Oslo R.I.P
Repeated Israeli incursions into the West Bank and Gaza confirm that the 1993 Oslo deal is dead and buried, Khaled Amayreh reports from Hebron

Absent from the ball
A near appearance on opening night is Egypt's only claim to fame in this World Cup. Alaa Abdel-Ghani finds what we will be missing out on

Sunken Heracleion
Gold and bronze jewellery, coins, plates, amulets and other treasures have been recovered from the sea bed of the ancient city of Heracleion by the Franco-Egyptian mission which began underwater excavations at the site two years ago, reports Nevine El-Aref

INTIFADA IN FOCUS

Egypt

Consultations for peaceConsultations for peace
President Hosni Mubarak is heading to the US for talks with the Bush Administration on new tactics to restore stability to the region, reports Soha Abdelaty

Governing the non-governmental
The Shura Council approved a draft for the NGO law, but the controversy continues. Mariz Tadros gauges the reactions

Queen boat case overturned
A presidential ruling has overturned the verdict passed against 21 men convicted of "debauchery" last year, referring their case back to prosecutors. Jailan Halawi examines the prospects of the men released on bail

Passing the buck
Who is really responsible for the worst train disaster in Egypt's history? The continuing trial of 11 minor railway employees, reports Gihan Shahine, has opened up a Pandora's box of questions regarding accountability

Region

'Where is Jamal's body?'
After committing horrific war crimes at Jenin refugee camp, Israel is now obstructing help from reaching its residents. Jonathan Cook visited the camp all too soon forgotten by the world

Defining reforms
In response to external and internal pressure, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has begun the process of restructuring the extremely weakened PA

War costs
The almost two-year-long Intifada and the recent Israeli operation in the occupied territories has hit hard nearly all sectors of the Israeli economy, writes John Sfakianakis

The tip of the iceberg?
A Palestinian deportee tells Michael Jansen, in Nicosia, that his expulsion from his homeland is an indication of Sharon's ethnic cleansing plans

Shattered lives
A report on living conditions of Palestinians during Israel's reoccupation of the West Bank has highlighted Operation Defensive Shield's real aims. Following are extracts from the report prepared by Rita Giacaman and Abdullatif Husseini for the Institute of Community and Public Health, Bir Zeit University

Interview

'I come from here'
Hanan Ashrawi spoke to Aziza Sami of the Palestinian people today: besieged, yet self-critical, and ready for change

Economy

Eek!-commerce
Around the world, e-commerce is gathering pace. But Egyptian business, and the country's legal system, seem nervous. Sherine Nasr reports

Pushing against open doors
Few economic links are more important to Egypt than those with Europe. The European Commission's ambassador to Egypt spoke to Niveen Wahish

International

See none, hear none, speak none
A debate is brewing in the US about the revelations that the administration was warned prior to 11 September of an impending terrorist attack. In Washington, Mohamed El-Sayed Said assesses the debate and engages two security experts on its implications

Waiting for war
Amid much speculation about imminent war between rival nuclear powers India and Pakistan, a flurry of diplomatic activity is aiming at averting conflict, writes Iffat Malik from Islamabad

Features

Heritage

Sports

Living

Let off the hook
As expected, the soccer twins were punished only a bit

How far will they go?
Al-Ahram Weekly takes a close look at the nations vying for football's greatest prize

Summer shrinkage
As the summer approaches, and swimsuit season butts its ugly head, Yasmine El-Rashidi discovers what is weighing people down