Quandaries of an
urban millennium:
Al-Ahram Weekly
opens the file of
housing in Egypt
--see FEATURES --

GOLDEN JUBILEE OF THE 1952 REVOLUTION

'Staring at danger'
The Arab foreign ministers' meeting will conclude today with an emphasis on the need for regional stability, reports Dina Ezzat

More than a pretty building
Fatemah Farag watches as the Bibliotheca Alexandrina seeks to define itself

Egypt

Euro road map
Cairo welcomed the EU's efforts to activate existing peace ideas to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the European body's rejection of military strikes against Iraq, reports Soha Abdelaty

House cleaning
The fallout from the on-going clampdown on corruption is extending to previously untouchable state figures. But where is it leading, asks Amira Howeidy

Brotherhood on a leash
The trial of 101 Muslim Brotherhood activists accused of rioting during recent by-elections in Alexandria opened amid chaotic scenes. Khaled Dawoud was there

Coast of the flies
A research centre's report on Egypt's first landfill has added to the controversy surrounding the location of the project near a North Coast beach resort. Gihan Shahine samples the debate

Focus

Economy

Beyond figures and graphs
What can a child growing up in a less developed country expect from life? A joint government and UNICEF report released this week aims to find an answer. Fatemah Farag attends the launching ceremony, and sifts through the findings of The situation of Egyptian Children and Women: A rights-Based Approach

Region

Killing deliberately, 'by mistake'
The world again stood silent this week as Israel's army killed 21 Palestinian civilians, including several children. Khaled Amayreh reports from Jerusalem

International

Déjà-vu in Afghanistan
Fearing violent reprisal from the Northern Alliance, the Karzai administration and the UN are refusing to investigate the death of over 1,000 Taliban POWs, reports Iffat Malik from Islamabad

Another non Earth-shaking summit
After 10 strife-ridden days that pitted South against North the Earth Summit barely reached an agreement. Yehia Ghanem reports from Johannesburg

Features

Mortgage law in slow motion
Will the new mortgage finance law make home ownership more than a dream? Niveen Wahish examines the prospects

Promised cities
Amira El-Noshokaty reports from the dark side of the moon

Living

Heritage

All that trash
Environmental-awareness may not be considered an Egyptian strong-point. But as Yasmine El-Rashidi discovers, the country's recycling scheme comes in its own national style

Travel

Sports

Along the gods' road
The map of the Eastern Desert is streaked with trade and pilgrimage routes. Amira El-Noshokaty followed the oldest of the caravan trails between the Nile and the Red Sea