Despite hiccups, Egypt's transitional phase is coming to an end, Dina Ezzat writes

The war of attrition between the ruling military council and Islamist political forces in parliament focussed this week on the Presidential Elections Commission, Gamal Essam El-Din reports

Amani Maged interviews Mohamed Mursi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate in the forthcoming presidential elections and assesses his chances of success

Dena Rashed examines the electoral programme and ideas of presidential candidate Mohamed Selim El-Awwa

Amirah Ibrahim profiles presidential candidate Ahmed Shafik, describing the controversy over his candidacy for the post

Khaled Ali, the youngest presidential candidate, translates in word and spirit the principles of the 25 January Revolution: bread, freedom and social justice. Yet, he is unlikely to win in the elections, writes Khaled Dawoud

Reem Leila looks at some of the presidential race's no-hopers

Despite the huge importance of Egypt's first post-revolution presidential elections, only a fraction of eligible voters abroad registered, reports Doaa El-Bey

Who will Egypt's Copts vote for in the forthcoming presidential elections, asks Sameh Fawzi

Adel Abdel-Ghaffar assesses media coverage of Egypt's presidential contest so far

Reem Leila presents what people want to know about the potential first ladies

Despite claims by Muslim Brotherhood MPs and human rights groups that the army used excessive force to disperse a one-week sit-in close to the Defence Ministry in Cairo, public opinion has largely supported the move, reports Khaled Dawoud

Whether Egypt's newly elected parliament will be dissolved is expected to be decided by the Supreme Constitutional Court one month from now, Gamal Essam El-Din reports

The recent violence in Abbasiya is a rude reminder for the next president of the legacy that awaits him, writes Amira Howeidy

Although an Egyptian lawyer is still in detention, once tense Egyptian-Saudi relations have eased, reports Doaa El-Bey

Egypt's telecommunications market is to receive yet another mobile operator; a virtual one, writes Niveen Wahish

Kofi Anan's latest report on the Syrian conflict was bleak, writes Graham Usher at the UN

The opposition boycotted the Syrian parliamentary elections this week, claiming that they were simply a repeat of already failed experiments at reform, writes Bassel Oudat in Damascus

Pressure is building on Israel as an open-ended hunger strike by thousands of Palestinian prisoners continues, writes Khaled Amayreh in Ramallah

With Kadima now a partner in the coalition government, and the Israeli public veering strongly towards the right wing, Netanyahu is no longer fearful of being outmanoeuvred, writes Saleh Al-Naami

On the 64th Nakba anniversary, Palestinians lose hope of statehood

Amid continuing violence and uncertainty, Libya will go to the polls -- or at least some Libyans, notes Gamal Nkrumah

Al-Qaeda forces attacked government forces in Yemen this week, following the killing of one of the organisation's leaders in a US drone attack, reports Nasser Arrabyee

While North and South Sudan face off on the border, in the North sectarian attacks appear to be increasing in frequency, writes Asmaa El-Husseini

Western media coverage has distorted the stakes of the legislative elections in Iran, writes Mojtaba Mousavi

Socialist Party candidate François Hollande was elected the next French president in last weekend's elections in a result that could have consequences for Europe as a whole, writes David Tresilian in Paris

Nehad Selaiha applauds the timing, context, artistry and political implications of a student production of Wendy Wasserstein's Third by the drama group of the English department of Cairo University

Ati Metwaly profiles the Al-Nour Wal Amal Orchestra, a unique orchestra for blind girls

If teenagers set out to bring change to their schools and the educational curriculum, what chances do they have of success, asks Abeya El-Bakry

After being stranded in Mali following an attempted coup, Ahli's second leg match against Malien in the African Champions League round 16 was delayed for two days, Ahmed Morsy reports