ISRAEL: Silicon Wadi Shows the Way

Alex Argov is now onto his fifth high-tech company. A serial entrepreneur, Argov's latest product is an Internet-based telephone that scrambles messages, making it almost impossible to eavesdrop on a conversation.

MIDEAST: Sewage in Water Threatens Gazans

Gaza is being forced to pump 77 tonnes of untreated or partially treated sewage out to sea daily due to the Israeli blockade of the coastal territory. The fear is that some of this is creeping back into drinking water.

MIDEAST: Israel Ponders the Price of Prisoners

An impending prisoner swap between Israel and Hezbollah has ignited a debate over the price Israel should be prepared to pay to get back soldiers who have fallen into captivity, and what this says about the country's moral fibre.

EGYPT: Muslim Brotherhood ‘Stronger’ After Party Election

Recent internal elections within the Muslim Brotherhood opposition movement were trumpeted in the local press as a victory for the group's "conservative" faction over its "reformist" rivals. But according to independent commentators and a Brotherhood spokesman, media claims of a split within the movement's ranks are unfounded.

MIDEAST: Olmert Survives Again, For Now

Embattled Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert won yet another reprieve this week, just hours before the parliament was set to vote to dissolve itself in a move that would almost certainly have led to new elections and Olmert's ouster from office.

MIDEAST: Hamas and Hezbollah Gain, Almost Hand in Hand

Hezbollah's dramatic seizure of Beirut last month stunned observers and dealt a heavy blow to Washington's Lebanese allies. In Cairo, analysts compared the episode to last year's takeover of the Gaza Strip by Palestinian resistance faction Hamas, noting that both actions were pre-emptive - rather than offensive - in nature.

MIDEAST: Israel Training to Attack Iran

Israeli defence experts were not surprised by a New York Times report over the weekend that the Israeli air force had recently conducted what appeared to be a rehearsal for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

LEBANON: After Accord, the Inevitable Bickering Begins

A month has gone by since the May 21 Doha agreement between warring Lebanese factions, which ended a week-long civil conflict that erupted on May 7, and led to the death of 67 people. Painstakingly brokered in Qatar's capital with the support of the Arab community, the peace deal also stipulated the election of consensus president Michel Suleiman. But ever since, Lebanese politicians have been bickering relentlessly over ministries in the future government.

Q&A: State Main Opponent of Abolition in Morocco

Ambiguous statements and contradictory policies make it impossible to predict when Morocco will abolish the death penalty. But the "great confusion" on the issue is not deterring human rights activists pressing forward with their public campaigning - especially among the youth.

MIDEAST: Ceasefire Makes Israelis Uneasy

The rockets being fired into Israel from Gaza have stopped for now. So have the Israeli raids into the coastal strip. But the majority of Israelis are deeply sceptical that the truce with Hamas, which went into effect last Thursday, will endure. Many also believe that it represents a major achievement for the Islamic movement, not for Israel.

MIDEAST: Answering Attacks With Smiles and Smileys

East of Beit Sahour in Ush Ghrab, the tree line stops and the bronze, rocky desert begins. In a flat clearing on this hilltop, a small, abandoned military post is being slowly transformed from an assorted collection of cement-grey barracks into a virtual oasis for the region's children, families and tourists.

LEBANON: Wine Flows Under Hezbollah's Shadow

Pine trees adorn majestic mountain flanks separating south Lebanon from the Chouf region in the village of Jezzine. Amid the shrubbery, lush vines, their crisp leaves tinted emerald green, bear the promise of a future harvest as the grapes start to form on the twisted branches. Bordering known Hezbollah strongholds, wine production seems to be thriving, in an area where the peaceful co-existence between the culture of the vine and the 'party of God' is indeed a paradox.

MIDEAST: New Ceasefire Could Ease the Burden

An Egyptian proposal for a "calming" of hostilities, or tahdia, between Israel and Palestinian resistance faction Hamas officially came into effect Thursday. The deal follows several months of three-way talks between Israeli officials, Palestinian delegations and Egyptian mediators.

MIDEAST: Anything for a Bath, Anything for Fuel

The girl, about 16, is wandering about Jebaliya refugee camp, picking up anything she thinks can burn. She cannot find enough bits of wood, so she gathers plastic bags, old notebooks and even a pair of broken plastic sandals.

MIDEAST: Cracks Widen in Israeli Cabinet

The Prime Minister and the Defence Minister are at each other's throats. The Foreign Minister and the Prime Minister are barely talking. And the Deputy Prime Minister, who wants to replace the Prime Minister, is already talking about what he might do if he does.

IRAQ: Home to Too Many Widows

Just about everyone in Iraq is a loser as a result of the occupation, but none more than women. One of the more obvious signs of that is the very large number of widows.

EGYPT: Govt Forced to Bend on Israel Gas Deal

In the last two months, popular and parliamentary opposition to the sale of Egyptian natural gas to Israel - at undisclosed prices - has mounted. As a result, in a rare nod to public opinion, the government recently announced it was "revising" the terms of the sale agreement.

LEBANON: Newsrooms Fall Prey to Seven Deadly Sins

Prejudiced reporting is not uncommon anywhere, but in Lebanon the level of news distortion has taken on a new dimension as a result of assassinations, physical threats, political pressure, biased reporting, lack of professionalism, rampant corruption and self-censorship. These are the seven deadly sins that have increasingly been plaguing the Lebanese media over the years.

LEBANON: Divided We Arm

Despite the new peace agreement in Doha, Lebanese are becoming increasingly polarised, with confrontation between groups affecting the population at every level.

MIDEAST: Net Tightens Around the Fishermen

When the broiling sun sinks behind the rolling Mediterranean sea in Gaza, hundreds of fishing boats turn on their motors and assemble ragged nets to round up the evening catch. Flickering blue lights scatter across the shallow seas as the boats gather offshore in close quarters. Mackerel, sardine and grey mullet are caught in nets and dumped into plastic crates to be sold in the street markets. But under severe military occupation dominating the Gaza strip, it has become increasingly difficult to make a living as a Gaza fisherman.

MIDEAST: Kites Rise Above Divisions

Mahmoud Abu Teior (13) knows it's Abdullah's kite up in the skies, though he has never seen Abdullah. But that kite rises into the skies from just that place on the Egyptian side of the border across from Gaza. And, Mahmoud knows Abdullah's voice because they speak sometimes. They have never met, and likely never will, but they are connected through their kites.