Latest news with #CouncilOfMinisters
Zawya
09-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Jordan: Sales of apartment above 150m² increase by 6% in H1 2025
AMMAN — The number of sold apartments whose area exceed 150 square metres increased during the first half of this year by 12 per cent to 7,412 apartments, according to the monthly report of the Department of Land and Survey. According to data monitored on Tuesday by Al Mamlaka TV, the apartment sales in Jordan in the first half of 2015 increased by 6 per cent. Apartment sales during April increased by 14 per cent compared with 2024, and decreased by 11 per cent compared with last May. The total number of apartments sold in the Kingdom during the January-June period of this year reached 16,410 apartments, compared with 2,659 in June alone, according to the report. The number of sold apartments whose area is less than 120 square metres increased by 2 per cent during the first half of the year to reach 4,853 apartments, compared with 4,739 in the same half of 2024. Apartments ranging in size from 120 to 150 square metres also increased by 1 per cent to 4,197, compared with 4,140 in the first half of 2024, according to the report. The Council of Ministers had issued a decision on November 12, 2024, exempting apartments with an area of more than 150 square metres from 50 per cent of registration fees, following a previous decision that exempted apartments with an area of less than 150 square metres by 100 per cent from registration fees. During June, the number of sold apartments with an area of more than 150 square metres increased by 23 per cent to reach 1,211 apartments, compared with the same month of 2024, during which it reached 987 apartments, according to the data monitored by Al Mamlaka. The number of sold apartments with an area of less than 120 square metres increased by 13 per cent in June to reach 808 apartments, compared with the same month of 2024, during which it reached 712 apartments. As for apartments ranging in size from 120 to 150 square meters, their sales increased by 4 per cent in June to reach 665 apartments, compared with 639 apartments sold for the same period in 2024, according to the report. © Copyright The Jordan Times. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Jersey chief minister denies tenancy reform 'rebellion'
Jersey's chief minister has denied his ministers are rebelling over proposed tenancy Deputy Lyndon Farnham admitted that eight or nine ministers and assistant ministers were expected to vote against the plans being brought forward by the housing minister on Minister Sam Mezec's proposed changes to the rental tenancy law would see new protections for tenants and landlords, including rent increases being capped at 5%.Bringing in new rental tenancies laws was part of the government's common strategic policy which sets out its main priorities. Deputy Jonathan Renouf referred to comments made by the chief minister in April, in which Farnham said the majority of ministers would support Deputy Mezec's plans with only one or two Renouf asked the chief minister if "he was still confident that only one or two ministers would vote against the plan and if not how big a rebellion is he expecting from his own ministers".The chief minister responded: "I'm not expecting a rebellion because we are more grown up around this Council of Ministers table. "We have processes and procedures for dealing with bona fide disagreements where views are strongly held between ministers and it's called an agreement to differ."He admitted the situation "had evolved" since his previous comments were made."But there is not a rebellion. It's a very grown-up, mature way of how we do business around the Council of Ministers table."When asked what the rebellion would suggest about the chief minister's ability to lead, he said: "It says we are an extremely pragmatic Council of Ministers."In this small island, that's the right way to go about things."
The National
03-07-2025
- Business
- The National
The UAE has much to gain from an AI-enabled government adviser
We will soon live in the artificial general intelligence age. What you do with that information will determine your place in history. Last week, the UAE announced that a National Artificial Intelligence System would become a non-voting member of all federal and government company boards – and an advisory member of the Council of Ministers starting next year. The world should take notice. This isn't just a headline-grabbing initiative or a clever nod to the AI hype cycle. It is a serious declaration: governance itself is being reimagined. Intelligence – both human and artificial – will now sit side by side at the decision-making table. Once again, the UAE isn't waiting for the future to arrive – it is shaping it. This move comes as the OECD's latest Reimagining Government report makes a powerful case: that public sectors can no longer function as slow-moving regulators. They must become shapers of behaviour, markets and futures. While most of the world debates AI's ethical dilemmas or fears job displacement, the UAE is pivoting boldly towards the opportunity – transforming AI from a back-office assistant into a strategic actor in policy and decision-making. The UAE is transforming AI from a back-office assistant into a strategic actor in policy and decision-making. Though it began in academic labs in the 1950s, AI has matured exponentially in the past three years. Today's systems can analyse billions of data points, detect anomalies in financial flows, simulate geopolitical risk and model climate shocks in real time. This is more than automation as we progress fast towards AGI – systems capable of human-level reasoning across diverse domains. These systems don't just respond; they think, adapt and generate original insights, and – according to OpenAI's Sam Altman and Anthropic's Dario Amodei – AGI could be with us in as little as two years. If you are sitting in government, prepare for this: an AGI system tasked with revising a national budget could process 30 years of fiscal policy, the current citizen sentiment, environmental data, infrastructure needs and long-term equity goals – then simulate the impact of dozens of policy decisions. Any of this could be done in a matter of hours, not months. The private sector is already embracing AI-powered leadership. Salesforce, for example, reports that AI performs up to 50 per cent of its work with 93 per cent accuracy. Chinese gaming firm NetDragon Websoft appointed an AI chief executive, seeing a 10 per cent stock increase. In Poland, Dictador placed an AI executive in charge of strategy. These are no longer public relations stunts – they are the front edge of a new executive model. But the UAE is taking this one step further: it is nationalising the model. Institutionalising it. Making AI an official advisory participant in the heart of government. The AI entity will not vote or replace ministers. Instead, it will serve as a strategic co-pilot: scanning, simulating and synthesising complex variables to support sharper, faster and more transparent decisions. This is the embodiment of what the OECD calls the shift from 'reactive bureaucracy' to anticipatory governance. AI's involvement at board level is just the beginning. Ministries of health will use it to model pandemic responses. Trade agencies will forecast demand shifts before they happen. Environmental teams will design adaptive strategies based on real-time data. And this entire transformation is happening within a sovereign, ethical and encrypted framework, aligning with the UAE's AI governance standards – building public trust in a moment when 'black box' algorithms threaten transparency. This is critical, as the OECD emphasises that agility is the new legitimacy. In an age of rapid shocks – climate, health, geopolitical – slow governments lose trust. The UAE's model, by contrast, offers real-time simulation, data-informed decisions and transparency by design. But this leap forward demands more than infrastructure – it demands people. The OECD notes the importance of system thinking, digital capacity and collaborative leadership. These are not optional skills. They are core to the government's relevance in the AI age. That means upskilling every tier of public service. Not just AI engineers, but policy designers, frontline officers, educators and regulators. Everyone must learn to work with, not just around, machines. In adopting AI in the form, the UAE offers a practical answer to one of the OECD's boldest provocations: what if government itself became a platform for intelligence – human and artificial – to co-create the future? And yet, as the OECD warns, the future is already here, but it's not evenly distributed. While countries such as the UAE are sprinting forward, others risk falling behind – locked in outdated bureaucratic routines and legacy decision-making. Some countries will hesitate. Some will worry about legitimacy, ethics, or optics. But others will look at the UAE and say: this is the new blueprint – AI will not replace human leadership. But it will augment it, challenge it and sharpen it. In a world of rising complexity, that might just be our greatest advantage.
Zawya
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Cabinet reaffirms Saudi position of resolving conflicts through diplomatic means
JEDDAH — The Council of Ministers on Tuesday reaffirmed Saudi Arabia's position of resolving conflicts through diplomatic means. Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman chaired the Cabinet session in Jeddah. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session, Minister of State for Shoura Council Affairs and Acting Minister of Media Dr. Essam bin Saad bin Saeed said that the Cabinet reviewed the latest developments in the region and the world. The council reiterated the Kingdom's positions, as expressed by the Crown Prince, during his communications with leaders of friendly countries. The Council pledged its continued support for international efforts aimed at achieving regional and global security and peace, addressing crises, easing tensions, and activating dialogue through diplomatic means as an effective means of settling disputes and resolving conflicts. The Cabinet emphasized the Kingdom's statement of solidarity with the State of Qatar and its categorical rejection of any infringement on its sovereignty or threat to its security and stability. At the outset of the session, the Cabinet expressed gratitude to God Almighty for the Kingdom's honor of serving His Holy House and the Mosque of His Messenger, and for His grace in enabling the Kingdom to achieve continuous success during the last Hajj season through performance of Hajj rituals in ease and comfort by more than 1.6 million pilgrims, and devoting all the Kingdom's capabilities and energies to this end, under the constant directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman. The Cabinet commended the efforts of the Supreme Hajj Committee and all those working within the Hajj Service System in implementing the security, preventive, organizational, and health plans with utmost skill and competence. This has made the Kingdom a global model in crowd management and providing the highest quality services to visitors to the Two Holy Mosques and the holy sites. The Council followed up on the efforts of the relevant authorities in meeting the needs of pilgrims from Iran and securing hundreds of air and land trips for their safe return to their homeland, following the difficult circumstances their country had been experiencing. The Council emphasized that serving and caring for the Guests of God is the Kingdom's one of the most important goals and greatest concerns. Following this, the Crown Prince briefed the Council on the contents of the letters received by King Salman from President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro Moros, President of Vietnam Luong Cong, and President of Angola João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço. These letters pertained to relations between the Kingdom and their respective countries and ways to promote and strengthen them in various fields. Dr. Essam said that the Cabinet affirmed the role of the international community in ending the disastrous repercussions of the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, protecting innocent civilians, and creating a new reality in which Palestine enjoys peace in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions. The Council expressed Saudi Arabia's welcoming of the signing of the peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Cabinet hoped that it will fulfill the aspirations of the peoples of both countries for development and prosperity, and will benefit regional and international security and stability. The Cabinet considered the inauguration of the Global Water Organization's activities at its headquarters in Riyadh to be an affirmation of the Kingdom's commitment to promoting international initiatives and its keenness to consolidate mutual cooperation between countries, including supporting joint coordination to address the growing challenges associated with this essential element of life. The Council highlighted the election of Saudi Arabia as vice president of the Executive Council of the World Health Organization and its selection as a member of the UN High-Level Group for Partnership, Coordination, and Capacity-Building in Statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Council also noted the inclusion of the Uruq Bani Ma'arid Reserve on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Green List. The minister stated that the Cabinet welcomed the final statement issued by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff regarding the 2025 Article IV Consultations with the Kingdom. The statement praised the Saudi economy's resilience in the face of global economic challenges, with the expansion of non-oil sector activities, the containment of inflation, and the unemployment rate reaching its lowest levels in history, all in line with the objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030. The Cabinet also discussed the results of the seventh edition of the King Abdulaziz Quality Award, praising the winning establishments' commitment to adopting the principles of institutional excellence and raising levels of performance quality, which contributes to enhancing the quality of outputs and achieving national targets. The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Interior or his representative to sign a draft cooperation agreement between the governments of Saudi Arabia and Algeria in the field of combating organized crime. It approved an agreement between the Saudi and Italian governments on mutual exemption from short-stay visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, special, or service passports. The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Foreign Affairs or his representative to negotiate and sign with the Russian side a draft agreement between the Saudi and Russian governments regarding mutual exemption from entry visa requirements for citizens of both countries. The Council approved a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance and Pakistan's Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony in the field of Islamic affairs. It authorized the Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture or his representative to negotiate and sign with the International Consultative Group on Agricultural Research (CGIAR) regarding a draft agreement between the Ministry and the CGIAR to promote sustainability and innovation in the agricultural sector in the Kingdom. The Council approved a MoU between the Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources and the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Development of Zambia for cooperation in the field of mineral resources in the mining sector. It approved the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources or his representative to complete the necessary procedures for the Kingdom's accession to the Integrated Industrial Partnership for Sustainable Economic Development. The Council endorsed the amendment of the name of the Supreme National Investment Committee under the Council of Economic and Development Affairs to become the National Investment Committee of CEDA. It approved a mechanism for registering and verifying the biometric data of those arriving in and departing from the Kingdom via cruise ships. The Ministry of Education shall be the technical supervisory authority—in accordance with the Law of Associations and Civil Institutions—for the Saudi Arabian Boy Scouts Association. The Cabinet also endorsed reconstitution of the Insurance Disputes and Violations Resolution Committee in Dammam, headed by Saleh Al-Ghamdi, and including Dr. Muhammad Al-Duailej and Dr. Suleiman Al-Hamid as members. © Copyright 2022 The Saudi Gazette. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
BBC News
01-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
July Tynwald sitting extended for high volume of business
The July sitting of the Manx parliament has been moved forward by a day to accommodate the "extra large volume of business before the court", the President of Tynwald has Skelly confirmed the meeting would start on 14 July, previously scheduled for a day later. It is the final session before members break up for the summer recess. The busy agenda is set to include debates on the Chief Constable's annual report, a £15.3m overspend in health for the last financial year and changes to how the island's minimum wage is calculated. Other items include the regulations governing the introduction of an opt-out system for organ Council of Ministers' updated report on inward migration and a select committee report footpaths, bridleways and green lanes are also expected to be sitting marks the final meeting of parliamentary members with no further House of Keys sittings, before the summer follows the island's national celebration Tynwald Day, which this year falls on 7 July. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
