Sherif Sonbol captured the shape and colour of butane cylinders still used in lieu of natural gas in Daqahliya Last week, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture Francesco Rutelli and Culture Minister Farouk Hosni gave a joint press conference at the Egyptian Museum to present next year's bilateral cultural programme. In the speeches delivered by both ministers was mentioned an Italian grant that will be allocated for the Egyptian Museum. To mark the opening of the new New Zealand Embassy in Egypt, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clarke gave a reception at Marriott Hotel where Minister of International Cooperation Fayza Abul-Naga and diplomats from both countries were present. At Picasso Art Gallery, Zamalek, Culture Minister Farouk Hosni inaugurated the latest exhibition by sculptor-cum-painter Ibrahim Abdel-Malak. Attended the opening were Minister of Local Development Abdel-Salam El-Mahgoub, Supreme Council of Antiquities Secretary-General Zahi Hawass, cartoonist Mustafa Hussein, TV journalist Moufid Fawzi, artist Ali El-Dessouki and gallery owner Ibrahim Picasso. Over 500 guests participated in lighting up the Christmas tree at the Ramses Hilton lobby, where General-Manager Mahmoud Mukhtar presided over a rich programme including a laser show, a performance by the British School Christmas Choir and Santa Clause giving out gifts to children. At a grand ceremony, the German University in Cairo (GUC) signed contracts with the Radio and Television Union (RTU) and the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology concluding the establishment of the country's most state-of-the-art digital media studio on campus for the benefit not only of GUC students but 90 fellows from among RTU and ministry employees. Present were GUC Chairman of the Board of Trustees Ashraf Mansour, RTU head Major General Ahmed Anis, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Hani Helal, Minister of Communication and Information Technology Tareq Kamel, German Ambassador Bernd Erbel, head of German Radio and Television Eric Berman, Chairman of the Board of Dar Al-Tahrir Publishing House Mohamed Abul-Hadid, Editor-in-Chief of Al-Akhbar newspaper Momtaz El-Qott and Chairman of the Board of Rose El-Youssef Karam Gabr. Al-Ahram Weekly 's very own artist Said Badawi is the only Egyptian to have participated in the Stuttgart Award 2007, which has the thrilling theme of "The Car: Cartoon and Caricature Visions". Organised by car manufacturers, the competition brought together 800 cartoonists from 70 countries: some 2,000 "automobile visions" could be seen. Badawi 's work was among that selected for inclusion in the book accompanying the exhibition. On the premises of the US Embassy in Cairo, US Ambassador Francis J Ricciardone gave a reception in honour of the guests of the 31th Cairo International Film Festival. Present were actors Omar Sharif, Laila Elwi, Safia El-Emari, Dalal Abdel-Aziz, Hesham Abdel-Hamid, Ahmed Helmi and Ahmed El-Saqqa, as well as German Ambassador Bernd Erbel, Supreme Council of Antiquities Secretary-General Zahi Hawass, director of Al-Hanager Art Centre Hoda Wasfi, and Al-Ahram writers Amal Bakir, Mona Ragab, Afkar El-Kharadli and Randa Abul-Azm. Under the auspices of Tourism Minister Zoheir Garana and South Sinai Governor Hani Metwali, the Applied Arts Syndicate inaugurated its first acquisition in Ras Sedr -- a beautiful resort. Present were Zakaria Hashad, Amr Sedqi and Abdel-Aziz Saleh. A couple of days ago, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Japanese Embassy in Egypt Tsukasa Uemura signed grant contracts with the Gafar Local Community Development Association in Beni Sweif, headed by Mamdouh Malek, and the Salam Association for Social Care in Assiut, headed by Rahby Fathi Shaker, granting the two NGOs $67,053 and $85,664, respectively, for farming equipment and school furniture. The Narmer American College (NAC) annual Christmas Bazaar, to be held tomorrow from 11am to 7pm, will fund the Breast Cancer Foundation of Egypt as well as several charity organisations. Booths will provide gifts and souvenirs, and there will be competitions and activities for children and adults alike: a dance competition, the Miss Katameya beauty contest and a football tournament for American schools. For more information call 012 7937949/012 4803000 or visit www.bcfe.org.
