At an international press conference the minister [of tourism] yesterday said before [a] meeting with 380 owners of tourist companies from Spain, Portugal, and North America that there is one pyramid in the world and [it] is [the] largest of any competition and [it is] unbecoming to enter any competition with any old or new wonders.

A number of media representatives accompanying the foreign delegation asked the Minister about excluding the Egyptian pyramids from the New 7 Wonders institute's referendum led by the Swiss businessman Bernard Wiper, and the result will be declared on next July 07 in the Portuguese Capital [Lisbon]... ***

*** What are they announcing? The result of the question they asked? Or the result of the New 7 Wonders competition? The latter obviously but, nonetheless, a slightly confusing article! And they got the capital of Portugal wrong!

One does not have to exclude the Pyramids wonder of the world, Egypt State Information Service, Egypt, April 27, 2007.

The Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) has formally requested the temporary display of unique ancient Egyptian antiquities kept in several museums abroad during the inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum in 2011.

SCA Secretary General Zahi Hawass said he met Ambassador Mona Saudi, Assistant Foreign Minister for Cultural Affairs, and discussed with her procedures to put into effect an agreement between Culture and Foreign Ministers Farouk Hosni and Ahmed Abul-Gheit respectively to contact foreign countries to allow the return of the monuments for display during the ceremony.

The objects in question are the Rosetta Stone, now in the British Museum in London, the bust of Nefertiti in the Egyptian Museum in Berlin, the statue of Great Pyramid architect Hemiunnu in the Romer-Pelizaeus Museum in the German city of Hilesheim, the Denderah Temple Zodiac in the Louvre in Paris, and the bust of Khephren pyramid builder Ankhaf in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, USA.

Hawass said he hoped the foreign countries would accept the Egyptian request in the light of distinguished ties with these countries.

Egypt wants to showcase its unique antiquities abroad, Egypt State Information Service, Egypt, April 30, 2007.

Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Zahi Hawass has said the government is planning to establish an up-to-date laboratory to conduct DNA tests on mummies.

Hawass said the lab will cost $3 million to be paid by the American National Geographic network.

The American TV will further produce a documentary on Queen Hatshepsut, he added.

Hawass noted that the lab will be equipped with state of the art technology and located at the basement of the Egyptian Museum in downtown Cairo...

Egypt to establish up to date labs to conduct DNA tests on mummies, Egypt State Information Service, Egypt, April 29, 2007.

Egypt said Sunday it would seek the temporary return of some of its most precious artefacts from museums abroad, including the Rosetta Stone and a bust of Nefertiti.

The country's chief archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, said the Foreign Ministry would send letters this week to France, Germany, the United States and Great Britain requesting that the ancient artefacts be loaned to Egypt.

Hawass has previously demanded the permanent return of many of the artefacts, claiming some of them were taken illegally.

This time, the country is requesting museums loan the artefacts so they can be exhibited either at the 2011 opening of the Egyptian Museum, near the site of the Great Pyramids at Giza, or the Atum museum, which is set to open in the Nile Delta city of Meniya in 2010, the Supreme Council of Antiquities said in a statement.

Egypt said it would request the loans from the British Museum, Paris' Louvre, Boston's Museum of Fine Arts and two German museums...

Egypt will ask museums abroad to temporarily send back artefacts, Salah Nasrawi, AP via The Seattle Times, Washington, USA, April 30, 2007.

cf. Egypt Seeks Loans of Overseas Artefacts, Salah Nasrawi, AP via PhysOrg, USA, April 30, 2007.