Preliminary reports from the first stage of the parliamentary elections suggest a landslide victory for the pro-Sisi coalition, writes Gamal Essam El-Din
Al-Ahram Weekly visits the constituencies where the closest election battles were fought
Al-Nour Party was a major loser in the first round of parliamentary elections, further weakening the Salafist party, reports Khaled Dawoud
With comparisons being made between this week’s parliamentary elections and those held in 2010, Dina Ezzat speaks to Hossam Badrawi, a senior figure in the former ruling party
The turnout among Egyptian expatriates taking part in this week’s parliamentary elections was “average”, reports Doaa El-Bey
Winning a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council will put Egypt closer to international decision-makers, and raise expectations from Arab and African states, reports Doaa El-Bey
Russia has excluded Iran from its military intervention in Syria, and Tehran will not take this lying down, writes Bassel Oudat in Damascus
Violent acts of resistance to the Israeli occupation by teenaged Palestinians are a symptom of the society they are struggling to survive in, writes Samah Jabr
Russia’s move into Syria has brought relations with Turkey to their lowest level in six decades, threatening energy cooperation and economic ties, writes David Barchard from Ankara
Ahmed Morsy tries to find out the reasons behind the low turnout in the first phase of parliamentary elections
Election observers recorded only minor violations and small-scale violence, reports Mohamed Abdel-Baky
A group of Coptic activists has called for demonstrations in front of the Coptic Cathedral in Cairo in a bid to halt the Church’s involvement in politics, reports Michael Adel
Once again, the Armenian community in Egypt added a new chapter to their rich history which thousands were recently proud to witness. Nora Koloyan-Keuhnelian reports from Port Said
As bad news hit the economy this week, the government has been setting out its plans to fight back, reports Sherine Abdel-Razek
The government’s intention to decrease the country’s imports is raising concerns, reports Mona El-Fiqi
A generation of well-educated and articulate Palestinians are present around the world to explain their struggle. But too often it is others who speak in their name, writes Ramzy Baroud
No love is lost between EU leaders and Turkey’s Erdogan. But the refugee crisis has opened a door to improved relations, as long as Turkey works to staunch the flow of new arrivals in Europe, writes Sayed Abdel-Meguid
The regional implications of the forthcoming Turkish elections could be enormous, writes Salah Nasrawi
Last Sunday was Adoption Day for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iran nuclear agreement, reports Camelia Entekhabifard
Sudan’s national dialogue, begun this week, is being boycotted by the opposition, writes Gamal Nkrumah
Canadians assess the aftermath of Harper’s political demise, writes Eric Walberg from Toronto
The Democratic presidential debate on foreign policy has gone far beyond that of its blinkered and xenophobic Republican counterpart, but it hasn’t gone far enough, writes James Zogby
Egypt’s victorious athletes were singled out by the Egyptian government at a star-studded event. Inas Mazhar reports
Egypt’s Hossam Bakr became the first Egyptian boxer to qualify to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, writes Inas Mazhar
Anxiety may not be chasing you, but you may be chasing anxiety, as Mai Samih finds out
The US is not admitting the reality that the Russian offensive in Syria is targeting the biggest threat to the regime, writes Gareth Porter
Despite claims that the Syrian rebel group Ahrar Al-Sham is taking a moderate turn, its leaders are still pursuing a sectarian vision for the region, writes Nafeez Ahmed
Convincing Israelis that their lives would be better if the brutal occupation of Palestine ended is a key step in moving beyond the present recursive stalemate, writes John Whitbeck
The twisted replay of history seen in the brutality displayed by Israeli settlers in recent weeks has resulted in a kind of double ghettoisation, writes Jeremy Salt
As desperate as the situation appears in occupied Palestine, the momentum of a new wave of resistance can be used to force Israel to negotiate a just political settlement, writes Mohamed Ibrahim
Almost every part of the Arab world is wracked by violence. Meanwhile, the prospects for solutions ahead are slight at best, writes Abdel-Moneim Said
When it comes to Washington and its geopolitical outlook, beneath all talk of human rights and democracy is the old face of imperial interests, writes Bassem Hassan
The decision of the Nobel Committee to recognise the Tunisian mediators that held together the country’s democratic transition is a refreshing and meritorious honour, writes Hassan Nafaa
Al-Sayed Amin Shalaby recalls his time as ambassador in Norway, seat of the most prestigious of all annual awards
Egypt gaining a seat on the UN Security Council is a significant endorsement of its direction, internationally and domestically, and presages continued enhancement of Cairo’s regional role, writes Hussein Haridy
Soha Hesham takes a look at the awards of the Egyptian National Film Festival, which wrapped up this week
Nesmahar Sayed talks to photographer Lamiaa Khalil
Gamal Nkrumah
The newly restored Ottoman-era mosques of Abu Issa and Al-Sada Al-Sebaa were reopened last week in Fuwah in Kafr Al-Sheikh governorate
A touring ancient Egyptian exhibition has opened in Japan
Mahmoud Bakr visits the Siwa Oasis and finds that prospects there are improving after decades of official neglect
Compiled by Doaa El-Bey
This month’s Alexandria International Song Festival reminds audiences of the long and distinguished history of Arab song, writes Samir Sobhi
On president Gamal Abdel-Nasser’s 45th death anniversary, Samir Sobhi explores the memories of Salah Al-Shahed, master of ceremonies for both King Farouk and Nasser
The difference between a state religion and a religious state is a crucial one, traceable through successive Egyptian constitutions but ignored in the discourse of the Islamist groups, writes Ammar Ali Hassan
Israel’s plan to build a canal linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean invites uncomfortable biblical parallels, writes Samir Sobhi
The mind-set of senior officials and institutional interests in the United States will continue to impose severe limits on Obama’s diplomatic choices, writes Gareth Porter
Despite the current campaign against Iran, leading Western polling agencies unanimously award the prize for greatest threat to world peace to the United States, writes Noam Chomsky
The US military has revealed its latest strategies to safeguard the global fossil-fuel system from threats of scarcity or climatic disruption, writes Nafeez Ahmed
Egypt’s bid for a proper parliament started in the nineteenth century, but good parliamentarians have proved difficult to come by, says Samir Sobhi
Unpublished documents from the 1940s show that the Muslim Brotherhood has always been unscrupulous in its use of espionage and violence, writes Sherif Aref
Egypt’s 19-century ruler, Said Pasha, was a great moderniser of his country, obsessed with how he would appear to posterity, writes Samir Sobhi
Egypt’s education system has been ranked as one of the worst in the world. But all is not lost, experts tell Gihan Shahine and Walaa Gebba
As the wind shifts in regional politics, the world’s major powers seem to be relenting on whether Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad should be allowed to stay in office, writes Bassel Oudat from Damascus
For years, the Egyptian government has been trying to put an end to female circumcision, but society must also play its part, writes Walaa Gebbah
First it was in Lebanon and then it moved to Iraq. Now it is in Syria. Bassel Oudat reports from Damascus on the expanding reach of the Lebanese Shia group Hizbullah
The plight of the Rohingya, the forced deportation of the Uyghurs, the struggle for independence of the Moro, the destruction in Ayodhya in India — all are indications of Islamophobia in Asia, writes Gamal Nkrumah
The bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo in June this year drew renewed attention to all things Napoleonic but missed an opportunity to re-examine the French general’s Egyptian career, writes David Tresilian
The warm summer weather is again inviting droves of migrants to flee poverty and war on the perilous journey to Europe across the Mediterranean, writes Gihan Shahine
Government plans to relocate Cairo’s street vendors have been met with criticisms focusing on the vendors’ plight, writes Walaa Gebba
The phenomenon of Islamophobia in Africa is as depressing as it is distressing, writes Gamal Nkrumah
Despite a worrying rise in Islamophobic incidents in France since the Charlie Hebdo and kosher supermarket killings earlier this year, Muslims in the French capital are celebrating as usual this Ramadan, writes David Tresilian in Paris
Nada Diaa learns about an initiative to plant lemon and olive trees across the country
Farah El-Akkad samples a slice of Alexandria’s heritage