The response to calls for a general strike on Sunday is open to a variety of interpretations. Shaden Shehab sifts through some of the possibilities

After two days of demonstrations calm has returned to the industrial town of Mahala Al-Kubra, reports Faiza Rady

As the ruling NDP sails to an election victory in local council elections, critics argue whether the overwhelming win was democracy's gain or loss, Gamal Essam El-Din reports

Calls for a general strike on Sunday were neither heeded en masse nor ignored. What, then, can be said about the confusing developments, asks Dina Ezzat

On a drive to disarm Sadr ahead of provincial elections, Al-Maliki proposes that militias back none in politics except him and his allies, reports Saad Abdel-Wahab from Baghdad

Magda El-Ghitany watches as new modes of technology are used as tools for political mobilisation

A law banning public demonstrations at places of worship angered the opposition, reports Mona El-Nahhas

The death of eight patients due to open-heart surgery at one of Egypt's main cardiac centres caused a panic, Reem Leila investigates

Intra-Shia strife is further evidence that after five years the US occupation cannot provide stability in Iraq, writes Ibrahim Nawwar

As Israel engages in nationwide defence drills, Abbas is told that settlement expansion will continue, reports Khaled Amayreh from Ramallah

Bombs would fall under other circumstances, but when influential rabbis call for the total annihilation of the Palestinians the world watches without blinking, writes Saleh Al-Naami

Lebanon viewed Israel's military manoeuvre with trepidation this week, but opinion was divided over whether it presaged war, Lucy Fielder reports from Beirut

The plight of Iraqi refugees in Egypt is compounded by a lack of access to education or to work

Will the elimination of tariffs on some imported items be enough to bring down prices in the local market? Mona El-Fiqi seeks an answer

Raising interest rates may help contain inflation, but Sherine Abdel-Razek finds out that more is needed

Hunger is both a violation of human dignity and an obstacle to social, political and economic progress, writes Nader Noureddin

Whoever wins in the Zimbabwe election, the land question remains the burning for the whole of southern Africa, avers Gamal Nkrumah

NATO moved eastward, upping the ante yet again with Russia, warns Eric Walberg

Egypt's football team captain Ahmed Hassan has chosen to play for Ahli after ending his 10-year career in Europe. Inas Mazhar finds out why