CAIRO -- A request by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for an arrest warrant to be issued against Sudans President Omar al-Bashir has left Egypt, its northern neighbor, in a quandary, prompting the Cairo leadership to reiterate that Bashirs arrest on war crimes charges should be delayed.

AMMAN -- Turkey stepped back from the edge of a precipice that would have plunged the country into its worst political crisis in years, possibly decades, when the highest court Wednesday narrowly avoided outlawing the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), but instead gave the Islamist-rooted party a slap on the wrist and a chance to seek compromise with the powerful secular forces.

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba -- Prosecutors on Wednesday began to wrap up their case against a Yemeni man who is facing war crimes charges at the first U.S.-run war court since World War II.

What the Arab papers said on July 31:

DUBAI, UAE -- To be greeted with folded hands is hardly unusual for people like me, born and bred in India, the land of namste. But the Thai greeting is vastly different from what one is used to in India. It is much more warm and gracious in nature.

AMMAN -- A group of 12 Syrian dissidents have pleaded innocent to the criminal charges of publicly demanding peaceful and democratic reforms in the biggest political trial of its kind in Syria in seven years and an important test for President Bashar Assad.

What the Arab papers said on July 30:

In less than 100 days a new American president will be elected, and most likely he will be Barack Obama, the first African-American to attain that position provided he maintains his current solid lead in the opinion polls. The gifted and articulate one-time senator has won the hearts of many in the United States and Europe, as evidenced during his recent overseas trip to Europe, and his remarkable speech in Berlin which was attended by some 200,000 Germans and others.

AMMAN -- Iraq was bracing for more violence and protests amid extra-tight security and a fresh Iraqi-U.S. military offensive, a day after the bloodiest wave of attacks dashed hopes for a consistent drop in violence following a relative calm.

JERUSALEM -- It appears a low-ranking Israeli officer overstepped his authority when he ordered the closure of the Nablus Shopping Mall in the northern West Bank earlier in July on the grounds it had ties with Hamas. The officer also ordered the closure of a number of other Islamic charities and businesses, while mosques were raided.

What the Arab papers said on July 29:

Syrian President Bashar Assad appears to be serious about pursuing peace. But just how serious is he? Assad seems to be taking his desire to talk peace with Israel to heart, an issue explained in greater detail by his ambassador in Washington. But more on that in a moment.

AMMAN -- Istanbul was the target of the deadliest terror attack in Turkey since 2003 when on Sunday night two bombs exploded just minutes and meters apart in a busy square killing at least 17 people and injuring more than 150 others, only hours before the countrys highest court began to deliberate on whether to outlaw the ruling party.

CAIRO -- Youssef Chahine, one of Egypts most renown movie makers, died Sunday in a Cairo military hospital after months of battling illness and only four weeks after going into a coma following a brain hemorrhage. The 82-year-old director had been a longtime fixture in Egyptian cinema and had given a new face to the Arab worlds film industry.

What the Arab papers said on July 28:

JERUSALEM -- A number of clashes broke out last Thursday and Friday between rampaging Israeli settlers and Israeli security forces, as the latter tried to restore order in the northern West Bank after hundreds of settlers rioted, attacked Palestinians and their property, and assaulted several Israeli soldiers and police.

There are very few silver linings to current record-high oil prices — but a more stable future for embattled Iraq may be one of them. Many experts believe that the countrys growing oil revenues will yield three benefits: an improving economy that can diminish some support for the insurgency, more money to develop Iraqs security forces, and a greater willingness by other countries to invest in Iraqs future.

The real star at the French Bastille Day parade earlier this month in Paris was Syrian President Bashar Assad. It marked his return into the international community. In fact, the French Nicolas Sarkozy administration believes, along with to a lesser degree the Ehud Olmert government in Israel, that Assad can be a part of the solution rather than a part of the problem. But what are Assads real intentions?

AMMAN -- The high-profile visit by Democratic presidential frontrunner Senator Barack Obama to the Middle East this week seems to have constituted a reality check that regardless of the changes Obama might bring to America if he takes over the White House, U.S. policy in the region will remain unchanged.

What the Arab papers said on July 25:

In March 2009, Russia will deploy modern S-300 long-range anti-aircraft missiles in Iran. By June 2009 they will become fully operational, as Iranian teams finish training provided by their Russian instructors, a high-level Russian source who requested anonymity told the Middle East Times.

AMMAN -- The detention of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafis youngest son in Geneva on charges of abusing his staff has triggered Libyan anger and a decision to halt oil supplies to Switzerland, raising not only oil prices, but also eyebrows over the politicization of alleged personal misbehavior.

What the Arab papers said on July 24:

CAIRO – When it seemed that all was going smoothly on the Cairo-Tehran diplomatic front and full relations were not far off after a near 30-year hiatus, out comes a movie in Iran praising the assassins of late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat that throws both governments into a bitter row.

AMMAN -- On his first visit to the volatile Middle East as the U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama sought to sell his pledge to directly engage in a peace process, should he become president, but his 36-hour stop in Israel – with a little time in the West Bank – appeared more of a campaign attempt to win over Jewish votes back in the United States.

DUBAI, UAE -- Few issues have exercised me as much as the conflict in Darfur has. One hates to blow ones trumpet, but I have the dubious distinction of being the first journalist from the Middle East to break the silence on the genocide in Sudan.

What the Arab papers said on July 23:

LUXOR, Egypt -- One of Egypts most famous ancient cities, Luxor, is in the process of getting a makeover, and not everyone is pleased with the governments actions. The plan is to create an open-air museum on the citys west bank, home to such renowned monuments as Queen Hatshepsuts Temple and the Valley of the Kings.

GAZA CITY, Gaza -- In an unusual display of frustration, moderate Hamas official Ahmed Yousef, the adviser on foreign affairs to de-facto Gaza prime minister and Hamas leader Ismail Haniya, has told the Middle East Times that Hamas patience with Israel is wearing thin.

AMMAN -- U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama wrapped up a visit to Iraq after exchanging views with Iraqi and U.S. military leaders there in what in part was preparation for a new strategy for future American action in the war-torn country, one the Iraqis hope entails a time frame for U.S. troop withdrawal.

What the Arab papers said on July 22:

Mighty armies rarely lose wars, instead they implement strategic redeployments.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was in Iraq Monday to meet its top leaders and U.S. commanders. Obama has pledged that, among other things, if he takes over the White House he will pull out U.S. troops in 16 months (see point-by-point outline of plan below).

JERUSALEM -- Following the state of Israels recent prisoner swap with the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah, during which the remains of two Israeli soldiers, captured during the Second Lebanon War in 2006, were exchanged for four Hezbollah resistance members, the remains of over another 100, and the notorious Samir Kuntar, a former member of the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF), Israel has been busy licking its wounds and struggling to come to terms with the deal.

While Iran is flexing its muscles and looking to expand throughout the whole Middle East by way of military force, it is also orchestrating an insidious campaign to control the regions religion. In fact, Iran is spending money, energy and time to proselytize local populations and de facto trying to take over Islam.

MADRID -- One of the by-products of the three-day interfaith dialogue conference held in Madrid earlier this week at the initiative of Saudi Arabias King Abdullah is what some observers describe as four conflicting schools of thought: the optimists, who believe that eventually everything will fall in order; the pessimists, who like the cartoon character Chicken Little, believe that the sky is falling; and wishful thinkers – among this category one can include Saudi Arabia – who believe that if they wish for something strong enough to happen, it happens. At least in their mindset. And finally, there are the critics of the Saudi initiative, who regardless of what this conference may have achieved, or will achieve, will only look at the dark side of Arabia.

"I never expected anything like it" was the comment of one Pakistani Muslim attending the World Conference on Dialogue organized by the Muslim World League and hosted by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.

AMMAN -- What has been widely perceived as another Hezbollah victory against Israel with the release and repatriation of five Lebanese prisoners, including the longest-serving Arab detainee in Israel, speculations are growing over the future political and military status of the Lebanese Shiite guerilla organization.

CAIRO -- Television and radio is again under threat in Egypt. The government is currently reviewing a new draft law from the ministry of information that would make it even more difficult for the transmission of audio and visual materials from Egypt.

What the Arab papers said on July 17:

MADRID -- An inter-faith conference opened in Madrid Wednesday hoping to find a solution that would end disputes between the worlds major religions. The conference, organized by the World Muslim League at the behest of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, comes at a time when inter-religious strife has increased the environment of distrust among religions.

JERUSALEM -- During the last few weeks Israeli troops have raided and closed down mosques, medical centers, charities, soup kitchens and shopping malls in Nablus, confiscating computers and buses, and causing extensive damage, as they target Hamas-linked institutions which they claim are "supporting terrorism," in a bid to stem the growing influence the Islamic organization has over the West Bank.

AMMAN -- The stark difference between a scene of jubilation in Lebanon and grief in Israel as prisoners and remains were exchanged with Hezbollah on Wednesday underlined what both sides generally view as a triumph for the Lebanese guerrilla group and a defeat for Israel in their ongoing conflict.

What the Arab papers said on July 16:

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- As the debate over Indias nuclear deal with the United States heats up, a totally new angle has been added to the controversy: Whether the deal is anti-Muslim and if the Muslims, Indias largest minority and the worlds largest Muslim population, support or oppose the accord with the United States.

JERUSALEM -- Following a third round of questioning of Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, amid fresh allegations that he supposedly defrauded several charities and state institutions to pay for the same trips abroad and to fund family vacations, the Israeli police and Justice Ministry released a joint statement saying they are widening a corruption investigation against the Israeli premier.

AMMAN -- When an Arab becomes the first incumbent head-of-state wanted for war crimes and genocide by the International Criminal Court, it is bound to have political implications and raise concerns about hidden political agendas that may underlie legal allegations.

What the Arab papers said on July 15:

In the wake of Irans lighting off several medium-range ballistic missiles, or MRBMs – including one that never got off the ground, but was doctored in a widely publicized photograph to make it look as if it did – there has been much speculation about Irans missile capability: The greatest fear being that Iranian MRBMs could strike targets almost anywhere in the Middle East, including Israel and many U.S. bases, perhaps even reaching targets in southern and eastern Europe (perhaps most of Europe if Iran decided to move some of its missiles to Hezbollah-controlled zones in Lebanon).

An arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan was requested by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, demanding that the Sudanese president be made to stand trial for alleged genocide and crimes against humanity committed in Sudans Darfur region.

AMMAN, Jordan -- Syrian President Bashar Assad is drawing his country back into the Western-led international fold, thanks to the French leadership, raising mixed expectations on how the Syrian rapprochement with the West will affect its "rejectionist" role and alliances with Iran and anti-Israeli movements.

Syrias isolation and pariah status – at least as perceived by the Europeans and the United States – was put on hold with the invitation of President Bashar Assad to mingle with some 40 leaders of the Mediterranean basin attending the first gathering of the Union of the Mediterranean and the traditional Bastille Day festivities in Paris.

Jews should break their silence; gentiles should tackle anti-Semitism.

What the Arab papers said on July 14:

The sounds of saber rattling have been growing louder by the day in the Persian Gulf. While Israel has recently performed an impressive exercise over the Mediterranean, Iran proceeded last week to test its long-range missiles. The region has been preparing for a while for a likely war and negotiations are at a standstill. Since the international sanctions on Iran have not had the desired effect, it now maybe high time to use the only weapon that can avert a war: energy.

AMMAN -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has made a substantial policy shift by insisting on a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, defying his close ally, U.S. President George W. Bush, and submitting to domestic pressure for an end in sight to foreign occupation.

What the Arab papers said on July 11:

The recent Iranian missile tests demonstrate the need to deploy a missile defense capable of mid-flight interception of Iranian warheads, which in a few years may be able to reach Europe and the United States.

AMMAN -- Iran continued to flex its military muscles by test-firing missiles and weapons for a second straight day Thursday, sending the message that it is capable of defending itself against any possible U.S. or Israeli attacks, in a move that has raised tension but could very well deter a confrontation.

What the Arab papers said on July 10:

CAIRO -- It was supposed to be a feel-good story of two cultures coming together in a comedic fashion. Instead, "The Bands Visit" is not getting talked about for rightly being an award winning movie, but because it is an Israeli film. And theres not much feel-good spirit going around.

JERUSALEM -- Former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) hostage, Columbian-French politician Ingrid Betancourt Pulecio was freed recently in a spectacular derring-do operation by Columbian security forces – with the help of ex-Israeli commandos.

With the end of the Cold War and the practical disappearance of communism as a threat to Western nations, Western European countries such as Great Britain, France, Italy and Spain found that in keeping with the post Cold War climate, they had to reduce the size of their military.

AMMAN -- Three Turkish policemen and three gunmen were killed on Wednesday in a gunbattle outside the fortified U.S. consulate building in Istanbul, believed to be a terrorist attack targeting American interests for the first time in Turkey.

What the Arab papers said on July 9:

Syrian President Bashar Assad will cross the gates of the Elysee Presidential Palace and meet behind closed doors with French President Nicolas Sarkozy next Saturday in a political choreography that could possibly signal the beginning of the end of Syrias isolation.

Russias Prime Minister and former President Vladimir Putin, current President Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian foreign policy elite (as it is fond of calling itself), and much of Russian public opinion all strongly oppose American "hegemony" or "unipolarity," and seek to restore Russia as a great power in a multipolar world.

AMMAN -- The Iraqi government has, for the first time since the occupation of Iraq in 2003, publicly admitted it wants a U.S. withdrawal timetable and is seeking such a commitment in a pact it is negotiating with Washington over the future status of American troops in the country.

What the Arab papers said on July 8:

JERUSALEM -- Both Israel and the United States appear to be on the same page in regard to a pending attack on Iran, as they worry about the Islamic republics ability to build a nuclear arsenal with the Jewish state as a possible target.

There has been much talk lately behind the long hallways of power in the U.S. capital of an impending move toward peace and reconciliation in the Middle East. To become a reality the many pieces that make up the Middle Easts complicated geopolitical jigsaw puzzle have to come together at the right time to fit in correctly.

AMMAN -- Speculation is growing that Syria is ready to distance itself from Iran and come to the Western fold if the United States and its allies ultimately reward Damascus with political, financial and military support.

It is a wonder that Egypts master novelist, Naguib Mahfouz — the first Arab writer to win the Nobel Prize for literature — survived the attack on his life by an Islamic fanatic in 1994. More wondrous, indeed, that he kept writing, though often dictating his work to others.

What the Arab papers said on July 7:

Syria would agree to sever its close links with Iran if the United States was to offer Damascus financial and military backing, according to The Sunday Telegraph reporting from Jerusalem. The usually well-informed London paper is quoting a former Israeli diplomat involved in back channel talks taking place between Syria and Israel.

The international community had shunned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad completely since 2005 when he was forced to "officially" remove his troops from occupied Lebanon. But he is not a pariah anymore. He has now become a hot ticket courted from Jerusalem to Ankara and Paris, to name a few. How did Assad realize this tour de force?

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- The North Korean deal proves once again that you are rewarded if you have nukes. Else be prepared for the fate of Saddam Hussein!

AMMAN -- It was an usually quiet day in Iraq on Friday in terms of violence, but the debate over a long-term security and military pact that the Iraqi government is secretly negotiating with the United States continued to raise a political storm among leaders eager to regain sovereignty over their country.

What the Arab papers said on July 4:

CAIRO -- Five months after a global media frenzy was sparked by the appointment in Egypt of the Islamic worlds first female Islamic notary, 32-year-old Amal Soliman, now out of the international spotlight, sits patiently at home, still waiting to begin her first day at work, while her male peers are fighting to force the mother of three out of the job.

AMMAN -- The Turkish ruling party was Thursday fighting for its legal survival in a very lengthy defense argument to the constitutional court, refuting charges that it poses a threat to the secular system and using the European Union card to pressure the highest court against attempts to ban the party.

BADAKHSHAN, Afghanistan -- The bazaar sits on a small island in the river Panj, a narrow expanse of shallow but fast-flowing water that is all that separates the Badakhshan region of Tajikistan from the Afghan province of the same name. On either side loom the Pamir mountains, a range of high peaks that cuts the region off from the rest of the world.

What the Arab papers said on July 3:

AMMAN -- The British government has deemed that the armed wing of the Lebanese Hezbollah organization is a terrorist branch because of its alleged support to Iraqi Shiite insurgents and Palestinian militant groups, a move that adds pressure on the Lebanese movement to disarm.

UPDATED: At least four people were killed and 44 were wounded – one seriously, one moderately and 42 lightly – shortly after noon Wednesday when a Palestinian from East Jerusalem went on a rampage and deliberately ploughed a bulldozer into as many vehicles as he could in the center of Jerusalem.

What the Arab papers said on July 2:

AMMAN – In the latest twist in Turkeys major political battle between secularists and the moderate Islamist government, police arrested suspected anti-government nationalists hours before the start of a landmark trial in the countrys highest court, which was aimed at bringing the ruling party down.

What the Arab papers said on July 1:

Following five hours of intense debate on Sunday the Israeli cabinet decided to approve a prisoner swap with the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah.

The outcome of ongoing negotiations between Iraq and the United States over the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) could decide the direction of this emerging polity and be a leverage test for old foes who seem to love to be at odds.

What the Arab papers said on June 30:

GAZA CITY, Gaza -- Last week, several days into the Gaza ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, a U.N. convoy and a delegation of humanitarian workers was trapped on the Gaza side of the Erez border crossing into Israel, along with this reporter.

After the Hezbollah (the Party of God) coup in May and its "official" endorsement by Lebanese political forces and the international community in Doha, Lebanon is still very much facing an explosive situation.

CAIRO -- Springtime for secondary students is usually a period of optimism and excitement at the summer ahead, but for one Egyptian student it has become a nightmare. Safwat Hassan, 17, was detained by security officials after he supposedly wrote on his end-of-year exam that President Hosni Mubarak was "a tyrant who ruled over cowards."

Saudi oil production is up, a ceasefire is coming in Nigeria, Dem. Sen. Barack Obama wants to crack down on oil companies and energy speculators, but war tensions are up between Israel and Iran.

What the Arab papers said on June 27:

Janes, the publishing house specializing in military matters, has demonstrated through commercially available imagery obtained by the company from DigitalGlobe, showing Syrian troops deployed on Lebanese territory and being reinforced in early 2008. According to Janes, these maneuvers took place just ahead of Israels largest ever civilian and military war drill.

The next U.S. president needs a "clean break" from the policies set forth by the current administration in Iraq, a Middle East analyst said.

AMMAN -- Violence continued to rage and the death toll kept rising in Iraq Thursday as Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama plans a possible trip to the war-torn country that remains high in the calculations of Americans when they go to the polls in November.

What the Arab papers said on June 26: