RIGHTS: Iranian Nobel Laureate Follows in King’s Footsteps

Almost exactly 40 years after Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway, in recognition of his non-violent struggle for civil rights in the United States, another Nobel Peace laureate, Shirin Ebadi, said she was ready to be arrested for refusing to appear before Iran's Revolutionary Court.

MIDEAST: Gaza Killings Cast a Long Shadow

The Palestinian militant groups who carried out the attack Thursday night in the Gaza Strip that killed six Israeli civilians said they had been planning the assault for weeks. But the timing is not coincidental: it is the first major challenge by armed groups to the newly elected Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

MIDEAST: For Abbas, the Hard Bit Comes Now

Mahmoud Abbas must have unleashed a great sigh of relief when the results of the Palestinian election were announced Monday and it became clear he had won over 60 percent of the vote - a result he can present as a broad, popular mandate. But the electioneering was the easy part.

HEALTH-AFGHANISTAN: Detritus of War Keeps Claiming New Victims

For the first time, many more civilians are being killed and maimed in Afghanistan by dud munitions than by landmines, which were more or less outlawed in 1999 but linger around the world as the wreckage of earlier wars.

IRAQ: U.S. Military Families Bring Help

Families of some U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq plan a strong protest to mark the second anniversary of the invasion. The group 'Military Families Speak Out' will hold a demonstration in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in the United States March 19.

EGYPT: Christian-Muslim Rift Widens

Tension is simmering between Egypt's Muslim and Christian communities after allegations of forced conversions to Islam.

CHALLENGES 2004-2005: U.S. Turns Away from Arab Reforms

After a year of tough talk from U.S. policymakers about the inevitable 'democratization' of the Middle East, Washington appears to be backtracking, along with its Arab friends in the region.

CHALLENGES 2004-2005: Old Conflicts Prepare for New Year

Yasser Arafat's death has liberated the Palestinians somewhat but not totally. Old habits and military occupation die hard. Too little has changed on the ground to speak about a possible breakthrough in the conflict and to hold out very much hope for the near future. Developments elsewhere, notably in Iraq, may be less predictable.

IRAQ: Uncertain Quiet Descends on Syrian Front

There has not been any fighting lately near the desolate border village of Hiri as there used to be after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, inhabitants here say. Nor have any cars or people crossed the border from Syria into Iraq at the official crossing. It was closed by the Iraqi authorities and the Americans last month during the fighting in Fallujah.

MIDEAST: Hezbollah Threat Hovers Above Palestinian Poll

For the second time this year, the Syrian capital Damascus was shaken last week by a bomb attack against a leading figure of the fundamentalist Palestinian group Hamas. The target of the attack survived but it was another reminder of the role that Syria seems to be playing in Palestinian affairs.

EGYPT: Religious Tension Rises After Years of Calm

Muslim-Christian relations in Egypt burst onto the public stage last week after allegations by Coptic Christians of forced conversion to Islam triggered demonstrations in Cairo. Sectarian friction was also reported in provinces of Upper Egypt.

IRAQ: U.S. Military Obstructing Medical Care

The U.S. military has been preventing delivery of medical care in several instances, medical staff say.

IRAQ: Healthcare Given A ‘New Look’

The Baghdad Medical City has begun to look nice in its new coat of paint.

ECONOMY-EGYPT: Beaches Are Stronger than History

Since time immemorial, the pyramids and temples of Egypt have drawn visitors from the farthest corners of the globe. But in the last couple of years the numbers of tourists visiting ancient monuments has fallen, while vacationers have flocked to Red Sea resort destinations in record numbers.

IRAQ: Doubtful Democracy Will Not Inspire Others

While Cairo officially stands behind U.S. plans to hold elections in Iraq early next year, many observers here question the sincerity of Washington-style 'democratization', and the notion that legitimate elections can be held under occupation.

IRAQ: Neglect Follows Siege of Fallujah

The Iraqi ministry of health is failing to provide enough support to hundreds of thousands who fled Fallujah.

MIDEAST: Environment Too Encounters a Barrier

The visual impact of Israel's new separation barrier is all too clear. Even from the historical heart of old Jerusalem, the massive grey concrete wall snaking over nearby hills is a huge eyesore.

IRAQ: ‘Unusual Weapons’ Used in Fallujah

The U.S. military has used poison gas and other non-conventional weapons against civilians in Fallujah, eyewitnesses report..

IRAQ: Occupier of a Prime Minister’s Chair

The prime minister is following in the footsteps of the last president. The rule of Ayad Allawi, the U.S. appointed interim prime minister of Iraq, is now more in the style of the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein than a leader of a supposedly democratic state.

IRAQ: As U.S. Forces Raided a Mosque

An eyewitness commentary to IPS through a U.S. raid on a Baghdad mosque Friday gives a vivid picture of what a 'successful raid' can be like.

IRAQ: Media Repression in ‘Liberated’ Land

Journalists are increasingly being detained and threatened by the U.S.-installed interim government in Iraq. Media have been stopped particularly from covering recent horrific events in Fallujah.