Puerto Rican pop star Ricky Martin was the guest of honor at the opening ceremony of the 25th annual Conference for Arab Children, held in Jordan from 24 to 30 July. Martin, who is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, announced his support for the Palestinian cause and for Palestinian refugees’ “right of return.” He appeared at the opening wearing the Palestinian keffiyah and holding the Palestinian flag.

Adel Imam’s new movie Al Safara Fil Amara (The Embassy in the Building), about a man who returns to Egypt only to find that his next-door neighbor is the Israeli embassy, has received negative responses in the Israeli press. Egyptian papers say that the Israeli press described Imam as a “frog,” while the movie is generally seen as an attack on normalization. Meanwhile, after a recent performance of his new play Bodyguard, Imam remained on stage and denounced the Sharm Al Sheikh terrorist attacks. “Down with terrorism, down with the enemies of humanity,” said the popular actor.

Actress Sohair Ramzi announced that she will return to acting after a 13-year absence, it was reported on 31 July. Ramzi, who several years ago donned the hegab, has made her return contingent upon two conditions: that she be paid no less than LE3 million for a TV series, and that any role she plays should exemplify “appropriate behavior for a good Muslim woman.”

Minister of Culture Farouq Hosni announced on 31 July a plan to help the Palestinian Authority renovate antiquities that are under constant attack from Israeli forces.

After remaining hidden behind iron scaffolding for almost two years, the statue of Ramses II will be visible again. The statue will be on display “as soon as possible,” and will remain on display for approximately a year and a half before being moved from Midan Ramses to one of two new museums that are to be built near the pyramids.

A dispute has erupted between pop stars Hani Shaker and Amr Diab over legal rights to the song “Habiba” by Baha Eddin. Shaker has threatened to take Diab to court over the tune, which Shaker recently released on an album and Diab has performed live and posted on the internet for public listening.