November 2014

1 Eight men are sentenced to three years in prison for appearing in a video that allegedly depicts a mock same-sex marriage. The men are charged with “inciting debauchery” and “offending public morality.” Even though tests subsequently confirm the men are not homosexuals (one of the men involved in the “marriage” said it was just a joke to celebrate their friend’s birthday), the video, which features two men exchanging rings and kissing during a ceremony on a Nile boat, is deemed by the prosecutor to be akin to a “satanic ceremony” that is “shameful.” The men will also be subject to three years probation after completing their sentences. 3 Silver-screen beauty Mariam Fakhr Eddine dies at age 81. The actress passed away at a military hospital in Cairo after recently undergoing brain surgery. She starred in over 200 films, including Hikayat Hob (Love Story) with Abdel Halim Hafez and El-Aydy El-Naema (Delicate Hands) with Ahmed Mazhar. 8 A move by the owners of seven private newspapers to establish a Chamber of Private Press Industries is met with disapproval by the Journalists Syndicate, which describes the act as a “suspicious and worrying attempt” to dominate the media. The dispute highlights the press’ tango with politics amid continued debate about press freedom in Egypt. Soon after French journalist Alain Gresh and two Egyptian journalists are held for two hours at a café in Downtown Cairo after a woman notifies two security officers outside that the journalists were discussing politics. 9 Egypt is crowned the new world champion in karate at the 22nd Karate World Championships in Germany. The Egyptian team won three gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze. 10 Acclaimed actress Maali Zayed dies at age 61 after a short-lived battle with lung cancer. Best known for her role in the 1980s spy series Gomaa El-Shawan with Adel Imam, Zayed’s last appearance was in television drama Mawjah Harah (Heat Wave), which aired two years ag [caption id="attachment_86501" align="alignleft" width="300" class=" "] Endless river[/caption] 10 After a 20-year hiatus, iconic Pink Floyd releases a new album compilation, The Endless River. Ahmed Emad Eldin, an 18-year-old Egyptian digital artist, designs the new album cover. 10 Three Germans and six Egyptians are sentenced to five years in prison for damaging and stealing artifacts from the Great Pyramid of Giza. The three Germans are tried in absentia, while the six Egyptians are charged with assisting in the act. 12 Dr. Essam Heggy and Dr. Essam Marouf are among four Egyptian scientists and researchers recognized for their involvement in the European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission. The mission makes history when it completes the first-ever landing on a comet. 12 The Cairo International Film Festival awards Simon Massi, Italian sand painter and animator, the prestigious Naguib Mahfouz Lifetime Achievement Award (The Golden Pyramid) for his extensive cinematic record and contributions to Egyptian films and documentaries. 15 Egypt places first at the World Body Building Championships, raking in 11 medals. Attia Shaalan becomes world champion in the over-100kg category. 19 Actor Youssef El-Assal is found dead in his Heliopolis home after an apparent armed robbery. The actor, who last appeared in the period drama Saraya Abdeen (Abdeen Palace) last Ramadan, was frequently given roles of Westerners or the ‘khawaga’ because of his fair complexion and non-Egyptian features. 19 Egyptian radio bans popular singer Hamza Namira’s songs for their strong criticism of authorities. Human rights activists denounce the move, which follows backlash against actor Khaled Abul Naga who days earlier had voiced criticism of the president. The actor may face a charge of “disturbing national security” amid calls from his detractors that he be charged for treason and have his Egyptian citizenship revoked. 20 The doctor and the father of 13-year-old Soheir El-Bataa, who died after allegedly undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM), are both acquitted in a landmark trial in Egypt. This is the first time an FGM case is tried, and activists had hoped for a strong sentence to act as a deterrent. et