IRAQ: Mass Graves Dug to Deal With Death Toll

The largest morgue in Diyala province is overflowing daily. Officials told IPS they have had to dig mass graves to dispose of bodies.

IRAQ: Partition Fears Begin to Rise

Many Iraqis are now beginning to see the rising sectarian violence as part of a larger plan to partition the country.

IRAQ: Al-Qaeda Escapes U.S. Assault

Air strikes have destroyed civilian homes rather than al-Qaeda targets under the U.S. military operation in Baquba, residents say.

EGYPT: Cairo Changes Tack on Gaza

In the immediate wake of last month's takeover of the Gaza Strip by Palestinian resistance faction Hamas, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak condemned the action, describing it as "the overthrow of Palestinian legitimacy." Since then, however, Cairo appears to have tempered its position, reiterating the need for peaceful dialogue between Hamas and its U.S.-backed rival Fatah.

ISRAEL-LEBANON: Groups Call for Action on "War Crimes"

Allegations of unpunished war crimes and a general lack of accountability still plague Israeli-Lebanese relations one year after the Israel-Hezbollah war erupted, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch charged in separate statements Thursday.

TURKEY: Traffic Lights to Arbil Back on Red

It seems now certain: No invasion of Northern Iraq by the Turkish army before the legislative elections scheduled for Jul. 22. Disappointed? Many in Turkey are, not least the military. Surprised? Not a bit. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's fingers are expert at navigating between buttons of the yellow and red traffic lights of the road to Arbil.

POLITICS: Iranians Prefer Economic Development Over Nukes

An overwhelming majority of Iranians want improvement in their economy to be the top priority of their government, and 68 percent of that nation's citizens said they would give up their country's pursuit of nuclear weapons if it meant normalising political and economic relations with the United States and the West, according to a rare public opinion poll of Iranians released Wednesday.

EGYPT: Fearing Border Protests, Cairo Meets Bedouin Demands

Two months after the Bedouin, an indigenous people of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula began holding angry demonstrations against what they call a policy of official harassment by police, the authorities last week released dozens of tribesmen detained in mass arrests over the last three years.

IRAQ: ‘Arrowhead’ Becomes Fountainhead of Anger

Ongoing U.S. military operations in Diyala province have brought normal life to an end, and fuelled support for the national resistance.

RIGHTS-IRAN: Dark Days for Women

Judicial authorities in Iran have sentenced two women activists who participated in a peaceful protest against discriminatory laws in June 2006 to more than 30 months in jail and ten lashes.

IRAQ: Have the Tigris and Euphrates Run Dry?

Two of the largest rivers of the region run through Iraq, so why are Iraqis desperate for lack of water?

EGYPT: Mubarak Party Faces Fraud Allegations

Doubts are being raised now over the landslide victory of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) of President Hosni Mubarak in mid-term elections for the Shura Council last month.

MIDEAST: Hamas Has Hopes from Release of BBC Reporter

It was the achievement Hamas had been waiting for ever since it vanquished the Fatah movement in Gaza and seized control of the coastal strip last month. Now, the Islamic movement is hoping that the release Wednesday of BBC reporter Alan Johnston, held captive in Gaza for almost four months, will convince the international community that it is a serious partner and is able to impose order on the chaos-ridden, lawless streets of the densely populated strip.

TURKEY: Countdown Begins to Crossing into Iraq

The button of the stopwatch counting down the invasion of Northern Iraq by the Turkish army was probably pressed on Tuesday, at an impromptu meeting between Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

IRAQ: Kurds Wrangle Over Islam

Disputes have arisen within Kurdistan over the role Islam should play in a new constitution.

MIDEAST: After Sharm Talks, More of Nothing

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's announcement earlier this week at a summit in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh that he plans to release 250 Fatah prisoners in Israeli jails took the leaders attending and the media by surprise. But will this unexpected gesture, aimed at bolstering Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, be enough to produce a different outcome to that of all previous Sharm summits, which have turned out to be little more than elaborate photo opportunities.

IRAQ: Curfew-Bound Fallujah On The Boil Again

Strict curfew and tight security measures have brought difficult living conditions and heightened tempers to residents of this besieged city.

MIDEAST: Egypt Loses Diplomatic Ground with Hamas

Almost two weeks after the takeover of the Gaza Strip by Palestinian faction Hamas, attempts by Cairo to resolve the crisis have so far come to naught. But while government officials say mediation efforts are still under way, some commentators question the ability of Egypt - a longtime supporter of Hamas rival Fatah - to mediate impartially.

IRAQ: Kurds Want More Convictions Over Massacres

Polishing the picture of her husband hanging on a wall, Samira Jabbar, 44, was euphoric after an Iraqi judge handed the death sentence to several men for the massacre of tens of thousands of Kurds in the late 1980s.

MIDEAST: Empty Talk Begins Over New Talks

Israel and Syria are again feeling each other out about the possibility of renewing peace talks, as they did last year. But, again, it's not clear both sides really want to get to the negotiating table. The United States, it seems, would prefer they didn't.

EGYPT: Iranian Overtures Turned Down

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad surprised many last month when he announced his country's readiness to re-establish diplomatic relations with Egypt. But last week the Egyptian foreign ministry appeared to dash hopes for rapprochement, describing Iran's regional policies as a "danger to Egypt's national security."