MIDEAST: Egypt Welcomes Border Breach

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians flocked into the Sinai Peninsula last week after the border fence separating Egypt from the Gaza Strip was partially destroyed by a series of explosions. In a direct challenge to the Israeli-imposed siege of the territory, Cairo - citing humanitarian concerns - appears to have tolerated the influx.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Palestinians in Lebanon Seek Right of Return

"We know when we start a campaign we work for an achievable goal," declares Wafa Yassir, the energetic head of Norwegian People's Aid (NPA), which runs programmes for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

IRAQ: ‘US the Biggest Producer of Terror’

Broken promises have brought a dramatic increase in anti-U.S. sentiment across the capital city of Iraq's Diyala province.

IRAQ: Under Curfew, This Is No Life

Continuing curfew has brought normal life to a standstill in Baquba, capital of the restive Diyala province north of Baghdad.

MIDEAST: In Gaza, It&#39s Darkness At Noon

It gets dark, and cold, and people are getting hungry.

Israel closed border crossings Friday, not allowing even UN humanitarian aid trucks carrying basic food. Crossings have been closed frequently since October 2007.

MIDEAST: No Rights, Little Mercy

Seventy-six-year-old Mustapha al-Jamal goes door to door, looking for help in finding medicines for his son.

At home, the 53-year-old son Yahya al-Jamal lies back, staring at the ceiling. By his side, an oxygen cylinder keeps him going for now.

IRAQ: Police and Army Getting Sidelined

New military operations in Diyala province north of Baghdad have exacerbated a growing conflict between U.S.-backed Sunni fighters on the one hand and Iraqi army and police forces on the other.

LEBANON: For Iraqis, Treatment for Trauma Is Luxury

The young woman was walking with her husband along a Baghdad street when she was abducted, held captive and raped repeatedly by five militia men for several days.

RIGHTS-IRAN: Gov&#39t "Leading by Fear", Activists Say

Iran's recent use of extreme punishments such as amputations and public executions has deepened concerns about the situation of human rights amid the strict enforcement of Islamic law, which has worsened since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's hardliner government came to power in June 2005.

EGYPT: Helpless Before the Lebanon Crisis

With another bombing in Beirut this week, the political standoff in Lebanon appears far from resolution. Egypt's role in the crisis, meanwhile, remains limited to making broad appeals for national reconciliation in line with Arab League resolutions.

IRAQ: Awoken to a New Danger

The newly formed 'Awakening' forces set up by the U.S. military are bringing new conflict among people.

IRAQ: Less Violent But Not Less Hellish

U.S. and Iraqi officials claim that security is improving across al-Anbar province and much of Iraq. Security during the last half of 2007 was indeed better than in the period between February 2006 and mid-2007. But this has brought little solace to many Iraqis, because violence is still worse than in 2005 and early 2006.

MIDEAST: In Exclusion, Hamas Counts

As U.S. President George W. Bush began talks Thursday with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, Hamas supporters in Gaza were determined to make their absence count.

IRAQ: Fuel Crisis Freezes Life

It's turning out to be about the hardest winter Abu Muslih has known. Too often it's a choice between buying food and medicines, and buying kerosene to keep his children warm.

MIDEAST: Pilgrims’ Progress Breaks Gaza Siege

More than 2,000 pilgrims have finally returned to the Gaza Strip via Egypt's Rafah crossing after being stuck on the border for five days. The repatriation followed their staunch refusal to return home via alternate, Israeli-controlled border crossings.

IRAQ: Killer of U.S. Soldiers Becomes a Hero

The recent killing of two U.S. soldiers by their Iraqi colleague has raised disturbing questions about U.S. military relations with the Iraqis they work with.

CHALLENGES 2007-2008: New Year Begins Unhappily In What Was Home

The end of 2007 produced a telltale indication of what the New Year seems likely to bring to Iraq.

MIDEAST: Border Politics Leaves Palestinians Stranded

Hundreds of Palestinians still remain stranded on the Egyptian side of the border following last summer's closure of the Rafah crossing between Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip.

CHALLENGES 2007-2008: Two Territories, No Nation

The year begins after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas renewed peace talks with Israel that had been frozen for seven years and agreeing with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to make every effort to forge a peace deal by the end of 2008 that would ensure the Palestinians an independent state.

CHALLENGES 2007-2008: Lebanon Confronts Its Seven Deadly Plagues

This year, Lebanon has witnessed a series of unfortunate events. With demonstrations, street confrontations, rising religious tensions, assassinations, an internal war, economic recession and a looming political crisis that has resulted in a power vacuum at the head of state, Lebanon has faced its own seven deadly plagues.

CHALLENGES 2007-2008: Iraq Progresses To Some Of Its Worst

Despite all the claims of improvements, 2007 has been the worst year yet in Iraq.