Lebanese commemorate the third anniversary of Hariri's assassination amid rising tension, Omayma Abdel-Latif writes from Beirut

With shells hitting Israeli settlements, the Israeli government examines renewed and costly military action or forcing Egypt to administer Gaza, writes Saleh Al-Naami

Gamal Nkrumah examines the ramifications of this week's ruling that Christian converts to Islam who revert back to Christianity be officially classified as such

In an unprecedented move, a leftist MP was barred from participating in parliamentary meetings on charges of slandering police officers and high-ranking state officials, Gamal Essam El-Din reports

Egyptian authorities are searching for a cargo vessel that went missing in the Red Sea. Reem Leila reports on the vanishing act

In the aftermath of Egypt's famous victory in the Africa Cup of Nations, Alaa Abdel-Ghani examines what it means to win

Three years after its listing on UNESCO's World Heritage List, Wadi Al-Hitan was opened as a tourist site by Mrs Suzanne Mubarak last Sunday, Nevine El-Aref reports

Despite the presentation of a new blueprint for reform this week, the country's opposition parties may be incapable of bringing about real change, writes Mona El-Nahhas

Even Fayyad admits there are no peace prospects, reports Khaled Amayreh from the West Bank

The more Europe stands idly by, watching Israeli war crimes and collective punishment in Gaza, the more its foreign policy aspirations fall apart before its eyes, writes Stuart Reigeluth

Hanady Salman writes from Beirut on a tale of two Lebanons

Iranian protest against the establishment of a French military base in the Gulf is the latest incident in Iran's sideshow standoff with France, Rasha Saad reports

Palestinian strategist Mounir Shafiq predicted current tensions with Iran four years ago. He argues in interview with Amira Howeidy that the balance of power is not in favour of the US or Israel, if only the Arabs would listen

The finance minister stood up to fierce attacks by independent MPs charging him with misusing the money of pension funds, reports Gamal Essam El-Din

Barack Obama's "movement for change" is taking America by storm, and with reason, writes James Zogby

Will the Iraq war define the US presidential elections, wonders Ramzy Baroud

In addition to a bumper opium harvest, the US is reaping the whirlwind in Afghanistan, warns Eric Walberg

All the polls indicate that Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party will win Pakistan's elections next week, but can it survive without a Bhutto at the helm, asks Graham Usher in Garhi Khuda Baksh

Rania Khallaf is disappointed at events organised to commemorate the centenary of the death of Egyptian nationalist leader Mustafa Kamel who once said that had he not been born an Egyptian he would have wanted to be one

Margot Badran laments the recent closing down of Zanan, the Iranian Journal for Women

The Cairo Children's Cancer Hospital has a vision that extends far beyond the simple delivery of healthcare and uses art as part of therapy, as Ghada Abd El-Kader discovers

The verdict is in: Egypt's national soccer team is everyone's favourite Valentine this year as Egyptians continued to bask in their mood of elation and pride. Nashwa Abdel-Tawab delights in an unprecedented Valentine's season