Egypt’s Giza Pyramids Host Fan-less Eid Concerts

Tamer Hosni performs at a concert at the Giza Pyramids, Egypt.
Tamer Hosni performs at a concert at the Giza Pyramids, Egypt.
TT

Egypt’s Giza Pyramids Host Fan-less Eid Concerts

Tamer Hosni performs at a concert at the Giza Pyramids, Egypt.
Tamer Hosni performs at a concert at the Giza Pyramids, Egypt.

Egypt’s United Company for Media Services organized a number of fan-less concerts during Eid al-Fitr near the Giza Pyramids to help mitigate the effects of the lockdown imposed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Famous Egyptian stars, such as Angham, Tamer Hosni, Hamid el-Shaery, Hisham Abbas, Medhat Saleh, Alaa Abdel-Khaleq and Hanan recorded their concerts during the holy month of Ramadan at the Sound and Light Theater at the Great Pyramids of Giza and al-Azhar Park.

Egyptian artist Hisham Abbas told Asharq Al-Awsat that when the Company first approached him with the idea, he instantly agreed and did not hesitate in participating.

“We are all living in exceptional days because of the pandemic and we must all stand together to overcome them. My role as an artist is to bring joy to the people,” he said.

He explained that filming the concerts was carried out amid strict precautions where everyone adhered to the measures by wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.

The artist pointed out that during rehearsals before the actual filming, he used the least possible number of musicians to avoid crowding on the stage.

Since “Sham Ennessim” festival, various artists in Egypt have been holding concerts without an audience.

Maestro Hani Farhat, who leads Angham’s music band, revealed that the singer has a large number of surprises for her Egyptian and Arab fans.

Speaking to Asharq al-Awsat, Farhat said that Angham performed a number of her famous songs, including: “Yaretak Fahemni” and “Akteblak Taahod”, and a number of songs from her latest album “Hala Khasa Gedan”. Fans on social media requested a number of songs which she included in her setlist.

The Eid concerts began with a performance by Tamer Hosni who sang 12 of his most famous songs. He surprised his fans with a new music video, “Wa enta Maayia”, which was postponed for two years for remixing after it was recorded with Algerian artist Cheb Khaled.



‘Less Snow’: Warm January Weather Breaks Records in Moscow

A woman walks with a stroller near a pond during warm weather in Moscow, Russia, 28 January 2025. (EPA)
A woman walks with a stroller near a pond during warm weather in Moscow, Russia, 28 January 2025. (EPA)
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‘Less Snow’: Warm January Weather Breaks Records in Moscow

A woman walks with a stroller near a pond during warm weather in Moscow, Russia, 28 January 2025. (EPA)
A woman walks with a stroller near a pond during warm weather in Moscow, Russia, 28 January 2025. (EPA)

January 2025 is on track to be one of the warmest in Moscow on record, meteorologists reported on Wednesday, with two of the past days breaking all-time daily temperature highs.

Thermometer readings on Wednesday have not dipped below an "April-like" 3.8 degrees Celsius (38.8 Fahrenheit), much higher than the historical average below freezing, according to Russia's Phobos weather center.

Residents in the capital told AFP there was less snow for children to play with, and that there was "mud everywhere", making dog walks more challenging.

Experts warn more temperature records will be broken in the future as human-driven climate change disrupts global weather patterns.

"Of course, we don't like winter like this... Everything should be in moderation," 68-year-old pensioner Galina Kazakova told AFP in central Moscow.

"It is very bad for nature, because the snow should lie on the fields, so that it melts, so that everything grows well," she added.

Monday and Tuesday were the warmest of those dates since records started, while Wednesday is also set to beat its historical high, Russia's RBK news outlet reported, citing meteorologists.

"January, which is approaching a heat record, continues to surprise," meteorologist Mikhail Leus said on Telegram, posting a video of chanterelle mushrooms poking through patches of snow in the forest.

Central Russia's state meteorological service said Moscow was on track for its "second warmest January" since records began, beaten only by January 2020.

Russian state media reported January 2025 could be warmer than even that year.

Climatologist Alexey Karnaukhov was uncertain about whether this January would be the warmest.

"It's hard to say whether there will be a record. In 2020, there was no stable snow cover in Russia's midland either, and this year is not unique," Karnaukhov told AFP.

"We live in an era of global warming, warm years will become more and more frequent. Even if the current values turn out to be a record, it will definitely not be the last," he told AFP.

On the streets of the capital, residents expressed both joy and concern at the unseasonably warm weather.

"I like it all. It is very pleasant to walk," said 19-year-old student Olga Medvedeva.

"I like winter better the way it was," said Elena Aleksandrova, 73.

"We take the dog for walks, he likes to play in the snow too. Now where can you walk? There is mud everywhere."