Trying to avoid a war
Today's Istanbul summit will involve regional players aiming to achieve a most difficult task -- trying to prevent a war in Iraq. Nevine Khalil and Soha Abdelaty report

'A real crisis'
Is Israel violating international laws and causing a potential health crisis with its dumping of untreated sewage in the Mediterranean? Gihan Shahine gauges reactions in Rafah, the Egyptian border town most affected by the pollution

Opposition MPs intensify their fire
Opposition and independent MPs are intensifying their barrage of 'questions' directed at government ministers. Gamal Essam El-Din reports

A tale of two banks
Investigations of corruption in the banking sector have revealed that Banque Du Caire and Misr Exterior Bank are the biggest offenders by far. Gamal Essam El-Din reports

Stepping into a burgeoning gap
Does anyone really know, asks Amira Howeidy , how a war on Iraq will resonate in Egypt?

Battles of the mind
One man's dream is another man's nightmare. Philip Taylor looks for a voice of reason in the world of propaganda wars

In search of Iraqi credibility
What goes on behind the scenes in the search for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction? Michael Jansen in Baghdad follows the inspectors

Many birds, few stones
Although Turkey has yet to respond to the US's request for support in a war on Iraq, as Gareth Jenkins writes, the country's new government is busy manoeuvring on the domestic, regional and international fronts

Palestinians seek unity in Cairo
What can be achieved by the Palestinian factions in Cairo? Khaled Amayreh , in occupied Jerusalem, seeks answers

Tightening the noose
Residents of the villages near Qalqilya fear that Israel's wall around the West Bank will force them to abandon their homes, Talal Jabari investigates

Peace, at a price
A new deal struck between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement means different things to different people, writes Nyier Abdou

Polishing up Libya's image
Libya's election as chair of the UN Human Rights Commission troubles Western human rights groups, writes Gamal Nkrumah

To nuke or not to nuke?
North Korea's survival as a sovereign nation may hinge on the reactivation of its nuclear programme, writes Faiza Rady

Bank nods to the left
Improving basic services will depend on the degree to which the poor participate in policy making, says a new World Bank draft report. Sherine Abdel-Razek takes a look

Autonomy, not independence
The new draft banking law will not compromise the Central Bank of Egypt's autonomy argues Sherif Delawer in this response to comments by CBE board member, Mahmoud Fahmy, expressed in an Al-Ahram Weekly interview

Impossible admissions
A new round of the book fair has Samir Sarhan almost at the end of his tether, find Youssef Rakha. But what does the seasoned publisher have to say?

Green desert -- at what cost?
Last week saw the inauguration of the Mubarak Water Pump Station at Toshka. Fatemah Farag steps back from the festivities and considers the ramifications

Famous lives
The Saqqara tomb of a scribe in Akhenaten's reign and a colossal statue of one of Ramses II's wives at Zagazig have shed more light on two famous Pharaohs, as Nevine El-Aref reports

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Little big men
The junior Pharaohs have been crowned 2003 African Nations Cup football champions. Abeer Anwar reports on a group of teenagers who came up big

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Getting foxed
These are the best months to see the Western Desert. Jenny Jobbins gets close to the wildlife on a winter night

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