Scramble for the Shura
Next week's mid-term elections for the Shura Council will pit candidates officially fielded by the NDP against NDP members running independently after the ruling party declined to nominate them. Gamal Essam El-Din reports

Growing younger by the minute
More mouths to feed or a more productive society? The chicken and egg debate resumes as Gihan Shahine rounds up the latest census figures

Young, rich and in the dock
The opening of the Arcadia Mall murder trial proved that the hearings will be as sensational as they promised to be. Shaden Shehab was in court

Define terrorism
Israeli settlers shooting at unarmed Palestinian villagers are not terrorists. Hizbullah guerrillas shooting at Israeli occupation soldiers are. Why? Because the US State Department says so. Thomas Gorguissian writes from Washington

Being there
Putting to rest growing doubts, Iran's president resolves to run for re-election. Azadeh Moaveni witnesses the emotional start of an unpredictable campaign

New threats to Europe's heritage
In Eastern Europe, communism has fallen. UNESCO is worried that cultural heritage may now fall, too. David Tresilian writes from Bucharest

With power comes responsibility
Washington must understand that the US is not the only country in the world. Other nations, like China, deserve to speak, argues Gamal Nkrumah

Romancing the stone
Rumour had it that through the arch of Bab Zuweila, in the heart of the enclosed subcity, there was a strange scene; a whimsical picture torn from the center of a European story book. Yasmine El Rashidi went down to see what all the commotion was about