Acting to close ranks AS PART of continuing inter-Arab coordination and consultations on regional issues, President Hosni Mubarak visited Kuwait for four hours on Saturday to discuss developments in the Middle East and Gulf with the Kuwaiti leadership, writes Nevine Khalil. Mubarak met with Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah to review the Iraq crisis, Arab-Israeli peacemaking efforts, international economic trends as well as bilateral relations.

Connecting to the past Mrs Mubarak paid a follow-up visit last week to the Alexandria library construction project, scheduled for completion by the year's end. Rania Khallaf was there	Protecting Egypt's back If, and when, relations with Sudan and Ethiopia are stabilised, Egypt will not have to worry too much about threats coming from the Horn of Africa. Dina Ezzat reports from Addis Ababa
The Bar besieged In a week of heated events at the Bar Association, lawyers have broken up into two groups, and so have the custodians in charge of the syndicate's affairs. Mona El-Nahhas investigates	Win a little, lose a little Cairo is using face-saving diplomatic tactics to make progress in resolving the Iraq crisis and the issue of the declaration of a Palestinian state

Trials and extraditions On 10 April the Supreme Military Court will hand down verdicts against 107 suspected members of the underground Jihad group, including 63 standing trial in absentia, reports Khaled Dawoud London militants released Three Islamist militants arrested in London last week have been released after being detained for four days, writes Jailan Halawi

Tales of horror in Shebin Al-Kom Allegations made by 10 MPs that two provincial orphanages sold the organs of some of the children in their care sent shock waves through the nation. Shaden Shehab went to Menoufiya to investigate the horrifying claim