TEACHING TERROR: Palestinian children peer through the wall of their kindergarten, devastated by an Israeli rocket attack on Jabalya, north of Gaza, on Monday --read on--

Opinion

WAR COVERAGE

INTIFADA IN FOCUS

In the name of charity
The auction of some of Soad Hosni's possessions, with the proceeds going to help cancer patients, brought more than anyone could have expected, reports Nevine Khalil

Other fractures
One year on, Ariel Sharon remains king of Israel. But there are cracks in the façade. Graham Usher writes from Jerusalem

Fresh ideas, old reactions
While the Palestinian leadership is stuck between a rock and a hard place, peacemakers are trying to pick up the pieces of a tattered peace process, report Laila Hafez in Paris and Nevine Khalil in Cairo

Egypt

Putting out the fire
Sectarian clashes between Muslims and Copts in an Upper Egyptian village are "under control", according to the police. Amira Howeidy could only get as far as neighbouring Maghagha to check the facts

A slow walk to freedom
A free man once again, Saadeddin Ibrahim speaks to Jailan Halawi about his memories of nine-months of incarceration

Anger at the Bar
Participants in a rally held last week at the Bar Association voiced their fervent support for the Palestinian struggle, Mona El-Nahhas attended

Region

Far beyond legitimacy
Israeli warplanes attacked Palestinian population centres in the Gaza strip and West Bank last week, destroying police facilities and public buildings. Khaled Amayreh reports from Hebron

Tourism redefined
Israel's Tourism Ministry, it seems, is the most dangerous cabinet posting in Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's coalition government. Jonathan Cook writes from Jerusalem

Facing up to 'unilateralist overdrive'
Does Europe's mutiny against Washington's "simplistic" foreign policy offer a new window of opportunity for the Arabs? Dina Ezzat and Iason Athanasiadis see the signs

Prickly Tehran
Amidst growing tension between the US and Iran, hundreds of thousands of Iranians marked the anniversary of their Islamic Revolution with condemnation of the US and its president. Azadeh Moaveni reports from Tehran

International

African rendezvous in Paris
Determined to launch a new partnership with France, African leaders lobbied for more trade and improved aid at last week's Franco-African summit, writes Layla Hafez from Paris

Kidnapped, still
Arrested prime suspect in the case of kidnapped journalist Daniel Pearl has repeatedly confirmed that the American is alive. Absar Alam reports from Karachi

Interview

Economy

Clash of words
Unequivocally acclaimed in the world of science, Nobel Laureate Ahmed Zewail has raised controversies inside Egypt. He spoke to Aziza Sami

Two-way street
European Commission Ambassador Ian Boaga says Egypt's friends are willing to help it overcome the effects of 11 September. But in an interview with Khaled Dawoud and Soha Abdelaty on the fringes of the Consultative Group meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh last week he noted that Egypt's economic problems did not start with 11 September

Unfettering the currency
The government's experimental management of the exchange rate regime has left experts disappointed. Niveen Wahish delves into the forex quandary

Travel

Features

New glow for the rose red city
Petra, the legacy of the Nabataeans, an industrious Semitic people who settled in what is now south Jordan more than 2000 years ago, is at the centre of a move to promote tourism in Jordan. Mahmoud Bakr explored the rock-hewn city

Living

Heritage

'Like a match stick'
The taboo surrounding honour crimes is being chipped away. But whose honour are we talking about? Mariz Tadros examines the candidates