Egypt

Consuming cosmopolitanism
Hala Halim keeps a diary of the opening of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, recording close encounters with flailing arms, convivial policemen and three blind mice

The home debate
The media hype that accompanied the publication of the first UN Arab Human Development Report has waned for some time now. The debate over its findings rages on, however, as Gihan Shahine reports

Old party, new trial
As the trial of 23 Egyptians and three Britons charged with attempting to overthrow the government began Sunday at a Cairo Supreme State Security Court, all defendants pleaded innocent. Jailan Halawi reports

Defending the faith
Christianity in the US has been hijacked by extremist fanatics, say Arab Christians. Omayma Abdel-Latif reports

Region

Killing cycles
An Israeli massacre followed by a Palestinian suicide bombing. Khaled Amayreh, in Hebron, reports the endless cycle of violence

Selling snakeoil
The Quartet-proposed Road Map will be stuck in its first stage for a while, writes Jonathan Cook in Jerusalem

Desperate times, desperate measures
As the United States steps up its diplomatic and military pressure against Iraq, President Saddam Hussein is reaching out to his people, writes Salah Hemeid

Troubled times for Turkey
Turkey repeated its total rejection of a federal solution in a post-Saddam Iraq. Gareth Jenkins reports from Ankara

International

Economy

Balinese fallout
The war on terror has finally reached Indonesia, but with far-reaching consequences including the potential blurring of the lines between a civilian government and the military, writes Damien Kingsbury from Melbourne

Deep freeze
Germans face a diplomatic cold shoulder in response to their adamant stance against military action in Iraq, writes Youssef Fadel from Berlin

Iraqi expectations
Britain's Conservative Party is in disarray. Slumping in the polls and beset by scandal and weak leadership, the only thing they stand strong on is the removal of Saddam Hussein. James Corbett reports from Bournemouth

A shift of interest
High interest rates create runaway debtors and offer little help to the economy, argues Salah El-Amrousi

Dividing lines
Overall poverty in Egypt may have dropped but there is a growing welfare disparity between urban and rural areas. Niveen Wahish looks at the findings of a recent report

Living

Heritage

Letting the people go
Our only source of information about Moses, the lawgiver of the Jews, is the Old Testament account in Exodus. Jill Kamil puts the emigration of the Canaanites from Egypt in a historical context

Sports

Patching up the holes
The CAF champions league witnessed Zamalek take strides, and Al-Masry and Al-Ahli stumble and fall. Abeer Anwar reports

Looking to the future
This week, the new CAF headquarters were inaugurated in Cairo. FIFA President Joseph Sepp Blatter flew in to take part in the affair