Tuning to the hybrid
Rai in an Arabic-speaking context? Youssef Rakha investigates its viability
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Catchword change
Before his re-election as president by an overwhelming majority this week, Mubarak spoke of change. So has the opposition, and so have numerous writers and public figures. Political expert Osama El-Ghazali Harb gleans hints of what the coming six years may hold
Slowly but surely
Democratisation can never be rushed. Rather, it comes as a result of carefully gained experience, writes Ibrahim Nafie
Kinds of change
Rifaat El-Said
Taking part in the process
On Sunday millions of Egyptians endorsed Hosni Mubarak for a fourth presidential term
What next?
After taking the oath of office at the beginning of a new six-year term, President Mubarak is expected to outline his programme of action that will usher Egypt into the next millennium. Gamal Essam El-Din reports
Opposition discord
and half-hearted concord
The opposition parties went their different ways on Mubarak's reelection. But, as Amira Howeidy reports, even their concord on launching a campaign for political reform during the president's fourth term seemed already to have run out of steam
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A fin-de-siècle extravaganza
Preparations are in full swing for the second successive staging of Aida, the century's last, at the foot of the Giza Pyramids. Rehab Saad reports
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Downsizing Hamas
 The arrest of Hamas leaders in Jordan does not mean an end to efforts to reach a compromise between the two sides, Lola Keilani reports from Amman
Crossing the borders
A small protest in remembrance of the Sabra and Shatilla massacre was not the only attempt by Palestinians to protest the national dismemberment Oslo has imposed upon them. Graham Usher reports from Bethlehem and Beirut on a new project aiming to unite Palestinian refugees despite "barbed wire, closures and geographical separation"
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Saffron swing
India is a democracy that works, but where politicians play dirty. Still, the 1999 Indian election has much to teach us, writes Gamal Nkrumah
Still in the closet, barely
India is trying to calm Arab fears of its military cooperation with Israel. But New Delhi's denials are wearing embarrassingly thin, writes Dominic Coldwell
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On October 1st, 1949, 300,000 of the inhabitants of Beijing
assembled in Tiananmen Square for what was to be one of the
greatest moments in Chinese history. People cheered as Mao
Zedong stepped up and proclaimed, "The central people's
government of the People's Republic of China is founded
today." He pressed a switch and hoisted aloft the first-ever
bright red flag with its five stars. "The people of China have
stood up," their leader solemnly declared. Fifty years later,
hundreds of thousands will again gather in Tiananmen Square
to mark the day of China's liberation. Mariz Tadros visited
Beijing on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the "Great
Proletarian Revolution" led by Mao and, in these special
pages, explores the swiftly changing face of Chinese socialism
and the remains of that history-making day
Go to Focus page
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A taste of Egypt
on a shoestring budget
Backpackers and low-budget tourists are flocking to the land of the Nile, despite their being a low priority item on Egypt's tourism promotion agenda. Zeinab Abul-Gheit reports
'Together...'
US SECRETARY of State Madeleine Albright held talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq Al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the opening of the UN General Assembly. Albright aims to build on a Middle East trip made earlier this month when Syria and Israel stated there was a need for the US to act as an intermediary between them.
Press role
THE FEDERATION of Arab Journalists, under the chairmanship of Ibrahim Nafie, board chairman of the Al-Ahram organisation, is sponsoring a seminar on the "role of Arab in-ormation [press and me-ia] in propagating the cul-ure of human rights.
The squash squad
Egypt's best players teamed up to put the country at the apex of the sport. Nashwa Abdel-Tawab reports
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