On Saturday, Jordanian authorities made a number of arrests that included a former senior government figure and a member of the royal family, on what it said were security-related grounds. The Arab country’s many allies take a threat to its security seriously, and international partners including the US, the UAE, the GCC and the Arab League swiftly rallied round King Abdullah II.
The Hashemite kingdom’s stability in such a complex part of the region is a Middle East success story and a direct result of remarkable statesmanship over decades. The nation’s ruling family has built a country with a reputation for stability and a strong record of international mediation and building bridges. With their country situated between regional powers and Palestine, the late King Hussein and now King Abdullah have balanced the dynamics of a challenging area, even by the standards Middle East.
The Hashemite family have demonstrated remarkable statesmanship over the decades. AFP
Politics in Jordan remains a delicate balancing act
But current circumstances, particularly Covid-19, have hit the nation hard. Before the pandemic, Jordan was already struggling under the burden of an ongoing shortage of jobs, governance challenges and the strain of accommodating waves of refugees. Despite an effective early response to the virus, managing the pandemic for months on end took its toll. Protests erupted over strict lockdown measures in March. A recent scandal at a hospital that ran out of oxygen, resulting in the deaths of patients, only added to a fear among Jordanians that tough times were here to stay.
The country, which celebrates its centenary this year, has weathered crises before and the royal family has always steered the nation through difficult moments.
But politics in Jordan remains a delicate balancing act. At home, leaders oversee a sometimes fragile economy, with limited natural resources and the ever-present threat of water shortage. Jobs are scarce for the nation’s increasingly young workforce. The number of refugees as a proportion of the total population is more than 10 per cent, a figure that is second only to Lebanon internationally.
Abroad, Jordan is considered a steady and reliable partner for many countries, as was demonstrated by the prompt messages of support to King Abdullah and the wider nation during the past 24 hours. Its rulers have skilfully managed relations with neighbouring Israel, which is still on paper an adversary of parts of the Arab world. On its northern border, the country has had to contend with the effects Syria’s 10-year civil war. It was a central player in the defeat of ISIS, and still hosts 660,000 Syrian refugees. It oversees a number of sacred sites in Jerusalem, including Al Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam.
These are diverse and long-standing burdens. The kingdom's endurance means that there can be no complacency from allies. The state of Jordan's security is crucial for the well-being of the region. As Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the President, Sheikh Khalifa, tweeted on Sunday, "let us turn today and every day towards Jordan, its leadership and its people".
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre Power: 150hp Torque: 250Nm Price: From Dh139,000 On sale: Now
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024. It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine. Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages]. The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts. With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians. Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved. Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world. The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Secret Pigeon Service: Operation Colomba, Resistance and the Struggle to Liberate Europe Gordon Corera, Harper Collins
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus) Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta) Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli) Best Team: Atalanta Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta) Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia) Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus) Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan) Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
The specs: 2019 Audi A7 Sportback
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 335hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy 5.9L / 100km
WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
Film: In Syria
Dir: Philippe Van Leeuw
Starring: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Bo Abboud, Mohsen Abbas and Juliette Navis
Verdict: Four stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
