Yasser Arafat steps into a car following his meeting with the Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok, in The Hague on Tuesday. Kok has joined calls for the creation of a Palestinian state

Opinion

Ibrahim Nafie: Misplaced punditry
David Hirst: Terrorism is the issue
Mohamed Sid-Ahmed: Does terrorism pay?
Hani Shukrallah: Capital strikes back
Hassan Nafaa: Friends and other enemies

INTIFADA IN FOCUS

'Everything has changed'
Even before the assassination of Rehavam Zeevi, Prime Minister Sharon felt squeezed. He now feels caged. And that is dangerous, reports Graham Usher from Jerusalem

The political chasm
Diplomatic efforts to set up a post-Taliban government in Afghanistan lag far behind America's military operation, writes Absar Alam from Islamabad

War

Testing time
The fight against terror has put China's and India's traditionally warm relations with Arab countries to the test, writes Gamal Nkrumah

Second wave of terror
Panic over the US anthrax scare is sweeping the West. This week, writes Willa Thayer, it reached Egypt

Pakistan's predicament
Colin Powell praised Pakistan's support for the US in its war on terrorism, but he did not commit to hoped for economic assistance, writes Absar Alam from Islamabad

Backroom diplomacy and street violence
While the streets of Peshawar are wracked by virulent anti-US protests, the Pakistani city is playing host to scores of secret meetings that are likely to determine the shape of the future government in Kabul, reports Khaled Dawoud

Peacemaking as a weapon
Confident that no Arab country will be targeted by the US, Cairo focuses on peacemaking in the region. Nevine Khalil and Soha Abdelaty report

'Missing in Action'
It met with resounding success in Iraq but, writes Galal Nassar, Washington's attempts to stage-direct its current war in Afghanistan does not appear to be working

The roots of anti-Muslim rage
Western governments say it is not a war against Islam. Osama Bin Laden says it is. Muslims at large are caught in the middle. Omayma Abdel-Latif reports

Nowhere to turn
In the wake of 11 September, refugees and asylum seekers may find that no doors are open to them, writes Nyier Abdou

Egypt's most wanted
Egyptian Afghans, the hard core of Al-Qa'ida, are based not only in Afghanistan but across Europe. In the United Kingdom, Germany, and Austria, Bin Laden's lieutenants have for years enjoyed political asylum. Only recently have some found their way to prison, or were delivered -- handcuffed -- to Egypt. Ahmed Moussa reports

Egypt

Economy

Clampdown continues
In a prelude to what promise to be major military trials, President Hosni Mubarak has referred 253 suspected militants, in two separate cases, to military prosecutors. Jailan Halawi reports

Cleaning up dirty money
As the government steps up its efforts to crack down on money laundering with a new law, Gamal Essam El-Din explores the murky areas of finance in Egypt

Region

Wounded in Hebron
In Hebron a schoolgirl dreamt once of being a dancer. She doesn't know her dreams now. She is not alone. Graham Usher reports from Hebron

Ignoble Nobel?
The award of a Nobel peace prize to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has upset some. Gamal Nkrumah writes.

Features

Getting it straight
Will mental health finally get the attention it deserves? Hala Sakr reviews this year's World Health Report

You are what you eat
Are Egyptians eating right? On the occasion of World Food Day, Reham El-Adawi opens the file on Egypt's nutrition problems

Living

Sports

Never too soon
For parents, news that their child has Down's Syndrome is devastating. But Gihan Shahine discovers that early intervention can make all the difference

Heliopolis girls let it flow
To the beat of Western and Oriental music, synchronised swimmers from Heliopolis Club put it all together to come in first in the club's annual international swimming tournament.--read on--

Travel

Body heat
If you suffer from rheumatism, you may like to swap your costly clinic in Cairo for the hot caress of the desert. Ahmed Samy tries the sand cures of the Western desert

New century, new ventures
After a three-year hiatus, the "Piece of the Month" is being reintroduced as one of the new plans for the Egyptian Museum. Nevine El-Aref reports on the museum's upcoming agenda