Sculptor Mai Abdallah defended her sculpture of Egyptian football legend Mohamed Salah, currently being displayed at the World Youth Forum (WYF), after receiving harsh criticism on social media. In a Facebook post, Abdallah explained that the sculpture wasn’t intended to go on display in the first place, but was just learning material for her instructional videos.

Chile announced on Sunday that it will ask the British Museum in London to return the remains of a mylodon, an extinct mammal that lived in Patagonia about 10,000 years ago. Minister of National Assets Felipe Ward will travel in two weeks to London for talks over the remains of the ground sloth that roamed in the southern region shared by Argentina and Chile. “We hope to have talks with the museum authorities… and seek to repatriate the mylodon s remains; these are bones and skin that are in storage, not even being exhibited,” Ward told reporters.

Egyptian sculptor Mai Abdel Allah on Sunday uncovered her statue of football player Mohammed Salah during the World Youth Forum (WYF), which runs from 3-6 November in Sharm al-Sheikh. Abdel Allah told al-Masry al-Youm newspaper that she thought up the idea of carving out the statue back in 2016, adding that she completed work in one month, prior to the opening of the WYF.

Several Egyptian filmmakers have been making quite an impact on the international scene in the recent years. From Abu Bakr Shawki’s “Youmeddine”, which achieved critical success and became Egypt’s 2019 Oscar Nomination for “Best Foreign Film” category, to “Sheikh Jackson”, which achieved a similar feat, Egyptian movies appear to be on the rise in terms of plot, acting skills and filmography. Three young filmmakers seem to be on their way to joining Egypt’s recent list of great filmmakers: Writer and Producer Tareq Abdel Ghaffar, Producer and Director Ammar Galal, and Cinematographer Mina Nabil. Together, the three collaborated on an Egyptian short movie titled “Hayden”, which premiered on Tuesday at the prestigious British Film Institute (BFI), in an event in collaboration with the London Film Academy: “The London Film Academy Showcase”. The movie, which takes place post-World War II, tells the story of a lady, “Hayden” who decides to host a party to reveal a surprise announcement. It stars Ingi Aboud Zeid, Abdallah Nahas, Gehad Hossam El-Din and Vanna Imam.

An Egyptian-French mission, affiliated to Cairo’s Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale (or IFAO) and the University of Liverpool, has unveiled how builders from Pharaoh Khufu’s era could transfer stones from the Marmar Quarries in Tel al-Amarna, Minya governorate. The mission said on Tuesday that it had conducted studies and research on the Hieroglyphic writings and archeological inscriptions in Marmar’s Quarries.

The National Cinema Center, headed by the advisor to the Minister of Culture for Cinema Affairs Khaled Abdel Gelil inaugurated a cinema club on Saturday for people with special needs, at the Talaat Harb Cultural Center affiliated to the Cultural Development Fund. During the ceremony “Khaleek Aaed” by director Lamiaa Ragaey and “Kabir w Sagheer” film by Sahar al-Daly were screened. Artistic activities were also held, such as drawing workshops for people with special needs supervised organized by the National Cinema Center.

Egypt has sent hundreds of artefacts from the flooded ancient cities of Heraklion and Canopus to the US, to launch their exhibition in Minneapolis on Monday. The opening of the exhibition, titled “Sunken Cities: Egypt s Enchanted World”, was witnessed by several Minneapolis Arts Institute professors, press reporters, and Egypt s Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri, according to a statement on the Antiquities Ministry s Facebook page. After having spent six months in St. Louis – to an impressive audience of 113 thousand visitors – the exhibit will run in Minneapolis until April, Waziri said.

Mony Helal was crowned Miss Egypt 2018, qualifying to the 68th edition of the Miss World pageant scheduled to be held in China next December. “Being crowned as Miss Egypt 2018 and representing Egypt in Miss World makes me feel so proud. It is really a big responsibility,” says Helal, the 26-year-old Egyptian girl.

An archaeological mission from Egypt s Ain Shams University has completed the excavation of a shrine to King Ramses II discovered last year in Cairo s Matariya district. The head of the mission Mamdouh El-Damaty explains that the shrine was once used during festivals. The mission has also unearthed a collection of lintels, scarabs, amulets, clay pots and blocks engraved with hieroglyphic text.

The Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) has withdrawn its invitation to French director Claude Lelouch, who was due to be honored in this year s edition, after he was heavily criticised in Egypt for his support for Israel. "After the serious criticism, that reached its peak with a photo of Lelouch in an Israeli parachute base, the committee was about to announce the cancelation of the honoring before I personally talked to him on the phone, and he was aware of the criticism, so he himself didn t wish to come to a place where he wouldn t be greatly welcomed," explained festival president Mohamed Hefzi, an Egyptian director and producer, to an Egyptian TV programme Tuesday.

Graffiti covers the ruins of Cyrene in eastern Libya, a city founded by Greeks more than 2,600 years ago that once attracted tourists but is now neglected and the target of vandals. Insecurity and looting has hit Libya s archaeological sites in the chaos and fighting that has followed the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, as rival groups struggle to consolidate control of the country.

Egyptian governmental ministers, officials, and some 3,000 tourists on Monday celebrated on sun alignment above the Ramses II statue at the Abu Simbel temple in Aswan governorate, southern Egypt. Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anany, Tourism Minister Rania al-Mashat, Culture Minister Enas Abdel-Dayem, Social Solidarity Minister Ghada Wali and Aswan Governor Ahmed Ibrahim attended a dinner party at the Abu Simbel temple on Sunday evening as part of celebrations for the sun alignment.

Paper cutting is the prelude to writing," wrote Hans Christian Andersen in a letter in July 1867. The art of paper cutting was a popular leisure activity during his lifetime. But Andersen s cuts were different. "They were modern," says art historian Detlef Klein. "They are less playful and made with a great sense of purpose."

Amid an approaching freshwater crisis, the first “EU-Egypt Water Cooperation Days” conference was inaugurated on Wednesday, by European Union Ambassador in Cairo Ivan Surkoš, and Egyptian Minister of Water Resources Mohamed Abdel-Ati. The conference, held October 17-18 in conjunction with “Cairo Water Week”, gathered several ambassadors and business leaders to discuss their efforts to foster water security, and improve water services across Egypt.

Four years after its discovery in Deir El-Madina on Luxor s west bank, it has been revealed that a unique tattooed 3,000-year-old mummy belonged to an elite woman or a top official. Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, says the discovery is important because this is the first time an Egyptian mummy has been found to have figurative tattoos.

Stephen Hawking s final work, which tackles issues from the existence of God to the potential for time travel, was launched on Monday by his children, who helped complete the book after the British astrophysics giant s death. Hawking was forever being asked the same things and started work on “Brief Answers to the Big Questions” last year — but did not finish it before he died in March, aged 76.

The best — and fairest — way to cap global warming is to empower indigenous forest peoples, reduce food waste and slash meat consumption, an alliance of 38 NGOs said Monday. Restoring natural forest ecosystems, securing the land rights of local communities and revamping the global food system could cut greenhouse emissions 40 percent by mid-century and help humanity avoid climate catastrophe, they argued in a 50-page report based on recent science.

The world s first children s television series about sexual harassment will be screened next year, its Italian makers told AFP Saturday. “Jams” will tell the story of an 11-year-old girl called Joy who is harassed by a powerful family friend, a lawyer who plays football with her father. The show, aimed at nine to 14-year-olds, is the first ever to be fully dedicated to tackling the delicate subject, say its producers, the Italian state broadcaster Rai.

Tunisian heartthrob Dhafer L Abidine will be starring next to Spanish legend Antonio Banderas in a new international movie titled “Offroad”. The new international movie will be shot in Dubai, where international stars will be cooperating with Arab stars, reported MBC Tending television show on MBC channel.

Millions of Egyptians among people from all over the world visited Thailand throughout the past years. They recounted stories of the country s mesmerising sceneries, charm, and serenity, memories they will return to Egypt with. However, was Asmaa Gamal s main focus was roaming the whole country to discover all its hidden cultural gems which are rarely revealed to the world, which she featured in her latest photobook, A Journey through Thailand: Land of Unforgettable Experience. Photo Handout to DNE A Journey through Thailand: Land of Unforgettable Experience photobook s publishing was celebrated by the Royal Thai Embassy last week. Captured by the young Egyptian photographer, Asmaa Gamal, the book sheds light on every rich cultural ritual Thailand is known to have, apart from the well-known touristic destinations Thailand is famous for.

The Alexandria branch of the Spanish cultural center, the Instituto Cervantes, will host Spanish writer Julia Navarro on Tuesday evening, to introduce her novel You Will Not Kill (Tú no matarás), the events of which take place in the Mediterranean city. Navarro, 65, a journalist, authored many books on politics and current affairs before entering the literary world in 2004 with her first novel The Brotherhood of the Holy Shroud.