The NDP's second annual conference will end today with Gamal Mubarak's Policies Committee having consolidated its leadership of the ruling party. Gamal Essam El-Din has been following the debate

An invited foreign audience at a special session of the NDP conference gave Gamal Mubarak the opportunity to make the case for reform, reports Omayma Abdel-Latif

Israel's dubious detention of six Egyptian students on charges of allegedly planning "terrorist attacks" has provoked a spate of speculation back home. Gihan Shahine investigates

A year and a half after its "liberation", Iraq appears to be coming apart at the seams. Hassan Hamid reports from Baghdad

Egypt plays down political rifts as the reason for postponing this week's intra-Palestinian talks. Khaled Amayreh in the West Bank and Rasha Saad in Cairo report

A feeble "opposition" offers its two cents worth. Only the media is listening, writes Amira Howeidy

At a Bibliotheca Alexandrina conference, Arab intellectuals chided authorities for the slow pace of political reform. Gamal Nkrumah attended

Will the call to prayer be made with one voice? Reem Nafie finds out

Graham Usher visits Nablus, a city under permanent Israeli siege and teetering on the brink of internal collapse

While expressing anger at calls to halt its uranium enrichment activities, Iran still found a way to keep the door open for dialogue. Rasha Saad reports

Sudan is giving the UN the runaround and the patience of the US is fast running out, writes Gamal Nkrumah

Does Germany's interior minister really hate Muslims, or is he just providing a diversionary tactic? Abdel-Azim Hammad investigates

What's the significance of all the recent talk of mergers and restructuring in the banking sector? Wael Gamal investigates

Although the Egyptian government showcased its recent reform schemes at a leading annual international business conference, the world remains sceptical, writes Sherine Nasr

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina came into its own this week with the second Beacon for Freedom of Expression conference bringing together sundry Arab viewpoints

At the first of three conferences held in Alexandria and Cairo last week, the reminiscences and reflections of novelist and filmmaker Alain Robbe-Grillet captivated the audience