Photos of Miss Arab World 2007

Unfortunately, we didn't cover the news about the second Miss Arab World 2007 contest on time, however for those of you that missed the event like us, here is some information and some photos of the contestants.

The winner of Miss Arab World 2007 is Miss Bahrain Wafaa Ganahi, she is a 23 year old teacher from the Law Faculty of Bahrain University, the first runner-up is Miss Egypt Shaimaa Mansour and the second runner-up is Miss Lebanon Rula Bahij.

The event this year took place in Cairo with more than 10,000 participants who registered through the internet from 16 Arab countries and it is the first time for a girl from Bahrain to participate.

Here are some photos of the contestants

Related Links:
- First Miss Arab World Contest !

Happy Ramadan 2007

We at Waleg would like to wish all the Muslim world a wonderful Ramadan.
Remember, Ramadan is a month of fasting, remembering the poor, connecting to God & cleansing the body & soul!
May this holy month bring us peace ... God knows we need lots of it!

Ramadan Mubarak to all.

Belly Dancing Festival

With the same atmosphere of the opening show the Belly Dancing Festival of this year has come to an end. The annual Belly Dancing Festival basically includes a large amount of belly dancers arriving from all over the world to compete in front of a judging panel that includes: Mona Al Saeed, Katya and Randa Kamal. This festival which is organized by Raqya Hassan takes place in Mina House close to the area of the Egyptian Pyramids and faced less hassle this year than any other year. Usually the Festival faces ridiculing and criticism from journalists and even members of parliament but the only disturbances this year came from Fifi Abdou.

Is Petra One of The New Seven Wonders of The World?

Tonight, in about an hour or so, the final results of The New Seven Wonders of The World will be announced.
I am reporting from the Jordanian rose city Petra, one of the strong candidates ... Will it become one of The New Seven Wonders of The World? There are hundreds of people gathered here in Petra for a huge celebration in anticipation of the result, which will be announced shortly.
Jordanians are on their toes waiting for the live broadcast from Lisbon ... So am I!
- Update: The celebration, which is sponsored by ORANGE, is staged just in front of the Treasury, which is the famous monument that faces the end of the Siq. The Siq is one of the most famous part of Petra, one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.

Hussien Al Jasmi in a Concert for Charity

Another concert for charity took place last week, this time it was in Kuwait for Lebanese children that have cancer.
Hussien Al Jasmi was one of the singers that participated in this concert, he sang for almost 2 hours and people enjoyed listening to his songs like ‘Wahachtini’ or ‘I miss you’.
At the end of the concert, Al Jasmi said that he will be happy to participate in another event for charity in the future and that he encourage others to do the same.

Photos From Miss Universe 2007 Pageant

These are some photos from the Miss Universe 2007 Pageant:

Click here to see the photos

Related Links:
- Miss Universe 2007 is Miss Japan
- Miss USA Falls At Miss Universe 2007

Madeline Matar at the AUB Graduation Ceremony

Last Saturday was the annual AUB Graduation Ceremony and on that occasion, they held a special party where Lebanese singer Madeline Matar was invited to perform there. Madeline saluted the students and congratulated them:

'Art is a beautiful thing in life, however its beauty can't be complete if the artist is separated from society and far from suffering ... Childhood is our weakest point and its our duty to do whatever we can to support organizations which are doing their best to take care of children and give them hope in life...'

The money raised from the Ceremony will go to charity.

Photos of Madeline Matar at the party

Miss Universe 2007 is Miss Japan

Yesterday, the world's biggest beauty pageant, Miss Universe 2007, was held in Mexico City.
Beauty queens from all over the world competed against each other to win the prestigious title, in a pageant hosted by Vanessa Minnillo & Mario Lopez.
Last week, 15 girls from 77 girls were chosen as the finalists last week, in a swim-wear and evening gown contest. They were chosen on basis of intelligence, manners and culture.
The pageant, which was viewed by about 600 million people in more than 180 countries around the world, was won by Miss Japan, Miss Riyo Mori.

Endangered Species Day

Today is Endangered Species Day ... & we are all aware that there are hundreds of species on the waiting list of being extinct!
We, no matter where we are, have to do something about raising awareness of the threats to our planet’s most fragile species and promoting efforts to help them survive.
For example, beautiful sea animals like the the Beluga whale, the Hawaiian monk seal, the humpback whale, the sawfish, the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, sea otters and the Steller sea lion are just a small number of the ocean species that are considered endangered.

Miss Egypt 2007 Goes to Court!

Miss Egypt 2007 Ehsan Hatem was getting prepared to represent Egypt in the Miss Universe Pageant in Mexico, when things started getting ugly & problems started popping up!
It seems there was some tampering with the results of the Miss Egypt Pageant; it spears that Miss Egypt 2007 contestant Yara Naoum should have been the one to be crowned queen!

Jerash Festival Celebrates 25 Years

This year, the famous Jerash Festival in Jordan will be celebrating 25 years of festivities.
Last year, the festival was cancelled due to the attacks on Lebanon ... so this year, the organizers of the festival are going to make up for last year & will include many shows & concerts & events that weren't in the usual schedule.
Jerash Festival will begin on the 25th of July & will go on until the 17th of August.
The first day will be a special 'Jordanian' day, where Jordanian singers, like Zain Awad, Caroline Madi & Samah Bassam will light up the ancient amphitheaters of Jerash.

Miss Egypt 2007: Ehsan Hatem

Yesterday in a glamorous night... Miss Egypt 2007 was crowned.
Ehsan Hatem, who was one of the most beautiful faces at the pageant, isn't only beautiful but cultured as well.
The prime was held at the Nile theater at the media production city and it was broadcast LIVE on Melody Hits. Presenters were Tamer Hagras and Meriam Amin, they were an amazing couple.
The guests were Egyptian singer Mohammad Hamaki and Lebanese singer Yara.
Tension was extremely high during the announcement of the runner-ups and the beauty queen ... But most people has anticipated that it would be between Yara Naom and Ehsan Hatem ...

The results were as follows:

Miss Egypt 2007

Miss Egypt 2007 will be crowned soon on the 23rd of April with about 20 girls competing for the title this year. This year, the audience will also have a say in who wins the title; there will be audience voting in addition to the judges choice.

The road to the title will be broadcast in two parts, the pre-final night on the 17th of April and the crowning night which will be aired LIVE on Melody Hits on the 23rd.

Stars Attempt to Save Us!

We all know of Al Gores attempts to educate the masses about the way we are getting ourselves into a huge environmental rut especially after the Academy Award Winning Documentary ‘An Inconvenient Truth’. It seems the idea of celebrities trying to save the planet has become a huge fad and so Save Our Selves environmental group has put together a series of concerts which will last 24 hours all over the world in an attempt to launch The Campaign for a Climate in Crisis.

The 3rd 'Jazz in Carthage' in April

On the 12th of April, the 3rd 'Jazz in Carthage' festival will start in the beautiful city of Carthage in Tunisia.
This festival has always been a smash hit & this year it will focus on contemporary Jazz.
The famous Tunisian musician Anwar Braham, will be the first to start the festival with a live performance including extracts from his award-winning album "Sahar's Journey".
The festival will take place on the ancient amphitheater in Carthage as well as at the Acropolium, the Ennejma Ezzahra in Sisi Bou Said, the Renaissance Jazz Club, the Mad Art Gallery & the Galerie Saadi.

Miss Tennessee is Miss USA 2007

Friday night at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, beautiful contestants from 50 states & the District of Columbia were competing for Miss USA Tara Conner's tiara!
But the one to be crowned was Miss Tennessee Rachel Smith who has become Miss USA 2007.
Smith has become the second Tennessean in seven years to win the Miss USA title.
Smith will represent the USA later this year at the Miss Universe Pageant which will be held in Mexico City.

Happy Mother's Day 2007

We would like to wish all those sweet mothers around the world a Happy Mother's Day.
We hope you'll all have a wonderful day & many more wonderful days to come!

Ahmad Hussein in Hala Febraier

Kuwaiti Star Academy 3 student Ahmad Hussein participated tonight in the festivities of the annual festival Hala Febraier.
Hussein was part of a concert in Kuwait & he sang songs from his new album.

Here are a few photos of Ahmad Hussein in the concert

An unexpected Duetto from Mohammad Abdo & Asala

Mohammad Abdo lit the Kuwaiti night last Saturday during the Hala February festival. Abdo wasn't alone that night, but Asala was there with him to help give the night a sparkling touch!

Asala started the night with her part of the concert at around 10.45 with her famous and beautiful song 'Aktar'. Asala finished at around 12.50 & said her good-byes & left the stage ... That's when the great Mohammad Abdo started his half of the night ... To audiences who have come from all over the Gulf countries, he started with the song 'Barki ya Kuwait'.

Photos from Mohammad Abdo & Asala Concert

Omar Emad Will Replace Ibrahim Abdeljawad in Mr. World 2007

In the upcoming week, Mr. World 2007 competition will be held in Sanya, China.
Mr. Egypt 2006, Ibrahim Abdeljawad, won't be able to participate in the competition due to personal issues.
As a replacement, the 5th runner up to Mr. Egypt 2006, Omar Emad will be participating.
Omar is 25 years old & is a graduate of UCLA. He also works as a part-time model.
These are some photos of Mr. Egypt Ibrahim & 5th runner-up Omar.

Thanks to Shaza for the photos and the news tip

Hala Febrayer Festival

The annual “Hala Febrayer” Festival held in Kuwait has come again and this year looks to be like one of the best years ever. Between February 28th and March 15th, the Arab world’s brightest (and mostly Rotana affiliated) stars will illuminate the Kuwaiti stage. The event will be aired exclusively on Rotana and the performance schedule goes as follows:

A Party Defining Stardom

A group of stars from cinema to football were gathered together recently in an award distribution party organized by an Egyptian magazine in the Four Seasons Hotel in Egypt.The awards were nominated by a poll that was published by the magazine and the readers were the judges.

The attendees were Syrian Actor Jamal Soleiman, the musician Omar Khayrat, Noor El Sherif, Elham Shaheen, Ahmed El Sakka, Mona Zaky, Sherif Monir and many more!

Photos from the event

Say Thank You on Valentines Day

Today is Valentines Day... in such a day, it's important to remember everyone who has made a positive impact on your life ... not only people like your partner but also your friends, your family members & everyone who has made your life easier, happier & full of satisfcation.

So don't forget to show these people appreciaition & a tiny thank you will be a sweet surprise.

Happy Valentines Day to all of you :)

Shakira to Sing in Dubai

As part of her world tour, Shakira is going to hold one of her biggest concerts in Dubai next March.
The concert is going to be held at Dubai Autodrome & will host around 25.000 spectators.
Tickets will be available next month, which will give a great opportunity for her fans in The Middle East to watch her live & enjoy her music & dancing. The concert will be on the 23rd of March.

Happy New Hijri Year 1428

Today marks the immigration of the prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and his followers to the city of Medina in 622, and marks the start of the Hijri year of the Islamic calendar.

We at WALEG.com wish everybody a successful and happy new Hijri year 1428 :)

Born To Rock: The Life & Times of the Electric Guitar

Europe's biggest Guitar exhibition will open at Harrods in London. The Exhibition is entitled "Born To Rock: The Life & Times of the Electric Guitar" & will last from the 2nd of February to the 3rd of March 2007.
Hailed as the biggest guitar exhibition in Europe (featuring over 150 Guitars), the vast collection will include "The Frying Pan" - the world's first electric guitar (circa 1931).

Rana Shebley: Miss Palestine 2007

No matter the bombs. No matter the massacres. No matter the arrest of thousands of Palestinian youth. Palestine challenged all the circumstances and held its own beauty pageant that was the last Sunday in Haifa.

At the end of the beautiful ceremony, Rana Shebley, who is 21 years and comes from Arab El Shebley village, was crowned as Miss Palestine 2007. Anat Njidat was the first runner up and Rashan Drawsha was the second runner up. The surprise was giving the title of Miss Lady to Kawthar Salha due to the small difference in the final results between her and the second runner up.

Nancy and El Jasmy in Bahrain

Nancy Ajram and Hussein El Jasmy had a very successful concert in Bahrain in the Feast. Even it was so cold and the weather forced a lot of Bahrainis to stay at home, watch TV and drink a cup of hot chocolate, but this didn’t stop them from going to the big hotel when the concert was held and enjoy the party.

Mr. World 2007 Pageant Competition

There will be two men representing the Arab World during the Mr. World 2007 pageant competition that will be taking place sometime in February/ March in Sanya, China. The regular occurrence of a Mr Lebanon will continue in the competition as well as a more sporadic entry for a Mr Egypt.

The two contestants representing the Arab world are Anthony Hakim who is Mr Lebanon 2006 and the more recently selected Mr Egypt 2006 Ibrahim Abd ElGawad. Official pictures of both contestants have been released on the Mr. World 2007 website with further information and images still to be displayed during the build up of the event. There will also be online voting for those who wish to participate in voting for their preferred contestant or contestants.

Happy New Year 2007

Happy New Year to Everyone :)
May the new year 2007 be full of peace all over the world.

Always remember to say I love you at least once a day to your spouse, your child, your parent, your siblings and your friend :)!

Eid Adha Mubarak 2006

We at WALEG would love to wish all Muslims of the world a wonderful Eid Adha.
It comes at a time when peace & tranquility are much needed ... May it bring joy, happiness & most importantly peace to the whole world.
May it also be a good start to the new year 2007 ... May it be a year full of success, health & great achievements for mankind.

We wish you an Adha Mubarak

Merry Christmas 2006

We wish you Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays :)

Nancy and Lionel Richie Sing Together

Lionel Richie is in Cairo to launch a new real estate project in the Sinai desert. Richie is one of the most famous and richest American singers wining countless awards and known all around the world for his "Hello" back in the 80's.

He held a concert for the launch of this project presented by Samir Sabri where Nancy Ajram also sang some of her most loved songs as well.

Cat Stevens, now Yusuf Islam and Lionel Richie praised Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus' efforts to relieve poverty before a star-studded concert at the Nobel Peace show in Norway recently.

German James Bond Wins European Film Award!

"Das Leben der Anderen" or "The Lives of Others" won the prestigious European Film Award which is a political and spy movie about the East-German police made by German film-maker Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck.

But Hollywood had an ambassador too, the beautiful Penelope Cruz, who had the lead role in the Spanish movie "Volver" or “Return”, won in the best actress category.
Penélope Cruz's reunion with the Spanish director Pedro Almodovar has been praised as a wonderful return to form. There is now much talk and hints even towards a well-deserved Oscar nomination for her.

World AIDS Day 2006

December 1st is known around the world as World AIDS day, a time where people around the world wear a red ribbon to show their support to eradicating the vicious disease that has killed so many around the world.
We all know about how terrible AIDS is, but recent studies have shown eye-popping numbers that will give you a new perspective on the deadly disease.

Did you know that two young people become infected with HIV every "hour" in the U.S and that AIDS kills one child every minute!!!

Cairo Film Festival Opens

With stars from all over the world, the Cairo Film Festival opened yesterday in a glamorous Hollywood-style ceremony. Red carpets, world-class stars, cameras flashing and dozens of press from all over the world.
The organizing company had promised to deliver something special this year and even though it’s quite early to judge, but it seems they’ve done a great job.

There were many Arab and international stars on the stage such as Danny Glover who wore a traditional African dress and opened his speech with “Alsalamu Alaikum”. Omar El Sherif who was the chairman of the festival.
Omar El Sherif said this year would be very special and distinctive from the previous years.
Also at the event were, English star Jacqueline Bisset and Argentinian star Maria Pitarresi, in addition to Yussra and Mahmood Abdel Azizi.

Click here to see some photos

Elissa at the World Music Awards 2006

Lebanese singer Elissa is recognized again as the best-selling artist in Lebanon this year at the World Music Awards 2006 which is the only international Music Award ceremony that features the world's best selling artists. Recoding artists have to sell millions of records in order to win a world music award.

Some of the World Music Awards 2006 performers will be:

- Michael jackson (USA)
- Beyonce (USA)
- Chris Brown (USA)

Alexandra Rosenfeld : Miss Europe 2006

Last Friday night was a fantastic night in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, where the prestigious Miss Europe 2006 pageant took place.
Beautiful contestants from 33 countries participated in the competition but only one lucky girl gets the diamond crown.
The winner, 19-year-old Alexandra Rosenfeld from France beat runner-up Alena Avramenko of Ukraine for the title.
The title of Miss Europe comes with a EUR 100,000 purse & a diamond-studded crown made by Chopard estimated at EUR 350,000. Wow!
Rosenfeld was chosen by an international jury headed by Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli.

Miss Europe 2006 Photos

Egypt Film Festival

Egypt is preparing for the Annual International Film Festival in Cairo on the 28th of November. The festival, which is now the talk of the town, has decided to change the grand award from the shape of a golden pyramid to the key of life which was one of the most significant symbols of the Pharos.

Latin America will be the guest of honor in the conference on global piracy which the festival wishes to address.
The festival will also include a slide show about recent works which have won the prestigious award in the past such as the Egyptian film "Tufaha" or "Apple" which was the only Egyptian movie ever to win the grand award.

Happy Halloween

We all know what halloween is but how many of us know were it really comes from. Sure there are loads of movies out there that will try to give some sort of explanation but most are historically incorrect.
Halloween seems like a very 'American thing' with capitalism exploiting it as a time for buying and spending, also common in Canada & the UK and gaining increasing popularity in Australia and New Zealand.

However, Halloween originated among the Celts in Ireland, Britain and France as the Pagan Celtic harvest festival known as Samhain. Irish, Scots, Calan and other immigrants brought versions of the traditions to North America in the 19th century.

Happy Eid 2006

As Ramadan draws to a close, Arab and Islamic countries all over the world are declaring the end of the holy month as most of them will celebrate the feast or “EID” tomorrow, Monday 23rd and Tuesday 24th.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Eid, think of it as Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year and Easter all rolled into one!

I hope most people were able to make full use of Ramadan and remember God during the happy as well as the difficult times.
We should all appreciate what we have and the people we’re with, the loved ones we can spend time with, the less fortunate ones we can help, the enemies we can forgive and the friends we can cherish.

Some of us might not be so lucky to spend the next Eid with the ones we love. Make use of every moment.

Happy Eid :)

WALEG Team

Latifa Sings for Charity to Jordan River Foundation

Tunisian singer Latifa had recently held a concert for the benefit of Jordan River Foundation. The event started with the arrival of Jordan’s Queen Rania Al-Abdullah then the Director of the Jordan River Foundation talked about the achievements of the institution and then presented Latifa to the audience.

Latifa first song was Matrohash bead (Don't go away) then she continued singing some of her top hit songs.

Here are some photos of Latifa with the audience during this concert.

Source: [Latifa Online]

Miss World 2006: Tatana Kucharova

Yes, it’s that time of year again when the eyes of the world are fixed on the TVs to see who will be the most beautiful woman in the world… oh yeah yeah…beauty is in the eye of the beholder blah, blah, blah…but check out this gorgeous lady who won! An international judging panel and global public vote picked six continental Miss Worlds and of course, only one would win.

Czech Republic came through to win the coveted crown as Miss World 2006, in a glittering and star-studded ceremony at the Sala Kongresowa, Warsaw, Poland.

Tatana Kucharova, an 18-year-old student from the Czech Republic was crowned Miss World out of 104 beautiful and talented contestants, with Romania named first runner-up, followed by Australia as second runner-up.

German Opera Cancelled

German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned against bowing to fears of Islamic violence after a Berlin opera house canceled performances of a Mozart work because of concerns some scenes could enrage Muslims.
Merkel's comments, which echoed those of other senior German politicians, fueled a row over the cancellation of Mozart's "Idomeneo" which is overshadowing a government-sponsored conference on Wednesday to promote dialogue with the country's 3.2 million Muslims.

Ramadan 2006 Mubarak

More than 1.5 billion Muslims around the world will celebrate the holy month of Ramadan which starts tomorrow in countries like Saudi Arabia, Libya, Lebanon and Iraq and the day after in countries like Jordan, Tunisia and Egypt whose religious authorities weren’t able to see the crescent moon because it wasn’t visible.

Fasting during the month of Ramadan is an obligation on every adult and healthy Muslim, and it’s one of the 5 pillars of Islam including Announcement of Faith, Salaat (praying 5 times a day), Zakaat (the right of the poor on the wealth of the financially able) and Hajj (once a life time pilgrimage to Kaaba).

At the completion of the month of Ramadan, Muslims all over the world celebrate their holiday of Eid Al-Fitr.

On this occasion, we at WALEG.com wish you all a blessed and happy Ramadan 2006 :)

Related Links:
- Happy Ramadan 2007

Happy Birthday MBC

Remember the early days of Arab Sat? A bunch of pathetic TV stations broadcasting form Government-owed public channels from all over the Arab world. What a mess. Slowly and gradually, some “cool” private channels popped up here and there. The best of which must be the MBC group. What would we do without channel 2? What would we watch if it wasn’t for MBC 4? Some of the best TV shows and movies shown 24hours a day which rival even the Orbit or Showtime bunch.

Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre

The 18th session of Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre was officially launched a few days ago by Egyptian Minister of Culture at the Dar El Opera building in which the opening ceremony started with a new Lebanese play. Several Arab countries are participating in this festival; among these countries are Tunisia, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Oman and Sudan. In addition to these countries, a number of European countries are also participating like France and Greece.

Sami Yusuf in the Alexandria Sporting Club

After successful concerts in the United States, the leading Nasheed singer Sami Yusuf will be holding a big concert in Alexandria, Egypt in the Alexandria Sporting Club today. He will be singing more than 20 songs among them songs that aren’t released in an album yet. The group that will be participating with Sami consists of 38 musicians who play different instruments and sing.

This is the biggest concert that Sami Yusuf will hold in Egypt and it’s a part of his world tour 2006.

First Miss Arab World Contest !

While Lebanon was under heavy bombing last month, the FIRST Miss Arab World Contest took place at the Intercontinental Hotel in Sharm el Sheikh from July 26th to July 29th!

Participation in the first Miss Arab World was surprising with 13 girls from 9 Arab countries; some of these countries are Iraq, Jordan and Palestine!

The event took place as part of the Arab Tourism Festival which started on the 20th of July and ended yesterday. Many Arab and western singers have joined the festival as guests.

Girl's ages range from 18 to 24. The winner which has the title of Miss Arab World 2006 is Nadia Bin Fadla from Tunisia, while the first runner up is Claudia Hanna from Iraq and the second runner up is Dina Adel from Egypt.

What's worth mentioning is that Miss Iraq and first runner up Claudia Hanna can't go back to Iraq after because she has gotten threatened to be killed if she comes back to Iraq that's why she will stay in England and work as a model in the Fashion industry to make her living.

Photos of the contestants

Gates Couple Pledges to Fight AIDS

Multibillionaire Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates donated 500 million dollars to Global Fund to help finance efforts to eradicate AIDS and HIV. The two attended the International AIDS Conference, which started on Sunday in Toronto, Canada. While recognizing the recent developments in AIDS prevention, Bill gates noted that there are still so many things to be done. There has to be a “dramatic breakthrough” in AIDS prevention he said. He particularly expressed support to the advancement of microbicides.

International AIDS Conference

From August 13-18, the 16th International AIDS Conference will be held in Toronto Canada. Expected to attend the conference organized by the International AIDS Society are more than 20,000 delegates from all over the world, making this year’s conference the biggest AIDS conference so far. Participants of the said conference are scientists, care givers, AIDS advocates, political leaders, and persons with AIDS and HIV.

Zuleyka Rivera Mendoza is Miss Universe 2006

Last night's Miss Universe pageant was great! The five finalists all deserved to be at that level.
Miss Switzerland, Miss Paraguay, Miss Japan, Miss USA & Miss Puerto Rico all had their fingers crossed, but only one gets to be Miss Universe & two get to be runner-ups!
Miss Japan came in as first runner-up, while Miss Switzerland came in as second runner-up.
But the one to be the most beautiful in the whole universe was Zuleyka Rivera Mendoza, Miss Puerto Rico!
But poor Zuleyka, she passed out after being crowned during a post-pageant news conference and was rushed off stage!
Pageant officials said she had passed out blaming the heat and her dress; "She got dizzy. Its very hot up here. Her dress is tight as you could see it was beaded and heavy."

Photos of Miss Universe 2006

Peace Reigns in Ms. Universe Pageant

Tonight is the big night for the 86 lovely candidates aiming for the prestigious 2006 Miss Universe title. All girls are determined to bring out their best in the competition. Of course, everyone is hoping to take home the crown not only for their own pride and their family’s but more importantly for the pride of their country. Despite the competition, however, all girls in the pageant enjoy each moment they spend with each other and nurture strong ties of friendship despite cultural, religious and political differences. Candidates from Lebanon and Israel surprise us most with their unusual friendship despite the raging war between their home countries.

Carthage Festival on the Rocks

The most famous summer festival in Tunisia, Carthage Festival, is on the rocks!
At this time of sad events in the Arab world, many of its concerts have been canceled.
The concerts that have been canceled are ones of singers who had participated before the Israeli attack began on Lebanon.
Lebanese stars Melhem Barakat, Fadel Shaker, Dina Hayek, Maya Nasri, Amal Hijazi & Umaima Khaleel are all considering canceling their concerts, especially that they will get very harsh criticism if they go ahead with their scheduled concerts while the Lebanese people are being murdered by Israeli bombs & missiles!
It is worth mentioning that the opening night of Carthage Festival wasn't very successful because of the very low attendance.

Jerash Festival is Canceled This Year

Because of the continuous Israeli attack on Lebanon, the management of Jerash Festival decided to cancel its events this year for the 2nd time since 1982 in support of the Lebanese people.
This move comes to reassure the depth of the Jordanian and Lebanese relationship and also to give more proof that the Festival is connected to the rest of the Arab World.

Jerash Festival was going to celebrate its 25th anniversary this year.

It’s worth mentioning the Jordanian people are expressing their support everyday with continuous demonstrations against the cruel Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

2006 Miss Universe Pageant

Four more days to go and we will finally know who will be crowned as the 2006 Miss Universe. The most prestigious beauty pageant will be held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles California on the 23rd of July. A total of 86 beautiful and intelligent women from all over the world will be competing for the Miss Universe crown, which will be passed on by the 23-year-old reigning Miss Universe Natalie Glebova of Canada.

First Arab Disque D’or 2005/ 2006

Last Friday, the Egyptian magazine Akhbar El Nogoom “Stars’ News” held a reception at the Cairo Opera House. This was in Honour of the winners of the first Disque D’or for the year 2005/ 2006. The winners were the charming singer Nancy Ajram who amazed the audience with her ravishing look and songs, and pop singers Wael Gassar and Mohamed Hamaki. The reception was held at the Cairo Opera house garden where the singers sang and received their gold discs in the open air on the Opera house outdoors Fountain stage.

Hot Wheels Festival to Celebrate America’s Auto History

Americans love cars. In fact, the Transportation Department says there are more automobiles than Americans to drive them in the average U.S. household! America’s rich auto history substantiates this fact. And for a people who probably valued cars more than any other possession, nothing could be more exciting than celebrating America’s love for cars and America’s automobile industry’s colorful history through a festival.

Revitalizing Jazz Music through a Festival

Here’s a treat for jazz and music lovers: the 13th International Istanbul Jazz Festival. This festival is a cultural celebration held in the month of July in Istanbul, Turkey. It is organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts and is sponsored by Garanti Bank. This Jazz festival started last July 5 but you can still go and join the celebration till the 16th, its last day. Apart from Jazz music, the festival is also going to showcase performers of different styles of music like pop, rock and Latin.

Happy Birthday Dalai Lama

The current & 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, celebrates his 71st birthday today.
The fifth of sixteen children of a farming family, Tenzin was born on July 6th 1935.
Not only is he the most influential spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama traditionally claims to be Tibet's Head of State and most important political ruler.
A charismatic figure and noted public speaker, Tenzin Gyatso is the first Dalai Lama to travel to the West, where he has helped to spread Buddhism, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
Some of his famous quotes are: ...

Amman Global Village 2006

July & August are very active months in Amman - Jordan, thanks to the yearly event Global Village.
Global Village this year has a full schedule of concerts & plays to offer.
Famous singers from around the Arab world will be holding concerts during the 30 day summer carnival.
Egyptian singer Hani Shaker & Syrian singer Sabah Fakhri will both hold concerts on 13/7 & 28/7.
Other singers include Soud Abu Sultan, Iwan, Jad Choueri & famous Jordanian singer Omar Al Abdallat.
As for the theatrical plays, there will be an Egyptian participation with the play "Duktorah Bil Batates" - PHD in Potatoes - staring famous Egyptian actor Ahmad Rateb.

America’s Independence Day Costs $2.8 billion!

Reports show that Americans are spending 2.8 billion dollars on fireworks, hotdogs, soft drinks, beer, chips, burgers, gasoline and fuel for grill—all in the name of celebrating the nation’s most significant day, the Independence Day. Occasions such as the Independence Day are used by majority of Americans to go out for a picnic, a cookout, barbecue party or an informal reunion with family and friends. Some go to popular tourist destinations such as beaches or travel to a nearby town or city for some adventurous summer activities like fishing and mountain climbing.

World Refugee Day

Did you know that there are around 17 million refugees around the world?
UNHCR, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, leads & co-ordinates international action for the world-wide protection of refugees and the resolution of refugee problems.
Their main goals are to protect refugees and to seek ways to help them restart their lives.
The United Nations General Assembly established 20 June as World Refugee Day in 2001, & since then the world has been celebrating this day, a day to remember the world's refugees & their strong spirit & courage.

And on this occasion watch this very tounching video of UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie.

Nancy Ajram at the Egyptian Opera House

On the occasion of the creation of the united artists group, Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram will be holding a concert at the Egyptian Opera House at the end of this month along with a number of famous singers from Egypt and several Arabic Countries.

During this concert, famous Egyptian actor Adel Imam will be running again some famous plays that the group performed during the last 40 years like ‘Madraset Elmoushaghebeen’ with the participation of the actors who are still alive.

* Our next 100 photos gallery will be of Nancy Ajarm.

4 Concerts in Kuwait

Najwa Karam, the famous Lebanese singer who was famous in singing one of the best and famous known songs in the Arab world is going with her beautiful and majestic voice to Kuwait. Najwa Karam usually starts all her concerts in Kuwait with a song called "li Kuwait il 3arabi" is going to have a concert in a fascinating and a beautiful hotel called Kempinski.

The concert is going to be on July 17th, with a couple of singers like: Mohamad Abdu, Saber Rubai, Nancy Ajram, Nawal Al Zoughbi, Nawal Al Kuwaitiah, Amal Hijazi, Abdullah Ruwaished, Nabil Shuail, and Ahlam.

Haifa Wehbe & 50 Cent in Beirut

Saturday night was an explosive & sexy night in Beirut.
Haifa Wehbe danced the night away with famous American rapper 50 Cent & his G Unit at his Beirut concert Saturday night, his first ever in the Arab world.
Haifa danced along side 50 Cent to the famous tunes of Candy Shop & drove the audience crazy with her moves!
Were you at the concert? Tell us your story!

Haifa Wehbe & 50 Cent Photos at Beirut Concert

Thanks to Leila for telling us about these pictures.

Ricky's Concert in Cairo

The Ricky Martin concert was one of the most amazing nights of Cairo.
His concert was held on the 29th of May at the media production city, where it started at 10:15 and lasted for two amazing hours.
Ricky sang most of his new album songs like "I don't care" and "till I get to you", and he couldn't leave without singing his top hit songs like "livin' la vida loca" and many more...

Mariah Carey in Tunisia

After the successful concerts of the big stars Michael Jackson & Sting few years ago… The event now is that American music diva Mariah Carey will be coming to Tunisia this summer to perform two concerts.
The Menzah stadium in Tunis will hold the concerts on July 22nd and 24th.

Many people are waiting for these concerts to enjoy the wonderful songs of Mariah & her sublime songs.

By guest writer Safa

Happy Independence Day Jordan!

Today marks the 60th Independence day in Jordan.
What makes this day special, isn't only this particular moment in history when Jordan gained sovereignty back from English Mandatory power in 1946, but it is also a day to remember the Great Arab Revolt 90 years ago, which was a revolt lead by the grandfather of the Hashimites & the King of Hijaz, Sharif Hussein Ben Ali, against the Ottoman Empire, a great day for all the Arab world.
What's more, is that this same day marks the Arabization of the Jordanian Army by the late King Hussein Ben Talal in 1956.

Ricky Martin in Cairo on May 29th

International Latin Pop music superstar Ricky Martin will be performing for the first time in Egypt on May 29th. He is going to hold a one night only concert in Cairo's Media Production City, the biggest ever built information and media complex in Egypt.
Ticket prices are: 250 EGP and go up to 2000 EGP

Thanks to Randa for informing us about this.

Festival De Cannes Starts Today

Today marks the beginning of the famous Festival De Cannes, the annual film festival which has been taking place in the famous French city Cannes since 1946.
The 1st movie to premiere today is the much awaited Da Vinci Code.
One of the other movies making a boom in the festival & also premiering, is X-Men The Final Stand. But both these movies are not nominated for an award.
The festival, which oversees the competition of 20 movies for the Palme D'Or, will go on until the 28th of May, when the award ceremony will be held.

Jennifer Lopez Concert in Dubai is Postponed

Last March, we published an article about Jennifer Lopez concert in Dubai… Unfortunately, many people had to return their tickets 10 days ago because the concert was postponed and it wasn’t held on the 27th of April as scheduled.

Jennifer Lopez concert in Dubai is postponed to the 25th of May 2006 at the same place in Dubai Autodrome. If you bought a ticket to attend the previously scheduled concert, you don’t need to change it; your ticket is still valid for the new date of the first concert of JLO in the Middle East.

Don’t forget to share some photos with us if you attend the concert :)

Celebrate Earth Day

Today marks Earth Day. Just a small note to all you earth inhabitants:
Let us celebrate this great planet we live on, let us have gratitude to all what mother earth has been giving us since the day man stepped on its soil.
Let us all think of all the beautiful days our fathers, our grand fathers, our ancient ancestors & we have spent living on this generous planet.
For millions of years, this blue planet has given us its resources, and we have never said Thank You! Instead, we are cutting trees, killing animals, polluting everything from water to soil to air & the list goes on & on!
The truth is Earth is an endangered planet ...

Nancy Ajram in Sham Al-Naseem

Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram will be participating in a concert this Sunday in Cairo in the occasion of ‘Sham Al-Naseem’ feast; the concert will be held in Cairo stadium and it will mark the biggest event on which Nancy is participating since the release of her latest Album ‘Atabtab wa Adala’.
Egyptian singer Mohammed Hamaki will be also participating in this concert.

Pantine Miss Egypt is Fawzeya Mohammed

The Miss Egypt 2006 event yesterday was enjoyable and exciting. All the girls were amazing & beautiful.
The first step of the event was choosing 10 girls from the original 22 number, to complete their way to the Miss Egypt 2006 crown. The 10 finalists were Maisa, the sister of Marwa Nasr from Star Academy 3, Christine, Reem, Marise, Salma, Heba, Fawzeya & Nisrine.
Miriam Fares and Haytham Saeed were the amazing guests of the event.
There was also a great reportage about Bedour, one of the contestants of last year's Pantene Miss Egypt 2005, she died earlier this year at the age of 22, it was really great mentioning her.

Pantene Miss Egypt 2006

Last night was the pre-final of the Pantene Miss Egypt Beauty Pageant and I must say that the girls looked beautiful, an improvement from last year. We got to see all twenty one girls in their swim wear and evening wear; the dresses were amazing and were designed by an Egyptian designer. My favourites so far are Marize, who won Miss photogenic, Heba F, Fawzeya and Rasha.

Alwan Film Festival in NY

More than 30 movies from across the Arab world, Iran, Turkey, and South Asia are already playing at Alwan Film Festival which is being held in New York which started on the 14th of April and will end on the 23rd; Arab directors are seeking to counter the stereotyped picture of Arabs by Hollywood by featuring their films in the US to show Americans what the Arab world is all about. The films tackle timely subjects such as the US-led war in Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Afghanistan.

The festival was created by the Alwan for the Arts, a non-profit organization founded in 1998 in lower Manhattan.

Night of All Nations

More than 3,000 people are expected to attend the 24th annual Night of All Nations event which will take place at the University of Nevada starting from the 7th until the 11th of April.

About 60 countries will be represented during this event which will feature their food, arts, fashion, musical and dance performances. A portion of the money raised from the Night of All Nations event will benefit Doctors Without Borders.

Usually in such events, the students in the same university take a big role in the preparation with the support of their countries embassies; unfortunately some Arab countries embassies are not supportive, they simple don’t give much interest to such events! It’s a pity because such events help countries from around the world to attract and increase the awareness of more people of what a certain country is famous for which could lead to more tourists willing to visit that country.

Majda El Roumi at Jerash Festival 2006

The Director of the yearly Jerash Festival, the poet Jeries Samawi, has announced that the great Lebanese singer Majda El Roumi is one of the first stars to be present at the festival this year.
Majda El Roumi will be participating in the Jerash Festival after an absence of 15 years, were she was last on the Roman stages in 1989.

Happy Mother's Day 2006

In the Middle East, Mother's day is celebrated today the 21st of March, and on this occasion we wish all the mothers a Happy Mother's Day.

If you are wondering when Mother's Day is celebrated in some other parts of the world, in the U.S, Mother's Day will be celebrated on the 14th of May; in the UK, it is celebrated on the 26th of March and in North Africa and France, Mother's Day is celebrated on the last Sunday in May which will be the 28th of May this year.

Mothers' Day Gift

Mothers' Day is approaching... and its time to buy her a gift although whatever we will purchase or do wont be equal to her care and love for us!

We must prove to her that she is the best mother ever and devote all our time and affection not only on Mothers'day but always! :)

Feel free to share with us what will you get for her & what do you normally do or want to do on that special day?

By guest writer Aya

Happy Valentine's Day

Enjoy this special day with your loved ones; your friends, mom & dad.
Give a rose to your mom, and chocolate to your dad. Get your friend a flower, a card, a box of candy, or something they really want.
And if you're married take your wife out for a special candle-lit-dinner, and you get your husband that watch he has been wanting for so long :)
Valentines remains, even after the 14th of Feb. is gone, each day should be like Valentines with your loved ones around you.
Read the following poem, and never take the many blessings around you for granted, they never last ...

Happy New Hijri Year 1427

Happy New Hijri Year 1427 to everyone.
May it bring you all joy, happiness, success and good health :)

Asala Nasri & Kathem AlSaher

Here are some photos of the syrian singer Asala Nasri and Iraqi singer Kathem AlSaher in Doha Music Festival in its 3rd night.

Asala Nasri Photos

Kathem AlSaher Photos

• Carol Samaha at Doha Music Festival
• Best Arab Female Singer 2005
• Best Arab Male Singer 2005
• Kathem Al Saher & Sulaf Fawakherji
• Assala Nasri, Divorced ?!

Eid Adha Mubarak

We liked this cartoon by Hajjaj and we wanted to share it with you on this day.
Happy Eid to everyone :)

Happy New Year 2006

We wish you the love of friends and family...
And peace within your heart.

We wish you happiness and joy...
And blessings for the New Year.

Happy New Year 2006 :)

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all christians around the world :)

Christmas in Dubai

Every year Dubai makes all the needed preparations and decorations to welcome Christmas and make the atmosphere for the foreign residence of Dubai as Christmasy as possible.
With Christmas trees in malls and artificial snow everywhere, an Englishman or American would feel as at home as possible. Even Christmas carols can be heard in the distance from the mouths of children in a choir.

Miss Iceland is Miss World 2005

Miss Iceland, Unnur Birna Vilhjalmsdottir who is 21 years old, has been crowned the most beautiful woman in the world for this year, she is Miss World 2005.
Miss Mexico, Dafne Molina Lona, 23, came first runner-up, and Miss Puerto Ricco, Inngrid Marie Rivera Santos, 22, came second runner-up.

Miss World 2005 Photos

Miss World 2005

Miss World 2005 is the World’s largest live annual TV event with viewing figures of two billion. With over 100 contestants undertaking a month-long tour of China to compete for this year’s title, Miss World 2005 is set to be the most lavish spectacular event in the festival’s 55 year history.

Lebanese Model & Fashion Editor Lamitta Frangieh is the only Arab competing for the title, since Miriam George, Miss Egypt 2005 won't be competing.

Photos of Lamitta Frangieh

World AIDS Day

Today is the international day of action on HIV and AIDS... In almost every country in the world, people are marking World Aids Day on December 1.

The theme for World AIDS Day 2005 is 'Stop AIDS. Keep the promise.'

The latest report about HIV states that there were about five million new HIV infections around the world this year, and more than three million people have died of AIDS-related illnesses this year.

• HIV and AIDS Statistics in the Middle East and North Africa

Eid El Fitr 2005 Greetings

Eid Mubarak to everyone :)

You can post your Eid El Fitr greetings to all your friends here, as well.

Ramadan 2005

‘O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard’ The Holy Quran [2:183]

On this occasion 'Ramadan 2005', we at WALEG.com wish you a blessed Ramadan; May God’s blessings always shine on you and on every member of your family and our world.

Google 7th Birthday

Happy Birthday Google :)

Summer Concerts at Global Village

Each year the Global Village in Amman, Jordan creates hundreds of ideas for entertaining its visitors of all ages.
This year and with the sponsorship of the new radio station “sawt el ghad”, there will be a number of concerts featuring famous singers like Wael Kfouri, Ragheb Alameh, Wael Jassar, Marwan Khouri and Miriam Faris.
The concerts will be held at 8.00 pm on the theater of the Global Village, and the tickets are sold all over Amman.

Here are the dates of the concerts:
Marwan Khouri: 14/7/05
Miriam Faris: 14/7/05
Ragheb Alameh: 16/7/05
Wael Jassar: 21/7/05
Wael Kfouri: 28/7/05

To The 8 Most Powerful Leaders in the World

Ten concerts, one hundred artists, a million spectators, two billion viewers, and one message that is to get those eight men, in that one room, to stop 50,000 children dying every single day of extreme poverty.

"50,000 people are dying, needlessly, every day of extreme poverty.

At this year's G8 summit meeting, it is within your power to put an end to this tragedy. It is an extraordinary opportunity which it would be shameful to ignore. We urge you to take these 3 steps to make extreme poverty history...

- Double the aid sent to the world's poorest countries,
- Fully cancel their debts,
- Change the trade laws so that they can build their own future."

That's the letter the Live 8 website want to deliver to the 8 most powerful leaders in the world.

Sign the Live 8 List

Monopoly's 70th Anniversary

We may live in different parts of the world, speak different languages, and have different customs, but one thing we have in common is that at some point in our lives there is a good chance that we "Passed GO!" and collected $200 while playing MONOPOLY, the world's most popular board game. And, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of MONOPOLY, Hasbro Inc. will introduce new collector's editions of the classic game across the globe in 2005.

For the very first time, the UK London board has received a complete makeover. The properties are new, rent has rocketed and you can even stack your apartments sky high - now you can wheel and deal in the fast lane, and make your millions in the Big Smoke

UFO or Alien Picture

Microsoft is inviting Net surfers to prove little green men exist. The software giant is inviting users of its MSN Web portal to take a picture of a UFO or alien and publish it on their blogs with an explanation of how they came across it.

The best entry will be picked by ex-Ministry Of Defence analysts and win a visit to the Nasa Space Centre in Florida.

The Space Race competition runs until mid-July. Log on to MSN Space Race to enter.

Tabarka Dances to Latinos and Jazz

Every year the city of Tabarka in Tunisia has a huge Music festival that rocks!
This year the summer of 2005 in Tabarka will dance to the tunes of Jazz and Latinos music during the first weeks of July and September.
As for the participants in the Jazz Festival, there will be a lot of Tunisian and international artists such as Cuban Chucho Valdez, Tunisian Fawzi Shkili and The Golden Gate Quartettes from The United States.
On the other hand, the Latinos Music Festival will have Kavi Havanas from Cuba, SalSabor from The Caribbean and Los Bucaneros from Brazil as some of the contributors.

Will the Carthage Festival get back its glamour?

In the past few years, the famous Carthage Music Festival has been criticized for the lack of classy music, but this year its managers are saying it will come back strong.
And they said that the festival, which will start on the 9th of July until the 15th of August, will be back with the classical high standard music as it is supposed to be always.

Carthage Festival in addition to Jerash Festival in Jordan are considered two of the most important music festivals in the Arab world, and are gates to fame to the international arena for singers.

The Arab Film Festival in Palestine

“Yabous” productions is getting ready to launch the Arabic film festival which will be held between the 16th and 30th of June, in cooperation with a few Palestinian cultural centers, and that is in preparation for the celebrations of the 10th anniversary of the foundation of “Yabous”. The festival will be showing 13 Arabic movies which have been produced between the years 2002 and 2005.

The aim of this festival is to join hands & minds with the intellectuals of the Arab world. In addition to transforming the Arab works to a cultural and intellectual habit in Palestine under the political and cultural oppression.

Natalie Glebova , Miss Universe 2005

Brunette Natalie Glebova from Canada was crowned Miss Universe 2005 at Bangkok gala finale of the 54th annual pageant.

Natalie Glebova, 23-year-old model from Toronto was picked over runner-up Cynthia Olavarria of Puerto Rico after answering a final

question about what she considered the biggest challenge of her life: "I always try to maintain a positive outlook on life," she said, adding that remaining optimistic was most challenging.

Natalie Glebova was born in Russia but emigrated to Toronto as a young girl with her parents at age 12. She studies information technology management at Toronto's Ryerson University.

Nancy and Kazem in Concert in Las Vegas

Over 5000 fans attended Nancy Ajram and Kazem El Saher 's concert in Paris Hotel in Las Vegas. Nancy sang first for an hour and half, she was very cute, fun, very involved with her public. She was smiling, holding people's hands to take pictures... She sang some of her songs, the popular ones and the Souad Hosni 's song "waled ya th3eel" It really fit her "Dalou3a" attitude...the concert's presenter called her "the butterfly of the Arabic song"... She was very excited to be in the US for the first time...

Carrie Underwood , American Idol Winner

The winner of this year's season of American Idol is Carrie Underwood a 22 year old country singer from from Oklahoma.

A fifth season of American Idol has already been announced for January 2006.

• American Idol

Helena , My Number One