Vengeance is theirs
After a week that has seen more Israeli assassination attempts and two suicide bombings, Palestinians prepare for the worst, writes Graham Usher from Jerusalem

Back to the fold
Iraq's transitional foreign minister receives a tentative nod of approval from Arab states, reports Dina Ezzat

Volte-face!
Five months after Saddam's fall, Washington is realising it bit off more than it can chew, writes Salah Hemeid

Call the cavalry
Few expect the world community to respond positively to Bush's reluctant appeal for help this week in Iraq, reports Khaled Dawoud in Washington

The best laid plans
Anti-globalisation groups and developing countries protest that the agenda at Cancun favours the rich, but the powers that be are likely to turn a deaf ear to their demands, writes Gamal Nkrumah

Spanish inquisition
Spain's arrest of a top Al-Jazeera journalist is a watershed in journalism, courtesy of the war-on-terrorism era. Amira Howeidy reports

The reasoning of reform
Is US pressure to blame for all the talk of religious reform? According to Religious Endowments Minister Hamdi Zaqzouq -- who spoke extensively to Omayma Abdel-Latif -- the process was underway long before the "r" word became vogue

In the eye of the storm
Sunni Islam's foremost authority has recently come under fire amidst speculation that the US is meddling in its affairs. Gihan Shahine follows the debate

Egypt:

MPs in political limbo
The debate over military service and political office continued as an ad hoc People's Assembly committee began investigating which MPs will be affected by a Supreme Constitutional Court ruling. Gamal Essam El-Din reports

NDP prioritises the economy
The NDP puts political and economic reform atop its first annual conference agenda. Gamal Essam El-Din reports

Tagammu gets tougher
A new Tagammu political report reveals the party's return to its leftist oppositional roots, as well as a surprising level of support for the formation of Islamist political parties. Mona El-Nahhas reports

Economy:

Tightrope walk to Cancun
Egypt is struggling to balance its national interests with its international commitments at the WTO meetings in Cancun. Niveen Wahish looks into the issues at stake