Yasser Arafat’s funeral service began with humble prayers today and ended with an almost triumphant procession, his wooden coffin set on a gun carriage and draped in the Palestinian flag, preceded by a military band in scarlet and followed by a crowd of presidents and kings.

Yasser Arafat’s wooden coffin, draped in the Palestinian flag, was carried into an Egyptian military mosque this morning, where prayers for the Palestinian leader began.

Intense emotions of both sorrow and defiance continue across the Middle East today, the day Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is honoured by international dignitaries with a military funeral in Egypt.

A mass funeral has taken place in Cairo for more than 100 unidentified victims of the Egyptian train disaster.

Muslim and Christian leaders came together today in an attempt to show that battling terrorism is a common goal which cuts across the religious and cultural divide.