SANA, 24 Jan 2006 (IRIN) - Abdulaziz Ahmad Ali stands on a dry hillside next to the water tanks that supply the village of al-Haima, a small hamlet of 120 people. But the tanks, part of a World Bank project set up five years ago, are empty because the pump is broken again, explained Ali.Full report

BAGHDAD, 17 Jan 2006 (IRIN) - Hundreds of people have been displaced by severe floods in the southern city of Safwan, some 45 km southwest of Basra.Full report

DUBAI, 13 Jan 2006 (IRIN) - CONTENTS: EGYPT: 164 Sudanese released, deportation threat still uncertain Full report

DUBAI, 9 Jan 2006 (IRIN) - November 2004: The Popular Campaign for Reform, a recently-established social opposition movement composed of several civil society groups, published a petition to President Hosni Mubarak calling for broad constitutional reforms. The petition, signed by 700 activists, called for direct elections and a constitutionally-set limit to the number of terms a president can serve.This was considered a relatively radical move, breaking political taboos in Egypt.Full report

DUBAI, 5 Jan 2006 (IRIN) - CONTENTS: EGYPT: Calls to investigate refugee riots as death toll hits 30 Full report

DUBAI, 28 Dec 2005 (IRIN) - Water availability in the Middle East will continue to remain problematic and a potential source of conflict, according to water expert Dr Walid Saleh. Dr Saleh has worked with the United Nations University/International Network on Water, Environment and Health in Abu Dhabi since 1996. In an interview with IRIN, he said while some efforts were ongoing to improve supplies, better water management was essential.Full report

BAGHDAD, 20 Dec 2005 (IRIN) - A new project has started in the Iraqi capital to clean up rubbish dumps created in streets due to irregular collection, posing a health hazard, doctors say.Full report

DUBAI, 16 Dec 2005 (IRIN) - Activists launched a joint appeal to the Arab world on Friday in Dubai, the commercial capital of the United Arab Emirates, to donate more money to ease poverty in Africa. Full report

CAIRO, 17 Oct 2005 (IRIN) - A micro project to help improve the income of women slum dwellers in Cairo has achieved excellent results and is set to be replicated elsewhere in this sprawling city of 12 to 15 million people. Full report

DAMASCUS, 27 Sep 2005 (IRIN) - Syria’s first eco-friendly park, located in the capital Damascus, is nearing its final stages of completion with the actual seeding of indigenous plants from the local Barada river valley. Full report

EGYPT: Year in Brief 2005 - Chronology of democratic events

MIDDLE EAST: Interview with Middle East water expert

EGYPT: Local focus pays off for NGO helping slum women to earn cash

IRAQ: Interview with new environment minister

IRAQ: Focus on reconstruction disparities in north

IRAQ: Interview with Housing and Construction Minister

IRAQ: Briefing paper on food security

IRAQ: Briefing paper on power

IRAQ: Briefing paper on water and sanitation

IRAQ: Briefing paper on Education

IRAQ: Briefing paper on health