Rafah, Egypt  - Egyptian security forces on Tuesday prevented a member in the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas from crossing into the Gaza Strip carrying some 850,000 dollars in cash, according to an Egyptian security source.

The member, who was not named, was among the delegates leaving Egypt via the Rafah border crossing following the conclusion of a first round of the Cairo-hosted intensive reconciliation talks between rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah.

Cairo - For the first time in three years, Hussein Bakhit, a 20-year-old student from Cairo, can leave his house without worrying about being stopped by the police.

Bakhit will also be able to resume his studies for a degree in social sciences at Helwan Univerity, south of Cairo. He will be able to apply for a passport and, perhaps, to travel.

In short, as Bakhit put it, he will become a "first-class Egyptian citizen" again.

Amman - The Islamic Action Front (IAF), Jordan's largest political party, on Tuesday rebuked Egypt for denying entry to the Gaza Strip for a Jordanian delegation of parliamentarians and politicians.

"Preventing Jordanian parliamentarians from entering the Gaza Strip represents an offence to the Jordanian government, parliament and people," IAF Secretary General Zaki Bani Ershaid said in a statement.

Kuwait City/Cairo - The government of Kuwait has dissolved itself for the second time within four months, according to the Gulf emirate's Information Ministry.

However, according to the ministry, Kuwait's emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, has yet to accept the government's decision.

If the government were to step back, Prime Minister Nasser Mohammed al-Sabah would avoid questions from parliamentarians on financial scandals and government measures to rein in the effects of the ongoing financial crisis.

The current administration was only seated in January. The previous administration, headed by the same prime minister, dissolved itself to avoid parliamentary questioning.

Cairo  - A confrontation over freedom of expression is brewing in the UN Human Rights Council after Egypt began circulating a draft resolution that Western countries and human-rights groups fear could circumscribe free speech.

Egypt began passing a resolution Friday among delegations from the 47 countries currently serving on the UN Human Rights Council that reportedly calls for further "limitations" on speech that could be construed as defaming religions.

Gaza  - Egypt has invited the Damascus-based leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad to Cairo to join talks aimed at reconciling Palestinian factions and forming a "national unity" government, a Palestinian news agency reported Saturday.

Gaza's Sama news agency quoted "high-ranking Palestinian sources" as saying that Egypt sent official invitations to exiled top Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal and Ramadan Shallah, chief of Islamic Jihad in Syria, to join the Cairo talks. The two leaders will arrive later this week in Cairo, Sama reported.