First Lady Suzanne Mubarak was recently awarded the International Tourism Leadership Award for 2005 in recognition of her leadership in helping to foster the cultural preservation of Egypt. Ed Fuller (president and managing director of international lodging at Marriott International) presented the award at the JW Marriott Hotel Cairo, where an exquisite dinner banquet was held in honor of the First Lady.

The Egyptian National Football team stayed at the InterContinental CityStars Cairo Hotel during the three weeks of the Africa Cup of Nations tournament 2006. Their stay included pre-match training camp, strategy sessions and fitness training. Pictured: The Egyptian National Football team with the hotel management.

Veteran Syrian comedian Duraid Lahham and the crew of his much-anticipated movie Al-Abaa Al-Sighar (Young Fathers) made an appearance at the private screening of the movie at the Nile City Cinema Complex. Pictured: Singer Hisham Abbass and wife congratulate Duraid Lahham, Hanan Turk and the cast of children at the screening.

Pepsi girl Elissa entertained lovers on Valentine’s Day with the concert she threw at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza. The Lebanese sensation gave everyone something to talk about with the little black dress embroidered with a large red heart she wore for the evening. Pictured: Elissa performing (are you sure she’s safe surrounded by all those men with their digicams?)

TV personality Bassma Wahba, whose recent show Mashaheer El-Hiwar (The Celebrities of Talk) caused more than just a stir among audiences, celebrated the birthday of her son Abdel-Rahman in a pleasant outdoor setting. Among the attendees were TV personality Dina Ramez and Ola Atrees. Bassma Wahba is married to Saudi producer Ossama El-Sayed of the Flash Production Company.

Ihab Tawfiq joined the long list of singers trying to capitalize on this year’s Valentine’s Day craze by releasing a self-produced romantic song entitled Alf Kelmet Hob (A Thousand Words of Love), which he accompanied with a steamy video featuring a very hot, unidentified model. The young miss is allegedly only 15 years old. Pictured: Ihab Tawfiq and the model in question at the shooting.

Ulrich Huth (general manager of the Cairo Marriott) recently approved a number of new appointments and promotions. Among those promoted were Rashad Mourad (director of event management), Ahmed Atef (senior sales manager — travel), Ashraf Hanafy (front desk manager), Adel El-Kashef (event manager), Edward Ibrahim (catering service manager) and Maha El-Beltagy (accounts sales manager). Pictured: Huth with the promoted associates

Concorde Al-Salam Hotel Cairo recently hosted a cocktail reception at the Abou Aouf Tent for members of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) to celebrate the hosting of its conference in Cairo this year. Magid Saarany (general manager of Concorde Al-Salam Hotel Cairo), Loula Zaklama (president of IPRA for 2006), Nagwa Emad and Soha Nassif (regional director of PR and advertising for Concorde Al-Salam Hotels) were among those who attended the event.

Mohammed Al-Fadel (owner of Al-Fadeliyya Media Production Co.) celebrated the launch of his latest project, a Saudi Islamic channel called Wasta, at the Imperial Boat in Zamalek. Among the attendees were veteran actor Mohieddin Abdel-Mohsen (pictured far left) and actress Hayatem (pictured far right) in addition to actor Mohammed Riyadh.

The shooting of the Egyptian Cinema Production movie Lea’bet El-Hob (The Game of Love) has finally commenced. The film boasts a star-studded cast that includes multi talented star Bushra (pictured left), Tunisian actress Hind Sabry and Khaled Abul-Naga (pictured center) in addition to Bassma.

Pop star Tamer Hosny delivered a show-stopping performance at Al-Zohoor Club in Heliopolis last month. The concert that took place at the club’s tennis courts also billed singers Yasser Abdel-Moniem and Haitham Saeed and was held to honor the club’s tennis team. Tamer Hosny has since been arrested and allegedly faces criminal charges after prosecutors charged that he had used a counterfeit military service certificate to leave the country on several occasions.

In a readers’ poll held by Travel & Leisure magazine, the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza ranked number one in the luxury hotels category for Egypt and the Middle East. Thousands of readers voted on quality of service, attention to detail, food and décor.

The cast and crew of El-Malek Howa El-Malek (The King is the King) held a press conference last month to announce the return of their play almost 20 years after it first hit the stage. Pictured (L-R): Ashraf Zaki (chairman of the Actors’ Syndicate) and his wife Fayza Kamal with Salah El-Saadani and Mohammed Mounir who (it seems) couldn’t restrain himself from singing.

Abercrombie & Kent Egypt Chief Amr Badr recently celebrated his wedding to Tabia in style at the Semiramis InterContinental hotel. Pictured (L-R): The bride and groom with their guests, including former First Lady Jehan Sadat and fashion designer Hany El-Beheiry, who designed the wedding gown.

The African Cup of Nations organizing committee chose the Sheraton Cairo’s catering team to be the sole caterer at all receptions held for the Cup’s 4,000-plus VIPs and journalists. Pictured: Maha Koussa, Saied Elwan, Emad El-Boohy and Alaa Amin (assistant catering manager) together with the catering team during the inauguration ceremony.

The Nile Hilton hotel recently organized a family sports day at the Gezira Youth Center. Members of the Nile Hilton team and their families were invited to enjoy a day full of fun and games. Pictured: Jean-Pierre Mainardi (general manager) taking part in the obstacle race with Hilton team members.

Egyptian footballer Mohamed Barakat was recently voted BBC African Football player of the year for 2005 through the BBC sports website and listeners of Fast Track on the BBC world service. A ceremony took place at Le Meridien Heliopolis hotel where Egypt coach Hassan Shehata and players Ahmed Hossam (Mido), Ahmed Hassan and goalkeeper Essam Al-Hadary paid a surprise visit to congratulate Barakat. Pictured: Nihal Zamzam (marketing and PR manager) with Mohamed Barakat immediately after Barakat received his trophy.

Bahrain-based Ithmaar Bank recently selected Amwal, the investment banking, asset management and financial planning corporation, to be the exclusive underwriter for the Qatar market for its upcoming IPO. Shaikha Hanadi Nasser Bin Khaled Al-Thani (vice chairperson and managing director of Amwal) and Khalid Abdulla-Janahi (chairman of Ithmaar Bank) signed the agreement in the presence of Khaled Hassan Rashed (director of Amwal) at a press conference held in Bahrain.

A Japanese Cultural Festival that included musical concerts and a traditional doll show was recently held at the Cairo Opera House. Pictured (L-R): Abdel-Moniem Kamel (director of the Cairo Opera House), Kunihiko Makita (Japanese Ambassador to Egypt) and Samir Sarhan (Ministry of Culture delegate).

Amidst elaborate decorations and a romantic ambience, a stunning Valentine’s Day party was thrown last month at L’Oasis restaurant onboard the ever-popular Le Pacha 1901 boat in Zamalek. Pictured: Italian Ambassador to Egypt Antonio Badini and his wife Dounia Badini cut a rug.

Cosmetologist Adel Hosny recently gave a lecture at the Sheraton Montazah Hotel. The lecture was one in a series of many events held at the Sheraton Montazah Ladies Club’s monthly gatherings. Pictured: Adel Hosny, Ahmed A. Halim and Azza Dessouki (director of public relations) among the Sheraton Ladies Club members.

The Annual Catholic Cinema Festival took place last month in the Nile Hall of the Catholic Church on Mohammed Farid Street in Downtown Cairo. Pictured (L-R): Mamdouh El-Leithy, El-Sayed Rady, Somayya El-Khashab, May Ezzeldin, Menna Shalaby, Omar El-Hariri, Poussy, Rafiq El-Sabban, Ashraf Abdel-Baqi and Ali Badrakhan.

A museum was recently opened to celebrate and honor the life and times of former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. Among the attendees at the inauguration ceremony were: Former First Lady Jehan Sadat, writer Anis Mansour, former Arab League Secretary-General Essmat Abdel-Meguid and Political Advisor to President Hosni Mubarak Mr. Ossama El-Baz.

Rising singer-actress Emmy threw a party last month to celebrate her birthday at the Rive Gauche restaurant and bar in Zamalek, where she was joined by friends and celebrities who congratulated her and partied until the wee hours of the morning. Among those who gathered were director Mohsen Ahmed and former Miss Egypt Heba El-Sisi.

The Armenian Embassy in Cairo recently organized an exhibition of Ancient Armenian manuscripts at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina to celebrate the 1600th anniversary of the creation of the Armenian alphabet. Representatives of foreign missions, cultural and scientific leaders of the Egyptian community as well as journalists and members of the Armenian community in both cities participated in the opening ceremony. A conference on Armenian-Egyptian historical and cultural relations was also held at the Bibliotheca and was inaugurated by Dr. Rouben Karapetian (Ambassador of Armenia) and Dr. Ismail Serageldin (director of the Bibliotheca)

In Dubai, German airline Lufthansa and Swiss International Airlines joined forces so customers in the UAE can enjoy greater benefits including more destinations, denser frequencies and interlinked frequent flyer programs. Pictured: Felix Rodel (Swiss area manager for Africa, Middle East, Pakistan and Iran), Uwe Wriedt (Lufthansa general manager and director for the Gulf and Pakistan) and Thomas Preinl (region corporate communications officer

The cast and crew of the brand new TV serial Bint Bonoot recently celebrated the shooting of the opening scenes for their project. The serial is directed by Yasser Zayed and written by Mohsen Zayed and Nashwa Zayed. It stars Reham Abdel-Ghafour, May Ezzeldin, Hassan Hosni and Hala Fakher. Pictured: May Ezzeldin and Reham Abdel-Ghafour wishing each other a happy Valentine’s Day.

The Semiramis InterContinental recently hosted Minister of Tourism Zohair Garana’s first meeting with members of the Egyptian Travel Writers Association in the Nefertiti meeting room. Galal Duweidar (president of the Egyptian Travel Writers Association) welcomed Garana for a discussion of issues attendant to the latest tourism developments in Egypt.

Singer Shereen was selected by the Cairo Conrad Hotel to be the key performer at their annual Valentine’s Day party. Shereen delivered one of her customary energetic performances that comprised of her latest string of smash hits while the crowd went wild. (Well it could’ve been that dress, too.)

104.2 Nile FM radio station hosted Cub Scout pack 701 for a career day visit this past month where several future radio celebrities showed their talents to station management. Pictured: Scouts Jared Stringfield, Ilya Gilbronson, Boom-Ki Kim, Seif Mina, Elijah Boswell, Jojo Morrison, Sean Wilson and James Allen with Nile FM’s Michael Hein

Last month saw the inaugural meeting of the Soad Hosni Appreciation Society at the Gezira Sheraton’s The Place restaurant. Attendees were touched by the surprise appearance of veteran comedian Younis Shalaby, who attended despite being seriously ill for the past few years. Pictured: Actor Mahmoud Qabil saying a word while Soad Hosni’s sister Janja and her husband producer Mahmoud El-Kholy listen.

Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline, has expanded its internet check-in facility to Cairo and Alexandria. Passengers can now select and secure their preferred seats and check-in for their flight from the convenience of their homes, hotels or offices by logging onto www.emirates.com. Pictured: Adil Al-Ghaith (Emirates area manager Egypt).

Hilton Alexandria Green Plaza recently hosted the Scottish Trade Mission cocktail reception organized by the British Consulate in Alexandria at Al-Zahraa Ballroom. Pictured: Ahmed Ali (assistant banquet manager), Abdel-Hadi Fawzi (mission leader), Dina Salem (PR coordinator), Alan Cobden (British Consul-general), Marwa Kasrawy (banquet sales manager), Tony McLaughlin (assistant development executive) and Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz (vice-consul for trade and investment).

Grand Hyatt Cairo was recently named Egypt’s leading hotel at the World Travel Awards 2005 at a gala ceremony held at London’ s Royal Opera House. The award was based on votes cast by travel agents in over 200 countries worldwide. Pictured: Garry Friend (general manager of Grand Hyatt Cairo) celebrating with the Grand Hyatt Cairo team.

Last month, CNN’s weekly golf program Living Golf came to Egypt to find out why it has been recognized as the best undiscovered golf destination in the world. Don Riddell hosted the February program from a number of locations around Egypt, including the Soma Bay and El-Gouna resorts, Katameya Heights and the Mena House Oberoi golf course. Pictured: Don Riddell.

Director and producer Magdy El-Hawary signaled the start of shooting on his latest installment entitled El-Eyal Herbet (The Kids Escaped). Pictured (L-R): Miss Egypt nominee Nermine Maher, Intissar, Hamada Hilal, Sherif Ramzy and Merna El-Mohandiss (who replaced El-Hawary’s wife Ghada Adel, who is pregnant) at the Alexandria City set of the Egyptian Media Production City.