RETURNING THE SPOILS: Shadi Abdel-Salam's Night of Counting the Years serves as a cipher for most tomb-robbing sagas, and last week, an epic worthy of his stark drama -- albeit one with a modern, international twist -- came to an end when a team of Egyptologists returned from Munich triumphantly bearing part of the sarcophagus of Akhenaten. --read caption--

Opinion

WAR COVERAGE

INTIFADA IN FOCUS

A martyr to the cause
It is not yet clear if this is Yasser Arafat's final battle. It is clear he won't go quietly. Graham Usher reports from Ramallah

Seeking commitment
While international donors are expected to support the Egyptian economy, longer term prospects remain in the hands of domestic policymakers, writes Aziza Sami

Egypt

The proof is in the pudding
Cairo is determined to push ahead with its diplomatic efforts, in spite of the US's tacit approval of Israel's confinement of Yasser Arafat to PA headquarters in Ramallah. Soha Abdelaty reports

Widening the dragnet
In the latest crack down on members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group, police arrested eight men for allegedly inciting students to mount anti-government protests, reports Khaled Dawoud

Region

Fending off the 'final solution'
A bloody week in the occupied territories has many wondering if the Sharon administration will press ahead with a second Nakba, reports Khaled Amayreh from Jerusalem

International

Welcome to the peep show
Just what is going on at Guantanamo Bay? Pascale Ghazaleh finds out why Camp X-Ray is only as transparent as the US military wants it to be

No more excuses
The Bush administration is adding fuel to the fire by parroting Sharon, writes Mohamed Hakki from Washington

Rounding up Qa'eda's residue
Although dismissed as strategically irrelevant, the search for the ever-elusive Osama is still on, Anayat Durrani writes from Washington

Exploring 'Planet Enron'
As details of the collapse of US energy giant Enron Corporation spill out into view, political pundits are readying for "Enron-gate," writes Thomas Gorguissian from Washington

Economy

On the home front
The door will soon open to imports from all corners of the world. Sherine Nasr wonders if the "Made in Egypt" label will be strong enough to withstand the competition

The gas solution
As countries around the region tumble over each other to announce their gas development plans, Jasper Thornton checks out Egypt's latest move

Features

Living

Acing the game
For the first time ever, Egypt is taking part in the Winter Olympics. Its gateway: Bridge, which, it so happens, is making its own debut at the winter games. Fatemah Farag looks at what is in the cards for Egypt's national team

Archeology

The night of counting the years
New York antiquities dealer Frederick Schultz, a former president of the National Association of Dealers in Ancient, Oriental and Primitive Art and consultant in antiques to former President Bill Clinton, goes on trial this week in the United States on a charge of knowingly conspiring to receive articles stolen from the Egyptian authorities. Nevine Al-Aref follows the trail of stolen antiquities and the application of the Egyptian Antiquities Law. Jenny Jobbins reports on the rejection of a pre-trial defence motion that the law is invalid in the US

Home at long last
As Egypt celebrates the return of a number of valuable antiquities, Nevine El-Aref traces some intriguing tales of theft and recovery of recent years

Sports