What is the Arab public supposed to make of the Khartoum summit? Dina Ezzat, in the Sudanese capital, finds no clear answer

It was poverty not disengagement that determined the outcome of the Israeli elections, writes Graham Usher in Jerusalem

Khaled Amayreh reports from the West Bank as the Legislative Council approves a Hamas-led cabinet

Abbas Kadhim reviews the reasons behind the strained relations between the US ambassador and Iraq's Shia

Questions about the political future of president Mubarak's son resurfaced this week after a live prime-time television interview, reports Gamal Essam El-Din

As Washington ratchets up tension against both Iran and Syria, the Cairo fourth anti-war conference expressed its solidarity with the Iraqi and Palestinian resistance and threw its weight behind Tehran's right to possess nuclear weapons, reports Amira Howeidy

The family of Mohamed Ali, who is accused of the gruesome murder of 10 people in Al-Minya last December, claim he was forced to confess of a crime he did not commit. Pierre Loza listens

Serene Assir reports as the Lebanese National Dialogue once again faces a deadlock

The surprise appointment of a new Syrian vice-president sparks debate on how far this may affect the country's future, Sami Moubayed reports from Damascus

Three years on, Daniela Pioppi writes about the reasons behind the decline of the once active anti-war movement in Italy

Telecom Egypt has raised its charges in order to finance further investment in services, reports Niveen Wahish

Charles Taylor's extradition from Nigeria to his native Liberia is replete with ramifications for other African leaders accused of human rights violations and war crimes, writes Gamal Nkrumah

Youssef Abu Raya's novel Laylat 'Urs, which will appear in an English translation later this year after winning the American University in Cairo's 2005 Naguib Mahfouz medal, depicts a suffocating reality through the prism of village life, writes Ibrahim Fathi

Nehad Selaiha applauds the current Christian initiative in Egypt to promote theatre and the arts

Dena Rashed explores a not so classical lifestyle

For Amira El-Noshokaty, the game gets serious

An ancient quarry rich in natural and cultural heritage is a potential site for nomination to the UNESCO's World Heritage List, says Nadja Tomoum

Nesmahar Sayed seeks a way out of the crystal labyrinth