Jordanian authorities arrested a sacked member of parliament who called on his tribal followers to defy King Abdullah, official media said late on Wednesday.
“Security forces arrested on Wednesday the fired parliamentarian Osama Al Ajarmeh,” the official Petra news agency quoted Interior Minister Mazen Al Faraya as saying.
There was no mention of any charges.
Such direct public defiance of the monarch’s authority by a member of the mostly loyalist parliament is unprecedented in the king's 22-year reign, and comes during an economic recession as Jordan struggles with the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
Followers of Mr Al Ajarmeh fired guns in the air and barricaded themselves in his home region of Naour, just south of Amman, early this month after parliament removed him for making what the Speaker termed "insults" against the king.
Mr Al Ajarmeh was sacked on June 5, a day after footage emerged of him making threats against the king in front of his followers while brandishing a sword and wearing a gun holster.
Security forces surrounded Naour but moved against Mr Al Ajarmeh only after anger by his armed followers subsided. The king abrogated parliament on June 7, and days later announced plans to “modernise” the legislature.
Lawlessness in Naour and other outlying areas has risen in the last decade as the economy stagnated and members of Jordan's tribes felt that they were losing privileges that date to foundation of kingdom 100 years ago.
Emir Abdullah, great-grandfather of the current king, founded with British support what later became later Jordan. The emir, and subsequent monarchs, gave the tribes a large stake in the system by making them the security backbone and hiring their members in government. The arrangement has come under pressure in the past decade as public debt rose and the state reduced hiring to curb expenses. Unemployment has risen to a record 24 per cent.
The importance of the tribal dynamic to the system came to the fore in early April when the authorities arrested 18 people over what the king described as a sedition attempt.
The authorities said the 18 were linked to Prince Hamzah bin Hussein, a half-brother of King Abdullah, who had cultivated links with several tribes in the centre of Jordan.
The arrests occurred as the authorities told the prince to cease his contacts and not to meet with tribes.
Sixteen of those arrested were members of tribes and were later released. The two remaining people in detention, a former confidant of King Abdullah and a distant cousin of the monarch, are expected to face a security court next week for attempted sedition.
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Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks.
“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.
“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
