The Tourism Ministry denied claims Sunday that a ban had been imposed for alcohol consumption on Egypt’s North Coast beaches; the ministry noted that it had not received any information on such a measure from Tourism police. “The Tourism Ministry did not release any ban on alcohol consumption, and even the Tourism police will not follow any such measure without consultations with the Tourism Ministry, the news circulating this is responsible for verifying the authenticity of their sources,” Tourism Ministry’s official spokesperson Rana Goher told Egypt Independent.

Before the invasion of Indian culture of Egypt through films, TV series, or songs, reading was the only gate for those interested to know more about the civilization of literature, music, dancing, and food; and nothing beats “Sawtul Hind” (The Voice of India) magazine in highlighting Indian culture and the Egypt-India relationship. The magazine celebrated publishing its 500th issue on Monday, with the attendance of Minister of Culture Helmi El-Namnam at the Egyptian Centre for International Cultural Cooperation in Zamalek.

After its first phase soft opening, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation (NMEC) received on Monday 453 different artefacts from the first and second Egyptian dynasty that were stored at the Egyptian museum, according to a statement published at the Ministry of Antiquities Official Facebook page. The transformation is a step from the ministry s set plan to transfer all of the artefacts that are not displayed to mass from storages and archaeological sites to the museum preparing for the opening of its second phase. The transferred artefacts include collections of clay and stone vessels and pots, funerary stele reliefs, and clay sarcophagi.

On Tuesday morning, international singer Gloria Gaynor arrived in Cairo on an EgyptAir flight from New York for a concert she will perform Wednesday. President of EgyptAir Sherif Ezzat made sure that the necessary facilities for the international singer were provided; the iconic singer was received at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York by Amr al-Morsy, a station manager from Egypt Air, who completed her travel procedures.

Last year, Afghanistan’s version of “Sesame Street” introduced a little girl character aimed at inspiring girls in the deeply conservative Muslim nation. Now a new muppet is joining the cast: her brother, who will show boys the importance of respecting women. Zeerak, whose name means “Smart” in Afghanistan’s two official languages, is a 4-year-old boy who enjoys studying and learning. He joins 6-year-old sister Zari, whose name means “Shimmering,” on Afghanistan’s version of the show, “Baghch-e-SimSim,” or “Sesame Garden.”

Egypt s silver screen is full of series adopted from previous literary works. Combining the creativity and imagination of a prominent writer with the artistic taste of a director, along with the performance of well-known, charismatic actors, brings out the different strength points of both artistic works. Last Ramadan, the Egyptian audience was introduced to Wahet El-Ghoroub (The Sunset Oasis) series, adopted from the novel of the same name for outstanding novelist Bahaa Taher. The novel won International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) in 2008.

After a lengthy search, The Walt Disney Company announced on Saturday that it has finally found its Aladdin, casting Egyptian-Canadian Mena Massoud to play the key character in the live-action reboot of the classic animated film. Massoud snagged the lead role in the film, alongside British-Indian actress Naomi Scott, who will play Princess Jasmine. Will Smith will also star in the live-action remake as the Genie, Disney announced at the D23 Expo on Saturday.

For three years now, the combination of the pure blue sea, with the white soul cleansing sand, and the musical background that refreshes one s exhausted soul has been the perfect recipe for Sahel (North Coast) attendees to have the impeccable unforgettable summer at Martin s Beach Club. Located this year at BO Islands in Sidi Abdel Rahman, Martin s beach offers its attendees a unique amalgamation of luxury yet simplicity with high-end beverages and relaxation spots where one can have his mind emptied from Egypt s daily life chaos.

About 20 girls accompanied by their mothers enter and then disappear in the changing room. Moment later, they reappear with their hair tied in buns, dressed in princess dresses or short skirts with stretch pants underneath, a few wearing justacorps on top. The outfits vary in style but the girls goal is the same: they want to learn classical dance, and they love it. "We do not miss any session," many girls tell me.

There s no electricity and only 500 residents in the Congolese village of Makwatsha. But a longstanding painting tradition by the local women has fortuitously become a star attraction for Chinese tourists.The outside walls of the huts are decorated with paintings of local life, flowers and butterflies, making “the village of the women painters” a draw for tourists from China, but also countries such as France and Belgium. “For the color, we use only the earth,” says Prosperine Mwelma, 60, dressed in a bright blue and yellow wrap and holding a paint brush. “We dig to find the pink color,” she says, her hands covered with the village s ochre clay soil. The murals of daily village life, painted by the women during the dry season, caught the eye of the director of the local French cultural institute when he passed through on holiday. He decided to let the world know. Not only did he contact a local travel agency to try to put the village on the tourism map; he also organised for some of the women to be invited to Paris in 2014 to exhibit their paintings.

Move over, “Gangnam Style.” Wiz Khalifa’s video “See You Again” featuring singer Charlie Puth hit nearly 2.9 billion views on YouTube on Tuesday morning, taking the top spot for most viewed video from Psy, the Korean pop star behind the previous record holder “Gangnam Style.” “Gangnam Style” held the most viewed video record on YouTube for five years, after surpassing Justin Bieber’s “Baby” in November of 2012, YouTube said in a statement on Tuesday. The new record comes just days before the five-year anniversary of the release of “Gangham Style” on YouTube. “See You Again” averaged over three million views per day, just this year alone.

Allthough ancient Egypt and China never communicated with each other, they had many things in common. The exhibition “China and Egypt. Cradles of the World” shows inventions made in both countries a long time ago.Plagiarism and industrial espionage may in some cases explain why a particular invention turns up far away from where it was originally invented. But what about such cases when these possible explanations have been ruled out and two inventors incidentally develop the same idea? Take, for example, horse snaffles – a longish mouth piece made of bronze that is kept flexible by two interlocking rings in the middle enabling the rider to steer the horse to the right or left. Two such snaffles can be admired in the special exhibition “China and Egypt. Cradles of the World” that runs in Berlin s Neues Museum from July 6 to December 3, 2017. One of them, dated to 1,200 BC, was found in Egypt, and the other one, dated a bit later, in China. The possibility that the Chinese copied the invention from the Egyptians has been ruled out as these two ancient civilizations had no contact with each other at this stage.

Fully booked’ signs reappeared at Red Sea hotels and resorts, which have witnessed a remarkable occupancy rate increase due to the rise in domestic flights from Cairo and other governorates. Occupancy rates ranged between 80 to 95 percent, even after the end of the Eid al-Fitr holiday; some resorts and sites in Hurghada are still at full capacity, and beaches are packed with holidaymakers. Moreover, Egyptians’ turnout for sea voyages to Giftun islands, as well as snorkeling and other water activities, also increased.

Commemorating Omar Sherif s enriching role in both local and international cinema, the Cultural Development Fund is organising the Omar Sherif Film Week at El-Hanager cinema in the Cairo Opera House. For years, Egypt s prominent actor Omar Sherif charmed people with his unique outstanding performances in both local and international films. With his charismatic appearance, decency, and heart-touching performance, the late actor won the hearts of Egyptians with his first appearance in “Shaytan Al-Sahra” (Devil of the Desert) in 1954.

“Spider-Man: Homecoming” swung past expectations, opening with an estimated $117 million in North America, giving a Sony Pictures a much needed hit. “Homecoming” was one of the biggest tests yet for the notion that domestic moviegoers are growing weary of sequels and reboots and suffering so-called “franchise fatigue.” ″Homecoming” kicks off the third “Spider-Man” iteration in the last 15 years, and the second reboot since 2014′s “The Amazing Spider-Man,” with Andrew Garfield.

K. Rowling was rejected numerous times before finding a publisher for her Harry Potter series. She s one of five stars who hit the big time despite their talents being underestimated at first.One of the most successful children s book authors in the world – and one of the wealthiest writers alive today – Joanne K. Rowling didn t exactly have a smooth runway from which to launch her career. Before she released the Harry Potter series and earned millions with its franchise, she lived on welfare and could hardly keep her head above water. As a child, she wrote her own stories and loved books, and wanted nothing more than to work as a novelist when she grew up, Rowling s first jobs after getting her university degree were as a secretary, translator and archivist for various companies. She wrote on the side.

Arabic pop singer Amr Diab’s latest album ‘Ma’di Al Nas’ became the most popular hashtag on Twitter less than an hour after the album cover art was publicized on Monday.

A huge part of the Egyptians cultural daily life activities is dedicated to food. As an inseparable part of their inherited legacy, the Egyptian table is full of rich meals with essential dishes that are irreplaceable. After the high jumps in prices, which started affecting all commodities in Egypt, including food, Egyptians wouldn t stop their craving for food; however, their food preferences were affected. Analyzing people s food cravings and preferences indicates a lot about people s lifestyles.

When in December 1921 Abdel-Moneim Madbouly was born in Bab El-Shereya, a popular quarter in the heart of Cairo, Naguib El-Rihani, born in the same neighbourhood, was the number one comedy star and at the pinnacle of his artistic success.

Tamer Mohsen is one of Egypt s most talked-about directors. His creative repertoire includes a 2015 drama film Cat and Mouse ("Ott we Far") and television series: Without Mentioning Names ("Bedoun Zikr Asmaa"), which aired during Ramadan 2013, followed by Under Control (“Taht El-Saytara”) in 2015, and This Night (“Haza El-Masaa”) which aired this Ramadan, last month, and created a lot of debate among audiences.

Born in Tripoli, Lebanon in 1899 to a Lebanese-Palestinian family, Abdel-Salam Al-Nabulsy was destined for a life far from his home, roots, and the expectations of family.