WATANI International
7 November 2010
Supreme courts
The first International Supreme Courts Summit convened in Istanbul, Turkey, last week. Twenty heads of supreme courts from various countries took part. Egypt participated with a contribution on the role of Egyptian judiciary and the Supreme Judicial Council in preserving the independence of the judiciary, judicial practices, the immunity of judges.
Entrepreneurship week
For the third year in row, Egypt is hosting the Global Entrepreneurship Week. The week, which began last Thursday and runs till next Wednesday, aims at raising the awareness of young people on the importance of entrepreneurship and promoting the establishment of projects and companies that depend on innovation.
UN Habitat in Egypt
Egypt was chosen as the regional headquarters for the UN Habitat. The General Authority for Urban Planning has signed the agreement according to which Egypt will host the UN Habitat for the coming five years. Habitat is among the most important international associations in the field of urban development.
Luxor monuments
This month, an Egyptian-French team has begun registering and cataloguing the monuments on Luxor’s Western Bank. These include the Ramessum Temple and the tombs of the noble. This work is undertaken within the framework of the national project carried out by the Supreme Council of Antiquities for registering all of Egypt’s monuments.
Pyramids top photo
Egypt’s Giza Pyramids were the top vote getter in a study commissioned by Truprint Photo Company in the United Kingdom. According to the study, British tourists photograph Egypt’s ancient monuments more than any other location on the planet. Following the pyramids was Big Ben in London, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Statue of Liberty in New York.
Carolyn Dawkins, of photo company Truprint who commissioned the research, said in a press statement that “it’s almost impossible to take a bad photo of the pyramids. Other landmarks need to be snapped at the right angle at the right time of day.”
Book fair
A large number of Egyptian public and private publishing houses have taken part in the 29th session of Sharjah International Book Fair at Sharjah Expo Centre. The General Egyptian Book Organisation, the Egyptian National Library, the National Centre for Translation, and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) were among the participants. The BA won the award for Best Publisher in the Arabic Language and Dar al-Shorouq won the award for the best children’s book.
“Honour in silver with a star” for Hawass
Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), has been decorated by the Austrian Ambassador to Cairo Thomas Nader with one of the highest Austrian decorations, the Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver with a Star. The decoration was bestowed by Austrian Federal President Heinz Fischer in recognition of Dr Hawass’s outstanding contributions to bilateral archaeological and cultural cooperation between Austria and Egypt and his tireless support for the projects of the Austrian Archaeological Institute in Cairo (AAIC). “Many projects carried out by Austrian scientists in Egypt would not have been possible without his support,” Dr Nader said. The ceremony was attended by numerous celebrities from Egypt, ambassadors and representatives of various archaeological institutes.