RAMALLAH — The helipad at the Muqataa, the memorial mausoleum where Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is buried in Ramallah, has been swept clean in anticipation of next week's arrival of US President Barack Obama. But in Ramallah, subdued complacency combined with low expectations will greet the president as he arrives for talks with the Palestinian leadership.

An exiled Hamas leader makes an emotional first visit to Gaza, an earthquake and tsunami warnings bring back bad memories in Japan, and Egypt doesn't look any nearer the end of its crisis.