'A petty and despicable attack'
The attack on Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher in Jerusalem will not discourage Cairo from its drive to achieve peace, Gamal Essam El-Din reports

José Martí on the Nile
Last Monday Cuban Ambassador Luis E Marisy Figueredo and Cairo Governor Abdel-Rehim Shehata inaugurated a bust of celebrated Cuban writer, poet and freedom fighter José Martí Pérez (1853-1895) at the Horreya Park near the Cairo Opera House...

Handshake heard 'round the region'
A handshake between Presidents Mubarak and Khatami brought high hopes for a breakthrough in Egyptian-Iranian relations. Rasha Saad examines the possibilities

NDP versus NDP -- again
By-elections in 23 districts will take place today in spite of 10 court rulings declaring them null and void. Gamal Essam El-Din reports

Fighting for Ali
An armed assault on a Nasr City villa ended with the kidnapping of an Egyptian-American six-year-old. Gihan Shahine investigates a cross-cultural custody battle that has turned unexpectedly violent

Aiming for change
Al-Ahram Weekly looks at the trends, people and events that dominated the local news scene in 2003

Obituaries
Hosny Guindy, Mohamed Abdel-Ghani El-Gamasi, Fathi Naguib, Saad Fakhri Abdel-Nour, Adel Abu Zahra, Salah Hilal, John Gerhart, Aida Guindy