A grand affair The Cairo Opera Orchestra presented a gala concert conducted by Ivan Filev, directed by Abdallah Saad and captured by the lens of Sherif Sonbol In a lavish celebration, German Ambassador to Egypt Bernd Erbel decorated the Higher Education Minister and State Minister for Scientific Research Hani Helal with the prestigious Grand Cross of the Order of Merit, bestowed upon him by the Federal German President Horst Koehler. In a ceremony marking this event, Erbel praised Helal for his international efforts and networking and his long-term vision for higher educational reform in Egypt. The event was attended by a large number of dignitaries, at the head of which were Minister of Awqaf (religious endowments) Mohamed Hamdi Zaqzouq, Minister of Information Anas El-Fiqi, as well as a number of presidents of universities and media figures. The cast of the TV series, Qammar Arbaatashar (Full Moon), celebrated the beginning of the shooting of the series at Studio 21 at the Media Production City. The series' script was written by Al-Ahram newspaper back page editor Mona Ragab and was directed by Essam El-Shamaa. Among the participating actors and actresses who attended the celebration were Mahmoud Qabil, Tamer Hagras, Mohamed Gohar, Rogina, Gihan Fadel and Ingy Ali, in addition to the head of the TV Production Sector Rawya Biad. Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Italy Stefania Craxi and Egyptian Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni inaugurated the exhibition "Arab Artists between Italy and the Mediterranean" at the Horizon Gallery in the Mahmoud Khalil Museum in Giza. Attending the inauguration was the Arab League secretary-general's assistant, Ahmed bin Helli, Italian Ambassador to Egypt Claudio Pacifico, Lebanese Ambassador Khaled Ziyada, Kuwaiti Ambassador Mohamed Al-Rashid and veteran plastic artist Gazibia Sirry. Under the auspices of President Hosni Mubarak, the National Council for Youth is organising the 11th Arab Youth Festival under the title, "The Arab Youth and Social Participation," from 5 to 14 July in Alexandria with the participation of 15 Arab countries. Head of the National Council for Youth Safieddin Kharboush said the festival's slogan is "Arab Youth: Participation and Giving", which will include a number of lectures about the culture of Arab countries participating in the festival. It is worthy of note that all workshops are conducted by youth. The Daejeon International Cartoon Contest (DICACO) 2007 held in Korea, which is one of the most important exhibitions worldwide, with 720 artists participating from all over the world, witnessed the awarding of two Egyptian caricaturists, Said Badawi and Mohamed Effat, of two prestigious prizes for their work. Congratulations! The Argentinean president has bestowed upon Mahmoud El-Tabbakh, a diligent officer at the Argentinean Embassy in Cairo, an Order of Merit of the first degree for his relentless efforts in serving the embassy throughout 38 years. Argentinean Ambassador to Egypt Luis Enrique Cappagli granted him the prestigious award in the presence of counsellor of the embassy, German Edmundo Proffen, and counsellor Ricardo Betta Roel. On the occasion of a new cooperation effort between the Egyptian TV and German TV, Deutsche Welle (DW), which is the first channel to broadcast the TV talk show Jugend ohne Grenzen (Young People Across Borders), President of the Egyptian Radio and Television Union Ahmed Anis and Director of the Foreign Languages Programme of DW-TV Klaus-Dieter Seelig hosted a lavish reception under the auspices of the German Ambassador to Egypt Bernd Erbel at his residence's garden. The monthly talk show is a joint-production between Deutsche Welle and the Egyptian broadcaster, ERTU. The show will be produced four times in each city by the end of the year, featuring trailers produced by young people. The first episode was recorded in the Europa-Centre studio in Berlin last May, in which young individuals from Germany and Egypt gathered to discuss the "long road towards getting a dream job". The well-known translator from Egyptian TV, Sahar Nagui, hosted the one-hour discussion. The second episode, produced in Cairo in June at the Emir Taz Palace, focussed on energy and its impact on people's daily lives and the future of the young generation. Brother-in-law of our colleague Nader Habib, accountant Tamer Habashi, got engaged to plastic artist Matilda Mounir at St George's Church. The ceremony was followed by a reception at the Franciscan Monastery in Moqattam.
