No stopping the countdown?
Arab diplomacy may be standing on its last leg, report Nevine Khalil and Soha Abdelaty

The view from Cairo
A high-level Egyptian delegation is currently in the United States in an effort to clarify Cairo's point of view on current regional events to top US officials. Hoda Tawfik reports from Washington

An unwholesome mix?
Politics and business are mixing in ways that are becoming increasingly suspect. Gamal Essam El-Din investigates

'We won't succumb'
Talks in the Egyptian capital between Palestinian factions underscored the political weight of Hamas. Khaled Meshal, head of the movement's politburo, spoke to Amira Howeidy in Cairo about current dangers and the need for a 'frame of reference'

The bulldozer's mandate
Israel razed 62 Palestinian shops in Nazlat Issa village, setting new standards of destructiveness. And this is only the beginning, writes Jonathan Cook

Reform begins at home
By encouraging internal reforms and political participation, Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah is killing two birds with one stone. Rasha Saad reports

Before the fact
With US military buildup in the Gulf in high gear and diplomacy making its case, the window for peace seems to be closing, writes Salah Hemeid

In extremis
Iraq's salvation now seems to hinge on Saddam himself -- or even on an assassin, writes David Hirst in Beirut

Playing with fire
Can the US initiate democratic transformation in the Middle East? Scholars from a leading American think tank were in Cairo this week to find out, reports Aziza Sami

Democracy is...
Nyier Abdou talks to Iraq Institute for Democracy head Hussain Sinjari about change from within, the message of the anti-war movement and life after Saddam

The final frontier
US military strategy in Iraq relies heavily on overwhelming power to realise short-term goals. Galal Nassar digs at the roots of the US's most strategic war

Ruling by force
Bent on realising its "imperial ambition", the US seeks control over a "stupendous source of strategic power", oil. Noam Chomsky explains how, in a talk he delivered at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on 27 January

Unfinished business
With Afghanistan in turmoil and the war against Iraq looming large, the US already has its hands full, reports Iffat Idris from Islamabad

Cut short
Is the African Union going off the rails, or is the Ivorian crisis just casting a shadow on the pan-African body, wonders Gamal Nkrumah

A managed float?
While the Egyptian pound adjusts to new realities, experts tell Niveen Wahish the success of the new system depends on effective management

Market nudged into action
Has the pound's devaluation pulled the capital market out of its long slump? Sherine Abdel-Razek sounds out the views

>i< An all-inclusive guide to
goings on around Cairo >i<

Stepping out
Young, unpretentious, free: The Wardrobe touches hidden springs and forbidden areas, writes Nehad Selaiha

Signpost to nowhere
As El-Warsha Theatre Company broaches Tawfiq El-Hakim, Youssef Rakha perceives a happy convergence

Trashed lives
The garbage collectors of the capital are mobilising against the state as the government moves towards privatising garbage collection in Cairo and Giza. Dena Rashed gauges what seems to be the beginning of a nasty dispute

Grown-up talk
As the mid-year break comes to and end, many parents sigh with relief. But it need not be the case. Yasmine El-Rashidi finds out that Cairo and kids are becoming quite friendly

Art crazy
Looking for somewhere to take your children during the Eid Al-Adha? Niveen Wahish and her children tried out an art workshop

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Dismissed out of hand
Egyptian handball dropped out of the top 10, finishing in 15th place in the World Handball Championship. Inas Mazhar covers the dramatic plunge

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