Second Trump term: Fostering a path towards peace in Middle East?
By Habib Toumi MANAMA: Donald Trump’s return to the White House puts an end to the Biden parenthesis and presents, according to many people in the Gulf and the Middle East, better prospects to help end ongoing wars, ominous instability and deep tensions. Much of the anticipation is based on pre-election pledges when Trump presented […]
Bahrain reiterates call for international peace conference
By Habib Toumi MANAMA: Bahrain has reiterated its call to hold an expanded and urgent international conference to revive hope in achieving peace. King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa renewed the call as he addressed the bi-cameral parliament convening at the start of its new session. On May 16, King Hamad, chairing the 33rd Arab […]
Gulf countries mark 20 years of NATO partnership: Looking back, moving forward
By Habib Toumi NEW YORK: Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the four member countries of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) partnership with NATO have celebrated 20 years of the initiative. An event hosted by the Crown Prince of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al Sabah, on the sideline of the UN General […]
Rare copy of Holy Quran on display at Al Bader Festival in Fujairah
By Habib Toumi FUJAIRAH: A unique edition of the Holy Quran was the most iconic work of art displayed at the third edition of Al Bader Festival, held under the patronage of Fujairah Crown Prince His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, at Fujairah Creative Centre. The annual festival, a spiritual and social-cultural commemoration […]
46% of UNHCR-registered refugees in Jordan are children
By Habib Toumi AMMAN: Nearly half of the refugees in Jordan registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)are children. Figures released by the UNHCR show that 693,100 refugees of different nationalities live in Jordan, and that children represent 46.2% of them (320,559). Adults make up 48.7% (337,595) and the elderly (35,014) make […]
Royal honor for Bahrain’s 2024 Olympic medalists
By Habib Toumi MANAMA: Bahrain has honored its Paris Summer Olympic medalists. King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa congratulated the laureates and conferred the Order of Competence on the winners of the four medals – two gold, one silver, and one bronze – whose outstanding performance led to Bahrain’s historic achievement of topping the Arab […]
U.S. appoints first woman ambassador to Bahrain since 1971
By Habib Toumi MANAMA: The United States has appointed its first woman ambassador to Bahrain, breaking with a tradition that lasted since the diplomatic agreement between the two countries in 1971 and has included 19 male ambassadors. Bahrain in 2008 appointed a woman, Houda Ezra Nonoo, as its Ambassador to the United States, a role […]
On Memorial Day, South Korea honors its fallen heroes
By Habib Toumi Manama: On Thursday June 6, 2024, I will make sure that I will say a prayer for the Korean soldiers who died defending or in the service of their country. It is always painful for anyone to lose loved ones and for a nation to lose men and women in uniform or in […]
Ansan tops with natural beauty, vibrant living, futuristic education
Habib Toumi ANSAN: The stylish picture shows high-rise white buildings near lush multi-colored parks and wide, well-manicured highways with the bold message “Ansan: The best land to live under the sky.” The description is attributed to King Jeongjo (1752-1800), the 22nd King of Joseon, as he was impressed by the abundance of seafood and fertile […]
Korea’s renewable energy wonder: The Sihwa Tidal Power Plant – High energy capacity, low environmental impact
By Habib Toumi ANSANCITY: The comon view across teh globe is that power plants are associated with degrading the environment and spoiling the aesthetics of their surroundings. But, such a view does not stand in the Republic of Korea where the Sihwa Tidal Power Plant (TPP) has, to the contrary of the generally-held view, […]
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Trump, Kim, and the Three P’s of Summit Diplomacy: 
