Hundreds of Iraqi civilians are killed in a week of bloodshed as efforts to form a new government remain deadlocked, writes Salah Hemeid

Opposition bigwigs are miffed because of the apparent change of heart in Washington on the eve of the presidential poll, intuits Gamal Nkrumah

Mohamed El-Baradei takes his campaign for change to the provinces, Gamal Essam El-Din reports

In less than a week, ten explosions sent shock waves across Iraq, including the Egyptian consulate in Baghdad, Doaa El-Bey reports

Internal disputes in one of Egypt's biggest opposition parties rage on, reports Mohamed El-Sayed

Sit-ins before the People's Assembly and the Cabinet Office have become a part of daily life, reports Mohamed Abdel-Baky

A demonstration demanding an end to the emergency law is thwarted by the kind of tight police measures the emergency law condones, reports Mohamed El-Sayed

Pension funds and poverty rates were the cause of heated debate in parliament recently, Gamal Essam El-Din reports

Fayyad's apparent determination to build Palestinian state institutions leaves many questioning what kind of state he envisions precisely, writes Khaled Amayreh in Ramallah

By force of arms or by force of morals? Palestinians are looking again at the meaning and tactics of resistance, writes Saleh Al-Naami

Bigger than land on map, Palestine is the name of all universal struggles for a better world, writes Samah Sabawi in Melbourne

Even before Sudanese polls open the death knell may be sounding over a united state

Despite widespread allegations of voter fraud, Darfurians appear willing to give the upcoming Sudanese elections a chance, writes Ali Belail

Hizbullah will continue to cooperate with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, but only on its own terms, writes Omayma Abdel-Latif in Beirut

Jumblatt's talks with Al-Assad in Damascus last week will have lasting repercussions on Lebanese-Syrian relations, says Bassel Oudat in Damascus

Only genuine engagement can stop Iran becoming the world's tenth nuclear-armed state, writes Graham Usher in New York

Pundits reacted with horror to the idea that the Arab nation should forge ties with its near neighbours, though the vision is overdue and correct, writes Mustafa El-Labbad

The hacking of an old white supremacist hand poignantly brings home the historical predicament tearing at the heart of South Africa as the country prepares to host the World Cup, warns Gamal Nkrumah

Giuseppe Acconcia takes the ferry

Ati Metwaly jazzes it up

Diamond cuts, femme fatales -- and Gamal Nkrumah

Hani Mustafa goes to war

THE CAIRO Opera House last week commemorated the 33rd anniversary of the death of Abdel-Halim Hafez -- probably the most popular and beloved Egyptian male singer of all time -- with the Opera House's Kenoz (Treasures) Arab music band giving an unforgettable performance for fans of the great romantic singer, Rania Khallaf reports.

Salonaz Sami investigates FarmVille, the latest Internet gaming phenomenon

The chief of the Egyptian Referees' Committee talks to Ahmed Morsy as allegations of favouritism abound