President Donald Trump faces his most critical week of statesmanship so far -- and it will reflect sharp changes of direction he has already wrought in US foreign policy. Trump will hold his most important meeting with a world leader yet when he welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Friday, after putting Beijing on notice that if it does not do more to rein in its ally North Korea over its nuclear program, the US will take tough action.

Egyptian-Lebanese visual artist Bahia Shehab has become the first Arab woman to ever receive the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture for her innovative use of Arabic calligraphy in street art. [...] As an artist, designer and art historian, Shehab has worked for many years on integrating ancient Arabic script into the modern context for use in graphic design and Arab visual culture. 

The ongoing public diplomacy efforts aimed to promote the positive outcomes of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) are serving the intended purposes. [...] the deputy premier noted as the visits of public diplomacy delegations of Ethiopia helped clear previously held doubts. Various high ranking officials, resident ambassadors and members of the diaspora also paid visits to the project site, Demeke said, adding it drew favourable results regarding Dam's benefits.

The graffiti was a part of a project called "Outside In: The Art of Inclusion: A Place for Arts and Culture in Cairo's City of the Dead.” Archinos Architecture implemented the project in cooperation with the Polish Embassy in Cairo. The project was funded by the European Union. Two Polish artists were invited to paint cheerful graffiti on the walls of the area to let its residents feel surrounded by the arts. 

The Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC), the cultural wing of the Indian Embassy in Cairo, yesterday organised a seminar on ‘Cooperation in Entrepreneurship between India and Egypt’. The seminar was part of the ‘MACIC Roundtable’, a monthly seminar series involving youth, academicians, culture lovers, civil society activists, on issues of mutual interest to India and Egypt.

“Culture is what defines the character and identity of a nation; and culture is what defines our attitudes and perspective in life and general development as a whole,” explained Kaliati who further disclosed that there would be cultural exchange visits between the two countries where each would learn the other’s activities.

During his recent campaign, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump revealed little fondness for free trade agreements. But in the Middle East, there is at least one that deserves a second look: the Qualifying Industrial Zones protocol between Egypt and Israel, which, guided by U.S. commercial diplomacy, enhanced cooperation between the two countries beyond traditional security matters and into economic ties.

The 2016 Chinese-Egyptian Culture Year drew to an end successfully as some 150 various kinds of cultural activities were held in both countries, which is seen as a breakthrough. In January 2016, the Egyptian Ministry of Culture and the Chinese Embassy in Cairo launched the 2016 Sino-Egyptian Culture Year which marks the 60th anniversary of joint diplomatic relations.