With UN inspectors insisting Baghdad is not disarming and President Bush more gung-ho than ever, what happens next, asks Salah Hemeid
By Salah Hemeid
Sharon's Israel
Winning the Israeli elections may turn out to be the easy part of Ariel Sharon's triumph. He has now to form a government, writes Graham Usher from Jerusalem
By Graham Usher
In a move aimed at breathing life into a stagnating economy the government this week relinquished all control of the foreign exchange market, effectively devaluing the pound, writes Niveen Wahish --read on--
Working against the clock
The countdown to war may have begun in Washington and London, but regional leaders are still hoping for a peaceful solution to the Iraqi crisis. Nevine Khalil reports
Speaking another language
A leading political thinker has called for an Arab awakening as the way out, writes Mona El-Nahhas
Sorour takes a stand
Parliament's unwillingness to debate embarrassing questions directed at Prime Minister Atef Ebeid and Interior Minister Habib El-Adli has left the opposition in an uproar. Gamal Essam El-Din reports
Agriculture feels the heat
The trial of Youssef Abdel-Rahman -- Agriculture Minister Youssef Wali's former right-hand man -- is already causing ripples in political and economic circles. Gamal Essam El-Din reports
What truce?
Cairo managed to bring 12 Palestinian factions to the table for the first time in 20 years. But, reports Amira Howeidy , the results may not have been exactly what the hosts had in mind
A week of women's success
Mrs Suzanne Mubarak hosted an event on Sunday to celebrate the appointment of the first female Egyptian judge...
Newsreel
The head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities' newly- established retrieved antiquities department, along with another archaeological inspector, were arrested on Sunday on suspicion of accepting a bribe in exchange for smuggling 362 artefacts out of the country...
'Your voice is your dignity'
Only in the final straight of Israel's general election were passion and drama briefly injected into one of the most lacklustre campaigns ever among Israel's one million Palestinian citizens. Jonathan Cook reports from Nazareth
One killed every three hours
More Palestinian massacres before the Israeli elections. Khaled Amayreh reports from the West Bank
Shockwave from Shebaa
Hizbullah remains defiant in the face of increasing US and Israeli condemnation of its activities, reports Mohalhel Fakih from Beirut
Jenin massacre comes to DC
The brutal massacre of Palestinian civilians in Jenin by Israeli troops was re-enacted in a main square in Washington. Khaled Dawoud was there
Plea from Iraq
Voices from Baghdad are calling for peace, warning that war will be catastrophic not just for Iraq, but for the entire world, writes Michael Jansen in Baghdad
Toppling Saddam
Although US President George W Bush stopped short of a unilateral declaration of war on Iraq in his annual State of the Union address, all indications are that war is imminent, reports Khaled Dawoud from Washington
Unleashing the genie
While no one can forecast with any degree of certainty the specific form of alignments among the various segments of the Iraqi population in the immediate aftermath of an American assault, mass actions encapsulating a volatile mixture of euphoria, anxiety about the future, attempts at redressing the grave injustices of more than three decades of tyranny and the joy of practicing freedom would almost certainly be the order of the day once the Iraqi people firmly believe that Saddam's days are numbered.
By
Isam al-Khafaji
"We are all Iraqis"
Arab and Western human shields stream into Baghdad in a last bid of protest against an impending Anglo-American military onslaught. Omayma Abdel-Latif talked to key organisers on both sides
In solidarity
In a sign that anti-war sentiment in the Arab world is gaining new momentum, numerous protests were staged in Arab nations this week ahead of the UN weapons report to the Security Council -- perceived to be a key event in Washington's decision to declare war on Iraq...
Jumping the gun
A warning issued by the US State Department to Americans abroad is another indication that US preparations for war are going ahead at full speed, writes Nyier Abdou
Keeping the peace
Regional moves to avert war in Iraq have been plagued by a clash of agendas among the six countries that met in Istanbul this week. Gareth Jenkins reports
Old, but still kicking
With US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's dismissal of "Old Europe" unleashing a storm of protest in France, European hostility to an American-led war on Iraq is growing, writes David Tresilian in Paris
Winning hearts and minds
The United States is launching a multi-million dollar campaign to improve its image in the Muslim world. Aziza Sami examines the tactics being employed
Clash of the titans?
Russians feel that the US's stance on Iraq is merely the prelude to a much greater strategic initiative in the region. Shohdy Naguib reports from Moscow
Floating the pound
Bankers and economists are still discussing the implications for the economy of a free-floating pound. Niveen Wahish reports
Back to business
The reborn US-Egypt Business Council is firmly focussed on a Free Trade Agreement. Nevine Khalil looks at the steps taken so far
Bail-out or morale boost?
What were a host of World Bank and International Monetary Fund officials doing in Cairo last week, asks Sherine Abdel-Razek
Preparing for the worst
The Egyptian business community is bracing itself for more economic hardship in the event of an attack against Iraq. Mona El-Fiqi reports
Promoting petrochemicals
Egypt is trying to lure foreign investors into the petrochemicals sector. Shereen Nasr reports
German techies in town
A German business delegation recently visited Egypt with the hope of facilitating the entrance of German technical service providers into emerging markets in the Middle East in general, and into Egypt in particular...
Driven to Davos
Uncle Sam refuses to be everyone's favourite aunt Sally, writes Gamal Nkrumah
Iraq hijacks WEF
Debate over Iraq has consumed the World Economic Forum, reports Dina Ezzat
'Hear her breathe'
Impending war and the triumph of Lula's Workers Party in Brazil set the stage for this year's World Social Forum, writes Hani Shukrallah from Porto Alegre
A plea for Muslim unity
Speaking to Gamal Essam El-Din in Cairo before he left for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Asia's most strident voice, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed, described the United States as 'the man with the biggest club'
A call for trust
President of the World Economic Forum Klaus Schwab spoke to Reda Helal about Davos 2003, about building trust between the West and the Islamic world, the possible war in Iraq, and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict
The madness of Baghdad
The greatest obstacle to a peaceful resolution of the Iraqi crisis is the vain posturing of its political elite, writes Ibrahim Nafie
Johnson and Bush
In a continuing series of articles, Abdel-Moneim Said explores the impact of 11 September on Washington's views of the world
Promoting Egyptian-European relations
In the context of a visit to Brussels of a delegation of the Egyptian Council of Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Sid-Ahmed delivered, on 20 January, an address on peace and war in the region, as events in both Iraq and Palestine reach a critical threshold. Below is a summarised version of the text
The French Connection
Ayman El-Amir believes that a war on Iraq is not inevitable
Stuck in the middle
Abdullah El-Ashaal argues that the strength of Israel's democracy lies in its treatment of its Arab minority
The legacy of Jean-Paul Sartre
Until European intellectuals take on board the racist basis of the Jewish State, their support for the struggle of the Palestinians will always ring hollow, writes Joseph Massad
Bahgory One-line: SAMIR SARHAN
Editorial
Butcher at the helm
The international humanitarian organisation Christian Aid this week released a report detailing the plight of the Palestinian people...
Close up
Actions and words
While President Bush and his secretary of state continue to insist that they remain amenable to a peaceful solution of the Iraqi crisis the actions of the current US administration indicate only that the headlong desire to rush to war far outweighs any counsel to pursue an alternative route...
By Salama A Salama
Soapbox
Cairo dialogue
Egypt has succeeded in bringing together 13 factions from across the Palestinian political spectrum for talks in Cairo that aim at creating a national frame of reference and an agreement on a basic plan for the course of the Palestinian struggle in the coming phase...
By
Amr Elchoubaki
Hospital breakfasts
Thankfully I seem to be recuperating. My improved appetite indicates as much, anyway...
By Naguib Mahfouz
Mobile dialogues
This year's book fair provides for a variety of not exclusively literary pursuits, finds Youssef Rakha
Anyone for coffee?
The 35th Cairo International Book Fair opened to an anxious reception, writes Amina Elbendary
Let's dance
Amal Choucri Catta is airborne
Plain Talk
During the Cairo International Book Fair it sometimes might appear that the attention of the entire city is fixated on books. The event receives massive press and television coverage and has become a fixture of the cultural scene, not just nationally, but throughout the region...
By
Mursi Saad El-Din
Where the grass is green
A jar of pickled lemons spotted recently on the shelves of a local grocery store announced on its label that the contents were "delicious with food"...
By
Nigel Ryan
Briefs
The Chinese Cultural Centre commenced its activities last Thursday. Inaugurated at the end of October, 2002, the Centre invited the Hebei Folk Troupe to mark the official launch of its programme which will include seminars, exhibitions, screenings and Chinese language courses as well as performances...
Ahram Weekly joins the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the launch of their campaign "Children and War"
Sports, kids and war
Dena Rashed attends the launch of the "Children and War" campaign by football stars and humanitarian activists
"Where is mercy?"
Amira El-Noshokaty reports on the psychological impact of violence on children
The politics of humanitarian aid
How can humanitarian action retain its neutrality in today's global turmoil? Hala Sakr seeks some answers
Violence in peacetime
Violence against children is not confined to war situations, reports Amany Abdel-Moneim
Copts in Canada
Following the success of the museum set up by the Coptic emigrant community near Toronto, plans are being drawn up for a Canadian-Coptic village to provide a community centre and teach the younger generation about their heritage. Jill Kamil visited the organisers
Isis: The faithful and beautifu
Now that the Centennial of the Egyptian Museum is over, the spectacular "Hidden Treasures" exhibition in the basement of the Egyptian Museum is still open to the public...
By
Zahi Hawass
I am ready to go
At 46, I consider the Atlantic Ocean to be just the right distance between my family and me. But all that is about to change...
By
Sherif Milad
Great little bowls
Injy El-Kashef tries to remain seated
Chocolate and Pineapple Upside-Down Pudding
By Moushira Abdel-Malek
Egypt gets hyper
As the second Carrefour opened last week in Alexandria, Al-Ahram Weekly explores whether Egyptians will buy the concept, as well as the goods, of a hypermarket
The great sand stakes
Wildlife photographer Ahmed Sherif took these pictures of the camel race in the Wadi Al-Zalaga, between St Catherine's Monastery and the Oasis of Ain Umm- Ahmed near Nuweiba...
Ramses's giants
Being a tourist can be tiring, but rewarding. Rebekah Logan visits the sites south of Aswan
Ahli meet their match
Ajax Amsterdam broke Ahli's streak against Europe. Abeer Anwar covers the game and, below, the noble cause behind it
Continents get closer
Africa and Europe have come together in the Meridian Cup
Olympic double
For the second consecutive year, Egypt's Olympic football team left Qatar victorious, writes Nashwa Abdel-Tawab
Not done yet
Egypt is among 16 teams left in the world handball championship in Portugal but as Inas Mazhar reports, the world's fourth best team should go much farther
Relentless but humble
Andre Agassi was in supreme form as he destroyed Rainer Schuettler to claim his fourth Australian Open crown...
The Western way
The Western gateway, one of Egypt's main sources of diversity in population and culture, has invariably played the least prominent role because of the forbidding desert stretch that separates the route from the Nile Valley. But Professor Yunan Labib Rizk writes that this particular gateway has had its moments of significance
Rawya El-Gammal: Working with the given
Slow, hard, circuitous, and the aim is wholeness
By Yasmine El-Rashidi
Pack of Cards
By Madame Sosostris
Limelight
By Lubna Abdel-Aziz
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