MIDEAST: Demolition Decimating Palestinian Village

Al Walajeh village was once a quiet but busy place. Just four kilometers from Bethlehem and 8.5 km from Jerusalem, its rolling hills filled with fruit trees, natural forests, and blooming vegetation made it a prime farming location. Easy access to large and consistent markets led its inhabitants to relative economic prosperity. Life was good.

IRAQ: Infighting Increases Instability

Increasing conflict and finger pointing between leading Shi'ite political blocs are heightening instability in war-torn Iraq.

IRAQ: Fallujah Now Under a Different Kind of Siege

Three years after a devastating U.S.-led siege of the city, residents of Fallujah continue to struggle with a shattered economy, infrastructure, and lack of mobility.

EGYPT: Mubarak Brings Up Peaceful Nuclear Programme Again

Late last month, President Hosni Mubarak reiterated Egypt's intention to launch a peaceful nuclear programme to offset rising domestic energy demand.

MIDEAST: Olmert Begins to Rival Abbas in Weakness

An oft-repeated argument in Israel against signing a peace deal with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is that he is a weak leader who lacks the political clout to implement an agreement. But anyone observing Ehud Olmert over the last few weeks might well be making similar assertions about the Israeli prime minister.

EGYPT: Presidency Closer Now to Inheritance

The ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) concluded its ninth general congress earlier this month. Leading members articulated party policies and objectives. The event also saw a restructuring of the party's highest governing bodies, which critics saw as another step by Gamal Mubarak, son of President Hosni Mubarak, towards presidential succession.

IRAQ: Corruption Adds to Baquba&#39s Problems

Facing violence, unemployment and poverty, the capital city of Iraq's volatile Diyala province now finds itself confronting also corruption.

RIGHTS-LEBANON: Abolition Linked to Political Stability

Sonele Daas sits on death row in Lebanon's central Roumieh prison, found guilty of murder almost one decade ago. The 60-year-old Bangladeshi had travelled to Lebanon to work and send wages home to his family. However, after a dispute with a fellow compatriot, Daas was arrested, tried and convicted by a Lebanese court for his friend's subsequent death.

IRAQ: A Tale of One City, Now Two

The separation of religious groups in the face of sectarian violence has brought some semblance of relative calm to Baghdad. But many Iraqis see this as the uncertain consequence of a divide and rule policy.

DEATH PENALTY-MOROCCO: King Seen as Final Arbiter in Long-Running Debate

The months-long political impasse over death penalty abolition in Morocco can only be finally broken by King Mohamed VI, according to a leading rights campaigner.

IRAQ: Fewer Deaths Bring No Reassurance

Despite claims by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Bush administration officials that violence in Iraq is decreasing, residents in the capital tell a different story.

MOROCCO: Interest Declines in a Parliament Under Monarchy

New moves towards some form of democracy are on offer in this North African nation ruled by a king. But there seems to be little faith in them, and there are relatively few takers.

DEATH PENALTY-EGYPT: Controversy Swirls Over When to Execute

Egyptians are likely to watch the upcoming U.N. General Assembly vote on a moratorium on executions - to be held in the coming weeks - with interest. But while many in this majority Muslim country would welcome a resolution aimed at reining in the use of capital punishment, there remain serious reservations about making any pledges for the "total abolition" of the practice.

EGYPT: Torture Ruling Boosts Rights

Anti-torture activists in Egypt scored a rare win Monday when an Egyptian judge handed down three-year prison sentences in a high-profile case to two police officers filmed last year abusing and sodomising a man in custody with a broomstick.

TURKEY: Iran Becomes the Trade-Off for Northern Iraq

Triumphalism, which generally prevails in official communiqués and the Turkish media following Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visits abroad, was dimmed Monday night at the end of the meeting between him and U.S. President George W. Bush.

MIDEAST: Palestinians Get Some Medical Care

After packing the ambulance with medical equipment and bags full of medicine, Dr. Jameel Mashny, Dr. Rami Habash and their nurse, Maysa Youseff, all from the Palestine Medical Relief Society (PMRS), prepare themselves for the long day ahead.

IRAQ: Millions Trapped in Their Own Country

At least five million Iraqis have fled their homes due to the violence under the U.S.-led occupation, but half of them are unable to leave the country, according to well-informed estimates.

IRAQ: Where Better Security Brings No Reassurance

The much touted "surge" of U.S. troops in Baquba has caused more problems than it has solved, residents say.

MIDEAST: Egypt Challenges Israeli Smuggling Claims

Throughout October, Israeli officials reiterated longstanding claims that Egyptian authorities were failing to prevent weapons from being smuggled into the Gaza Strip, which has been governed by Palestinian resistance faction Hamas since June. According to many local commentators, however, the Israeli accusations are chiefly intended to achieve broader political ends.

MIDEAST: Replying to Rockets, Israel Chokes Gaza Some More

Israel has begun limiting fuel supplies to Gaza as part of punitive measures it is implementing in an attempt to stem the firing of rockets by militants from the coastal strip into Israel. But Palestinian leaders and human rights groups are warning the move could spark a humanitarian crisis.

TURKEY: Incursion Into Iraq a Minefield Larger Than It Looks

Tension between Turkey, Iraq and the United States went up another degree as Turkish artillery continued Wednesday and Thursday to shell civilian targets and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) positions across its border, while army helicopters launched several raids along the border separating Turkey from northern Iraq.