While his bloody crackdown on Hama grabs headlines, and Bashar Assad's fights for his life against his people, Saudi Arabia eyes the eastern Euphrates Valley and its towns of Deir el-Zour and Abu Kamal for severance from Syria to link up with the Iraqi Anbar province and form a new ...

The Egyptian people had their first sight of former president Hosni Mubarak, 83, since his overthrow, lying on a stretcher in an iron cage in the Cairo Police Academy courtroom with his sons and six officials, including former interior minister Habib al-Adli. The ex-president pleaded not guilty to the charges against him of killing protesters and corruption, some of which carry the death penalty. Judge Ahmed Rifaat opened the televised session Wednesday Aug. 3 and adjourned it till Aug. 15.

Conflicting reports on former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak's state of health appeared Sunday night, July 17. State TV said he was in a coma after a stroke. This was denied by the head of the Sharm el-Sheikh hospital. Earlier, as Egypt sank deeper into lawlessness and economic stagnation, the military junta reshuffled the cabinet to placate protesters who accused the generals of "stealing the revolution." Gulf emirates pledged aid if Cairo suppressed dissent and turned away from Washington and against Iran.

Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, 83, arrived in Paris this week - officially for meetings with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Lebanese Prime Minister Sa'ad Hariri. But our Middle East sources sources say he went for medical tests at the exclusive Percy Military Hospital of Clamart, outside Paris.
His son, Gemal Mubarak, 52, has been quietly endorsed as successor by Egypt's military and intelligence leaderships. He must now show he is fit to fill his father's shoes.