photos: Nader Habib Quiet Ramadan At the insanely busy Sayeda Aisha Square, Friday is somewhat different from the rest of the week, when vendors, vehicles and pedestrians coalesce into a formless morass. On Friday during Ramadan, as in the picture by Nader Habib, the square attains a semblance of normality, with all but those who have come to sell or buy poultry disappearing and the imposing Mohamed Ali Pasha Mosque in full view. While everyone is fasting, only microbus drivers can be seen -- and they are unusually quiet and well mannered before the noon prayers. On Germany's national day, Ambassador Bernd Erbel and his wife Mai gave a reception at the garden of the embassy. Present were Minister of State for Environment Affairs Maged George, Minister of Waqf (Religious Endowments) Mahmoud Hamdi Zaqzouq, Minister of Communications Tareq Kamel, Minister of Energy Hassan Younis, Canadian Ambassador Philip MacKinnon, Omani Ambassador Abdel-Aziz Al-Hanaai, former media minister Abdel-Qader Hatem, Editor-in-Chief of Nisf Al-Donia Afkar El-Kharadli, and former secretary-general of the Arab League Esmat Abdel-Meguid and his wife. photos: Ayman Barayez Permanent Saudi representative at the Arab League Ahmed Abdul-Aziz Al-Qattan held a Sohour on the Blue Nile boat, where Ambassador of Morocco Mohamed Farag El-Doukali, Ambassador of Tunisia Abdul-Hafez Al-Arqawi, and wife of the Iraqi representative at the Arab League Shahenzada Khalil brushed shoulders with actors Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz, Mahmoud Yassin, Sameh El-Sereiti, Manal El-Fatatri and the Syrian Gamal Suleiman. Also there were footballers Mahmoud El-Khateeb and Ahmed Shobeir, poetess Aziza Al-Abdallah, and public figures Hoda Yassa and Awatef Serageddin. Commemorating the 6 October victory, coordinator of Egyptian-Libyan relations Ahmed Qazzaf Al-Dam held a Sohour accompanied by poetry recital at the Sheraton Cairo Hotel. Present were Libyan Ambassador Saleh Al-Derouki, head of the State Information Service (SIS) Ayman El-Qafas, head of the News Sector at the Egyptian Television Abdel-Latif El-Manawi, head of the Arab Writers' Union Mohamed Salmawy, TV presenter Safaa Heggazi and actresses Fardous Abdel-Hamid and Manal El-Fatatri. World famous Indian actress Celina Jaitly -- Miss India 2002 -- was on a short visit to Egypt together with a large delegation of media figures including Darwish Sonel, the producer of most Amitabh Bachan blockbusters, media and press representatives working on publicity for her upcoming film, one of whose scenes is shot in Egypt. Jaitly met Minister of Tourism Zoheir Garana, head of the Tourist Development Authority Amr El-Ezabi and president of the Cairo International Film Festival Ezzat Abu Ouf, discussing the possibility of holding the next round of the Indian Cinema Awards Festival, presided over by Bachan -- the present round was held in London under the auspices of former prime minister Tony Blair -- in Egypt. Jaitly visited tourist sites and the Media Production City. She has since been named tourist ambassador to Egypt. At the annual Children's Day of the American University in Cairo's Volunteers in Action (VIA), 450 children from eight different orphanages supervised by VIA committees spent the day engaging in activities like face painting, football, video games and various competitions, then had Iftar, on campus. VIA aims to provide orphans with financial and psychological support as well as helping develop their skills and capacities. Safi Abdel-Hamid El-Husseini and Ragheb El-Sayed Ragheb tied the knot at a warm wedding party this week. At the Grand Hyatt Hotel, the cast and crew of two popular Ramadan TV serials -- Azhar starring Fifi Abdu, Gamal Ismail and Mohamed Abdel-Hafez, directed by Mohamed El-Noqali, and Imraah Fawq Al-Ada (An Extraordinary Woman) starring Elham Shahin and Mahmoud Qabil, and directed by Mohamed Abu Seif -- celebrated their success at Sohour parties. ART satellite channel presenter Poussy Shalabi was present at both celebrations. The Environmental Compliance Office at the Federation Of Egyptian Industries gave an Iftar in honour of environmentalist Mustafa Kamal Tolba for his sustained efforts in the field of non-polluting technology in Egypt; awards were distributed to representatives of the factories who went the extra mile to comply with the new environmental regulations. On the occasion, President of the Environment Committee Sherif El - Gabali delivered a lecture on recent efforts of the office, while Deputy Director of the Environmental Compliance Office Ahmed Kamal Abdel-Moneim highlighted the efforts of the office in supporting women's causes. Present was the Environment Ministry Counsellor at the ministry Mahmoud Bakr, together with members of Egyptian Manufacturing Union. photos: Abdel-Hamid Eid At the Cairo Capital Club the crew of the soap opera Haq Mashrou' (Legitimate Right) starring Hussein Fahmi, Abla Kamel, Samir Sabry, Karim Cojac and Iman El-Assi, written by Mohamed Safaa Amer and directed by Rabab Hussein, celebrated the first TV encounter between Fahmi and Kamel.
