Day: 24 May 2023

Under the patronage of His Highness Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and in presence of the Amir’s representative, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, a ceremony was held at Bayan Palace on Wednesday to honor Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah Informatics Award winners of its 22nd edition of 2022.

Addressing the event, Head of the Award Board of Trustees Sheikha Ayda Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah said that the rapid digital revolution has created unprecedented civil anomalies and artificial intelligence comes baring a number of challenges and principals that humanity have never seen before.

She voiced much appreciation and gratitude to the country’s leaders for their farsightedness, wisdom and fervent efforts for the sake of national development and modernization.

Also speaking during the ceremony on the occasion of winning the prize, Vice President of Google Cloud Company Vinton Cerf said, “It was not likely that I receive this prize in recognition of my long work in the field of the Internet, but at the same time it is a great honor for me that I deeply appreciate.” “This 50-year journey began in 1973 in partnership with my colleague Robert Kahn and continues to this day,” he said.

It is wonderful to see that Kuwait is aware of the importance and benefits of the Internet and the global network that supports it. I am very happy to receive this prize, and I look forward to interacting with Kuwaiti scholars, non-profit organizations, the government and the private sector who have shown creative interest in the continuous development of the Internet and its various applications. I look forward to their contributions in the coming years,” he added.

His Highness the Amir’s representative and Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah handed the awards to the winners, and was given a commemorative gift on this occasion.

Source: Kuwait News Agency

A Qatari airplane carrying 39 tons of food assistance, provided by Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) and Qatar Charity (QC), arrived Wednesday at Port Sudan Airport in the Republic of the Sudan.

This assistance comes within the framework of the support offered by the State of Qatar to the fraternal people of Sudan and its full support for their steadfastness in facing the difficult conditions they live in due to the continuation of fighting.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday the evacuation of 197 persons, holders of Qatari residency, from the Republic of the Sudan by a Qatari airplane that took off from the Port Sudan Airport, bringing the total number of evacuated persons to 1,241 residents.

Earlier, the State of Qatar evacuated Qatari citizens, who were in Sudan, and 1,044 persons, holders of Qatari residency.

The ministry reiterated the State of Qatar’s keenness on security and stability in the Republic of the Sudan.

Source: Qatar News Agency

The Public Prosecution won the “HH Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah Informatics Award” in its 22nd session for its excellence in the digital transformation sector in the area of its operation.

HH Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah handed over the award to HE Attorney General Dr. Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi in the ceremony at Bayan Palace in the State of Kuwait.

The Public Prosecution received this award in recognition of its excellence in digital transformation in the judiciary field, providing modern electronic service, which enhances the efficiency of the Public Prosecution in carrying out its competencies and speeding up judicial procedures, and achieving criminal justice in the country, in accordance with Qatar National Vision 2030.

The Informatics Award was judged by an arbitration board that includes a distinguished group of technical experts and specialists in the field of informatics from academic bodies and e-governments in the Arab world.

Source: Qatar News Agency

The State of Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Republic of Serbia within the framework of joint strategic cooperation between the two sides, aimed at enhancing cooperation in the field of communications and information technology.

The memorandum was signed by HE Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai, and his counterpart, HE Minister of Information and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia Mihailo Jovanovic, on the sidelines of the Qatar Economic Forum 2023, which is organized by the State of Qatar in cooperation with Bloomberg.

HE Minister Al Mannai said that the memorandum further supports the relations between the two countries and demonstrates their commitment to the advancement of the communications and information technology sector, and will pave the way for innovation, cooperation and progress, and contribute to a brighter and more interdependent future, pointing out that the governments of the State of Qatar and the government of the Republic of Serbia are working to formulate a new era of cooperation, as the memorandum represents a decisive step forward in joint commitment to harnessing the full potential of the telecommunications and information technology sectors to advance technological development and build a technologically advanced society.

For his part, HE Minister Jovanovic stressed the importance of the MoU in enhancing bilateral relations between the two friendly countries in the sectors of communications and information technology, pointing to the need to strengthen partnership with the countries of the world in this vital field, as international cooperation and coordination is a decisive factor in achieving sustainability and growth.

His Excellency pointed to the distinguished organization of the Qatar Economic Forum in its third edition, stressing that Qatar is now playing a key role as an important economic center in the Middle East and the world.

It is worth noting that the memorandum of understanding aims to improve the areas of cooperation between the two countries, and exchange expertise and best practices in areas such as digital transformation, e-government, research and development, investment in small and medium enterprises, innovation, activating electronic transactions, and other areas related to the two sectors of communications and information technology.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Teams from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) held talks on Wednesday on how to improve collaborative efforts in renewable energy and capacity-building projects.

At the meeting, Minister Saleh Kharabsheh emphasized the importance of collaborating with ESCWA to carry out various renewable energy projects that have positively affected the local community and boosted the utilization of local energy sources in the overall energy mix.

Radia Sedaoui, Chief of the ESCWA Energy Section, spoke about joint cooperation projects in Jordan and their importance in improving the life quality of targeted groups and promoting renewable energy in the Kingdom, noting a need to conduct new projects in clean energy.

A total of 12 joint cooperation projects were carried out in various regions of the Kingdom through the Regional Initiative for Promoting Small-Scale Renewable Energy Applications in rural areas of the Arab Region (REGEND), added Sedaoui.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Jordanians Thursday will honor the 77th commemoration of the nation’s independence an event that etched an indelible mark in the annals of history, signifying a pivotal juncture in Jordan’s pursuit of nationhood and the crafting of its unique identity.

The Independence Declaration served as the cornerstone, establishing a state grounded in the principles of institutionalism, jurisprudence, diversity, broad-minded acceptance, and tolerance all under the emblematic banner of Hashemite rule. With open arms, Jordan welcomed those in search of sanctuary, aspiring to be a bastion of refuge for all of humanity.

Under the steadfast stewardship of His Majesty King Abdullah II, Jordan has soared to notable heights in leadership, productivity, and development, steadily marching into its bicentennial era.

As the echoes of the Independence Day celebrations reverberate, Jordanians stand firm in their conviction that the future holds a promise of even more extraordinary progress and prosperity.

Throughout the years, Jordan has undergone sweeping metamorphoses legislative blueprints have been crafted, revisited, and modernized. Jordanians take pride in the evolutionary nature of their homeland, confident in its immense potential for growth and innovation, ready to seize the promise of future decades.

This momentous 77th Independence Day dawns just as Jordan is rising from the ashes of the global COVID-19 pandemic a crisis that sent shockwaves around the globe for three long years. It also aligns with the fruition of plans for political modernization, now materializing through a combination of unwavering determination, steadfast resolve, and clear institutional roadmaps. The wheels of economic and administrative reform have been set in motion, casting a light of hope on the path towards a brighter tomorrow.

On this day of great import, Jordanians pause to reflect on their extraordinary journey. They bask in the sense of security and stability that permeates their nation, reap the rewards of a robust education system nurtured by the state’s investments, and enjoy the privilege of world-class healthcare facilities, universities teeming with diverse specializations, vocational education opportunities, an equitable judiciary, public safety, and an unflinching army safeguarding the nation’s frontiers.

The nation’s legal framework continues to evolve, ensuring societal wellness and shielding national accomplishments.

This remarkable progress stands as a testament to the visionary leadership of the late King Abdullah I the architect who laid the keystone for institutional development. King Talal bin Abdullah further fortified the nation with a sophisticated constitution, while the late King Hussein Bin Talal took a central role in constructing contemporary Jordan. Today, His Majesty King Abdullah II carries the torch of progress, steering Jordan with an unwavering dedication towards a secure and prosperous future.

As Jordan raises its flag on the 77th Independence Day, the nation gazes back with a heart filled with pride, acknowledging the giant leaps made, and casts its eyes ahead filled with hopeful anticipation, prepared to embrace the opportunities and challenges the future may unfurl.

Source: Jordan News Agency

VentureX, a local integrated entrepreneurial development company, has launched a new initiative to help Jordanian businesses expand their reach to the Saudi market.

The “Accelerate Saudi” initiative aims to assist Jordanian enterprises in obtaining licenses to operate in Saudi Arabia, in addition to holding a series of meetings and training sessions between Jordanian companies and Saudi experts in order to achieve cross-border development.

Yousef Hamidaddin, a board member at VentureX, said the move is part of the company’s expansion policy and is also in line with Saudi Vision 2030 and the Saudi investment ministry’s strategy, which are all increasingly focusing on attracting entrepreneurial businesses.

“Our aim with Accelerate Saudi is to provide opportunities for Jordanian entrepreneurial companies to expand and flourish in the Saudi market,” he stated.

Source: Jordan News Agency

JEDDAH, Wednesday, Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha today stated that it is unreasonable that Israel acts as a state above the law, according to an OIC statement.

Speaking at the extraordinary meeting of the OIC Executive Committee to discuss the ongoing Israeli attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque, at the invitation of the State of Palestine and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan at the OIC headquarters in Jeddah, OIC Secretary-General Taha said that Israeli violations in the occupied city of Jerusalem coincided with a dangerous escalation in the frequency of Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people, represented by the recent Israeli military aggression on the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the killing of 36 Palestinians.

He pointed that following the recent Israeli onslaught of Gaza, the number of Palestinian killed by Israeli army and settler gunfire over the past six months has risen to about 180 martyrs, and hundreds others were wounded.

The Secretary-General added that it is inconceivable that Israel, the occupying power, always acts as a state above the law, and commits its crimes and aggression against the Palestinian people, their land and holy sites, stressing the responsibility of the international community towards putting an end to Israeli violations as a threat to international peace and security.

He stated that the OIC followed the dangerous Israeli escalation in targeting Islamic and Christian holy sites alike in the occupied city, particularly the desecration and storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli groups of settlers and senior Israeli officials, under military protection; the Israeli occupation government’s meeting in a tunnel under the mosque; in addition to the organization of the so-called provocative “flag march” in the neighbourhoods of the occupied city.

He warned again of the seriousness of the continuation of these brutal Israeli attacks on the the mosque compound, which constitute a violation of the sanctity of the holy places and freedom of worship, and represent an attack on the Palestinian people and their holy sites, and a prejudice to the feelings and belief of Muslims all over the world.

He welcomed the international reactions represented in rejection and condemnation of the provocative intrusion by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir into the mosque on Sunday, and also stressed that the city of remains an integral part of the Palestinian territory occupied in 1967 and the capital of the State of Palestine, and that all decisions made and actions taken by the Israeli occupation to Judaize the occupied city have no legal effect and is considered null and void.

Source: Palestine News & Information Agency

HAIFA, Wednesday, Today, the Nazareth District Court held a hearing on an appeal, wherein six residents of Sandala and one resident of Mukeibleh, all arrested yesterday during a police raid in Sandala, were released on bail and placed under restrictive conditions, according to Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel.

As part of these conditions, the detainees are forbidden from contacting each other for a period of two weeks and are restricted from staying in Sandala for 10 days. Furthermore, they are prohibited from leaving the country for 90 days.

Moreover, a 17-year-old detainee, whose detention was extended for an additional 24 hours the day prior, is expected to be released today. The court decision was a result of an appeal filed against a previous decision by the Nazareth Magistrate Court a day earlier, which had approved a 48-hour extension of all the detainees’ detention. The appeal was filed by attorneys Ahmad Khalifa, Omar Khamaisi – director of Meezan Center for Human Rights, and Mohammed Omari from the Public Defender’s Office, who represented the detainees, and Adalah Attorney Nareman Shehadeh-Zoabi who coordinated the legal representation.

On 23 May 2023, a large police force carried out a raid in the Palestinian village of Sandala, located in northern Israel. The police brutally searched numerous homes and arrested 13 Palestinian citizens, whom they claimed were suspected of participating in a spontaneous protest that took place over two weeks earlier, on 6 May 2023. The protest was a response to the murder of 19-year-old Palestinian citizen Diyar Omari by an armed Jewish-Israeli resident of the nearby settlement Gan-Ner. Later that day the Magistrates court approved the Police’s request to extend the detention of seven of the detainees for a period of 48 hours, and the detention of a 17-year-old minor for 24 hours.

The police raid and arrests took place following the issuance of arrest warrants on May 17th. It is worth noting that none of the detainees were summoned for questioning at the police station prior to their arrests. During the hearing to extend, the police argued that the extension of detention was necessary due to concerns about the detainees coordinating their testimonies and the potential danger they posed. In response, the legal team representing the detainees emphasized that these allegations have no basis, especially considering the significant amount of time that had passed since the initial incident in question and the fact that none of them had any criminal records. The attorneys further argued that the detainees had already provided their versions of events in the morning hours after their arrest and later were held in the same detention cell, thus refuting the police’s claim of a fear of testimony coordination. In their appeal, the detainees’ attorneys further highlighted that the arrests were made without any concrete evidence linking them to the alleged offenses, and therefore, there was no legal justification for their continued detention.

Adalah Attorney Nareman Shehadeh-Zoabi responded: “The quasi-military arrest operation carried out in Sandala, whereby the police forcefully invaded homes and carried out arbitrary arrests, was primarily aimed at instilling fear among the residents and deterring them from engaging in legitimate protest against the murder of 19-year-old Diyar Omari, while depicting it as a riot. The police’s failure to present any substantial evidence linking the detainees to the alleged acts clearly demonstrates the arbitrariness of their arrests and detentions. The release of the detainees today does not rectify the injustice done to these young individuals who were unjustly held in custody based on unsubstantiated accusations. The recent events clearly demonstrate how the Israeli authorities continually use arrests and detention as a method of punishment against Palestinian citizens, contrary to the principles of the rule of law.’

Source: Palestine News & Information Agency

NABLUS, Wednesday, A Palestinian Wednesday evening sustained a gunshot injury and dozens others suffocated in an Israeli attack on Burqa town, northwest of the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, according to a local activist.

Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors Israeli colonial settlement activities in the northern West Bank, said that Israeli settlers, under army protection, went on a rampage in the western part of the village, attacking civilian houses and setting a cattle barn and the surrounding olive grove on fire.

He added that young men from the village gathered in an attempt to confront the assailants, who opened fire in the air, hitting a young man by a live round.

Israeli soldiers intervened in defense of the assailants, showering the villagers with tear gas canisters and causing dozens to suffocate.

Settler violence against Palestinians and their property is routine in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities.

Settler violence includes property and mosque arsons, stone-throwing, uprooting of crops and olive trees, attacks on vulnerable homes, among others.

There are over 700,000 Israeli settlers living in colonial settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Source: Palestine News & Information Agency

JEDDAH, Wednesday, The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Executive Committee today stressed the right of the State of Palestine to sovereignty over the occupied city of East Jerusalem.

In the final communiqué of its open-ended extraordinary meeting at the headquarters of OIC General Secretariat in Jeddah to discuss the ongoing Israeli attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, OIC Executive Committee confirmed that Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif, with its entire area of 144 dunums, is a pure place of worship for Muslims, and that Jerusalem Endowments and the Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department affiliated to the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf, Islamic Affairs and Holy Sites is the legal authority with exclusive jurisdiction to manage all affairs of Jerusalem and organize access to it.

It further affirmed the right of the State of Palestine to sovereignty over the occupied city of East Jerusalem, and that Israel, the occupying power, has no right nor sovereignty over the occupied city of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

It also affirmed that Israeli ultra-far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir incursion into the al-Aqsa mosque and violation of its sanctity is a provocative step that is condemned in the strongest terms and represents a flagrant and unacceptable violation of international law and the existing historical and legal status in Jerusalem and its holy sites, and that it is a dangerous escalation that requires the international community, including the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), to work immediately to stop it through effective steps that would compel Israel, the occupying power, to stop its attacks on the Palestinian people and its violations of international law and international humanitarian law, and not to take any provocative steps in Jerusalem that would prejudice the feelings of millions of Muslims around the world and threaten security and stability in the region, stressing that there is no sovereignty for Israel over Jerusalem and the holy sites, and that East Jerusalem is an occupied Palestinian land.

It condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli occupation government’s setting a dangerous precedent by holding its meeting in a tunnel, one of the illegal Israeli excavations and tunnels network, located adjacent to the Western Wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, a few days after it approved its sponsorship of the so-called condemned ‘flags march’ that stormed the neighborhoods of the Old City of AL-Quds under the protection of the occupation forces. It also affirmed that such provocative and illegal actions are null and void and have no legal effect.

It underlined the importance of the continuation of concerted efforts of the Member States to protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Islamic and Christian holy sites in the occupied city of Jerusalem and to support the steadfastness of the Palestinian Jerusalemites in the face of aggressive Israeli policies and practices aimed at controlling the city, changing its original Arab character and identity, changing its existing historical and legal status, and imposing the temporal and spatial division on the mosque compound.

It further affirmed support for the Hashemite Custodianship over the Islamic and Christian holy sites in AL-Quds and its role in protecting its Arab, Islamic and Christian identity.

It called upon the international community and UNSC to put pressure on Israel, the occupying power, to stop Israeli violations, including colonial settlement expansion and all measures aimed at changing the legal and historical status quo in the mosque compound, which would push the situation in the region to further deterioration, holding Israel fully responsible for the results of its provocative and illegal actions.

It stressed the need to activate efforts aimed at achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace on the basis of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions and the two-state solution that guarantees the establishment of an independent, sovereign, geographically contiguous and viable Palestinian state on the lines of 4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and to stop all illegal Israeli measures that undermine this solution.

It appreciated the positions of the countries that expressed their rejection and condemnation of the provocative and aggressive Israeli incursion into the mosque compound, and which affirmed their positions refusing to change the existing legal and historical status of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

Source: Palestine News & Information Agency