Day: 23 September 2023

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RAJI AL-SAAD STARTS A VISIT TO LOS ANGELES

MP Raji Al-Saad began a visit to the American city of Los Angeles, at the invitation of the World Lebanese Cultural Union. First, he visited the Lebanese Consulate in Los Angeles, where he met with the Consul General Bashir Sarkis, in the presence of the Union President, Nabih Chartouni, and a number of Lebanese diaspora dignitaries. The attendees discussed the conditions of the community in California, in addition to the economic, political, and security situation prevailing in Lebanon, and ways to support the Lebanese in confronting the crises afflicting them.

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon

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ARMY: RESCUE OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS OFF CHEKKA BEACH WHILE THEIR BOAT SANK

The Army Command’s Orientation Directorate issued a communique on Saturday, indicating that ‘on September 23, 2023, a patrol from the Lebanese Army Navy, with the support of the Lebanese Civil Defense, was able to rescue 27 illegal immigrants who were on board a rubber boat while it was sinking off Chekka coast.” “The Army Command warns of the consequences of illegal migration as it exposes the lives of immigrants to imminent danger, in addition to legal prosecution before the concerned authorities,” the army communique added, confirming that its military units continue to take the necessary measures to combat illegal migration.

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon

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TURKEY: A 4.6 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE SHAKES KAHRAMANMARAS

A 4.6-magnitude earthquake struck Kahramanmaras province in southeastern Turkey today, Saturday, according to the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Administration (AFAD), as reported by “Russia Today”. According to information contained on the website of the Presidency of Disaster and Emergency Management, the earthquake was recorded in the Gokson region of the state at 11:22, and its epicenter occurred at a depth of about 8.4 kilometers underground. Kahramanmaras was one of the areas most affected by the violent earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria last February, leaving tens of thousands dead and massive destruction. After that disaster, the southeastern regions of Turkey witnessed from time to time less powerful earthquakes.

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon

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Foreign Ministry rejects Israeli premier’s ‘hateful’ and ‘provocative’ speech at UN

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates today rejected what it described as the hateful and provocative speech of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations General Assembly yesterday. ‘The State of Palestine rejects in the strongest terms the provocative and hateful speech delivered by the Israeli Prime Minister at the United Nations General Assembly General Debate,’ said the Foreign Ministry in a statement. ‘From the podium of the United Nations, Israel’s Prime Minister confirmed, yet again, the colonial designs of his government and the objectives of Israel’s illegal occupation: the forcible and violent annexation of the Palestinian homeland and negation of the presence and rights of the Palestinian people, including their rights to self-determination and return,’ it said. ‘The international community must firmly reject and condemn Israel’s racist denigration of the Palestinian people and its vehement denial of their roots in the land – an indigenous, centuries-old presence borne out by history. This is being done, openly all in grave breach of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations and humanitarian and human rights law, and in brazen contempt of the international community, for over seven decades. In 2023, Israel stands at the world’s podium boasting of its illegal occupation and apartheid regime in Palestine, confident it will never be held accountable,’ added the Foreign Ministry, demanding accountability for Israel’s breaches in the occupied territories. ‘Such criminality must never be normalized. It is past time to hold Israel, the occupying Power, accountable for all its grave breaches in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. It is time to enforce consequences for its war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Palestinian people.’

Source: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA

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Dar Al-Kalima University concludes the ‘Tales from Palestine’ festival in Germany and Austria

The Bethlehem-based Dar Al-Kalima University, in partnership with the German Association for Adult Education, concluded yesterday the ‘Tales from Palestine’ project in Germany and Austria, where a delegation from Dar Al-Kalima University’s administration and students presented the event to hundreds of audiences in these two European countries. Vice President of Dar Al-Kalima University for Development, Rana Khoury, said, ‘Today we conclude the activities of the ‘Tales from Palestine’ festival, which was organized in several cities in Germany and Austria, with a distinguished and diverse attendance exceeding 2000 people. The importance and success of the festival lie in its ability to create new creative, participatory spaces as well as the extent of audience interaction and the groups, some of which for the first time hear about Palestine, with the various activities presented by our students and partners from various Palestinian villages, including music, photo exhibitions, fine art, handicrafts, traditional foods, and others, all of which expressed the deep-rooted, authenticity, and diversity of our Palestinian heritage and culture for the geographic areas.’ Professor Issam Awad, director of the Tales from Palestine project said: ‘At the conclusion of this great event, we thank our partners in the German Association for Adult Education in Palestine and the Federal Republic of Germany, and our partners in Vienna Acts in Austria, in addition to our eight partners in the adult education centers in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem, for their support. I hope to renew cooperation and build on this three-year-old project that is nearing its end.’ The festival included artistic and cultural workshops, art exhibitions, and exhibitions of heritage products, in addition to musical performances under the supervision of the Palestinian musician Marwan Abado and his students, the Greek qanun player Sophia Labropoulou and her students, and the participation of Dar Al-Kalima University students Abdel Fattah al-Qawasmi and Mahmoud Shanaa from the Master’s in Arts Therapy program, and Bechara al-Maso, from the Bachelor of Performing Arts program, specializing in music, in addition to singer Omar al-Adam. The festival also included the screening of three films directed by graduates of Dar Al-Kalima University. The first film is titled ‘Ambience’ by Wissam Jaafari, the second film is titled ‘Your Words Were a Song,’ the project film by Thaer al-Azza, and the third film is ‘Sarri Merry’ by Louay Awad. The Palestinian community and attendees in Germany and Austria expressed their joy, interaction, and excitement at the festival as the Palestinian heritage songs were admired by the Palestinian community amidst warm applause. The festival concluded with an artistic and cultural evening that included many musical and heritage performances and the presentation of Palestinian food, as Dar Al-Kalima University constantly organizes international and local exhibitions, activities, festivals, and artistic and cultural weeks.

Source: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA

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FM congratulates Bissau-Guinean counterpart

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hisham Sharaf sent on Friday a cable of congratulations to Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guinea-Bissau Susie Carla Barbosa.

In the cable, Sharaf expressed his congratulations to Barbosa, the government and the people of Guinea-Bissau on the country’s celebrations of the National Day.

Source: Yemen News Agency

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Aggression commits 84 violations in Hodeida in 24 hours

The aggression forces committed 84 violations of the ceasefire agreement in Hodeida province over the past 24 hours, an official at the operations room to monitor the violations said on Sataurday.

The official in the operations room told the Yemeni News Agency (Saba) that among the aggression forces violations were three spy warplanes raids on Hays ,Maqbanah, and the creation of combat fortifications in Hays.

He indicated that the violations also included five spy planes flew over Hays and Maqbanah, two violations by artillery shell on Al-Jabaliya, and 73 violations with various gunshots.

Source: Yemen News Agency

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Safadi concludes meetings with counterparts at UNGA

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi, on Saturday, concluded his meetings with a number of counterparts and international officials, participating at the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Safadi and his Algerian counterpart Ahmed Attaf held talks that focused on bilateral ties and ways of cementing them, namely, in trade and investment sphere. The two top diplomats discussed a wide range of Middle East issues, at the forefront of which is the Palestinian cause and the Syrian crisis. Safadi along with his Iranian counterpart Hussein Abdellahian held talks that touched on the Palestinina cause, the Syrian crisis and efforts to resolve it and the UN resolution 2245 in a way that would preserve Syria’s territorial integrity and restore security and stability to the country. Safadi stressed the need to stop the threats the crisis poses to the security of Jordan and the region, especially the threat of drug smuggling, which Jordan will continue to take all necessary steps to defeat. During the meeting with Abdellahian, Safadi stressed that Jordan seeks to enjoy good relations with Iran based on the principles of good neighbourliness and non-interference in internal affairs. Safadi along with his Jamaican Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson Smith signed a joint statement on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Discussing bilateral ties, within the framework of the partnership with the EU and a number of regional issues, were covered during a meeting that brought together Safadi and his Croatian counterpart Gordan Radman. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on forming a common committee tasked with bilateral cooperation was inked by Safadi and his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi. Safadi along with his Dutch counterpart Hanke Bruins Slot, discussed bilateral ties. Safadi congratulated Slot for assuming her new position as Dutch foreign minister. Safadi also met with UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland and discussed the latest developments pertaining to the Palestinian cause. In this context, Safadi stressed the need to stop violations, unilateral and illegal Israeli actions that undermine the chances of achieving peace.

Source: Jordan News Agency

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Jordan’s first Cyber Security Summit to kick off next Monday

National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), in partnership with Information and Communications Technology Association of Jordan (int@j), will organize Jordan’s first Cyber Security Summit 2023 in the capital, Amman, next Monday. According to an Intaj statement on Saturday, the summit will discuss issues on cyber policies and strategies, cooperation mechanisms to confront international cyber risks and threats that countries and societies face, and learn about countries’ related expertise and progress in achieving cyber security and digital safety. Officials and personalities from government institutions from various sectors will participate in the summit, in addition to Jordanian, regional and international companies specialized in the cybersecurity field and companies operating in other sectors whose operations require avoiding cyber risks, primarily financial companies and banks. NCSC head, Bassam Maharmeh, said this summit is being held in “exceptional” circumstances that the region and the world are witnessing in terms of growing cyber risks and their increasing financial, social and political costs. He also noted this summit is an “important” platform for joint dialogue and cooperation regionally and globally. The summit, he noted, aims to make Jordan a “distinguished” regional center in cybersecurity issues, as the Kingdom has “sufficient” qualifications to achieve this goal, represented by its human capabilities, academic institutions, industrial sectors, and pioneering institutions. For his part, Intaj CEO, Nidal Bitar, said the summit will see participation of some 400 to 450 leaders from various sectors, primarily financial sector, insurance industry, and vital sectors,mainly water, electricity, and telecommunications companies. Bitar noted the summit will witness 23 discussion sessions and workshops that will cover multiple topics, primarily global cybersecurity market, cloud security solutions, and protection from viruses and malware. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Palestine, Egypt, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait are participating in the summit, to discuss local and international legal issues on data protection and significant impact of artificial intelligence on cybersecurity.

Source: Jordan News Agency

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Jordan picked headquarters of Arab Center for Renewable Energy-AREC

The Eighth Arab Forum for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency approved Jordan as the headquarters of the Arab Center for Renewable Energy, Electric Vehicles and Smart Grids to unify regulatory legislation and instructions, which were launched at conclusion of its activities in Jordan recently that simulates bodies operating in the European Union. According to a statement issued by the Arab Renewable Energy Commission (AREC) Saturday, the forum’s decision to pick Amman as the center’s headquarters came due to Jordan’s “accumulated” expertise in qualifying trained technical personnel, classifying companies and institutions operating in the sector, and being the connection point and investment gateway for all Arab countries. On the forum’s axes, AREC’s Secretary General, Mohammad Ta’ani, said the forum focused on importance of Jordan being a “vital” center for investment, smart grids, green hydrogen and sustainability, and an “important” hub for energy transfer among countries of the continents of Asia, Europe and Africa.

Source: Jordan News Agency

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Foreign worker killed, Jordanian injured in sewer trench collapse

A foreign worker died and another Jordanian was hurt on Saturday in the collapse of a drainage trench in Al Husn near Irbid. Irbid Governor Radwan Atoum told Petra that the two workers were trapped in the two-meter deep trench, when it caved in burying them under the soil. Civil defense crews rushed to the sewer worksite, pulled the men out and rished the expatriate worker to the Prince Rashid Military Hospital, where he was proclaimed dead on arrival. The other worker was admitted to the Princess Basma Educational Hospital, where he was listed in a moderate condition.

Source: Jordan News Agency

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Energy Minister: “Positive” signs of copper exploration in south

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh on Saturday stressed the importance of a copper exploration project in the southern region of Wadi Araba being implemented by the Jordan Integrated for Mining and Exploration Company under a memorandum of understanding signed last year. During a tour of the project in Wadi Al-Jariya, south of the Dana Natural Reserve, the minister described the results of studies as “positive”, based on findings of 3.5 percent of copper ore concentrations amid rising global demand for the mineral, pointing to other elements of value that are associated with copper. Kharabsheh said three local and international companies are currently prospecting for copper ore in the Kingdom, in addition to a project by the Ministry underway, noting that the national economic modernization vision attached great importance to the mining sector as a motor of value-added industries. The Ministry, he said, has signed 13 memorandums of understanding for exploration of copper ore, lithium, gold, rare earth elements and rock potash and phosphate, and is working to speed up various mining operations with its partners in the sector. He also said another copper mining project in Dana is being implemented in line with international environmental standards, applying strict mining requirements as the region is home to an important natural reserve. During his tour, the minister was briefed on the progress of work in surface exploration of porphyry copper deposits, sample collection and excavation of trenches and exploratory wells in the region, noting studies to assess copper ore reserves in the region and determine the economic feasibility of mining them. Director of the mining company Zuhair Hassanin said excavations began in Dana last year with the exploratory work, adding that his company is currently testing samples in laboratories in Austria and Turkey, where the results showed higher concentrations in copper ore in three regions than previous studies revealed.

Source: Jordan News Agency