26 June - 2 July 2003 [644]
Graphic version | Current issue | Previous issue
Mystery unsolved
Three months after the fall of his regime the mystery of Saddam's whereabouts still haunts Iraq, writes Salah HemeidStaggering to life
Israel is not interested in Palestinian reforms. It wants civil war, writes Graham Usher from JerusalemPhoto Caption
Amid nation-wide destruction this statue of Badr Shaker Al-Sayyab (1926-1964) in Shatt Al-Arab, in his home town of Basra, remains unscathed. One of Iraq's, and the Arab world's, greatest modern poets, Al-Sayyab often wrote of exile...
'Step by step'
European and American envoys were in Cairo this week to discuss the additional steps needed for greater progress to be made on the roadmap for Palestinian-Israeli peace.A strategic dialogue
A high-profile Egyptian delegation is in the US discussing strategic political and economic ties. Hoda Tewfik , in Washington, and Gamal Essam El-Din in Cairo, reportTwists and turns
Legal complications concerning the Press Syndicate elections appear to be far from over. Shaden Shehab reportsHe's back
Is Saadeddin Ibrahim looking for retribution? In an exclusive interview with Jailan Halawi , the embattled sociologist says he's more committed to both his teaching and his civil society workPutting down the scalpel
A Cairo conference on how to prevent female circumcision concluded that it takes more than a law to stop the physical violation of girls. Dina Ezzat and Dahlia Hammouda attended'Deviant' thought on trial
As the trial of 26 suspected members of the banned Islamic Liberation Party resumed, observers speaking to Jailan Halawi described the prosecutor's case as "contradictory" and "weak"And the winners are
After weeks of speculation and, one assumes, much lobbying, the Supreme Council for Culture (SCC) has finally announced the winners of this year's state awards...Public-private waves
Are Egypt's newest radio stations really private? Hanan Sabra investigatesNewsreel
A Cairo criminal court ordered the temporary release of Mustafa Bakri, editor-in- chief of the weekly Al-Osbou' newspaper, and Mahmoud Bakri, his deputy and brother, on Monday...Stranded!
Life since the fall of Baghdad has been particularly difficult for certain people who have long called Iraq their home, Galal Nassar discovers at the border crossing to Iran near BasraProtests without borders
The last two weeks have been tense ones for Iran's Islamic leadership, writes Negar AzimiOverseeing the disintegration
Shimon Peres is taking temporary control of the Labour Party at the most crisis-ridden point in its history. Jonathan Cook reportsMujahidin go down with Saddam
With Iran already the focus of international attention over student protests and US criticisms of its nuclear programme, French police last week arrested hundreds of Iranian exiles accused of engaging in terrorism. David Tresilian, in Paris, writesPlaying for keeps
The fallout of the triumphant liberation of traditionally Kurdish regions in the north of Iraq has shifted a heavy burden onto local authorities, reports Nyier AbdouWitnesses to war crimes
The trial of Israeli peace activists Neta Golan and Shelly Native opened 19 June in a Kfar Saba courthouse...Washington pipe-dreams
If the president of the US can't stand up to Israel, who can? asks Mohamed HakkiDummy outposts
Settlers quietly re-establish outposts after Israeli army dismantles them. Jonathan Cook reports from the West BankBack to parliament
Jordan's parliamentary elections held few surprises. Lola Keilani reports from AmmanRolling bulldozers
The apartheid wall is turning the life of Palestinians in Rafah into an even greater nightmare. Annika Hampson reports from GazaThe heat is on
Lebanon and Syria are facing US pressure to back the "roadmap" peace plan, even while it leaves them out in the cold, writes Mohalhel FakihNo two ways' about the League
In the course of attempting to reform the criticism-battered Arab League, the organisation's secretary-general is advocating new approaches to relations among Arab countries. Dina Ezzat reports'Determined to move ahead'
MENA Board Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Mahfouz El-Ansari spoke exclusively with US Assistant Secretary of State William Burns about the next steps on the road to Middle East peaceShort on miracles on the Dead Sea
Business and political leaders from around the world dipped their toes in salty waters and promised to bring health to an ailing region. Reda Helal, in Jordan for the extraordinary meeting of the World Economic Forum, finds that miracles require more attention to detailThe language of bloodshed
By targeting Hamas activists, Israel is pulling the rug from under a looming truce. Khaled Amayreh reports from JerusalemRoadmap timeline
18 June: Palestinian PM Mahmoud Abbas holds separate meetings with Hamas and Islamic Jihad but no cease-fire agreement is reached...Seeing an FTA through
After five years of fruitless talk, steps towards a free trade agreement with the US are now gaining momentum, Gamal Essam El-Din reportsRestructuring regional energy
A conference on the future of regional energy stressed the need for better integration between Eastern Mediterranean, Caspian and Black Sea energy markets. Eman Youssef reports from IstanbulBreaking ICT ground
Arab preparations for a key global ICT meeting are in full swing. Dina Ezzat reportsBracing for Cancun
The deliberations of trade representatives from 30 countries during an informal WTO mini-ministerial meeting were amicable -- at least in public. Niveen Wahish reports from Sharm El-SheikhThe war tab
As the fiscal year comes to a close, the government assesses the effects of the war in Iraq on economic growth. Mona El-Fiqi reportsBriefs
Egypt's first "affinity card" was launched by Citibank Egypt, in conjunction with the Association of Friends of the National Cancer Institute (AFNCI) and Mastercard...
Interwoven destinies
Let us rekindle the ancient ties between Ethiopia and Egypt -- boost trade and enhance cultural exchanges -- the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zennawi told Gamal Nkrumah in an exclusive interview in Addis Ababa
Controlling the flow
The rapid rise in African migrants seeking refuge in Europe featured prominently at the European Union summit meeting in Thessaloniki, Greece, last week, writes Gamal NkrumahThe other Fidel
After enduring 43 years of US embargo and terror attacks, Cuba has become a skilful survivor. Fidel Castro Diaz talks to Faiza RadyMeeting ASEAN's challenges
With member states involved in bickering over trivia, the ASEAN 2003 summit proved to be yet another fatuous talking shop, writes Damien Kingsbury
A tangible beginning
Arab and Palestinian positions at the World Economic Forum reflect a new realism and responsibility, writes Ibrahim NafieDignity and solidarity
The struggle of the Palestinian people is now a byword for emancipation and enlightenment, except, perhaps, in the Arab world, writes Edward SaidThe temperamental state
The true mystery of Saddam is not how he got the way he was, writes Abdel-Moneim Said, but how he managed to get away with it for so longA virtual Palestinian state
Mohamed Sid-Ahmed argues that announcing the creation of a Palestinian state alone will not be enough to end the conflictEditorial: Inching closer
Israel must learn to listen, not only to its own, obstinate inner voice, but to the voices of others: the United States, the European Union, the Arab world and, especially, the Palestinians...Close up
Lifeless water
After three consecutive, carefully organised summits, beginning with Sharm El-Sheikh to Aqaba to the Dead Sea, talk has been non-stop about US President George W Bush's brainchild, the roadmap...
By Salama A SalamaSoapbox
Whose human rights?
When the government announced that it was about to create a national council for human rights some people imagined that the state, after two decades of struggle by rights groups in Egypt, had at long last realised that human rights were worthy of attention...
By Magdi MehannaChange
When people become dissatisfied with their conditions they begin to aspire to change. Talk of change, then, becomes an expression of the desire for reform...
By Naguib MahfouzBahgory One-line: ABDULLAH AL-QAWASMEH
Known to all
Admissions of failed mediation, an attack by Al-Akhbar on activist Saadeddin Ibrahim and the Muslim Brotherhood and scepticism towards the World Economic Forum in Amman occupied the press this week, writes Aziza SamiNow it's over, now it's not
The war is not over in Iraq, and the roadmap is not the way to peace, at least not according to the Arab press, writes Amina ElbendaryBottom Lines
Weekly quotes from the Arab press
Forging ahead
A week of shows by independent troupes at Al-Tali'a gives Nehad Selaiha hope for the futureIn progress: 'To see the world...'
Petra Schneider, 29, is a free- lance German photographer. She is currently studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich with Sean Scully and with Thomas Ruff in Düsseldorf, having studied photography at the Academy of Photo Design earlier...
By Rania GaafarPlain Talk
The plays of Ibsen, like those of Chekhov, are part of the English repertoire; as early as 1889 Ibsen's Ghosts was staged in London. Currently two Ibsen plays are on show there: The Master Builder at the Albery Theatre; and Brand at the Theatre Royal in the Haymarket...
By Mursi Saad El-DinEvents predicted
Amal Choucri Catta delights in the season's endThe radio phenomenon
Sherif Iskander Nakhla switches off the televisionPhoto Caption
My grandfather, the journalist
Free theatre troupes from around the country are to showcase productions beginning 1 July at Al-Hanager Theatre in the Opera House grounds as part of the Second Independent Light Comedy Festival, a subsection of the Sixth Free Theatre Festival...
"Should I pursue a career in journalism or should I switch to marketing?" I asked my grandfather as he lay in a hospital bed...
Restaurant review: Cairo when it sizzles
Injy El-Kashef skips all but the lipstickSufra Dayma: Apple Oatmeal Cookies
Weekly recipe by Moushira Abdel-MalekMood swings: All for a cause
The second World Refugee Day Festival in Egypt hinted at a growing public awareness of the challenges facing refugees in the country, writes Gamal Nkrumah
Huntington and beyond
Are our attitudes towards sex and sexuality the ultimate fault-line in the "clash of civilisations"? Fatemah Farag considers the debate between Foreign Policy and the Bahrain Centre for Studies and ResearchAnger management
Can we teach men not to be violent? Amira El-Noshokaty reports on a project that claims this is possibleColour me beautiful
Negar Azimi finds a photographic legacy living on in downtown Cairo
Nefertiti always and forever
Has the mummy of the beautiful Ancient Egyptian Queen Nefertiti, wife of the Pharaoh Akhenaten, really been identified? Nevine El-Aref investigatesDig days: Nour El-Sherif
Nour El-Sherif lives the roles he plays, and does not talk about a film until it is finished. There is always a message in his films...
By Zahi HawassShare the feeling
Ireland stunned the world with a spectacular opening ceremony at the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games. From Dublin Inas Mazhar reports on one fantastic fiestaMr David Beckham Sir
With all the talk and news print about David Beckham moving to Real Madrid, I can't help but throw in my two cents' worth of opinions on the subject...Rest assured, almost
Egypt drew as close as any country can get to qualifying for the African Nations Cup. Eric Asomugha sees what more is needed
In the army
Al-Ahram's six-month-long series of articles on armies of the world, beginning in 1932, was precipitated by the first international disarmament conference, held in Geneva, which aimed to ban offensive and limit defensive weapons. It was also published at a time of global anxiety as another major conflagration seemed imminent and, in fact, erupted seven years after the series concluded. Professor Yunan Labib Rizk reviews the military's who's who
Fouad El-Tohami: From the middle on
Cairo, Baghdad, Beirut, Cairo: a circular journey
Profile by Hani Mustafa
Pack of Cards
By Madame SosostrisLimelight
By Lubna Abdel-Aziz