Mahfouz recuperates

NOBEL laureate Naguib Mahfouz, 91, was hospitalised last week after succumbing to a bout of influenza. He has since been released from the Intensive Care Unit and is currently recuperating at the Police Hospital next door to his home in Agouza.

Honouring writers

PRESIDENT Hosni Mubarak is expected to honour a number of Arab writers and intellectuals today during the opening ceremony of the 35th Cairo International Book Fair. According to Al-Ahram the honorees include: Palestinian Faisal Draj for his book The Theory of the Novel, the Lebanese Suhayl Idris, editor of Al-Adab magazine, Syrian Mamdouh Udwan for his poetry collection Postponed Childhoods, Sudanese Al- Tayeb Saleh for his autobiography, Mohamed Gaber Al-Ansari for his book on Arab renaissance, Soliman Al-Askari, Al- Mongi Bouseneina, George Tarabishi and Ali Oumleil. Among the Egyptians honoured will be Radwa Ashour for her Granada Trilogy, Abdel-Rahman El-Abnoudi for Al-Sira Al-Hilaliya, Ahmed Hamroush for Nasig Al-Qamar, Mohamed Ouda for How Royalty Fell and Khairi Shalabi for his latest novel Saharig Al-Lu'lu'. Sociologist Ali Fahmi will be honoured for his book on informal neighbourhoods and social change in Egypt.

Yvette Farazli dies

YVETTE Farazli, owner and director of Le Livre de France bookshop, died on Saturday. Open since 1947, the bookshop on Qasr Al-Nil Street was the last bookshop in Cairo specialising in French texts. It also published a select number of books in English and French.

For Cairene book lovers Farazli was a cornerstone and Livre de France an essential stop. She will be dearly missed.

Hilal closed

THE JORDANIAN weekly magazine Al- Hilal has been shut down for an initial period of 15 days. Jordanian authorities claim an article in the magazine, "The mythology of sex in Islam" defames Islam. Three journalists have been arrested.

Documents discovered

PUBLISHING house Al-Mahrousa announced it has discovered historic documents relating to the early history of the Communist Party, the reign of King Fouad and attempts by the deposed Khedive Abbas Helmi to regain power. The documents, many of which are secret police reports, were found in the offices of old rag merchants and collectors of newspapers in Cairo. Al-Mahrousa's director, Farid Zahran, told AP the publishing house has offered the documents to the Library of Alexandria.

Dance school

THE MODERN Dance School, affiliated to the Creativity Centre of the Cultural Fund, will begin classes in February. The school's president, director Walid Aouni, told reporters that the three-year programme will include 16 practical and theoretical courses. Among the professors lined up for the new school are Tarek Sharara, Nehad Selaiha, Nevine Allouba, Mahmoud Reda, Magdi Saber, Caroleen Khalil and Fathi Salama.

Faten is back

FATEN Hamama is reportedly preparing for a new television series, Ahlam Al- Khashshab, in which she will play the role of Hind El-Khashshab, an Alexandrine lawyer who dreams of becoming Egypt's first woman judge. The series' author and director, Ahmed El-Nahhas, is planning to start shooting in March so that the episodes will be ready for broadcast next Ramadan. The production budget is reportedly LE8 million.

Khul' in court

AFTER the Supreme Constitutional Court validated the Khul' law, another lawsuit has been filed, this time in administrative courts. A lawyer has filed a suit calling for a ban on the film Muhami Khul' (Khul' Lawyer), directed by Mohamed Yassin, written by Wahid Hamed and starring Hani Ramzi, on the grounds that it misrepresents Egyptian social values, attacks the sanctity of the judiciary, misrepresents lawyers and the judiciary, and scorns marital relations. The suit is filed against the minister of culture, the censor, the Chamber of Film Industries, the producers and the director.

Golden Nur

ACTOR Nur El-Sherif will be the new anchor of Abu Dhabi TV's hit game show Waznak Dhahab (Your weight in gold). Earlier rumours had Hussein Fahmi as the next presenter after Ayman Zeidan, whose contract has come to an end. This will be El- Sherif's second stint on TV show. He presented a programme on the history of Egyptian cinema on DreamTV.

Diva in Paris

THE PLAY Umm Kulthoum has enjoyed remarkable success in Paris after a tour of 15 French cities. Directed by the Tunisian Lutfi Ashour it offers glimpses into the late singer's life and Egypt's social and political history throughout. The play, performed in French and Arabic, is based on the novel Umm Kulthoum by the Lebanese writer Selim Basib. The Paris run will continue until 2 February.

By Amina Elbendary