WORLD WATER DAY: Nile Bounty Not Enough to Supply Egypt

Over the course of the 1990s, grave warnings were occasionally aired about the role of water in Middle Eastern power politics. In 1991, former Egyptian foreign minister Boutros Boutros- Ghali, shortly before he was appointed UN secretary-general, ominously predicted that "the next war in the region will be over water."

EGYPT: Constitutional Position of Islam Questioned

Another constitutional debate has erupted this month after a number of academics and rights activists called for the amendment of Article 2 of the national charter that defines a role for Islam.

MIDEAST: United But Still Isolated

Palestinian leaders heaved a sigh of relief over the weekend when the formation of the long- awaited Hamas-Fatah national unity government finally became a reality. The unity coalition, they hope, will extinguish factional violence in the Gaza Strip that has claimed the lives of over 100 Palestinians in recent months.

RELIGION-US: Who Says Halal and Kosher Don’t Mix?

If you happen to visit Fredericksburg, Maryland soon or other U.S. towns, you may find yourself invited to a local mosque for dinner - especially if you are Christian or Jewish.

EGYPT: Persecuted Islamists Pledge Peace

This month has seen the detention of numerous members of the banned but tolerated Muslim Brotherhood movement, in a continuation of the ongoing arrest campaign targeting the Islamist opposition.

POLITICS-US/IRAN: The Religious Right’s New Bugbear

Last Sunday, Pastor John Hagee, the founder of Christians United for Israel, received a rousing reception at the opening dinner plenary of the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference.

EGYPT: Tribute to U.S. General Draws Fire

Cairo's decision last month to award U.S. General John Abizaid a prestigious medal of honour has angered much of the political opposition.

POLITICS-US: End of Cowboy Diplomacy, Part II?

It was just nine months ago when Newsweek spoke for the conventional wisdom at that moment when it pronounced "The End of Cowboy Diplomacy".

EGYPT: Govt Challenged over Israeli Action at Mosque

In a rare show of unity, parties from across the political spectrum have condemned reported Israeli violations against Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque. They have warned of "dire consequences" if the site - the third holiest in Islam - were to be damaged.

POLITICS: Israel, Iran, U.S. Least Liked Countries

A majority of people from around the world hold predominantly negative views of Israel, Iran, and the United States, according to a survey of more than 28,000 respondents in 27 countries.

EGYPT: Traditional Influence Begins to Decline

The Mecca Agreement was hailed throughout the Arab world earlier this month for putting an end to Palestinian infighting, which had claimed scores of lives. But some local analysts see the deal - which was sponsored by Egypt's diplomatic rival Saudi Arabia - as an indication of Cairo's waning influence as the principal mediator in inter-Palestinian disputes.

YEMEN: Anti-U.S. Group Battles Government

Militants from a major Shia group within Yemen have stepped up a fight against the government over recent weeks. The group opposes what it sees as policies supportive of the United States and Israel.

EGYPT: Iran-Bashing Fails to Get Far

A news report in the state press late last month suggesting Iranian involvement in the 2005 death of an Egyptian ambassador to Iraq triggered a series of contradictory statements from the foreign ministry. Now that the dust has settled, many local observers see the incident as a heavy-handed attempt by Cairo - following Washington's lead - to jump on the anti-Tehran bandwagon.

US/MIDEAST: Rice Faces Formidable White House Foe

If, as she insists, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is determined to make concrete progress toward achieving George W. Bush's vision of a two-state solution, one in which Israel would be required to make major territorial concessions, it appears that she faces a major foe in the White House.

EGYPT: Islamist Leadership Faces Military Tribunal

In a further escalation of the ongoing crackdown against the Islamist opposition, the state earlier this month referred 40 high-ranking members of the Muslim Brotherhood to a military court on charges of money laundering and "attempting to revive the banned group's activities."

POLITICS-US: Rove Said to Have Received 2003 Iranian Proposal

Karl Rove, then White House senior political advisor for President George W. Bush, received a copy of the secret Iranian proposal for negotiations with the United States from former Republican Congressman Bob Ney in early May 2003, according to an Iranian-American scholar who was then on his Congressional staff.

EGYPT: Clash Builds Up with Islamist Opposition

In an escalation of the ongoing campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood, the government late last month froze the assets of several companies owned by members of the Islamist movement on money laundering charges. Brotherhood spokesmen say the move represents an attempt to stifle the group's political activities and incite it to seek recourse outside the political arena.

EGYPT: State Media Loses Billion Dollars, And Counting

Revelations in January that Egypt's state-owned press institutions had accumulated vast government debts have ignited a torrent of speculation that privatisation of the industry is in the cards.

POLITICS: Arabs Less Worried About Iran, Poll Finds

U.S. and Israeli hopes of forging of a Sunni Arab alliance to contain Iran and its regional allies may be misplaced, at least at the popular level, according to a major survey of six Arab countries released here Thursday.

MIDEAST: War Enters the Classrooms

The United Nations has indefinitely suspended elementary school classes for tens of thousands of Gaza City's children following a weekend of unprecedented factional violence, which turned this isolated enclave into a war zone and left at least 27 dead and 250 wounded.

MIDEAST: U.S. Backing for Fatah Stirs New Conflict

Explosions, fierce gunfights and ambulance sirens ripped through the Gaza strip again Thursday, only two days after a ceasefire ended a bloody week of factional fighting that left more than 30 Palestinians dead.