IRAQ: Questions Hover over Killings

The two-storey stone house was still smouldering 48 hours after a dozen U.S. missiles nearly destroyed its foundation, killing Ouday and Qusay, the two sons of fugitive Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

RELIGION-EGYPT: 88,000 Mosques, One Sermon

The same official sermon will be delivered in 88,000 mosques across Egypt from this week. The government move is a part of extensive new censorship, and penalization for mosques and preachers that do not toe the official line.

MIDEAST: Momentum on Road Map Slows

The momentum that initially propelled the road map plan for peace in the Middle East has evaporated.

IRAQ: Humanitarian Aid Alone Will Not Deliver

The 2.2 billion dollar UN appeal for humanitarian assistance to Iraq has drawn a positive response, but it is uncertain how far it will take the Iraqis.

ECONOMY-ISRAEL: Now to the Struggle Within

Vicki Knafo began the 203-kilometre walk to Jerusalem two days after the state cut her monthly welfare benefits as a single mother by half.

IRAQ: Governing Will Not be Easy for Council

Less than a week into its formation, Iraq's new Governance Council is taking baby steps that could indicate both the speed with which it will tackle issues and the tasks it is likely to pick in the short term.

MIDEAST: Arafat Remains in Charge

The resolution of the Palestinian leadership crisis comes as a firm reminder to the United States and Israel that Yasser Arafat remains the main powerbroker in the Middle East, and the most potent symbol of Palestinian aspirations.

IRAQ: US Turns to Arabs to Keep the Peace

The United States is turning to Arab regimes for support against increasing armed resistance in Iraq, official sources here say.

MIDEAST: Pakistan Takes a Step Closer to Israel

When Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf declared last month that the time had come for his country to consider diplomatic relations with Israel, it caused only a minor stir among the Israeli public and in the media. The focus then was on the Palestinians and whether they would halt the Intifadah uprising.

MIDEAST: Prisoners Hold the Key to Peace

The cease-fire agreed by militant Palestinian factions is likely to survive the crisis over release of prisoners, because it has the support of the prisoners.

IRAQ: Saudi Hand Makes U.S. Uneasy

U.S. officials in Iraq are getting uneasy about increased activity by the Saudi government and by radical Wahhabi groups in Iraq. Some of this is welcomed, the rest is not.

MIDEAST: Support for Palestinian PM Drops

The popularity of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas is falling sharply as he joins hard negotiations over the release of prisoners from Israeli jails.

MEDIA-EGYPT: Anti-American Press Pays the Price

The regime of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak continued its crackdown on media earlier this week as the police banned an anti-American weekly.

ECONOMY: Egyptians Wake Up to an American ‘Son-Rise’

Egypt is opening its gates to neo-liberal policies under pressure from the United States and international lenders, but many see this is a modern return to a feudal system.

MIDEAST: Palestinian Prisoners Become a Stumbling Block

Exactly 30 years ago, Hisham Abdel Razeq was caught with explosives in the central Israeli town of Rishon Letzion on his way to carrying out an attack. He was released in 1994, shortly after the signing of the Oslo peace accords, and after spending 21 years in Israeli jails. Today, he is the Palestinian Minister for Prisoner Affairs and a strong supporter of a political solution to the Middle East conflict.

IRAQ: Shiite Leaders Not a Threat, For Now

Long before the U.S.-led coalition forces entered Iraq, one of their first concerns was how Iraq's Shiite majority would react to their presence, how combative Shiite religious leaders would be, and how much of a destabilising role neighbouring Iran would choose to play.

IRAQ: Thousands of Children Could Die

Disease and unexploded ammunition could kill thousands of Iraqi children unless immediate priority is given to their protection, says the UNICEF chief representative in Baghdad.

ECONOMY-JORDAN: Peace Dividend Brings no Gains

Eight years after Jordan was promised prosperity for signing a peace deal with Israel, many find that economic conditions have worsened.

IRAQ: Egyptian Firms Unsure What to Rebuild

Egyptian firms are keen to bid for building subcontracts in Iraq, but do not know what they could rebuild and where.

MIDEAST: Roadmap Begins to Light Up a Little

Is it possible that after a thousand days of trying to bludgeon one another into submission, Israelis and Palestinians, battered and bloodied, have realised that neither side is about to capitulate in a conflict that has cost more than 3,000 lives and left tens of thousands injured and maimed?

IRAQ: U.S. Runs Into an Unexpected Enemy

U.S. troops in Iraq stay on the ready to face fire from snipers, but they were not ready for this one.