ICTP hosted the 4th meeting of the Council of the SESAME (Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East) project, which took place on 13-14 July. Herwig Schopper, former director general of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva and head of the Council, presided over the discussion. The SESAME project will lead to the operation of the first synchrotron light facility in the Middle East. The groundbreaking ceremony for SESAME took place in Allan, Jordan, in January 2003, and the facility is expected to be fully operational in 2009. For the past four years, ICTP has played a major role in the training of Middle Eastern scientists and engineers working on the project. For additional information, see www.sesame.org.jo.