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AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah, in Sofia on Friday, met with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov.

His Majesty emphasised the deep-rooted ties between Jordan and Bulgaria, as well as Jordan’s readiness to expand cooperation with Bulgaria across various fields, a Royal Court statement said. 

The King commended Bulgaria’s efforts in hosting the Aqaba Process meetings in partnership with Jordan, and its role in enhancing coordination between countries and organisations to address common challenges.

The meeting—attended by HRH Prince Ghazi, His Majesty’s chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs and personal envoy—addressed the most pressing developments in the Middle East, particularly the dire situation in Gaza and the West Bank, the statement said. 

His Majesty stressed the need to achieve a comprehensive calm in the region, starting with stopping Israel’s war on Gaza, reinstating the ceasefire, and resuming the flow of humanitarian aid.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Director of the Office of His Majesty Alaa Batayneh, and Jordan’s Ambassador to Bulgaria Mutaz Khasawneh attended the meeting.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah II and Bulgarian President Rumen Radev co-chaired a new round of Aqaba Process meetings in Sofia, Bulgaria on Friday.

Jointly organised with Bulgaria, the Aqaba Process Balkans III forum is the third round of international meetings centred around the Balkans, addressing concerns and developments in the region, security challenges, ways to enhance cooperation to combat terrorism, violent extremism, and radicalisation, especially online, as well as issues related to illegal migration, according to a Royal Court statement. 

The forum—attended by HRH Prince Ghazi, His Majesty’s chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs and personal envoy—also covered opportunities for closer coordination, partnership and exchange of expertise between countries and international organisations in the field of countering terrorism and extremism, the statement.

Participating in this round of the Aqaba Process meetings were heads of state and government, officials and representatives of security and military agencies from Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Romania, Norway, Belgium, Spain, Greece, Italy, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Cyprus, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan, as well as representatives of the European Union, INTERPOL, the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism, and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

On the sidelines of the Aqaba Process round, His Majesty held separate meetings with Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar, Albanian President Bajram Begaj, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani Sadriu, North Macedonia President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, Montenegro President Jakov Milatović, Serbia President Aleksandar Vučić, and Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin.

Previous rounds of the Aqaba Process meetings have been held in Jordan and internationally, hosted by Albania, Brazil, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Rwanda, Singapore, Spain, the United Nations General Assembly, and the United States, in partnership with Jordan.

Previous forums have focused on East Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, West Africa and the Sahel.

The Aqaba Process meetings, initiated by His Majesty in 2015, aim to enhance coordination, security and military cooperation, and exchange of expertise and information between various regional and international parties in the fight against terrorism and extremism.

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a June 2022 State Secu- rity Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a drug deal- er to over three years in prison after convicting him of possessing ille- gal narcotics in Zarqa in December 2021.

The court declared the defendant guilty of obtaining illegal nar- cotics with the intent of selling the drugs to an undercover agent on""December 15.

The SSC handed the defendant five years in prison for the offence of possessing illegal narcotics and ordered him to pay JD5,000 in fines.

However, the court decided to reduce the fine to JD3,500 and the prison term to four years in prison to give the defendant a second chance in life.

Court documents said the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND)""learnt the defendant was in possession of illegal narcotics and sent one of its agents to pose as a buyer.

“The AND agent got in touch with the defend- ant and asked him for 50 grammes of Crys- tal meth in return for JD30,” court documents said.

When the two met, AND agents immediate- ly arrested the suspect, court papers added. Upon searching the defendant, court papers""said, AND personnel found 90 grammes of Crystal meth on him”.

The defendant con- tested the SSC’s ruling through his lawyer, who argued that the court “did not provide solid evidence to impli- cate his client”.

Meanwhile, the SSC prosecution office asked the higher court to uphold the sentence and the fine imposed on the defendant.

The  higher  court maintained  that  the""SSC had followed the proper procedures in issuing the sentence against the defendant.

“It was clear to the court that the defend- ant confessed willingly to possessing the ille- gal drugs with the in- tent of selling them in the local market,” the higher court said.

The Court of Cassa- tion judges were Mah- moud Ebtoush, Majid Azab, Hayel Amr, Mo- hammad  Shreiri  and Ibrahim Abu Shamma."

AMMAN — A delegation from Nasser Medical Complex, the second largest healthcare facility in the Gaza Strip, on Thursday visited the Jordanian field hospital in southern Gaza.

During the visit, the delegation was briefed on the hospital's medical and therapeutic services, aimed to alleviate the humanitarian suffering of the Gaza people due to Israeli war and the resumption of military operations in various areas of the Strip, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The delegation was also updated on the efforts of the Royal "Restoring Hope" initiative to install prosthetic limbs for amputees in the Gaza Strip.

Since the initiative's launch during the war, a total of 408 upper and lower prosthetic limbs were installed, which has contributed to restoring hope to Gazan amputees, including their families and children in the Palestinian strip.

The delegates also praised the Kingdom's efforts under His Majesty King Abdullah's leadership in supporting the Palestinian people and defending their just cause.

Praising the hospital's "important" role in supporting Gaza's health sector, they referred to the presence of Jordanian field hospitals in Palestine, which contributed to boosting medical capabilities in support of the Palestinian people.

Jordan runs two military field hospitals in Gaza, one in the Strip's north, which was established in 2009 following the war in 2008.

The second was established in Khan Younis in the south in November 2023 at the peak of the Israeli war of aggression on the coastal enclave that erupted on October 7, 2023.

Besides the field hospitals in Gaza, the JAF established the Jordanian field hospital in Nablus in late November 2023. It has conducted over 900 surgeries and has received more than 83,000 patients ever since.

AMMAN — "Restoring Hope," a "ground-breaking" Jordanian initiative for amputee support, seeks to expand globally, following its achievements in Gaza over the past six months. 

Launched in the autumn of 2024 upon directives by His Majesty King Abdullah, “Restoring Hope” initiative has transformed hundreds of lives in Gaza through the medical cadres of the Royal Medical Services of Jordan working currently at the Jordanian field hospital in southern Gaza. 

The initiative's Mobile Amputee Support Units (MASUs) bring "high-quality" prosthetic care directly to patients in challenging environments, "dramatically" reducing the time from injury to mobility.

In his speech on Wednesday, at the opening session of the Global Disability Summit in Berlin, His Majesty talked about the “Restoring Hope” initiative and called on organisations and activists to join its ongoing efforts. 

“To date, over 400 amputees, including children, have benefitted and acquired new hope. And behind every statistic is a face, a story, a life of immeasurable value. They are back with family once more. We are immensely proud of the Jordanian doctors and technicians who have responded to the need,” His Majesty said in the speech. 

“We call this initiative, ‘Restoring Hope.’ And here at this Global Disability Summit, we ask you, the champions of disability rights, to join us in helping “restore hope” to Gazans, and others in jeopardy, worldwide.”

“Through Restoring Hope, we demonstrated that leadership, compassion, and innovation flourish in the darkest and most difficult of places,” His Majesty said.

The Restoring Hope initiative has achieved remarkable results in its initial phase with nearly 415 patients fitted with prosthetics in the first six months. Some patients have averaged 4,000 steps within one week of fitting. This has been part of ongoing patient monitoring and support. 

In addition, more than 40 prosthetists have been trained in rapid-fitting techniques and smart monitoring. Integration with electronic patient records has enhanced follow-up care across the discipline and enabled e-consultations with Jordan specialist centres for trauma and rehabilitation.

So far, two specialised teams have deployed to serve patients and referral pathways have been established for other field hospitals. In parallel, a university-based clinical research programme has been launched to further evaluate these approaches, and over 20 expert briefings disseminated globally, Amman-based Restoring Hope Society said in a statement.

What distinguishes Restoring Hope is its collaborative approach, drawing on insights from thought leaders and pioneers across multiple countries. The initiative represents a paradigm shift in humanitarian healthcare by integrating digital health technologies, innovative prosthetic designs, psycho-social support and mobile care delivery.

"The impact of Restoring Hope extends far beyond the numbers," said Rami Farraj, Chair of the Restoring Hope Society. "We hope to see children being able to return to school, adults regain their independence, and families rebuild their lives. Each prosthetic fitting represents not just restored mobility but restored dignity and opportunity."

As part of the two-day Global Disability Summit, Edward Hall, advisor to the Restoring Hope Society, participated in a panel discussion on Thursday, titled "From Risk Reduction to Recovery: Disability Inclusive Practices for Disaster and conflict”, during which he talked about the objectives and future plans of Restoring Hope Society. 

He said that Restoring Hope Society aims to establish Jordan as a regional centre of excellence for rehabilitation and trauma care, serving as a knowledge hub for innovative healthcare delivery in challenging environments.  As the model expands, a further regional training session will run during April in Amman.

The initiative exemplifies King Abdullah's commitment to compassionate leadership, innovation, and building regional stability through humanitarian action, Hall said.

The Global Disability Summit brought together world leaders, disability rights advocates, and humanitarian organizations to accelerate progress toward disability inclusion worldwide. His Majesty's participation underscored Jordan's commitment to leading regional efforts in disability inclusion and humanitarian innovation.

AMMAN — The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) said on Thursday that mobile operators have completed initial technical tests of the new cell broadcast emergency alert system in various regions throughout the Kingdom.

According to a TRC statement, "Zain Jordan will conduct the first live test on Sunday, sending emergency alert messages to subscribers in specific geographic areas. Other mobile carriers will follow with their own tests on dates to be announced soon," the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

"These tests are part of a government-directed initiative to enhance emergency response capabilities and ensure rapid communication with the public during crisis situations," the statement added. "The system will be activated during severe weather events, natural disasters, and other emergencies requiring immediate public action."

The TRC stressed that the new alert system would deliver critical information directly to mobile devices, enabling recipients to take necessary precautions and follow official guidance during emergencies.

AMMAN — The Public Security Directorate (PSD) on Thursday warned the public about fraudulent social media pages advertising non-existent concerts featuring famous artists at high prices.

A PSD spokesperson said that authorities have identified multiple pages promoting these deceptive events, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Although no official fraud complaints have been filed yet, the spokesperson urged citizens to remain vigilant, verify event details through official sources, and avoid making payments to unverified platforms.

The PSD emphasised the importance of relying on trusted sources to prevent financial losses and falling victim to online scams.