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	<title>Habib Toumi</title>
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	<link>http://www.habibtoumi.com</link>
	<description>Observations from the Arab world and beyond</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Sat, 26 May 2012 07:02:46 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Lawmakers file no-confidence motion against Kuwait minister</title>
		<link>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/05/26/lawmakers-file-no-confidence-motion-against-kuwait-minister/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=lawmakers-file-no-confidence-motion-against-kuwait-minister</link>
		<comments>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/05/26/lawmakers-file-no-confidence-motion-against-kuwait-minister/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 May 2012 07:02:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Habib Toumi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.habibtoumi.com/?p=8651</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Kuwaiti lawmakers have filed a no-confidence motion against the finance minister in a move that could trigger changes in the country. The motion was filed by 10 MPs as required by the law and was endorsed by 33 lawmakers following the grilling of Finance Minister Mustafa Al Shamali over alleged irregularities in the ministry. Under the parliament’s by-laws, the vote on the no-confidence motion takes place eight days after the filing of the mission. The support of 25 lawmakers is required to remove a minister from office. The MPs claimed that the finance ministry disregarded the law on several occasions and that the minister squandered billions of dollars of public funds by accommodating influential business figures. The minister however, claimed that the allegations are motivated by personal and political grudges. Al Shamali categorically denied the allegations, insisting that he deeply cared about Kuwait and Kuwaitis and that all his activities and actions have been legal. The grilling of Al Shamali was rendered possible after the parliament overcame at the last minute a thorny issue about the lawmakers’ right to question him. Two motions to subject the minister to questioning were filed on the same day, May 7, one by MP [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Re-trial of 13 suspected Bahrainis postponed</title>
		<link>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/05/26/re-trial-of-13-suspected-bahrainis-postponed/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=re-trial-of-13-suspected-bahrainis-postponed</link>
		<comments>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/05/26/re-trial-of-13-suspected-bahrainis-postponed/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 May 2012 07:01:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Habib Toumi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.habibtoumi.com/?p=8649</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A Bahraini court has postponed to May 29 the re-trial of 13 people charged with plotting to topple the regime. The Court of Appeals listened to testimonies and will receive the other statements next week. On May 8, the court insisted that Abdul Hadi Al Khawaja and Mirza Al Mahroos, who were in hospital, would have to be present at the trial when the hearings would be held on May 22. The court said that the two defendants would be given full medical care for and during their appearance at the court. The re-trial by the Supreme Court was decided by the Court of Cassation in the high-profile case against 21 defendants, of whom seven are being tried in absentia. The Court of Cassation on April 30 allowed Al Horr Al Sameekh to go home after his prison term decided by the courts of national safety was reduced from two years to six months. The 13 defendants held in prison and the seven others being tried in absentia received last year terms ranging between two years and life in prison by the National Safety Court of First Instance. They were convicted on charges of establishing and managing terror groups to [...]]]></description>
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		<title>I have a strong feeling that I can make a change&#8217;</title>
		<link>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/05/26/i-have-a-strong-feeling-that-i-can-make-a-change/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=i-have-a-strong-feeling-that-i-can-make-a-change</link>
		<comments>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/05/26/i-have-a-strong-feeling-that-i-can-make-a-change/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 May 2012 07:01:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Habib Toumi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.habibtoumi.com/?p=8647</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The only woman among the four candidates vying for a vacant seat at Bahrain&#8217;s lower chamber has expressed confidence she could carry the constituency that has voted exclusively for Islamists since 2002. &#8220;I have a strong feeling that I can make a change in the difficult conditions that we are going through right now,&#8221; Hind Bujeeri said after filing her papers as a candidate. &#8220;I know the area very well and I am aware of the people&#8217;s needs and aspirations, particularly thanks to my involvement in welfare activities. The women&#8217;s political empowerment programme has also been a strong incentive in my decision to run in a competition based on competence and services to the nation.&#8221; The Eighth Constituency in the Governorate of Muharraq will next month elect the lawmaker who will replace former MP Ghanem Al Buainain who was last month named state minister for foreign affairs. The constituency is seen as a fief of Al Asala, the expression of Salafism in Bahrain, and a win by Hind would be a historic breakthrough. Islamists from Al Asala and the Islamic Tribune, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, fared badly in the 2010 parliamentary elections and both parties attributed their dismal [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Kuwait government, parliament clash over grilling approach</title>
		<link>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/05/26/kuwait-government-parliament-clash-over-grilling-approach/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=kuwait-government-parliament-clash-over-grilling-approach</link>
		<comments>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/05/26/kuwait-government-parliament-clash-over-grilling-approach/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 May 2012 07:00:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Habib Toumi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.habibtoumi.com/?p=8645</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A political crisis is looming in Kuwait after the cabinet and the parliament clashed on Tuesday over the merit of two grilling motions filed by lawmakers against Mustafa Al Shamali, the finance minister for alleged financial irregularities. The government said that its minister was ready to answer the lawmakers&#8217; questions only if the two quizzing motions were separated, in line with the parliament&#8217;s bylaws which allow merging grilling quests only when they had similar themes. However, the lawmakers who filed the motions and their supporters insisted on merging them. Speaker Ahmad Al Saadoon suspended the session after the two sides adhered to their views and the government refused to bow to pressure by those supporting merging the two motions. &#8220;We have opposed the merging of the two motions because we do not accept that matters are imposed on us. We are partners in this parliament,&#8221; Shaikh Jaber Al Mubarak, the prime minister, said. &#8220;If there is any doubt about the bylaws, then we have to go back to the laws and constitution which we have sworn to uphold,&#8221; he said as he left the parliament hall. Shaikh Mohammad Al Abdullah Al Mubarak, the information minister, denied claims that the government [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Afghanistan transition well underway: Obama</title>
		<link>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/05/26/afghanistan-transition-well-underway-obama/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=afghanistan-transition-well-underway-obama</link>
		<comments>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/05/26/afghanistan-transition-well-underway-obama/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 May 2012 06:59:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Habib Toumi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.habibtoumi.com/?p=8643</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[President Barack Obama said that the transition in Afghanistan to wind down the war was &#8220;well underway&#8221;, but insisted on a long-term relationship with Kabul beyond 2014. &#8220;We agreed that this transition to Afghan lead for security would begin in 2011 and that it would conclude in 2014,&#8221; Obama said at the summit in Chicago, his hometown, as he and other Nato leaders and partners wanted to reiterate confidence in Afghanistan&#8217;s ability to take the lead for its own security next year. &#8220;At the same time, we said that we would seek a long-term partnership with Afghanistan and the Afghan people. Over the past two years, we have made important progress. Our forces broke the Taliban&#8217;s momentum. More Afghans are reclaiming their communities. Afghan security forces have grown stronger and the transition that we agreed to in Lisbon is well underway.&#8221; At the Lisbon summit in 2010, the 28 Nato members agreed on a framework for transition in Afghanistan that would allow them to wind down the war. &#8220;We come together as 50 nations, Nato&#8217;s allies and partners that make up the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan,&#8221; Obama said in his speech. &#8220;The presence of so many leaders [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Kuwait urges citizens to avoid Lebanon</title>
		<link>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/05/26/kuwait-urges-citizens-to-avoid-lebanon/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=kuwait-urges-citizens-to-avoid-lebanon</link>
		<comments>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/05/26/kuwait-urges-citizens-to-avoid-lebanon/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 May 2012 06:58:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Habib Toumi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.habibtoumi.com/?p=8641</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Kuwait on Monday told its citizens to avoid travelling to Lebanon, citing the mounting tension in the country. Kuwaitis already in Lebanon should leave immediately, or in case of special conditions contact the embassy in Beirut, the foreign affairs ministry said. Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE on Sunday issued a Lebanon travel warning and urged their citizens to leave or stay away from the country until the security situation improved. The decision by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries was seen in Lebanon as an ominous indication of an impending economic catastrophe with dire consequences for the country where tourism, mainly by Gulf citizens, was one of the major sectors to generate cash and jobs. http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/kuwait/kuwait-urges-citizens-to-avoid-lebanon-1.1025717]]></description>
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		<title>Kuwaiti lawyers move against abusive blogger</title>
		<link>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/05/26/kuwaiti-lawyers-move-against-abusive-blogger/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=kuwaiti-lawyers-move-against-abusive-blogger</link>
		<comments>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/05/26/kuwaiti-lawyers-move-against-abusive-blogger/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 May 2012 06:58:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Habib Toumi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.habibtoumi.com/?p=8639</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Four Kuwaiti lawyers have filed a suit against a blogger for posting insults against God and His Prophet and for desecrating the Quran. Abdul Mohsin Al Qattan, Mohammad Al Ajmi, Fahad Al Muneer and Ahmad Al Qabandi said that the woman, who was not identified, used her Twitter account for her attacks. &#8220;The blogger has been using the dirtiest words and expressions to describe God and Prophet Mohammad [PBUH] and his family and companions,&#8221; Al Qattan said. &#8220;She is obviously leading a campaign to undermine the values of the religion and of the society and to denigrate the Holy Book,&#8221; he said, local Arabic daily Al Watan reported. The postings are an indication of the woman&#8217;s blasphemy and heresy and all Muslims should resist her allegations, he said. &#8220;We call upon the authorities to help trace the woman and take legal measures against her,&#8221; he said. A Kuwaiti blogger will this week now his fate after he was accused of using a social network to post abusive remarks. http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/kuwait/kuwaiti-lawyers-move-against-abusive-blogger-1.1025677]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Afghanistan tops Nato agenda</title>
		<link>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/05/26/afghanistan-tops-nato-agenda/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=afghanistan-tops-nato-agenda</link>
		<comments>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/05/26/afghanistan-tops-nato-agenda/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 May 2012 06:57:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Habib Toumi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.habibtoumi.com/?p=8637</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Afghanistan will top the agenda of Nato&#8217;s biggest summit in history which opens today in US President Barack Obama&#8217;s hometown. However, the US leader will not be in a mood for celebrations or basking in the sunshine if plans for Afghanistan&#8217;s future do not get enough support and if attempts to fend off fissures within the alliance do not succeed. France&#8217;s President Francois Hollande seemed to announce unexpected damage to Nato&#8217;s plans for an orderly withdrawal of all troops by the end of 2014 when he said in his first meeting with Obama that he had made a pledge during the presidential campaign that he will withdraw French troops by the end of 2012. &#8220;I had made a promise to withdraw our combat troops from Afghanistan at the end of 2012,&#8221; Hollande told reporters in the White House. &#8220;This decision is an act of sovereignty and must be done in good coordination with our allies and partners.&#8221; However, he seemed not to shut the door completely when he said that he also &#8220;stipulated that there would still be support in another form&#8221;. Hollande is expected to come under intense pressure from fellow Nato leaders to avoid a &#8220;hasty pullout&#8221; and [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Israel must rethink policies after losing friends: Qatar Emir</title>
		<link>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/05/20/israel-must-rethink-policies-after-losing-friends-qatar-emir/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=israel-must-rethink-policies-after-losing-friends-qatar-emir</link>
		<comments>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/05/20/israel-must-rethink-policies-after-losing-friends-qatar-emir/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 May 2012 13:45:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Habib Toumi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.habibtoumi.com/?p=8634</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Israel&#8217;s failure to make a long-awaited step towards achieving peace based on the end of settlements, the 1967 borders, and the two-state solution, will leave it more isolated after losing support, Qatar&#8217;s Emir has said. &#8220;Israel cannot rely anymore on its friendship with rulers who were overthrown by the Arab spring revolutions,&#8221; Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani said. &#8220;Israel should not be betting on other rulers to be against their own people and the overall opinion, because in this case Israel will find itself with no friends at all,&#8221; the emir said on Sunday morning as he opened the 12th Doha Forum. Israeli must adhere to the international law, recognize the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, withdraw from the Syrian Golan and Lebanese Shebaa Farms and refrain from practices that prevent the achievement of a just peace in the future, such as building settlements and the Judaization of Jerusalem, the Emir said. &#8220;Otherwise, it will miss the chance for peace because the rising generation of the Arab peoples will not accept injustice or occupation,&#8221; he said. Shaikh Hamad said that the recent political developments in Israel allowed the prime minister to form the largest and most powerful government [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Lebanon warning pushes travellers to change plans</title>
		<link>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/05/20/lebanon-warning-pushes-travellers-to-change-plans/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=lebanon-warning-pushes-travellers-to-change-plans</link>
		<comments>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/05/20/lebanon-warning-pushes-travellers-to-change-plans/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 May 2012 13:44:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Habib Toumi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.habibtoumi.com/?p=8632</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The warning from Al Mustaqbal, the Beirut-based newspaper, is ominously clear: The call by Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE to their citizens to avoid visiting or staying in Lebanon amounts to an economic catastrophe for the country. &#8220;The warning as summer approaches is in fact an indication to all Arabs, even those whose countries have not told them to stay away yet,&#8221; the daily printed on its front page. &#8220;This is a real catastrophe to all Lebanese whose living standards have plummeted and who now have only one lung that allows them to breathe, thanks to the remaining Arab investments.&#8221; The opposition daily put the blame on the policy followed by the government on the crisis in Syria. However, while the Beirut newspaper and other Lebanese lament the economic consequences of the Gulf decision mainly on tourism, one of the country&#8217;s best assets to generate money, several Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) citizens have had to review their travel plans for the summer. &#8220;We had it all sorted out for the post Ramadan holidays, but we now have to change our destination,&#8221; said Mohammad Sultan, an accountant in Manama. &#8220;My family always insists on holidaying in an Arab country, and since the drama [...]]]></description>
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