As peace talks in Egypt continue, the death toll in Gaza passes 1,000, approximately half of those being civilians.

A very worthwhile article from this week's Economist magazine regarding the long and torturous history of Arab-Israeli conflict in Palestine and why it continues to this day.

Another piece from the Economist concerning China's continued trade surplus in the face of declining exports. On a related note, the morning Post reported that China has now officially overtaken Germany for the world's third-largest GDP.

Finally, Sri Lanka this week made a significant breakthrough in its fight against the Tamil Tiger rebels.