For the US, security now takes precedence over democratisation. Dina Ezzat reports on US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to Cairo

Ahead of Rice arriving to seek creative ways of getting rid of Hamas, fighters loyal and opposed to the Palestinian government go on the rampage, reports Khaled Amayreh

Helmi Moussa traces the fault lines that threaten to tear Palestinian society apart

The US's top diplomat speaks to Al-Ahram's Salama Ahmed Salama

Will the jailed leader of the liberal Ghad Party soon be free? Mona El-Nahhas looks for clues

A proposal by the NCHR to amend parts of the constitution has sparked controversy inside and outside the council. Gihan Shahine asks why

The Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights' 16th annual report dismisses claims that violations in Egypt are on the decline however a security official insists otherwise, writes Jailan Halawi

Dina Ezzat wades through the conflicting views expressed following the announcement that Egypt is seeking to revive its civilian nuclear programme

An age-old dilemma is at the heart of the debate on Hizbullah's weapons, reports Lucy Fielder from Beirut

Hostilities may be over, but over one million unexploded cluster bombs continue to threaten Lebanese lives, Serene Assir reports from South Lebanon

In a desperate move to forestall a growing civilian conflict, Iraq's prime minister launches yet another bid to unify warring factions, writes Firas Al-Atraqchi

Somalia's growing instability has set the country adrift as the comprehensive peace accord in Sudan falls into crisis, writes Gamal Nkrumah

The "spy crisis" between Georgia and Russia has brought relations between the former Soviet states to their lowest point in decades, reports Shohdy Naguib from Moscow

Lula's performance in Sunday's presidential poll will doubtless prompt him to try harder to outdo rival Chuchu later this month, writes Gamal Nkrumah

President Musharraf tried to use his autobiography to reinvent himself -- but the past was too close behind, writes Graham Usher in Islamabad

What is the Ramadan TV serial based on the life of legendary actress Soad Hosni really about, asks Mohamed El-Assyouti

Nehad Selaiha winds up her report on this year's CIFET with a description of three more shows that she found significant

Dena Rashed discovers that the spirit of Ramadan has yet to reach the village of Shabramant

Although the government revealed plans to raise salaries, this does not help with the hike in prices during Ramadan. Mona El-Fiqi counts pennies

African women brainstorm at a Cairo meeting, writes Inas Mazhar