IRAQ: Dinar Falls Victim to Violence

Egyptian speculators who stashed away "Bremer dinars" earlier this year in the hope their value would skyrocket have suffered enormous losses as the official Iraqi currency plummets.

IRAQ: Kurd Unrest Spreads to Syria

Kurds within Syria are beginning to demand increasing recognition in the face of the autonomy enjoyed by Kurds within Iraq.

IRAQ: U.S. Troubles Move North

And now the United States is running into difficulties in Northern Iraq where it has enjoyed the support of the largely Kurd population.

IRAQ: Liberated Kurds Find Little Freedom

Fruit and vegetable vendors push their carts around a street market in Arbil, the seat of governance of Iraqi Kurdistan. The city is very different from Baghdad. Kurdish is spoken here, and written large on shop windows. Also, there is no visible American troop presence.

MIDEAST: Egypt Eager to Help Israel Out of Gaza

Egypt has presented a security initiative to support an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, but wants to avoid being drawn into a "security trap".

IRAQ: They Should Never Have Been in Prison

Largely lost amidst the horrors of the graphic torture photographs that continue to emerge out of Abu Grahib is a leaked report from the International Committee of the Red Cross published a few weeks ago by the Wall Street Journal.

MIDEAST: Only a Lull Before Another Storm

The Israeli attack on Rafah in the Gaza Strip did not come in a political and military vacuum. The Israeli army's 'operation rainbow' is now only 'paused' and all indications are that the struggle that has continued between Israel and the Palestinians along the Egyptian border for more than three years now will resume shortly.

DEVELOPMENT: Egyptians Struggle to Feed Their Families

Putting food on the table is becoming increasingly difficult for Egyptian families as prices skyrocket.

RELIGION: Talking to Terrorists Can Work

There is much talk of terrorism, and little talking to them. But a bold move in Yemen to open a dialogue with branded terrorists is bringing unexpected results.

RELIGION: Islam Begins to Pull the Secular

The high mediaeval fortress has stood out for centuries in the ancient city of Aleppo in the north of Syria. But now this city presents a sight never seen until recently; the large number of women dressed in black from head to toe.

IRAQ: The Picture Gets Worse

Two pictures put up in an internet café in Baghdad make for a vivid statement how Iraqis have come to see U.S. occupiers.

MIDEAST: Israeli Missiles May Rebound Politically

The killing of at least 10 Palestinian demonstrators and the wounding of many others by Israeli forces in Rafah in the southern Gaza strip Wednesday increased domestic and international pressure on the government of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to end the military operation in the town.

MIDEAST: Militants Pay a Price

The Tel al-Sultan neighbourhood of Rafah bore the brunt of the large-scale operation the Israeli army launched Tuesday after suffering severe losses last week. Streets leading into the neighbourhood were blocked by tanks and sand hills, local residents said.

IRAQ: Where an Assassination Is Celebrated

Motorists honked in celebration in this western Iraqi town as news spread of the assassination of the president of the Iraqi Governing Council Ezzidin Salim Monday.

MIDEAST: Firing Line Comes Home

A few dozen militants could be seen trickling into the Block O neighbourhood of Rafah along the border with Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip Monday afternoon. They said they came in anticipation of a major Israeli army operation in the area.

MIDEAST: Palestinians Brace for More Destruction

More and more Palestinians are facing homelessness after the fighting last week.

MIDEAST: Sanctions Unlikely to Hurt Syria

The limited sanctions imposed on Syria are unlikely to do it much harm, or the United States much good.

IRAQ: Anger Rises Over Raid Now on Sunni Mosque

As U.S. forces fought the Shia forces of Muqtada Al- Sadr in the south, they broke into the Sunni Abu Hanifa mosque in Baghdad Saturday.

IRAQ: Sunnis and Shias Uniting Against U.S.

As U.S. military actions continue to raise the staggeringly high toll of dead Iraqis, Sunnis and Shias appear to be uniting against the occupation.

MIDEAST: Some Settlers Only Settle In Some More

On a barren hilltop in the Palestinian Jerusalem neighbourhood Abu Dis, a gap of several hundred metres interrupts the wall Israel is building in the city.

MIDEAST: Palestinians Who Help the Israelis Kill

Israel's assassination of top Palestinian military and political leaders could have been more difficult without the help of Palestinian informers. The issue of collaborators is becoming a daily debate within Palestinian society.