LEBANON: General Becoming Kingmaker, Maybe President

Lebanon's formerly anti-Syrian general Michel Aoun is on the verge of outmanoeuvring the country's main anti-Syrian opposition alliance. All eyes are now on the last round of Lebanon's four-stage parliamentary elections, next Sunday in the north.

MIDEAST: Aoun Makes Dramatic Comeback

Former exiled general Michel Aoun made a dramatic comeback in the penultimate round of Lebanon's legislative elections, sweeping 21 seats out of the 58 contested.

HEALTH: Polio Returns to Yemen

New concern has arisen following a rise in the number of polio cases.

RIGHTS-EGYPT: Censorship Chills University Life, Report Charges

Academic freedom in Egypt is being constantly undermined by both the government and private groups through censorship, intimidation of students and professors, and even threats and physical violence, according to a report by a leading human rights organisation released Thursday.

SYRIA: All Set For A Great Shuffle Forward

As Syria's Baath party gathers in Damascus to grapple with the issue of reforms, delegates may not have the luxury of quiet contemplation that the country's president Bashar Assad urged on them during his opening speech on Monday.

IRAQ: Desperate for Work, Blind to Dangers

Ahlam Najam just needed a job. At 25, she had a university degree in education but could not find work as teacher.

MIDEAST: Murder of Journalist Points to Rising Crisis

The prominent anti-Syrian journalist Samir Kassir was killed in a car explosion in a Christian residential neighbourhood of Beirut Thursday morning, in an attack that drew widespread condemnation.

LABOUR: 26 Percent Unemployment in Palestinian Territories

The Palestinian National Authority, the Israeli government, and the international community must make every effort to help ensure decent jobs for the men and women in the occupied Arab territories, recommends a new report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

IRAQ: Kurds Still Without Govt After January Poll

The two main Kurdish parties have still not reached agreement on setting up a regional government and parliament after elections held Jan. 30.

IRAQ: U.S. Claims Over Siege Challenged

As with the siege of Fallujah six months back, U.S.. claims over the siege of the Iraqi town Al Qa'im are being challenged now by independent sources.

MIDEAST: Gaza Moves Into Unsettling Times

Israel's government last week postponed the implementation of its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip for three weeks, ostensibly to take into account an annual Jewish period of mourning.

EGYPT: Tourism Lifeline Feels the Strain

The tourism industry in Egypt is keeping a close eye on business following two recent attacks that appeared directed at Westerners.

MIDEAST: Political Tsunami Hits Lebanon

Lebanon closed a chapter in its bloody civil war Saturday with the return of army general Michel Aoun from 14 years of forced exile in France.

MIDEAST: Poll Dampens Militant Group

Fatah maintained its position this week as the largest party by far in the Palestinian territories, despite earlier signs of weakness and a strong showing by the militant Hamas movement in the municipal elections.

EGYPT: Tourists Keep Up the Lifeline

Despite the initial apprehension of local hotels and travel agencies following the April 7 attack on tourists in Cairo's historic al-Azhar district, the effect on Egypt's vital tourism industry has been slight.

MIDEAST: Syrian Departure Lifts a Depression

The Syrian military and intelligence withdrawal from Lebanon finalised this week following intense international pressure marks the beginning of a new era.

ENVIRONMENT: Water Returns to Iraq’s Eden

Fifteen years after the former Iraqi government used old blueprints dating from the British Empire to drain a vast wetland, the area is slowly creeping back to life.

DEVELOPMENT-MOROCCO: From Shantytowns to ‘Cement-Ghettos’

Tragedies have served as reminders of the problems associated with Morocco's slums, but planning remains inadequate, say experts. Moving impoverished families en masse from shanties to new but poorly constructed buildings won't resolve the tensions.

MIDEAST: Israelis Resist the Arabs in Their Midst

More than four years of violence between Israelis and Palestinians may have abated at least temporarily but its effect is still being felt on relations between Jews and Arabs inside Israel. A string of recent polls, events and policy issues shows that both popular and official attitudes towards the country's Arab minority remain problematic.

MIDEAST: Not So Fast Out of Gaza

Two dates in the Middle East that once seemed set in stone are now being challenged as Israel considers delaying its Gaza disengagement and Palestinians mull over postponing their elections.

MIDEAST: Israel Faces Signs of ‘Civil War’

Anti-pullout protesters blocked a major highway near Tel Aviv, disrupted an Israeli army graduation ceremony for new officers, and tried to march on a highly sensitive religious site in Jerusalem this week. The three protest actions were launched in just three days by opponents of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to evacuate all 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and four in the northern West Bank.