Dina Ezzat reports on Arab diplomatic efforts to prevent Iraq and Lebanon from sinking deeper into chaos

Lebanon remains hostage to local and regional rivalries, Omayma Abdel-Latif reports from Beirut

While Haniyeh scores victories for all Palestinians, Abbas is frustrated in his hopes to bring down the Hamas government, writes Khaled Amayreh in the West Bank

People flee their homes after death threats while armed gangs roam the streets; there seems no way to escape the sectarian violence engulfing Iraq, writes Nermeen Al-Mufti from Baghdad

Hala Halim speaks with Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer, in Cairo, about trauma and witnessing

Clear messages of wisdom and warnings against civil unrest were sent this week by Cairo to both Baghdad and Beirut, reports Dina Ezzat

Judge Mahmoud Seddiq Borham, who vowed to defend his reputation to the end when accused of colluding in vote rigging, ends his lawsuit, reports Mona El-Nahhas

Culture Minister Farouk Hosni's meeting with MPs almost degenerated into chaos but it was the minister, most agreed, who in the end prevailed over his critics, reports Gamal Essam El-Din

Recently circulated footage of policemen torturing suspects has forced the Interior Ministry on the back foot, reports Karim El-Khashab

Nearly two million Iraqis have fled their war-torn home and settled in neighbouring countries, triggering fears of a regional refugee crisis, writes Salah Hemeid

A shaky ceasefire agreement holds in Gaza as Abbas ponders his next political move, reports Erica Silverman

Despite the restricted franchise, many see the first ever UAE elections as a positive step for the country and the region, writes Mohamed Darwish

The regional battle over administering the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, writes Dina Ezzat, is almost as complex as the struggle itself

Cuba celebrates the success of its revolution and pays tribute to Castro, reports Faiza Rady

The recent poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko is but the latest in a line of elaborate and mysterious deaths, explains Eva Dadrian

At the 16th annual Theatre Clubs' Festival, the first after the Beni Sweif holocaust on 5 September last year, Nehad Selaiha senses a fierce determination to carry on despite the tragedy

At the 30th Cairo International Film Festival, Mohamed El-Assyouti watches two films exploring the complexity of North Africa's relationship with Europe