The organizers of the Berlin International Film Festival say they will stop awarding separate acting prizes to women and men beginning next year. Berlinale organizers said Monday the performance awards will be defined in a gender-neutral way at next year s festival, for which a physical event is planned. The festival awards a Golden Bear for the best film and a series of Silver Bears, which until this year included best actor and best actress honors. Organizers said those prizes will be replaced with a Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance and a Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance. In a statement, the co-heads of the festival, Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian, said ``not separating the awards in the acting field according to gender comprises a signal for a more gender-sensitive awareness in the film industry. At the same time, the Alfred Bauer Prize, which is named after the festival s founding director, will be permanently retired. The prize was suspended this year due to revelations about Bauer s role in the Nazis moviemaking bureaucracy. Commenting on the decision to hold a physical event next year, despite uncertainties due to the coronavirus pandemic, the two directors stressed the need for a "lively relationship with the audience. "In times of the corona pandemic, it has become even clearer that we still require analogue experience spaces in the cultural realm, they said, noting that other festivals have also resumed holding physical rather than virtual events. The 2021 festival is scheduled for Feb. 11-21. This year s festival was one of the last major events that took place before the coronavirus pandemic largely shut down public life in Germany.

Renowned Egyptian singer Ali El-Haggar will perform this Thursday in Alexandria as part of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Art Centre s 18th International Summer Festival. El-Haggar, 66, who has released new singles and online concerts recently, will be singing some of his famous TV series themes and most memorable hits. El-Haggar has been one of the iconic singers in Egypt and the Arab world in the past four decades, collaborating with some of the leading Egyptian lyricists, such as Salah Jahin, Abdel-Rahman El-Abnoudy, and Sayed Hegab, in addition to some of the country s renowned composers from Baligh Hamdy and Sayed Mekkawy to Omar Khairat and Fathy Salama. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina s 18th Summer Festival, dedicated to late Egyptian folk-dance icon Mahmoud Reda, is seeing a variety of various art forms, with the remaining music events including concerts by Andromida (25), Nouran AbuTaleb (26) and Mostafa Awar (29) on the last day of the festival. Cultural events and activities in Egypt were resumed last month as part of phase one of the country s reopening after the COVID-19 shutdowns. All events are being held under strict measures that include social distancing, obligatory masks, and sanitisation.

Two decades of Maya Husseini’s work to restore stained glass windows destroyed in the Lebanese civil war was lost in an instant in the seismic port explosion in Beirut. “I can say that in this blast, 20 years of my professional life was on the ground,” said Husseini, 60, who has worked on historic landmarks including many of Beirut’s churches. “Part of me has gone.” The Aug. 4 detonation of a massive quantity of explosive chemicals stored unsafely at Beirut port killed at least 178 people, injured some 6,000 and damaged buildings across a swathe of Beirut, carpeting streets in broken glass. Damaged buildings included the Sursock Museum, a modern and contemporary art museum reopened in 2015, whose vibrant stained glass had been painstakingly restored by Husseini. Its windows, which were particularly eye-catching at night when they were illuminated, were blown out by the blast. At least 10 of the projects Husseini has worked on since the 1975-90 civil war have been destroyed. “Every day I am getting phone calls,” she said at her workshop on the outskirts of Beirut. Husseini learnt her craft in France, sent by her father, a church engineer who used to order stained glass from overseas as leaded, stained glass was not common in Beirut prior to the war. One of the projects in which she took greatest pride was the 19th century St Louis Capuchin Cathedral in the Bab Idriss district of Beirut’s historic city centre, an area where she recalls going to drink lemonade with her friends as a child. The windows of the church, which was destroyed in the war, were restored by Husseini over two years in a project completed around four years ago. “I had tried, as much as possible, to feel the history of this church,” she said. “At that point I broke down, it was as if I was injured, certainly not physically, but emotionally.” Husseini said she had been thinking about stopping work in two years but her plans had now changed. “Even if 20 years of my work has gone - and perhaps I won’t last in this work for another 20 years ... we will rebuild.”

Following months of shutdown due to Covid-19, the Cairo Celebration Choir (CCC) released a new music video titled The Day (El-Youm). The song, performed by the choir, guest soloists, and musicians, went viral only 48 hours after its release on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, scoring 100,000 views in total. In addition, the audio version of The Day was released on Spotify, Anghami and other audio platforms. The video follows a technique popularised during the months of shutdown, presenting the artists in tiles as each performs from their home. The song carries a delightful, cheerful air as the lyrics lead the listeners to reflect on the benefits from the months of isolation. The lyrics tell us that as we meet our loved ones once again (after the lockdown) we have changed, our perspective on life being deeper. It is through those past months that we have developed and as such gained an opportunity to create a positive impact on the world around us. It is time for the new Day. “Since our activities stopped, the choir kept asking me to do something for online viewers. I didn’t want to create yet another composition gathering the choir members into one video. There had to be an idea and a message,” Nayer Nagui, the founder, artistic director and conductor of the Cairo Celebration Choir explains to Ahram Online.The Day is based on Nagui’s composition from 2009, commissioned to him by the Pan African Cultural Festival (Panaf) held in 2009 in Algiers. "The original lyrics talked about Africa. I changed them to words suiting the current situation and the message the choir shares with the listeners today,” Nagui clarifies, adding that the original composition was successful at numerous venues. Following its Algiers premiere, the song was performed in Morocco and Spain. The video gathers 90 members of the Cairo Celebration Choir, an over 100-member strong body, which was founded in 2000 by Nagui. Several guest soloists joined the online project including: soprano Dina Iskander, mezzo soprano Jolie Faizy, Arabic singer Rehab Metawi, in addition to instrumentalists Diaa Badr Tass (percussion), Steven Simon (bass guitar), the Ayoub Sisters (violin and cello), Ramadan Mansour (tabla), Nashaat Labib (req), and Veronica Bievz (piano). The video gave special thanks to Peter Bahgat (for guitar audio tracks) and Mayada Emam (for sign language). Music, lyrics and choir arrangement were done by Nagui, with general arrangement by Steven Simon. Nagui underlines the great effort the whole team exerted during the production of the music video. “While the choir followed the composition as is, the soloists improvised their lines,” he explains.Nagui describes the audio recording as “a real hero of the production,” explaining that each singer and instrumentalist recorded their lines individually from home, using their mobile phones. “Sound editing and mixing were done by Mafdy Thabet in Dream Studio. Mafdy collected a total of 152 tracks, each recorded with a different phone, in different environments and with different acoustics. Turning it all into one work that sounds uniform as if it were recorded in one studio is a real rocket science work,” Nagui says. He adds that prior to the recording, the singers were given a long list of instructions from video director Mohamed El Alfy, who worked with video editor Sherif El Alfy representing Grand Creation. “Each position of the singer, the direction of his eyes, the outfit, the reactions, and head movements were meticulously planned by Mohamed,” Nagui explains.He adds that prior to the recording, the singers were given a long list of instructions from video director Mohamed El Alfy, who worked with video editor Sherif El Alfy representing Grand Creation. “Each position of the singer, the direction of his eyes, the outfit, the reactions, and head movements were meticulously planned by Mohamed,” Nagui explains.The long list of all the artists involved is duly enumerated in lengthy credits at the end of the video, accompanied by a few short bloopers from the making. The two months of hard work have definitely paid off. The final video is an impressive five-minute-long work filled with cheerful musicality and a huge dose of positive energy while giving the viewer an impression that they also communicate with one another on the screen. “I never thought that it would be such a big deal, to be honest. On the financial level, the production of the video is equal to the long journey that includes preparations and staging of a full, one-and-a-half hour long concert,” Nagui concludes. The video is part of the year-long celebration of the Cairo Celebration Choir’s 20th anniversary. As Nagui revealed, the festive year started with the Christmas 2019 concert and will conclude with the documentary film about the choir scheduled to be released by the end of 2020.Founded in 2000 by conductor and composer Nayer Nagui, the CCC consists of over 120 members from over seven nationalities from various backgrounds and professions. The singers came together through the passion for music, a dedication to singing and a desire to spread cross-cultural understanding and musical appreciation in Egypt, the Arab region and internationally. The CCC’s repertoire has developed over the years to include classical music compositions, arrangements of well-known Arabic and traditional pieces as well as world music. The CCC has performed in numerous prestigious venues in Egypt, including the Cairo Opera House, the Alexandria Opera House s Sayed Darwish Theatre, the Manasterly Palace, Saladin’s Citadel, All Saints Cathedral, the Basilique Church, among others. On the international scene, the choir enchanted audiences at Morocco’s National Mohammed V Theatre in Rabat, and was joined by the French Choeur régional Vittoria d’Ile-de-France in a performance in Soisy-sous-Montmorency before heading to the UNESCO Main Theatre Hall in Paris in 2014. The choir won the Silver Award for Stylish Interpretation of Arabic Music in the “Prague Voices” choir competition in the Czech Republic, and in 2016 it earned the Silver Award Diploma in the category of Folklore with Accompaniment at the World Choir Games in Sochi, Russia. The CCC is also known to give annual Christmas concerts at the Cairo Opera House, an event attracting large audiences during the festive days.

After years of estrangement, American actor Brad Pitt will cooperate with his ex-wife Jennifer Aniston for the first time since separating 19 years ago, when Pitt went on to marry actress Angelina Jolie. The two will co-star in a virtual live-table reading of the script for “Fast Times At Ridgemont High” (1982). A celebration of the film will take place on Facebook and TikTok, showing clips from the movie and dialogue between the two stars and other cast members, which include Julia Roberts, Matthew McConaughey, Morgan Freeman, Henry Golding, Shia LaBeouf, Sean Penn, and Dane Cook. Proceeds from this live broadcast will be donated to help medical efforts against the coronavirus. Pitt, 56, and Aniston, 52, have not worked together since 2001, before their separation. Rumors later swelled regarding Pitt s relationship with Jolie after they co-starred in “Mr and Mrs Smith” (2005). Pitt then announced his separation from Aniston and got into a relationship with Jolie for ten years. They got married in their tenth year, only to eventually divorce following Pitt s drug abuse. He underwent treatment in order to meet his six children with Jolie, three of whom are adopted. Rumors then began to surface regarding a possible return to Aniston, who herself had recently announced separating from fiancé writer and actor Justin Theroux. For years since their marriage, Pitt and Aniston had been considered one of the most beloved couples in Hollywood, until they separated without having children.

After an absence of 27 years, Egyptian superstar Amr Diab will finally return to the world of acting with an Arabic-speaking series on Netflix. The Netflix Middle East Twitter account announced the news, writing: “Amr Diab, the best-selling artist in the Middle East, who won seven World Music Awards and six African Music Awards, returns to the drama after a 27-year absence with Netflix.” Diab expressed happiness after contracting with Netflix to work on an international project. On his official Twitter account, the star published a video and commented: “Very happy to cooperate with Netflix in this new artistic work. I am one of the firmest believers that art is a global language, and now with this dramatic work I am very excited, along with Netflix, that we can reach more than 193 million followers in more than 190 countries around the world.” Diab recently released the song “Malak Ghairan” through an Egyptian telecommunications company. It is written by Turki Al Sheikh, composed by Folklore, and distributed by Bosnians Salvatore Ganacci and Nabuchadnosar Poli. He also recently released a clip of his song “Ya Baladna Ya Helwa”, written by Tamer Hussein, composed by Aziz al-Shafei, distributed by Tariq Madkour, and directed by Tariq al-Erian.

Egyptian actress Nelly Karim announced that filming for the second part of “Bi 100 Wesh” (Of a Hundred Faces) TV series would begin soon, following the success of the first season during the 2020 Ramadan season. Karim published pictures with co-star Asser Yassin on her Instagram account on Saturday, writing: “We miss you all … thank you for all the love and support .We are very glad u guys liked the tv series. Can’t wait for Part 2 sooooooooon.”

Famous Egyptian singer Mohamed El-Helw is gearing up for a concert at the Cairo Opera House s Fountain Theatre on Friday 21 August. El-Helw will sing some of his songs including Ahim Shawqan , Ya Habibi , Amar Ya Eskenria and others, in addition to known covers like El-Touba , Aiwa-Allah Gharib El-Dar and others. Conducted by the famous Selim Sehab, who is returning to action after a long absence, the concert will be opened with a performance by singer Ayat Farouk and Sarah Sehab. At the same venue, the Cairo Opera House is hosting a series of events during the second half of August. On Sunday, the Cairo Opera Company is introducing a selection of musicals and international songs, while on Wednesday the chanting company will celebrate the Islamic New Year, before Nesma Mahgoub will have a concert on Friday 28. Egypt resumed public cultural activities last month as part of the country s cautious reopening following the COVID-19 lockdown, with all events held under strict measures that include social distancing, obligatory facemasks, and sanitising.

In its 5th edition, London s Safar Film Festival, an event dedicated to Arab cinema, will take place online due to the coronavirus, screening films digitally between 13 and 20 September. This year s edition carries the motto Safar From Home . According to the organisers, the festival will offer five free screenings made available to the UK viewers in addition to the special events featuring leading figures from the Arab world s cinema industry screened for free worldwide. The festival s line-up includes films from Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Palestine and Morocco, yet the titles are yet to be revealed. The details and screenings will be unveiled on the festival s website. Safar Film Festival was launched in 2012 and is London s only biennial film festival celebrating Arab cinema. Over the past four editions, the screenings took place at the Arab British Centre in London.

Egyptian superstar Amr Diab is set to release a new song with fellow singer Dina el-Sherbiny titled “Amaken al-Sahar” (Nightlife Places), their first collaboration together. Portraying a summery atmosphere, filming for the song’s music video concluded at a north coast resort. On Tuesday Diab uploaded a photo on his Facebook showing him with Sherbiny, crew members and friends, writing “Nightlife places.. soon.” Diab’s fans shared clips of the star carrying Sherbiny as part of the upcoming song’s music video. This track also serves as a prelude to Diab’s upcoming album, with most of the songs having wrapped recording with a date still to be announced. “Amaken al-Sahar” is written by Tamer Hussein, composed by Aziz al-Shafie, and directed by Ahmad al-Najar. Diab has built a multi-decade career that began with his musical debut in 1983. He is now known as one of the most famous pop stars of Egypt and the Middle East and has been nicknamed “al-Hadaba” (the Plateau) as a reference to his greatness. Over the past three and a half decades, Diab has successfully remained one of Egypt’s and the Middle East’s most acclaimed international stars, winning numerous awards. The Egyptian pop star is the first in the Arab world to produce high tech music videos, and in 1996, Diab released the album “Nour El Ain,” which was celebrated worldwide and helped to gain the pop star recognition beyond the Middle East. In 2009, Diab won four African Music Awards for Song of the Year, Artist of the Year, Video of the Year, and Best Male Act. He won two additional African Music Awards in 2010. He is also the only Middle Eastern artist to have received seven World Music Awards, and set the Guinness Record for winning Best Selling Middle East Artist the most times.

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina s Art Centre will open its 18th International Summer Festival on Saturday with a concert by Dina El Wedidi and her band. The well-known singer and songwriter will perform pieces from her repertoire, which is rooted in her Egyptian heritage but also features wider African and global influences. In addition to her song Tedawar W-Tergaa, re-launched in an acoustic version this week and dedicated to its late writer Mido Zoheir, El Wedidi will perform other popular tracks like Al-Seirah, Kotr El-Wagaa and Fi Belad El-Agayeb. The two-week festival, which is operating under strict safety measures in light of the coronavirus pandemic, is dedicated to late Egyptian folk dance icon Mahmoud Reda, who passed away on 10 July at the age of 89.The festival will feature a variety of performances and lectures on different art forms. On Sunday, it will host Fouad and Mounib and Michelle Rounds band while, film director Adel Adeeb will give a master class entitled “The Role of the Film Director.” The five-day “Low Budget Filmmaking” workshop, conducted by the film director Ahmed Rashwan, will also kick off on Sunday. The programme also includes a stand-up comedy performance by Mohamed Helmy on Monday and a performance of El-Leila El-Kebira by Fabrica on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina orchestra, with conductor Nayer Nagui, will perform a selection from famous musicals. Cultural events and activities in Egypt were resumed last month as part of phase one of the country s reopening after the COVID-19 shutdowns. All events are being held under strict measures that include social distancing, obligatory masks, and sanitisation.

Egyptian singer Medhat Saleh will perform a concert at the Cairo Opera House’s open-air Nafoura Theater on August 13. Featuring the participation of pianist Amr Selim, Saleh will sing songs such as Aked, Hekayt Warda, Walla Teswa Demoua, Hatklm, Kawkab Tany, El Millionerat, Had Yaoul Lhabibi, Bahlam Ala Kaddy, Ya Gared al-Nakhl el-Aaly alongside performances of some of the most beloved classical Arab songs. Saleh expressed joy to perform at the Cairo Opera House, and hailed the Nafoura Theater as a grand new achievement enriching Egypt’s culture. The Ministry of Culture set up two open-air theaters, located in the Cairo Opera House complex and al-Hanager Theater Square, to allow events to resume while maintaining social distancing precautions. The two theaters host daily performances and ceremonies at a capacity of 25 percent. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced back in June that restaurants and cafes would resume operating at 25 percent customer capacity, a first step toward a gradual reopening. Shisha smoking, however, remained banned. Hotels are reopened at 50 percent occupancy rates, while shops and commercial malls are closed at nine pm while restaurants and cafes closed at 10 pm. Clubs, youth centers, cultural facilities and cinemas are also allowed to reopen at 25 percent capacity.

The fourth annual Gouna Film Festival (GFF), which is scheduled to take place from October 23 to 31, will screen a total of 16 international films, according to festival s Director Entishal al-Tamimi. Tamimi added that the GFF will continue to select important movies to be included in the festival. The festival s Technical Director Amir Ramsis said that the “GFF insists on screening unique cinematic works in its fourth year, despite the coronavirus outbreak that represents a challenge to daily living.” One of the features GFF will screen is the Italian-Swiss drama film “Bad Tales” (2020), written and directed by co-directors Damiano and Fabio D Innocenzo. The selection of “Bad Tales” came after it won the Silver Bear Award for best screenplay in the seventieth annual Berlin Film Festival. In an earlier interview, GFF s chief operating officer Bushra Roza said that since the coronavirus outbreak has caused several film festivals to be postponed, this year s GFF will serve as a positive beacon to people worldwide. This year s festival will be held at the Gouna Convention and Culture Center, which is built on 8,000 square meters of open space, she added. The festival provides an extraordinary cinematic and cultural experience via open and enclosed spaces, as well as its virtual CineGouna Platform. The festival s first priority is to ensure the safety of its guests, Roza said. It is therefore implementing coronavirus measures set by the Ministry of Health.

Egypt s Minister of Heath Hala Zayed on Sunday implored all citizens to continue abiding by preventive measures such as social distancing to help curb the coronavirus outbreak. She recommended people avoid family gatherings, keep a distance of no less than one meter in public, wear masks properly and safely dispose of them. Other recommendations she listed are to avoid handshakes especially in closed spaces, and carefully wash hands for over 20 seconds and/or use rubbing alcohol. The ministry s spokesperson Khaled Megahed recommended that people avoid public areas such as markets and shops. He also stressed that personal utensils must not be shared and to avoid touching any unclean surfaces. Megahed particularly urged that pregnant women, elderly people over sixty years of age or anyone suffering from chronic illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease or lung issues to avoid public gatherings, as they are the most vulnerable to the virus. Anyone suffering from symptoms must rush to the nearest hospital immediately, he stressed.

Egypt Cultural Development Fund (CDF), under the Ministry of Culture, has issued a call for talents with special needs to participate in the third edition of the "Golden Talent” competition. Entries can include solo or group singing, playing an instrument, or a performance. Applicants are requested to submit a sample of their work that does not exceed three minutes through the CDF s website. The competition accepts entries from Egyptians who have hearing, mental or motor disabilities. This year the competition expanded its scope to young people aged 15-30 who have visual impairment. Works can be submitted by an applicant or a private or governmental institution taking care of the applicant s development. Submission can be made from 9 August with a deadline of 10 September. The competition is an initiative of Fathy Abdel-Wahab, head of the Cultural Development Fund, in cooperation with El-Balad Today s Development Society.

Obesity should be defined by a person s health - not just their weight, says a new Canadian clinical guideline. It also advises doctors to go beyond simply recommending diet and exercise. Instead, they should focus on the root causes of weight gain and take a holistic approach to health. The guideline, which was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on Tuesday, specifically admonished weight-related stigma against patients in the health system. "The dominant cultural narrative regarding obesity fuels assumptions about personal irresponsibility and lack of willpower and casts blame and shame upon people living with obesity," the guideline, which is intended to be used by primary care physicians in diagnosing and treating obesity in their daily practice, states. Ximena Ramos-Salas, the director of research and policy at Obesity Canada and one of the guideline s authors, said research shows many doctors discriminate against obese patients, and that can lead to worse health outcomes irrespective of their weight. "Weight bias is not just about believing the wrong thing about obesity," she told the BBC. "Weight bias actually has an effect on the behaviour of healthcare practitioners." Obesity not caused by lack of willpower - psychologists Obesity: Have 20 years of policies had any effect? The rate of obesity has tripled over the past three decades in Canada, and now about one in four Canadians is obese according to Statistics Canada. The guideline had not been updated since 2006. The new version was funded by Obesity Canada, the Canadian Association of Bariatric Physicians and Surgeons and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research through a Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research grant. Although the latest advice still recommends using diagnostic criteria like the body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference, it acknowledges their clinical limitations and says doctors should focus more on how weight impacts a person s health. Small reductions in weight, of about 3-5%, can lead to health improvements and an obese person s "best weight" might not be their "ideal weight" according to BMI, the guideline says. It emphasises that obesity is a complex, chronic condition that needs lifelong management. "For a long time we ve associated obesity as a lifestyle behaviour... It s been a lot of shame and blame before," Ms Ramos-Salas says. "People living with obesity need support like people living with any other chronic disease." But instead of simply advising patients to "eat less, move more", the guideline encourages doctors to provide supports along the lines of psychological therapy, medication and bariatric surgery like gastric-bypass surgery. The guideline doesn t completely do away with standard weight-loss advice. "All individuals, regardless of body size or composition, would benefit from adopting a healthy, well-balanced eating pattern and engaging in regular physical activity," it says. However, it notes that keeping the weight off is often difficult because the brain will compensate by feeling more hungry, thus encouraging people to eat more. Many studies have shown that most people who lose weight on a diet gain it back. "Diets don t work," Ms Ramos-Salas says. Physicians should also ask permission before discussing a patient s weight, and work with them to focus on health goals that matter to them, instead of just telling them to cut calories.

Egyptian singer and Islamic Sufi chanter Ali El-Helbawy will perform at the Sayed Darwish Theatre of the Alexandria Opera House on Sunday 7 August as part of the culture ministry’s summer programme. During the anticipated concert, which comes after months of the suspension of cultural activities, El-Helbawy will select from his large repertoire of love, Islamic, and patriotic originals, in addition to some traditional covers. The active performer has given a series of successful concerts over the past years and collaborated with many other performers, including frequent features with German-Egyptian oriental jazz ensemble Cairo Steps. His band includes Eslam Elabaty (oud), Haythm (qanoun), Hamudi (keyboard), Ashraf Eskander (guitar), Teto and Bakar (percussion) in addition to back-vocalists Ahmed, Zakaria, and Abdullah. The Alexandria Opera House is hosting a series of events during the month of August at the same venue, including Boghdady Big Band on 9 August and Nesma Mahgoub on 26 August, in addition to many other events. Egypt resumed public cultural activities last month as part of phase one of the country s cautious reopening following the COVID-19 lockdown, with all events held under strict measures that include social distancing, obligatory facemasks, and sanitising. Programme: Sunday 7 August, pm Sayed Darwish Theater, Alexandria Opera House

Popular Egyptian band Black Theama is preparing some surprises for its fans amid the celebration of its 16th anniversary at the Cairo Opera House s Fountain Theatre on Wednesday 5 August. "This is a very special concert for us, especially because it comes after a long suspension of artistic activities," the vocal trio band, consisting of the multi-talented Ahmed Bahr, Mohamed Abdo and Amir Salah El-Deen, told Ahram Online days before the anticipated concert. "We will sing some of our old songs like Bahar ("Sailor"), Weinek ("Where Are You"), Hendi ("Indian") and Ousso , in addition to some new songs," the band revealed. In Wednesday s concert, Black Theama will feature the three singers Sayed Rekaby, Shando and Maram.Always combining some of the top musicians in the country, Black Theama s arsenal of instruments now merges keyboardists Faisal Fouad, bassist Mounir Maher, guitarist Mostafa Fathi, drummer Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz, percussionists Adel Mekha and Mohamed Zatouna, saxophonist Reda El-Sayed, and Eslam Elabty on oud. Each musician is involved in many music projects with the most well-known names in the country and the Arab world.As their name suggests, Black Theama, who are deeply influenced by southern roots of Nubian, Sudanese and African music, introduced a big collection of a commercially-appealing sound that adopts various concepts from genres like Reggae, Rap, Blues and Jazz alongside slang Egyptian lyrics. "When we founded the band, we started with a workshop where the three of us collaborated to write and compose our originals, as well as develop other songs each of us had previously written on their own," said the band, which has collaborated with many well-known artists, including the late Mido Zoher, who wrote many of its lyrics.In addition to dozens of singles, the band, who initially gained fame for revolutionary lyrics before turning more towards romantic and social topics, released two albums; Bahar in 2020 and Gawi Baniadmeen in 2015. "On Wednesday, we will also sing some Sudanese tunes like Ya Msafer . We will sing Abdel-Hadi with Shandoo, Ne na El-Genina with Rekaby and Habibi Ta a; with Maram," the band revealed. The Cairo Opera House is hosting a series of events during the month of August, including concerts by Ali El-Haggar (Thursday 6), Medhat Saleh (Thursday 12), Mohamed El-Helw (Friday 21), and many other events. Egypt resumed public cultural activities last month as part of phase one of the country s cautious reopening following the Covid-19 lockdown, with all events held under strict measures that include social distancing, obligatory facemasks, and sanitising.

Late Egyptian diva Umm Kulthum is the star of three hologram concerts at the Dubai Opera on 6, 7 and 8 August, which are part of the celebration of the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha. "After a hugely successful debut in 2019, the same team who brought Umm Kulthum to life at Dubai Opera is recreating the magic for fans who missed the show or would like a second chance to relive her unforgettable hits," reads a statement on the Opera s website. The concerts will include classics like Enta Omri and Alf Leila wa-Leila, as well as Al-Atlal for the first time. Produced by New Dimension, the Umm Kulthum hologram concerts were created by Saudi TV network MBC and debuted in early 2019. The concerts are part of the reopening programme of the Dubai Opera after it had been shut down for four months due to the coronavirus pandemic. The reopening launched with a concert by Hussain Al-Jassmi on Saturday. Affectionately known in Egypt as "El-Sett" ("The Lady"), Umm Kulthum s deep, resonant voice enthralled the Arab world for decades, inspired western singers like Bob Dylan and Robert Plant, and can still be heard in Arab streets, cafes, taxis and sailboats. Umm Kulthum was born at the end of the 19th century and her career flourished from the 1920s until her death in 1975, amassing an impressive repertoire of religious, patriotic and sentimental songs and poetry.

People who test positive for coronavirus or show symptoms in the UK must now self-isolate for at least 10 days, rather than seven. The change, announced by the UK s chief medical officers, comes as ministers try to avoid a resurgence of the virus. Until now, those showing key symptoms - a new continuous cough, a temperature or loss of taste or smell - have had to self-isolate for at least a week. The new advice is in line with World Health Organization guidance. The chief medical officers said the change is "particularly important to protect those who have been shielding and in advance of the autumn and winter when we may see increased community transmission". Evidence shows that people with Covid-19 have "a low but real possibility of infectiousness" between seven and nine days after falling ill, they said. People are most contagious just before they first display symptoms and for the first few days afterwards. But scientists say evidence that they could pass it on up to nine days later has "strengthened". Advice on the length of isolation varies between countries. For example, the Irish Republic says those who have symptoms should isolate for 14 days, while in the US those with symptoms are told to isolate for 10 days and can only leave isolation if they have had at least 24 hours without a fever. It comes after the prime minister warned of signs of a "second wave" of the pandemic in parts of Europe. Speaking on BBC Breakfast before the announcement, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the government wanted to "take a precautionary approach" and "protect people from that wave reaching our shores". Frank Atherton, chief medical officer for Wales, said the change was "vital" and "nobody should be under the illusion that coronavirus has gone away". England death rate among worst in Europe What s the evidence Europe is having a second wave ? UK signs deal for 60 million virus vaccine doses The government has also confirmed that registered health and care professionals travelling to the UK from high-risk countries will be required to self-isolate for 14 days. An quarantine exemption for health professionals had been in place since June. There have also been concerns about several local outbreaks across the UK, including in Oldham, Wrexham and Staffordshire. Meanwhile, the government is expected on Friday to announce a decision on whether to ease restrictions in Leicester, a month after the city was put into extended lockdown following a spike in cases. The mayor of Leicester, Sir Peter Soulsby, expressed frustration at the delayed decision, originally expected on Thursday. "We haven t got a clue what s going on, we really haven t," he said. The brakes are beginning to come on Two or three weeks ago the message from the prime minister was that, hopefully, we would be back to near-normality by Christmas. The direction of travel was one of lockdown easing, with pubs and restaurants reopening, as well as a feeling that we seemed to be getting through it. Now, there s a real sense of the brakes beginning to go on. We saw it with the quick quarantine measures imposed on people returning from Spain. Luxembourg may well have similar restrictions soon and they re keeping an eye on Belgium too. We had restrictions imposed in Oldham to curb the virus there and now there s been an extension of the self-isolation period. The real apprehension is that what is happening in the rest of Europe may, in time, happen here. To some extent, that has been the story of coronavirus: we have tended to follow what has emerged in mainland Europe. Official figures published on Thursday showed that 43,119 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in England had their cases transferred to NHS Test and Trace since its launch in May. The tracing system successfully contacted just over 77% of these - but just over 23% were not reached. The figures, from the Department of Health and Social Care, also showed that of 222,589 people identified as close contacts of those who tested positive, 83% had been reached and asked to self-isolate. Prime Minister Boris Johnson s pledge - that by the end of June everyone tested in person would receive results within 24 hours - is still not being met, with about three-quarters (76.4%) of people getting results on time in the week up to July 22. For those using home testing kits, 76.9% received results within 48 hours. But the government is concerned that some people are not coming forward for testing, hampering its ability to track outbreaks, because they wrongly think they have to pay for it or that they are not eligible. A decision that could have been taken months ago The UK requirement for people who test positive or show symptoms to isolate for seven days was always on the low side - plenty of other countries require 10 days or even longer. As coronavirus is new, there is still a lack of certainty over how long someone remains infectious, which is why there are a variety of approaches. UK health officials say there is enough evidence now to point to a "low, but tangible" risk of transmission from seven to 10 days, even for those with mild to moderate illness. This is a decision that could have been taken weeks, even months, ago in truth. But officials are describing it as a "value judgement" based on a variety of reasons. For one thing the easing of restrictions means we have more social contacts than we did previously - so even with the low risk of transmission post seven days, the chances of passing it on increases. The availability of widespread testing also means only those with a positively confirmed infection need to continue isolating - earlier in the pandemic the lack of testing meant a blanket approach had to be taken so anyone with symptoms was asked to isolate. But it is about sending an important signal too. Levels of infection are low, but the message is clear: we can t be complacent. The government is launching a TV and online advertising campaign on Thursday night stressing that anyone with symptoms should get tested, which is free and available to all. Only about a third of people infected are thought to come forward for tests, although some of the untested cases may be people who do not have any symptoms. Those in a household with anyone who tests positive or shows symptoms are told to self-isolate for 14 days. And people returning to the UK from certain countries are also being asked to quarantine for 14 days - a move that has sparked complaints from travel firms. SYMPTOMS: What are they and how to guard against them? FACE MASKS: When should you wear one? TESTING: Who can get a test and how? BUBBLES: How do they work and who can be in yours? Ministers are also looking for a way to reduce the current 14-day quarantine period for arrivals to the UK, meaning that quarantine and self-isolation time periods could be standardised at 10 days. Mr Hancock told Today that the government is looking at using testing to reduce the length of the quarantine period - but there would be no imminent changes. On Thursday evening, Luxembourg was removed from the quarantine-free list, meaning people arriving in the UK from the small land-locked country from midnight will need to self-isolate for two weeks. A senior government source told the BBC that Belgium would stay off the list - for the moment - but case numbers would continue to be monitored. Leading travel and airline industry figures called on Wednesday for coronavirus testing at airports in the UK but the source said that "any new system had to be workable and at the moment it isn t". Mr Hancock told Breakfast that the "big scientific challenge" with testing arrivals at the border is that people "can incubate this disease for many days without displaying any symptoms, and that wouldn t show up in a test". What are the rules on self-isolating? Self-isolating means staying at home and not leaving it. Anyone who has either tested positive for coronavirus or shown symptoms should isolate themselves for at least 10 days, and those who show symptoms should arrange to get tested. Symptoms include: a new continuous cough a high temperature a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell They should continue to self-isolate if they still feel unwell after that initial period. Other members of their household should isolate for 14 days and not leave their homes. If you test positive you will be contacted by contact tracers, who will establish who else you might have passed on the infection to. Anybody they deem to be at risk will have to isolate themselves for 14 days from the point of contact.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Wednesday that the African Champions League semifinals will be played in the original two-leg format instead of the one-leg format that had previously been approved by the CAF, while the Confederation Cup will be held in the one-leg format. The CAF Champions League semifinals include two teams from Egypt and two teams from Morocco, as Ahly faces Wydad Casablanca while Zamalek will play against Rajaa Casablanca. The CAF decided that the first leg matches will be played in Morocco on 25 and 26 September, and the second leg matches will be hosted by Cairo on 2 and 3 October. The final match of the continental club tournament will take place on 16 or 17 October, but under certain conditions determined by the CAF. If Ahly and Zamalek win their semifinal games, the final will be held in Cairo, and if Wydad and Rajaa defeat the Cairo giants, then the final will be held in Morocco. If the final includes a team from each country, the game will be hosted by a neutral venue. LONDON (AP) — Johnny Depp’s libel case against a British tabloid that accused him of abusing ex-wife Amber Heard was wrapping up Tuesday after three weeks of court hearings that dissected a toxic celebrity love affair. The “Pirates of the Caribbean” star is suing News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun, and the newspaper’s executive editor, Dan Wootton, at the High Court in London over an April 2018 article that called him a “wife-beater.” In closing arguments, Depp’s lawyer, David Sherborne, said the actor strongly denied “this reputation-destroying, career-ending allegation.” Once Sherborne is finished, judge Andrew Nicol will retire to sift claim and counterclaim as he considers his verdict. He is expected to hand down his ruling in several weeks. WHAT IS THE JUDGE DECIDING? Neither Depp nor Heard is on trial, though it has been easy to forget that during a case that raked over messy details of the couple’s volatile relationship. Depp is the claimant in the civil case, NGN and Wootton are the defendants and Heard is their main witness. To defeat Depp’s libel claim, the newspaper must persuade the judge that, on the balance of probabilities, its story was accurate. NGN’s lawyer, Sasha Wass, said in her summing-up that there was no doubt Depp “regularly and systematically abused his wife” and so the “wife-beater” label was justified. But Sherborne said The Sun’s article — which urged J.K. Rowling to have Depp fired from the movie version of her book “Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them” — gave the false impression Depp had been “tried, convicted and sentenced” for domestic violence. “Acting as both judge and jury, the defendants plainly and squarely state that Mr. Depp is guilty (of a) series of serious and violent criminal offenses,” he said. WHAT IS IN DISPUTE? The two sides agree that the relationship between Depp and Heard, which began after they met on the set of 2011 comedy “The Rum Diary,” soured long before they divorced in 2017. Texts, emails and recordings attest to the increasingly bitter relations between Depp, now 57, and the 34-year-old model and actress. But they disagree completely over who started and escalated their fights. Depp denies Heard’s claim of 14 separate incidents in which he allegedly hit, slapped and shoved her, pulled her hair and threw bottles at her “like grenades.” The judge was shown photos of Heard with black eyes, red marks on her face and an injured scalp — alleged evidence of Depp’s violence. Depp said the photos were part of a “dossier” of fake evidence and claimed that Heard hit him, even severing the tip of his finger with a thrown vodka bottle. Under cross-examination Depp admitted headbutting Heard during a tussle, but said it was by accident as he tried to stop her punching him. Heard acknowledged having a short temper and said she punched Depp once in March 2015. But she said it was to prevent him hitting her sister. WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? The trial has provided an up-close and often unflattering look at Hollywood stardom, revealing details of Depp’s life of wealth, luxury, emotional turmoil and substance abuse. Mark Stephens, a media lawyer at law firm Howard Kennedy, said the sensational case “has all of the hallmarks of the Roman arena.” “People will remember this case not for the results, but for the evidence — the rather nasty, gory evidence — that was involved,” he said. The settings for the disintegrating relationship were as glamorous as the allegations were sordid. The alleged assaults took place on Depp’s private island in the Bahamas, a Los Angeles penthouse, a luxury train and a private jet. Depp said in the witness box that he had made $650 million since he joined the lucrative “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise — and ended up $100 million in debt after his financial advisers neglected to pay his taxes for 17 years. Friends described Depp as a generous big spender, and he said he’d spent $5 million sending the ashes of his literary hero, drug-fueled journalist Hunter S. Thompson, into space. Whichever spouse was to blame, the relationship left a trail of destruction. Damage to a rented house in Australia where the couple had an altercation was estimated at more than $100,000. The couple’s downtown L.A. penthouse was trashed during another argument. The low point of the relationship, according to Depp, came when excrement was found in a bed at the penthouse. Heard blamed one of the couple’s two Yorkshire terriers, but Depp suspected Heard or one of her friends was to blame. WHO ARE THE WINNERS AND LOSERS? British libel law is widely considered to favor claimants over defendants, but Depp could end up a loser even if he wins. Depp said he sued The Sun because his career had been harmed by Heard’s allegations. But the case has amplified the claims for millions of people around the world, whatever the judge ends up deciding. “It almost beggars belief that anyone rational has taken this case to court,” Stephens said. “Now, I know that many people say it’s all about vindication. It’s all about proving he’s not a wife beater. But the stakes are very, very high for everybody. And at some level, mud sticks.” Heard also has had her character questioned and has been accused of fabricating evidence. She was accused by a #MeToo activist, Katherine Kendall, of appropriating a violent rape that happened to Kendall for her own ends. The most likely winners are Wass and Sherborne, tough lawyers who both made strong cases for their clients. Sherborne also has a starring role in another big celebrity trial — he’s representing the Duchess of Sussex in her lawsuit against the Mail on Sunday newspaper over publication of a private letter she sent to her father Thomas Markle. WILL THE VERDICT BE THE END OF THE STORY? Not likely. Depp is suing Heard for $50 million in Virginia over a Washington Post story about domestic violence. The trial is due to be held next year. Stephens said that if Depp “loses in London, he’s almost certain to lose that American case. So this is in some ways a dress rehearsal for the second case.” By JILL LAWLESS and DANICA KIRKA Image: US Actor Johnny Depp arrives at the High Court in London in London, Tuesday, July 28, 2020. Hollywood actor Johnny Depp is suing News Group Newspapers over a story about his former wife Amber Heard, published in The Sun in 2018 which branded him a ‘wife beater’, a claim he denies.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)