collected 73 medals: 33 gold, 27 silver and 13 bronze. Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Zahi Hawass accompanied world-renowned filmmaker Jeffrey Katzenberg and popular Hollywood comic actors Ben Stiller and Chris Rock on a tour of the Pyramids and the Sphinx area. He talked to them about the recent excavations that took place in the area as well as the plan to renovate the entire Giza Plateau. The visit by the Hollywood stars coincided with the screening of the second part of their latest animation, Madagascar: Escape2Africa. The Alexandria Businesswomen Association, presided over by Ragaa Ahmed Abdu, held its second conference titled "Businesswomen Towards Economic Development", under the auspices of Alexandria Governor Adel Labib and in the presence of Minister of Social Solidarity Ali Meselhi. Around 200 businesswomen from Egypt as well as a number of Arab and European countries participated in the conference. Hailing from 52 different nationalities and dressed in their national costumes, the students of the New Cairo British International School (NCBIS) recently celebrated International Day with a parade of nations. Over 700 students from primary, secondary and the Dutch stream came together to march under the 52 flags that represent the NCBIS community. Following the parade, parents led their children through a Journey of Nations, with children visiting stalls and finding out interesting facts about many different countries. They were also able to sample various cuisines from the representative nations. Each child was given a passport, signed or stamped as he or she visited each of the various stalls on display.
