13 - 19 November 2003 [664]
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Sharon's wiles
The difference between Sharon's approach to Hizbullah and the PA is more apparent than real, writes Graham Usher in JerusalemMore spin, what else?
"Iraqification" may be Washington's PR pitch for ending its occupation of Iraq, but who are the Iraqis the Americans have in mind? Salah Hemeid reports
Focussed on domestic interests
President Mubarak outlined Egypt's perspective on a plethora of domestic and foreign policy issues this week, reports Nevine KhalilAppreciating resistance
The escalation of Iraqi resistance has inspired hope and speculation on the streets of Cairo. Gihan Shahine gauges public reactionsFriendly fire
Is the standoff between the US Embassy and the Egyptian media an attempt to gag the press, or a case of a little friendly advice? Omayma Abdel-Latif searches for answersBack in session, minus 15
Political reform, disreputable ruling party MPs and the economic crisis look to top parliament's agenda this term. Gamal Essam El-Din reportsAl-Azhar strikes back
Youssef Rakha keeps up with the latest in the controversy generated by poet Ahmed El-Shahawi's Al-Wasaya fi Ishq Al-NisaaShifting to Airbus
With the recent purchase of five planes and seven more in the pipeline, EgyptAir is going all out for Airbus. Amira Ibrahim reports from ToulouseStar rivalry after iftar
Money wrangling and competition over starring roles provided the backdrop for this year's Ramadan TV bonanza. Hanan Sabra reportsFearless speech
Human Rights Watch honours outspoken rights activist Aida Seif El-Dawla for her work. She spoke with Amira Howeidy before the ceremony in New YorkNewsreel
In a new round of preparatory talks leading up to a national dialogue on political and economic reforms, leading NDP figures Safwat El-Sherif and Kamal El-Shazli held meetings with the chairmen of three opposition parties...Suicide shock for Saudi
The latest suicide attack, in which no Americans were killed, raises new questions about the new targets of terror, writes John R Bradley in RiyadhBaptism by fire
The Palestinian Authority has finally replaced Ahmed Qurei's emergency government, but the new leadership will quickly be tested by aggressive Israeli policies. Khaled Amayreh reportsSyria's lost and last chance
The Lebanese Christian opposition views the Syria Accountability Act as a replay of earlier international and regional measures, but simply unacceptable in coming from the US, Ziyad Baroud writesWhen help hurts
Plagued by doubts about security, humanitarian organisations are leaving Iraq in droves. Nyier Abdou looks at what happens when neutrality is not enoughFirst Saddam, now Uncle Sam
Accused of collaborating with the occupying forces while trying to secure law and order, the Iraqi police find themselves between a rock and a hard place in the new Iraq. Karim El-Gawhary writes from BaghdadRebuffed, for now
Despite its decision not to send troops to Iraq, the Turkish authorities reiterated that this is not the end of the issue. Gareth Jenkins reports from AnkaraIf not now, when?
The contested status of Samir Al-Qontar in the Israel-Hizbullah prisoners exchange deal leaves outsiders wondering if months of negotiation will amount to nothing. Mohalhel Fakih reports from Beirut
Back to the breadbasket?
A recent decision to raise local wheat prices may encourage farmers to sell more of their crop to the government and cut the import bill. Niveen Wahish reportsReining in food prices
The government is making an all-out effort to control the prices of food products. Mona El-Fiqi reportsTightened budgets hurt fawanees market
Ramadan is already half over, but the fawanees (colourful lanterns traditionally displayed during the holy month) are still standing forgotten on the shelves...BMW shifts out of neutral
After 12 months of stagnation, BMW is restarting production in Egypt. Yasmine El-Rashidi reportsRoad to Sudan
At last, Egypt and its southern neighbour Sudan will be connected by a paved road...An extraordinary violation
The plight of Canadian-Syrian Maher Arar is a disturbing example of how far the United States is prepared to go in its hunt for suspected terrorists, writes Jaideep MukerjiAre we over the worse?
War-torn East Timor braces itself for life without the United Nations, writes Damien KingsburyMore Europeans fear Israel
Iraq? North Korea? United States? Nope. According to a recent poll, most Europeans think Israel is a threat to world peace. Dawood Traboulsi reports from parisAccessorising or secularising?
French attitudes on head covering are veiled in arguments about secularism, reports Jeremy Landor from parisMauritania's hour postponed
Mauritanian President Mouawiya Ould Taya's sweeping victory at the polls this week might set the country on an irrevocable course of authoritarianism and racial discrimination, argues Gamal NkrumahThe money trail
In Iraq American multinationals cash in on cronyism and corruption, writes Faiza RadySpare us more progress
Appeals by the Bush administration for the public to look at the "positive side" of the situation in Iraq seem to be falling on deaf ears, Khaled Dawoud reports from Washington
Double trouble
US double standards are the foremost impediment to the democratisation of the Middle East, writes Ibrahim NafieLessons in moral dignity
For justice to be reunited with history, liberal and democratic forces in Palestine and the Arab world must be capable of reaching, and changing, the minds of Israelis, writes Azmi BisharaWhen crises overlap
Mohamed Sid-Ahmed asks whether water shortage in the Middle East is likely to further aggravate the political crises in the region, or help do the oppositeMatrix reloaded -- yet again
Israel may one day create some sort of severely circumscribed state for the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza. The question is what kind of a nation will be left to enjoy its limited fruits. Jonathan Cook poses the questionTanks and Caterpillars
As the government of the Jewish state forces the Palestinians in ghettos, history must be turning in its grave, writes Neve GordonWhile we were sleeping
Arab analysts should wake up and recognise the trends moving the centre of world history from the West to the East, writes Anwar Abdel-MalekNo justice, no peace
With human rights tribunals closing their doors to claims against the American government, what options remain for Afghans and Iraqis, asks Curtis DoebblerThe opening volley
James Zogby travels to Iowa and New Hampshire as the presidential primaries get underwayEditorial:
Digging its own grave
The entire region is reeling in the aftermath of the bombing of a residential compound for expatriate workers in Riyadh...Close up
Al-Qa'eda, who benefits?
The murderous suicide bombings at the residential compound in Riyadh symbolise the utter failure of Al-Qa'eda and its extremist members...
By Salama A SalamaSoapbox
Burning Bush
President Bush seems to be burning with desire to bring democracy, freedom, and human rights into this long-deprived region...
Democracy
The increasingly persistent foreign demand that Arab countries should apply and uphold democracy must not blind us to the indisputable fact that democracy was always one of the essential precepts of the nationalist movement in Egypt...
By Naguib MahfouzBahgory One-line: AHMED QUREI
Democracy without democrats
Another sweeping look by Bush at how he would like to see a future Middle East made the Egyptian press livid, writes Omayma Abdel-LatifNo two ways about it
After a most heinous act of terror in a most holy land, it was obvious to Gamal Nkrumah that the Arab press unanimously decried the attackBottom Lines
Quotes from the Arab press
Teasing ambivalences
Nehad Selaiha welcomes a revival of Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author at the AUCBedtime stories
Amal Choucri Catta finds new fascination in an old talePlain Talk
I have had occasion to write about the Dahesh Museum of Art, a "jewel of a museum" which I visited more than once...
By Mursi Saad El-DinPhoto Caption
MEN AT PRAYER: One of the many sculpture installations constructed by Ahmed Askalany, on show at the Townhouse Gallery till 3 December...Revolutionary musahharati
As the holy month draws to a close, Noha Radwan traces back vernacular poet Fouad Haddad's unlikely lineage
Unsanitary garbage
Donkey heads and hooves recently discovered in public containers have raised questions about safe hazardous material disposal in Cairo. Dena Rashed investigatesPaper or plastic?
Decorating the streets and alleys for Ramadan is one of Egypt's oldest traditions. Yasmine Fathi takes a walk
The 40 days' nightmare
It spelled lucrative trade for some and despair for others. Jenny Jobbins traces the steps of those who trod the Darb Al-Arba'inStations on the Darb Al-Arba'in
It spelled lucrative trade for some and despair for others. Jenny Jobbins traces the steps of those who trod the Darb Al-Arba'inDig days
Antiquities for sale
Ceding no inch
Ismaili continued their unbeaten run in the Arab Football Champions League, writes Mohamed El-SayedSaved by Ali
A brilliant header by Abdel-Halim Ali kept Zamalek's perfect record intact. Eric Asmougha reports7-7-7
Who can run seven marathons in seven days on seven continents? Yasmine El-Rashidi meets the man who didA fortnight of nothing
The Egyptian national women's volleyball team takes on Turkey today at the beginning of the fourth and final stage of the Women's Volleyball World Cup in Japan. Inas Mazhar reportsEddery bows out
Eleven-time champion jockey Pat Eddery brought down the curtain on a glittering 36-year career at Doncaster on Saturday...That unrecognisable thing called sports
One of the biggest sports stories of this year had little to do with sports. Instead, it had everything to do with unsportsmanlike people...Briefs
Anna Kournikova is refusing to give up on her tennis career despite suffering from a chronic back injury...
Stop press
In 1933, Tawfiq Diab, owner of Al-Jihad newspaper, was found guilty of defaming the government over a bill to build a reservoir. Diab's sentence was relatively light: three months in prison and a LE50 fine. Nevertheless, writes Professor Yunan Labib Rizk, the ruling would have serious ramifications on the future of the Egyptian press
El-Tabei Mohamed El-Tabei: Beaniology
The science of beans is a matter of pride
Pack of Cards
By Madame SosostrisLimelight
By Lubna Abdel-Aziz