LEBANON: Palestinian Refugees Face Systematic Discrimination

Denied access to social services, education, adequate housing and employment, Palestinian refugees in Lebanon continue to suffer discrimination and marginalisation.

EGYPT: Journalists Get Jail Sentences in New Crackdown

The government has stepped up its campaign against the independent and opposition press, with criminal courts delivering prison sentences to 11 prominent journalists within the last two months. While state prosecutors accuse the writers of "publishing false news", spokesmen for the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate have described the latest crackdown as a "war" on press freedom.

TURKEY: Referendum Win May Invite Future Unrest

Turkish voters gave new evidence Sunday that their country has made a further step towards maturity in dealing with democracy. But the result of the referendum may just open a fresh pandora's box.

EGYPT: Strikes Sound a New Warning

A week-long sit-in strike last month achieved limited gains for employees of the state-owned Mahala Company for Spinning and Weaving in Egypt's Nile Delta region. Although government spokesmen have accused opposition movements of standing behind a recent spate of workers' strikes, independent critics attribute the labour unrest to the widening gap between public salaries and the rising cost of living.

MIDEAST: Palestinians Prepare to Stand Up for What Matters

While the international community concentrates on final status negotiations between the Palestinian government and Israel, the Palestinian people plan to stand up Oct. 17 to show the world what really matters to them.

EGYPT: After Summer Shortages, Promise of Water Runs Dry

This summer saw a spate of severe water shortages throughout the country, leading to numerous protests by frustrated - and thirsty - citizens. Egypt has seen its share of political demonstrations in recent years, but the latest water protests are the first time that ordinary people have taken to the streets to demand a basic service.

TURKEY: Presidential Crisis Avoided Just in Time

Less than six weeks after his appointment, Turkish President Abdullah Gul came very close to packing for removal out of Cankaya, the presidential palace in Ankara.

LEBANON: "Not Going to School Is Like Being Put Back in Time"

High costs for private education following displacement has caused major gaps in provision of assistance to Iraqi refugees living in Lebanon, especially in the area of education.

Q&A: &#39Islam and Abolition Are Compatible&#39

Many in the Arab world find support for the death penalty in the Quran. But this is a false reading of the texts, says Mustapha Bouhandi, professor of comparative religion at Hassan II university in Casablanca.

MOROCCO: Industrial Pollution Brings a High Cost

Industrial pollution is causing at least two billion euros worth of damage every year in Morocco, environmentalists estimate.

EGYPT: Regime Cracks Down on Independent Press

Several prominent independent and opposition journalists received prison sentences this month for libelling senior figures of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), including President Hosni Mubarak and his influential son, Gamal. Some critics say that the move represents an attempt to quash discussion about the so-called "inheritance" of the presidency, which many close observers believe is imminent.

EGYPT: State Piles Pressure on Islamist Opposition

The government has stepped up a campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood with a new wave of arrests in August and the resumption of a military trial involving dozens of the group's leading members.

MIDEAST: Border Impasse Arises Again

The border crisis that had appeared to subside last month is back, with an estimated 2,000 Palestinians marooned on Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip.

IRAQ: Border Shelling Hits Villagers

Sixty-year-old Khadijah Hama Khan has had to flee home again. Nothing new. "All our life we have been on the run," she says.

TURKEY: Now to Jobs and Education

While two-thirds of the country fasts in this holy month of Ramazan, the Turkish version of Ramadan, and activities slow down during the day, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is trying to get to grips with the post-electoral challenges of his government.

TURKEY: Military and Government in Uneasy Marriage

Despite the verdict at the polls, Turkey's staunchly secular military is far from caving in to the Islamic-rooted civilian authority that is now in full control of parliament, the government and the presidency. At best it appears willing to accept, for the time being, an uneasy co-existence.

IRAQ: No Refuge Within or Outside the Country

U.S. occupation authorities and successive U.S.-backed Iraqi governments have done little to stem the flow of Iraqis fleeing their war-torn country since the beginning of the occupation.

IRAQ: Fighting Amongst Shias Adds to Violence

Clashes between rival Shia militas in Kerbala have spread across southern Iraq and Baghdad, adding a new dimension to sectarian violence.

IRAQ: Clerics Begin to Take Over

Religious clerics are beginning to play an increasingly powerful role in Iraq. Many Iraqis now fear that they are endangering human rights and religious freedom in the once largely secular country.

IRAQ: Samarra Under U.S. Attack

Residents are fleeing Samarra city in the face of fierce fighting between U.S. forces and resistance groups.

MIDEAST: Hamas Flag Goes Up in Lebanon Camps

There is a new look to the entrance of the Palestinian refugee camp Baddawi in northern Lebanon. Hanging above the armed man who guards the entrance are posters of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the slain spiritual leader of Hamas, and other fighters from the Palestinian guerrilla group. Nearby, a huge Hamas banner covers the side of a house, and down the road Hamas flags flutter in the wind.