Jordan News UpdatesSix Palestinian prisoners managed to escape the maximum-security prison of Gilboa in northern Palestine overnight, the Israel newspaper Haaretz said Monday.
The newspaper quoted Israeli sources saying that an extensive manhunt is underway as large forces are combing the area, assisted by police helicopters and drones.
The Palestinian prisoners, who were serving a life sentence, are believed to have tunneled their way out of the prison and continued to the West Bank.
Source: Jordan News Agency
Libyan authorities have released Saadi Gaddafi, son of the former leader Muammar Gaddafi who was deposed and killed during a 2011 uprising.
The Libyan News Agency (Lana) on Monday quoted sources at Justice Ministry saying that Saadi Gaddafi had been officially released in compliance with a court order.
Gaddafi, 47-year-old, immediately departed on a plane to Istanbul.
Source: Jordan News Agency
The State Security Court (SSC) on Monday held its first public session in the case of former member of parliament Osama al-Raheel and others in accordance with standard legal procedures.
Al-Raheel is facing serious charges including threatening the King’s life, manufacture of inflammable materials with the intent of using them to carry out terrorist acts jointly with others, and conspiracy with the intent of carrying out terrorist acts, while the other defendants are facing charges under the Anti-Terrorism Law No. 55 of 2006.
During the session, the court read the indictment to the defendants, who pleaded not guilty on all charges. The court also adjourned the hearing to Tuesday September 14 to hear the prosecution witnesses.
Al-Raheel was sacked by the Lower House of Parliament in May following inflammatory remarks he made and riots in his hometown of Na’our.
Source: Jordan News Agency
The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) has said that it is working to with telecom sector stakeholders to provide 5G frequency bands as part of its efforts to prepare the necessary infrastructure for the future rollout of this technology in the Kingdom.
In a statement to the Jordan News Agency (Petra) Monday, Chairman of the TRC Board of Commissioners Ghazi Al Jabour said that the regulator is currently working with the concerned authorities to provide these frequency bands and is coordinating with some non-licensed companies that are occupying 5G-dedicated frequency bands to vacate them.
The Cabinet, he noted, had formed a committee to coordinate with telecommunications companies in the Kingdom for the potential introduction of the 5G technology, adding that telecom service providers are currently working on 5G infrastructure.
Al Jabuor indicated that 5G services offer higher Internet speeds and capacities, which is the cornerstone of digital transformation. 5G, he added, supports content services, Internet of things, artificial intelligence and other modern technology trends.
Additionally, 5G technology props up smart homes, buildings, and cities, autonomous vehicles, road safety and other intelligent transportation systems, 3D video, remote medical services, virtual and augmented reality, and machine-to-machine communications for industrial and manufacturing automation, he added.
Leveraging this technology drives economic growth and the Gross Domestic Product by creating new jobs and introducing new businesses, Al Jabuor pointed out.
On the tech’s alleged threat to health, Jabuor assured that electromagnetic fields have existed in different forms since ancient times, adding that extensive research has showed no indication of an increase in health risks when exposed to electromagnetic fields below internationally-set levels.
Source: Jordan News Agency
The Senate’s Legal Committee on Monday approved the narcotics and psychotropic substances law as passed by the Lower House.
Senate President Faisal Fayez, who chaired the committee’s session, called for working in partnership with all official and civil institutions to counter the threat of drugs and raise community awareness of their dangers through holding events and conferences to highlight their dangerous effects.
He stressed the role of civil society institutions in raising awareness, including the media, universities, schools, places of worship and youth clubs “to highlight the impact of this dangerous scourge on society and the future of our youth.”
The Senate head commended the key and leading role of the Public Security Directorate and the Anti-Narcotics Department in combating drug trade, noting their awareness campaigns and treatment and rehabilitation efforts.
Fayez called for combatting and eradicating drug use through a comprehensive anti-crime strategy, noting the importance of the draft law, which stiffened the penalties but gave first-time offenders the opportunity to engage with society and start a new life.
Head of the Committee Ahmed Tbishat and Minister of State for Legal Affairs Mahmoud Kharabsheh told a press conference after the meeting that the draft legislation stiffened the penalty for first-time drug users, but without registering a security record against them in order to give them the chance to correct themselves and not to deprive them of the right to work, a stipulation in the previous law, while stiffening the penalty for addicts.
Source: Jordan News Agency
The British Ambassador in Amman on Sunday evening hosted a farewell reception for this year’s Chevening Scholars before they depart for the UK to take up their studies at some of Britain’s leading universities in 2021/22.
In a press statement Monday, the British embassy said that the scholars will study a variety of fields including international relations; conflict, security and development; public policy; digital business, innovation and management; strategic communications; pharmaceutical engineering; international public health; robotics and economics, equipping them with the skills to make a difference in Jordan when they return.
During the reception, the British Ambassador said: “As we look to the second centenary of UK friendship with Jordan, the prestigious Chevening Scholarships are one of our most important tools for supporting and building links with the talented next generation of Jordanian leaders. We hope that these scholarships will not only create new personal, academic and career opportunities for the scholars but also establish a link of friendship with the UK which will last a lifetime”.
Chevening Scholarships are part of the UK Government’s global scholarship programme, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and partner organisations.
In Jordan, the application process for scholarships is highly competitive. Last year, the Embassy received over 800 applications, 55 candidates were shortlisted for interview and 16 scholarships awarded.
The scholarship offers full financial support for future leaders to study for any eligible master’s degree at any of the UK’s world-leading universities. Applicants must have leadership skills and at least two years of work experience.
So far, a total of 615 students have been sent from Jordan to study in the United Kingdom, and many of them now occupy prominent positions in areas such as government, politics, science and business.
Currently, more than 1,500 scholarships are on offer globally for the next academic year, representing a significant investment from the UK Government in developing the leaders of tomorrow. Chevening applications for the 2022/2023 academic year are currently open until November 2.
Source: Jordan News Agency
Jordanian Ambassador to Egypt Amjad Adaileh and Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry Nevin Jameh discussed Monday ways to boost bilateral economic cooperation and overcome challenges to the two-way trade exchange.
During the meeting, Adaileh stressed that Jordanian-Egyptian coordination and cooperation in various economic and political fields is aimed at enhancing relations and the strategic partnership between the two countries.
The envoy lauded Egypt’s major development in a number of sectors, the implementation of key successful projects, as well as the Egyptian experience in the economic and development fields.
The Egyptian Minister noted that bilateral ties will pave the way for a new phase of ‘fruitful cooperation’ at various levels, especially in political and economic domains, pointing to the ongoing coordination between the two governments.
Source: Jordan News Agency
Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Nasser Shraideh on Monday discussed with United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, Director of Regional Bureau for Arab States, Khalida Bouzar, the government’s economic priorities programme for the years 2021-2023 and the challenges it faces.
In a press release, the minister highlighted cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and its contribution to financing local development, decentralization, gender and institutional support projects, and achieving sustainable development goals.
Shraideh briefed the UN official on the current economic and social challenges, including unemployment and job-creation, particularly for young men and women, as well as the repercussions of the Syrian refugee crisis on the Jordanian economy, according to the statement.
The UN official is on a visit to the Kingdom to meet government officials on a host of issues, top of which are development, economy, environment and climate change.
Source: Jordan News Agency