IRAQ: Curfew Begins to Choke Samarra

At least 10 residents have died as the result of a curfew imposed by the U.S.-backed Iraqi government, local doctors say.

MOROCCO: Suicide Bombings Delay Death Penalty Abolition

The Moroccan government has pulled back from presenting to parliament its long-expected bill on the abolition of the death penalty, apparently on the grounds that the recent suicide bombings here call for a delay and re-thinking on how to deal with Muslim extremism.

IRAQ: Where Nobody Is Accountable

Killings, crime, lack of medical care, collapse of education... the list goes on. But with the occupation by U.S.-led forces now into a fifth year, and a supposedly democratic government in place, no one knows who to hold accountable for all that is going wrong.

MEDIA-IRAQ: Journalists Face Repression on All Sides

The working environment for Iraq's journalists is becoming increasingly dangerous and difficult, with 31 killed just since the start of this year, according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

MIDEAST: Hara-Kiri, Palestinian Style

It was an anguished entreaty from a veteran politician watching his own people tear themselves apart, but helpless to do anything about it.

EGYPT: Islamist MPs In the Dock

In another escalation of the government's ongoing campaign against the Islamist opposition, two MPs from the Muslim Brotherhood were stripped of parliamentary immunity this month after being briefly detained by police.

EGYPT: Labour Unrest Spreads

Workers in Cairo's vital public transport sector threatened to go on strike earlier this month if the state did not meet their list of demands. The incident was only the latest in a spate of strikes and protests in recent months that local commentators attribute to the steadily rising cost of living.

MIDEAST: Noose Tightens Around Olmert

The noose tightened a little more this week around the neck of the embattled Ehud Olmert, when former prime minister Ehud Barak intimated that the Israeli leader should step down in the wake of a scathing report on his handling of the war in Lebanon last summer.

TURKEY: Chilling Mid-Summer Elections Coming Up

The generals are in their offices, the troops and tanks in the barracks, the students at school, and the tourists in the bazaars. Life in Turkey is back to normal. Abdulah Gül's decision to withdraw his controversial candidature to the Turkish presidency has made this possible.

IRAQ: And Yet More Talk

Two days of talks on Iraq last week produced an international agreement promising support for the Iraqi government in exchange for political and economic reforms to be implemented by Baghdad. But while the so-called International Compact on Iraq (ICI) cancelled some of the country's foreign debts, the initiative - and the conferences that accompanied it - yielded few other tangible results, local commentators say.

DEVELOPMENT: Arab Regimes, Local Elites Shun Reforms

Economic changes needed to alleviate biting poverty in the Arab world have largely been derailed at the hands of ruling regimes and entrenched local elites who use whatever revenues their economies generate to cement their own positions, charges a new report released here.

EGYPT: A Marriage Becomes Everyone’s Business

The marriage last week of Gamal Mubarak, son of President Hosni Mubarak and influential member of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), has led to renewed speculation about the presidential scion's political ambitions.

IRAQ: UN Report Sparks Uproar in Kurdistan

A United Nations report on Iraq's human rights situation has provoked mixed reactions in the northern Kurdistan region. Officials accuse the UN of "exaggeration and inaccuracy" while human rights activists say the "actual extent of violations has been understated by the UN."

LEBANON: Resistance Being Rebuilt Too

As reconstruction resumes in the heavily bombed southern Beirut district Dahiyeh, the signs are evident of a rebuilding of resistance against Israel and the U.S.-backed government, largely by way of increased support for Hezbollah.

TURKEY: Damocles’ Sword Now Hanging Lower

The Chinese have a saying, ‘May you live in interesting times'. It's a curse. Turkey has been living in "interesting times" for the past two weeks. And it may be a while before the country reverts to uninteresting ones.

LEBANON: Refugees Learn to Substitute Government

The influx of refugees from Palestinian areas and the inability of the government to do much for them has strengthened a unique NGO providing essential services.

EGYPT: Judges Retirement Age Sparks Fresh Row

Parliament agreed in principle last week to raise the official retirement age for judges by two years. Opposition groups and reform-minded judges have blasted the move, however, saying it would only serve to keep long-time partisans of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) ensconced in key judicial positions.

TURKEY: The Military Weighs In

Turkey's presidential election, once considered a simple matter by a parliament under single- party domination, has become a major case before the Constitutional Court - complicated by a sudden military involvement.

LEBANON: Tensions Run High After Sunni Killings

The killings of two pro-government Sunni Muslims has raised tensions across Lebanon. Rival political leaders have called for calm amidst fear that the killings could spark civil strife.

LEBANON: One Unexploded Bomb Per Person

Close to a million unexploded bombs are estimated to litter southern Lebanon, according to UN forces engaged in the hazardous task of removing them.

LEBANON: Political Loyalties Being Rebuilt

People in this southern Lebanese village are rebuilding their destroyed houses with renewed vigour. And, with renewed loyalties to a combination of Hezbollah, Qatar and Iran.