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	<title>Habib Toumi</title>
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	<description>Observations from the Arab world and beyond</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:19:37 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Environmental film workshop a boost for students</title>
		<link>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/02/06/environmental-film-workshop-a-boost-for-students/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=environmental-film-workshop-a-boost-for-students</link>
		<comments>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/02/06/environmental-film-workshop-a-boost-for-students/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:19:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Habib Toumi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.habibtoumi.com/?p=7802</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A workshop on environmental filmmaking was held by an award-winning American documentary maker at the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development (QF). Ian Cheney, winner of the 2008 George Peabody Award for his film ‘King Corn,&#8217; hosted the workshop for 20 university students in the Hamad Bin Khalifa Student Centre. The event, organised by QF&#8217;s Sustainability Education Unit, focused on environmental filmmaking, a subject central to QF&#8217;s mission to broaden knowledge on Qatar&#8217;s journey towards a post-carbon economy. The students who attended were selected after submitting ideas relating to environmental issues in Qatar. &#8220;This is a wonderful opportunity to provide students with the skills to bring their ideas to reality, and to educate others about environmental issues and solutions in Qatar,&#8221; Jamil Karam, Director of Student Life at QF, said. Cheney said that he was delighted by their eagerness to engage during his workshop. &#8220;I was thrilled by the students&#8217; enthusiasm for filmmaking, and impressed by their dedication to sustainability,&#8221; said Brooklyn-based Cheney. &#8220;I&#8217;m sure we will be seeing some new, thoughtful environmental films in the very near future.&#8221; The seminar covered all facets of the documentary production process, from conception to completion. The budding cinematographers in attendance [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Kuwaiti MP pushes to deport Syrians who smashed into embassy</title>
		<link>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/02/06/kuwaiti-mp-pushes-to-deport-syrians-who-smashed-into-embassy/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=kuwaiti-mp-pushes-to-deport-syrians-who-smashed-into-embassy</link>
		<comments>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/02/06/kuwaiti-mp-pushes-to-deport-syrians-who-smashed-into-embassy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:18:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Habib Toumi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.habibtoumi.com/?p=7800</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A controversial Kuwaiti lawmaker has threatened to grill the interior minister if he does not push for deporting the Syrians who stormed their embassy in Kuwait City on Friday. &#8220;They had failed to comply with the laws of the land,&#8221; Mohammad Juwaihal said. &#8220;There is no need to file a case against the 32 and launch an investigation that would heap pressure on the security and judiciary authorities. They should simply be deported in an example that would deter any foreigner bent on breaking Kuwait&#8217;s laws,&#8221; he said, quoted by local Arabic daily Al Watan. The interior minister has wide powers to deport law-breakers and he should use them instead of opting for a time consumer case, he said. &#8220;Should the minister refrain from using the tools available, I will grill him since he is the first line of security in the country and any inaction when the law is broken will result in a security lapse that Kuwait does not need or want. We all know that sit-ins and demonstrations are for Kuwaitis only,&#8221; he said. Al Juwaihal&#8217;s move clashes with calls by Islamist MPs not to deport the Syrians and hand them over to Damascus amid concerns about their [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Veteran politician says negative phenomena impacted election outcome</title>
		<link>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/02/06/veteran-politician-says-negative-phenomena-impacted-election-outcome/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=veteran-politician-says-negative-phenomena-impacted-election-outcome</link>
		<comments>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/02/06/veteran-politician-says-negative-phenomena-impacted-election-outcome/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:17:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Habib Toumi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.habibtoumi.com/?p=7798</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A veteran Kuwaiti politician has blamed the emergence of sectarianism as an important factor to be elected to parliament. &#8220;The emergence of chaos and of negative phenomena, including the sectarian dimension, has enabled people to reach the parliament,&#8221; Ahmad Al Khatib, the deputy chairman of the 1962 constituent assembly that drafted the constitution, said. &#8220;The regional developments, the fuelling of sectarianism in some countries and the rise of Islamist movements have had a strong impact on the parliamentary elections in Kuwait,&#8221; he told Kuwaiti Arabic daily Al Rai. Kuwait could not remain isolated from the events that affected some Arab countries and the fact was very clear in the results of the elections, he said. Women were eased out and liberals were confined to one seat as Islamists and candidates supported by tribes cruised their way to the 50-seat parliament on Thursday. At least one highly controversial candidate succeeded in carrying a seat, paving the way for turbulent relations within the Gulf&#8217;s oldest elected assembly. Several analysts have lamented the &#8220;strange&#8221; formation of the parliament and predicted that it would not last its four-year term and that there would be new elections. For Al Khatib, the Islamists have adopted the [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Kuwait’s parliament to convene on February 15</title>
		<link>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/02/06/kuwait%e2%80%99s-parliament-to-convene-on-february-15/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=kuwait%25e2%2580%2599s-parliament-to-convene-on-february-15</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:15:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Habib Toumi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.habibtoumi.com/?p=7796</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Kuwait’s newly-elected parliament will hold its first session on February 15, the cabinet said following its weekly meeting. The session will elect the speaker and his deputies in a much anticipated standoff after three MPs, Ahmad Al Saadoon, Ali AL Rashed and Mohammad Al Saqr, have so fair said that they would be seeking the much-coveted post in a power-conscious parliament. The announcement of the launch of the new parliament was made hours after the Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah accepted the resignation of the government. The resignation was expected following the parliamentary elections held on Thursday and in which tribesmen and Islamists made gains, easing out women and curbing the number of liberals in the 50-seat parliament. In a post-elections statement, MP Marzouq Al Ganem, the only survivor from the National Action Bloc, said that he was confident his running mates would be back in the parliament. “I can tell you that this extremist parliament will not last,” he said. Bloc candidates Abdullah Al Roomi, Salah Al Mulla and Aseel Al Awadhi lost their seats while Adel Al Sarawi opted out of the elections. Several analysts said that they did not expect the parliament to [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Forum to discuss stem cell research opportunities, challenges</title>
		<link>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/02/05/forum-to-discuss-stem-cell-research-opportunities-challenges/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=forum-to-discuss-stem-cell-research-opportunities-challenges</link>
		<comments>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/02/05/forum-to-discuss-stem-cell-research-opportunities-challenges/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:36:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Habib Toumi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.habibtoumi.com/?p=7794</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Challenges and opportunities presented by stem cell research will be explored at a conference in Qatar by more than 250 participants, including ethicists and scientists. Organisers of the Qatar International Conference on Stem Cell Science and Policy said that more than 45 national, regional and international institutes will present their views on stem cell research and its ethics at this February and have already submitted over 70 abstracts for the conference this month. Themes include the therapeutic potential of stem cell research, the challenges presented by stem cell research in the context of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, the commercial applications of stem cell research, the ethics and ramifications for stem cell guidelines and policies, seen as one of the most important topics in the dialogue surrounding stem cell research. “This is a unique opportunity for Qatar Foundation to continue the open dialogue it has established through its partnership with James A Baker III Institute and the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies on ethics in stem cell research,” Faisal Mohammad Al Suwaidi, Qatar Foundation President of Research and Development, said. The Qatar International Conference on Stem Cell Science and Policy is the culmination of a series of initiatives developed [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Bahrain condemns attacks on foreigners</title>
		<link>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/02/05/bahrain-condemns-attacks-on-foreigners/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=bahrain-condemns-attacks-on-foreigners</link>
		<comments>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/02/05/bahrain-condemns-attacks-on-foreigners/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:42:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Habib Toumi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.habibtoumi.com/?p=7791</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Bahrain’s interior minister has condemned attacks on the country&#8217;s expatriate communities, saying that the violence was unacceptable. “Attacks on the expatriates and members of the foreign communities are unacceptable by any standard,” Shaikh Rashid Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa said. “They are against all religions and conventions and clash with Islam’s values and tolerance and Bahrain’s traditions in dealing with various peoples,” he said, following reports that a Briton lost two fingers when he was attacked with a sword in a village as he lost his way driving home at around 2am on Friday. The Briton is still in hospital, but his condition was stable. One day earlier, an Indian, 51, and two roommates were assaulted in Manama as they walked home from a restaurant. “All components of the Bahraini society, including political associations, should express their views openly on such criminal acts,” Shaikh Rashid said. On Saturday, a police car was gutted and a policeman was injured after people hurled Molotov cocktails, Public Security Chief Tarek Al Hassan said. The car was deployed in an area where demonstrators blocked the highway and prevented vehicles from moving forward. “The patrol policemen showed the highest level of restraint in dealing with the [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Kuwait condemns attack on Syrian embassy</title>
		<link>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/02/05/kuwait-condemns-attack-on-syrian-embassy/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=kuwait-condemns-attack-on-syrian-embassy</link>
		<comments>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/02/05/kuwait-condemns-attack-on-syrian-embassy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:41:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Habib Toumi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.habibtoumi.com/?p=7789</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Kuwait has condemned the storming of the Syrian embassy in Kuwait City by hundreds of people, mainly Syrian nationals. Reports in the Kuwaiti capital said that the pre-dawn smashing on Saturday targeted the embassy building and the nearby residence of the ambassador. The ambassador Bassam Abdul Majeed and the embassy staff were safe and were not hurt in the storming, sources at the interior ministry said, adding that 35 people, including two Kuwaitis, were arrested. The diplomat told Arabic daily Al Seyassah that the attack was a “cowardly act” and that his office was ransacked and that furniture and cameras were damaged. Shaikh Ahmad Al Humoud, the interior and defence minister, during a visit to the embassy buildings pledged the full application of the law while foreign ministry undersecretary Khalid Al Jarallah said that the storming was “an attack on the security of Kuwait.” http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/kuwait/kuwait-condemns-attack-on-syrian-embassy-1.976281]]></description>
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		<title>Kuwait Emir accepts government resignation</title>
		<link>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/02/05/kuwait-emir-accepts-government-resignation/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=kuwait-emir-accepts-government-resignation</link>
		<comments>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/02/05/kuwait-emir-accepts-government-resignation/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:39:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Habib Toumi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.habibtoumi.com/?p=7786</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Kuwait’s Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah on Sunday accepted the resignation of the government. The resignation was expected following the parliamentary elections held on Thursday and in which tribesmen and Islamists made gains, easing out women and curbing the number of liberals in the 50-seat parliament. Several analysts said that they did not expect the parliament to last its four-year term, citing huge differences between its members. The parliament is likely to hold its first session on February 14 to elect a new speaker. Three MPs have so far said that they would be seeking the much-coveted post. http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/kuwait/kuwait-emir-accepts-government-resignation-1.976261]]></description>
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		<title>Tunisia launches procedures to expel Syrian ambassador</title>
		<link>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/02/05/tunisia-launches-procedures-to-expel-syrian-ambassador/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=tunisia-launches-procedures-to-expel-syrian-ambassador</link>
		<comments>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/02/05/tunisia-launches-procedures-to-expel-syrian-ambassador/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:38:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Habib Toumi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.habibtoumi.com/?p=7784</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tunisia has launched procedures to expel the Syrian ambassador and withdraw its recognition of the regime in Damascus, the official news agency said, citing a presidential palace statement. The decision was attributed to the bloodshed and to the deadly attacks on Homs as the Muslim nation celebrated the birthday of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), the agency said on Saturday. “Tunisia strongly condemns the crimes perpetrated by the Syrian regime against its people for more than nine months and believes that this tragedy will be ended only when the regime of Bashar Al Assad steps down and paves the way for a democratic transfer of powers,” the statement said. http://gulfnews.com/news/region/tunisia/tunisia-launches-procedures-to-expel-syrian-ambassador-1.976179]]></description>
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		<title>Tunisia to hold parliamentary, presidential elections within 18 months</title>
		<link>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/02/05/tunisia-to-hold-parliamentary-presidential-elections-within-18-months/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=tunisia-to-hold-parliamentary-presidential-elections-within-18-months</link>
		<comments>http://www.habibtoumi.com/2012/02/05/tunisia-to-hold-parliamentary-presidential-elections-within-18-months/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 05 Feb 2012 06:50:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Habib Toumi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.habibtoumi.com/?p=7781</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tunisia will hold fresh parliamentary elections within 18 months, the prime minister has said. “There is a determination within the interim authorities to hold transparent and democratic elections within 18 months,” Hamadi Jebali said. An independent committee will oversee the elections, in a repeat of the successful experience on 2011 when the Independent High Election Committee [ISIE by its French initials] oversaw the organisation of the first true multiparty elections of a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution and prepare for new elections. The national polls, on October 23, were dominated by Al Nahda, the moderate Islamist party whose secretary general is now head of the Tunisian government. The ISIE, chaired by Kamal Jendoubi, was praised for its high standards despite the short time and the difficult conditions in which it had to work, including the absence of a credible database of eligible voters. The constituent assembly held its first session on November 22 amid expectations that it will engage promptly in drafting the constitution and announcing a road map for its dissolution and holding new elections. However, the assembly and the government have come under pressure from the opposition for failing to set a deadline for their interim mandate [...]]]></description>
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