King Abdullah
Jordan arrests ex-top aide, royal family member in crackdown
Jordanian security forces have arrested a former adviser to King Abdullah and others on “security related” grounds, the Petra state news agency said. Bassem Awadallah, a long-time confidant of the king who later became minister of finance, and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a former royal envoy, were detained along with other unnamed figures, Petra said. It gave no further details and said an investigation was under way. اعتقال الشريف حسن بن زيد وباسم عوض الله وآخرين لأسباب أمنيةhttps://t.co/3SzKcWHzln#بترا — Jordan News Agency (@Petranews) April 3, 2021 Arrests of top officials close to royal family members are rare in Jordan. Awadallah, who was a driving force behind economic reforms before he resigned as chief of the royal court in 2008, has long faced stiff resistance from an old guard and an...
Jordan’s monarch dissolves parliament ahead of November election
Election comes amid popular discontent over economic woes worsened by COVID-19 and corruption allegations. Jordan’s King Abdullah has dissolved parliament, paving the way for an election in November. Under constitutional rules, the government must resign within a week. In July, Jordan’s electoral commission set November 10 as the date for a parliamentary election after the monarch called for countrywide polls to be held at the end of the parliament’s four-year term. The king issued a royal edict ordering the dissolution of parliament effective on Sunday. The assembly comprises 130 legislators, mainly pro-government tribal officials, businessmen and ex-security officials. The move is likely to be followed by a wider government shake-up to ward off popular disenchantment over economic hardsh...
Nigerian doctor named one of TIME’s Most Influential People in the world
TIME named Nigerian physician Tunji Funsho to the 2020 TIME100, its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. The full list and related tributes are available now at time.com/time100, and Mr Funsho’s TIME100 profile is available here. The list, now in its seventeenth year, recognizes the activism, innovation and achievement of the world’s most influential individuals. Mr Funsho, a cardiologist based in Lagos, Nigeria, is the first Rotary member to receive this honour for the organisation’s work to eradicate polio, having played an essential role in ensuring Africa’s certification as wild polio-free in August of 2020. “I’m honored to be recognized by TIME for my part in ensuring that no child in Africa will ever again be paralyzed by wild polio, a disease that once disabl...
