Transition from tyranny to freedom?
With the situation deteriorating drastically on all levels in Iraq, the question of freedom is getting more vague, reports Jihan Al-Alaily from Baghdad

Is the hudna over?
Israel's assassinations of Palestinian activists have led to a renewal of suicide bombings and threaten to deal a deadly blow to a fragile cease-fire, reports Khaled Amayreh from Gaza

Strange Bed-fellows
Caught between the involuntary complicity of two improbable bed-fellows -- anti-Arab zealots in Washington and anti-American reformists in Syria -- Syria's "old guard" is just playing the waiting game, writes David Hirst in Damascus

South heats up
Tensions are running high along the Lebanese-Israeli border. Mohalhel Fakih reports from Beirut

Leaving Liberia in limbo
With ex-Liberian President Charles Taylor's departure from the country into Nigerian exile, the prospects for peace appear to be better. But only if international peace-keepers move in, writes Gamal Nkrumah

Egypt:

The power of three
An effective Arab action plan is more urgent than ever. Soha Abdelaty reports

Selective submission
Recent Court of Cassation decisions declaring election results invalid in two districts have pushed opposition MPs to renew their calls for electoral reform. Gamal Essam El-Din

Hasty indictment
Are anti-war activists paying a heavy price for their stand during the invasion of Iraq? Amira Howeidy reports on the referral of five activists to an emergency court

Region:

New preoccupations
Insurgency in Iraq is shifting into a deadly campaign of bombings and the occupiers are being forced to reconsider strategies, writes Salah Hemeid

Absent voices
As Sharon manoeuvers in the shadow of the roadmap, the shortcomings of the mainstream Israeli peace camp have never been more evident, writes Jonathan Cook from Nazareth

International:

Picking up the pieces
The bombing of the J W Marriot in Jakarta last week was a painful reminder that Southeast Asia is living in a post-Bali world of security jitters, writes Nyier Abdou

Living:

When a bridge is not just a bridge
As temperatures rise in Cairo, city dwellers meet in a most unusual place. Colette Kinsella investigates summer nights on the Nile