It will take more than a cabinet reshuffle to impress the public, writes Shaden Shehab

The NDP's ninth congress is being trailed as an opportunity to restructure the party. But what might that involve, asks Gamal Essam El-Din

As the US looks for a face-saving exit strategy, Iraq's political muddle offers little hope, reports Nermeen Al-Mufti

The Palestinian president is again soliciting Egypt's strength to keep Hamas inside the box. But, asks Dina Ezzat, is he having any success?

Islamic Cairo is still waiting for a comprehensive urban development plan, much to the concern of the World Heritage Committee, writes Nevine El-Aref

Water is the great leveller. Well, almost, writes Karim El-Khashab

Can Mamdouh Marei survive a cabinet reshuffle as justice minister? Most judges hope not, writes Mona El-Nahhas

Disinherited Egyptians have always vented about their government but, as Dina Ezzat finds out, they may have better reason to do so now than ever before

The Ghad Party remains mired in legal disputes, reports Mona El-Nahhas

Take two former ministers, a judge and a piece of government-owned land. Mix them together and you have the recipe for the latest corruption scandal, reports Karim El-Khashab

Israeli control of the Al-Oja crossing means that hundreds of Palestinians remain stranded in Egypt, reports Serene Assir from North Sinai

With the media abuzz over a Muslim wanting to convert to Christianity, Nashwa Abdel-Tawab investigates the challenging issue of apostasy

The timing of the Gulf arms deal looks very suspicious, according to Mohamed Darwish

A win for a Hizbullah ally in a by-election was another blow to US plans for Lebanon, Lucy Fielder reports

Fighting in the north of Lebanon raises key questions about the regional matrix of Islamist resistance alliances, writes Dyab Abu Jahjah

The meeting between Israeli Premier Olmert and Palestinian President Abbas in Jericho is unlikely to achieve much, warns Khaled Amayreh from the West Bank

Russia's attempts to overcome the stand-off between Palestine's political factions conflict with US-Israeli pressures, reports Saleh Al-Naami

The government's decision to open the agricultural irrigation and drainage water sectors to private investment has sparked a wave of mixed reactions. Gamal Essam El-Din tests the waters

For Sarkozy, there is not just one Monsieur Afrique, says Eva Dadrian

British prisons will turn into radical Islamist universities unless Britain steers clear of ratcheting up its draconian "anti-terror" legislation, Sukant Chandan warns

Washington is pressing General Musharraf into deals he can't deliver, writes Graham Usher in Islamabad

A sheikh, an economist and a century of political turmoil: Youssef Rakha gets into the autobiography of Galal Amin

Columnist Safinaz Kazem -- once a leftist, now an Islamist, always a feminist -- has put together a fascinating miscellany. Rania Khallaf takes a look

The death of Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni within 24 hours of each other marks the end of modernism, argues Mohamed El-Assyouti

Mahmoud Bakr and Amira El-Noshokaty grieve over the massacre of trees