Day: 21 April 2024

Amman: Jordanian customs personnel at the Karameh border crossing successfully thwarted an attempt to smuggle 6600 cartons of cigarettes concealed within a shipping refrigeration unit.

The operation was carried out by vigilant customs personnel who detected irregularities during routine inspections.

According to the spokesperson for Jordan Customs, suspicions arose as one of the shipping refrigeration units, arriving from a neighboring country, underwent meticulous scrutiny.

Upon closer examination, hidden compartments designed for smuggling purposes were discovered, containing a sizable quantity of cigarettes.

The intercepted contraband, concealed clandestinely within the refrigeration unit, was promptly seized, and necessary legal measures were initiated in accordance with established protocols.

The spokesperson emphasized the grave implications of smuggling operations, particularly those involving large volumes of goods. Such illicit activities not only pose risks to public health and safety but also
undermine regulatory standards and market fairness.

He reiterated the Customs Department’s unwavering commitment to combating smuggling and ensuring compliance with legal requirements.

Source: Jordan News Agency

New York: The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, expressed grave concern over the escalation of violence across the West Bank.

“Gravely concerned by heightened violence across the West Bank. We must avoid further escalation – attacks on civilians must stop, including settler violence. As the war in Gaza continues and regional instability mounts, West Bank stability is essential to keep alive prospects for peace,” Wennesland said on Sunday in a post on his official X account.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: The Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission (IACC) Prosecutor decided to detain a former accountant in Kafr Yuba Municipality, west of Irbid, for two weeks pending investigation in a reform and rehabilitation center for the felony of embezzlement.

According to the IACC, investigations showed that the accountant actually embezzled an amount of JD93,000 between 2022 and 2023 from the municipality’s revenues without recording them in its account.

The IACC had referred this case to the Public Prosecution earlier.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Cairo: Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit said that Israel seeks to silence the voices that speak independently about the Gaza massacre, and that it is practicing a kind of moral assassination of personalities who expose its lies and deception to world public opinion.

Aboul Gheit gave his remarks during a meeting on Sunday with Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The meeting covered the humanitarian situation in Gaza in light of the ongoing Israeli crimes against the civilian population over the past few months.

Aboul Gheit lauded Albanese’s work and positions as a unique voice of the global conscience amid the silence and disregard of many countries for the crimes practiced by the occupation, which fall under the category of genocide, said Gamal Roshdy, the Secretary-General’s spokesperson.

Roshdy cited Aboul Gheit as emphasizing that Israeli crimes cannot be considered under any criterion as the resul
t of mistakes or collateral damage of military action, as they are deliberate crimes aimed at collectively punishing the population and eliminating the fundamental right of Palestinians to live on their land.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Ramallah: The Palestinian government received the first convoy of agricultural aid from Jordan on Sunday evening.

Hussein Hamayel, Governor of Jericho and the Jordan Valley, lauded the deep-rooted Palestinian-Jordanian ties, and commended the Kingdom’s support for the rights of the Palestinian people under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II.

The meeting was attended by Jordan’s Ambassador to Palestine, Issam Bdour, Palestinian Agriculture Minister Rezq Salimia, representatives of the agriculture sector, and farmers from areas threatened with confiscation in Jericho and the Jordan Valley.

Hamayel added that the Kingdom has always been a true supporter of the Palestinian people at all stages, “and we believe in the importance of strengthening the partnership between Palestine and Jordan in all fields.”

For his part, Minister Salimia highlighted the Palestinian government’s efforts to develop the agricultural sector in Palestine and strengthen the partnership between Palestine and brotherly count
ries, especially Jordan.

He pointed out that this grant aims to support the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in light of the fierce attack carried out by extremist settlers against the Palestinian people, confiscating land in favor of building more settlements, and preventing livestock breeders from exploiting pastoral lands in the Jordan Valley.

He explained that Jordan has allocated 15,000 tons of grain for areas classified “C” and areas threatened with confiscation to provide all kinds of support to farmers in those areas to strengthen their steadfastness.

Ambassador Bdour said: “Today we receive the first convoy provided by the Jordanian government under the directives of King Abdullah II to help the Palestinian people, in coordination with the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture.”

He explained that the royal gift is 15,000 tons of grain, which includes most of the West Bank governorates and benefits 266 communities, and will be distributed over 14 weeks, through the directorates of the Ministr
y of Agriculture.

Bdour added that the target group was selected according to professional criteria and precise needs by the Ministry of Agriculture staff, in partnership with the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission and civil society organizations.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: Acting President of the University of Jordan (UJ), Ashraf Abu Karaky, on Sunday received a delegation from the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation in the Sultanate of Oman.

The meeting covered a set of academic issues and discussed the importance of increasing the potential opportunities for cooperation between the two parties, welcoming more Omani students to the UJ.

For his part, UJ Vice President for Global Rankings and International Accreditation, Faleh Sawair, said that the UJ includes 1500 faculty members, 25 colleges, 18 centers, two deanships and 4 student dormitories, and students from 130 different nationalities.

He pointed out that UJ has recently achieved significant progress in the QS global rankings and topped the Arab world in a number of disciplines, and ranked among the top 200 universities in the world in 9 disciplines, and 300 universities in 14 disciplines.

Sawair also explained the UJ’s position in global rankings, as it was ranked in the Shanghai G
lobal Rankings last year as one of the best 701-800 universities in the world, as the only one locally and one of 19 Arab universities, and entered the list of the 500 best universities in the QS Global Rankings for 2024: First locally and 498 globally, a ranking that measures multiple aspects of graduate employability and sustainability (in which Jordan ranked 372nd globally, eighth in the Arab world, and first locally).

He highlighted the colleges and programs that have international accreditations, which amounted to 11 out of 19 colleges and 48 accredited international programs, noting that scientific research is published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, in addition to practical citations in international journals, which indicates that scientific publishing is increasing compared to previous years.

Sawair added that the UJ has 102 bachelor’s programs, 120 master’s programs, 39 doctoral programs, and 22 higher specialization programs in medicine and dentistry.

For their part, the delegation discuss
ed issues related to the study of Omani students in various programs and degrees at the UJ.

There are approximately 72 students from the Sultanate of Oman currently studying at the University of Jordan, most of whom belong to the faculties of sports science, art and design, and educational sciences, and the number of Omani student graduates in the last 10 years has reached 121 students.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Ramallah: A Palestinian woman died on Sunday, succumbing to injuries sustained by Israeli occupation forces’ bullets at the Hamra military checkpoint in the occupied northern Jordan Valley.

According to a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said the occupation opened fire on 40-year-old Manal Sawafta from Tubas in the occupied West Bank for allegedly attempting to carry out a stabbing attack at the Hamra checkpoint.

The statement notes that the Israeli occupation forces prevented ambulance crews from reaching Sawafta and closed the military checkpoint in both directions, which led to her death from her injuries.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: His Majesty King Abdullah II received a phone call on Sunday from British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, which covered current developments.

According to a royal court statement, during the call, His Majesty warned against further escalation in the region, which threatens international peace and security.

The King reiterated his call on the international community to step up efforts to reach an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, in order to mitigate the humanitarian catastrophe in the Strip, warning of the serious consequences of the Israeli ground offensive on Rafah.

His Majesty stressed the need to protect civilians in Gaza and intensify efforts to deliver humanitarian aid, while also noting the importance of maintaining support for UNRWA to enable it to provide humanitarian services in accordance with its UN mandate.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: His Majesty King Abdullah II, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army, on Sunday observed a civil defence exercise via live broadcast from the Operations and Control Building at the Public Security Directorate (PSD).

According to a royal court statement, His Majesty commended the professionalism and advanced skills displayed by the participants in the exercise, expressing pride in PSD personnel’s efforts to maintain the security and safety of the public.

The King was briefed on the exercise, which covered wide geographical areas of the Waleh and Dead Sea regions, as well as the use of advanced technologies to enhance protection and search systems, including drones and the ScubaJet Pro (torpedo) device.

Participants displayed speed in response and preparation, as well as efficient coordination among various PSD units, in cooperation with the army and government entities.

The exercise scenario simulated natural disasters caused by the impact of climate change, including rescue and
evacuation operations using trained teams and specialised machinery and equipment.

For his part, PSD Director Maj. Gen. Obeidallah Maaytah reaffirmed that the directorate will continue developing and enhancing the systems and equipment used, as well as building the capacities of its personnel, in order to maintain the security and safety of all citizens.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Mamoun Dabai, Sunday discussed student affairs with an Omani delegation of the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation in Oman.

The discussions focused on the enhancing ties between Jordan and Oman in higher education and scientific research and the exchange of students and faculty members.

The meeting discussed issues related to the study of more than 2,100 Omani students in various programmes and degrees in Jordan’s private and public universities

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: The Jordan Chamber of Commerce (JCC) called for temporarily suspending parel import into local market, made by citizens and foreign companies, until “urgent” measures are taken to regulate this process and achieve justice.

In a statement on Sunday, the JCC stressed the need to take decisions to regulate parcel imports, especially in terms of unifying fees, taxes, and customs procedures, in coordination with JCC and the Kingdom’s affected commercial sectors to achieve equality.

The JCC also stressed necessity of treating parcels equally as a Jordanian merchant when importing them officially through border centers.

The JCC said: “Parcel e-commerce represents a major challenge and a parallel market facing traditional merchants in the sector, who are suffering stressful circumstances due to the decline in commercial activity amid the high costs of operating businesses.”

JCC Chairman, Khalil Haj Tawfiq, said e-commerce enjoys “demand among Jordanians for multiple reasons,” pointing out that the chamber
believes that this process is part of economic development.

Hajj Tawfiq stressed affirms JCC’s right to protect Jordanian, foreign, or Arab merchant and importer operating in Jordan.

Additionally, he noted official decisions granted exemptions to parcel deliveries from sales tax and customs duties, and only imposed a unified fee on parcels equivalent to 10% of their value.

In this regard, he noted international companies often bear this amount due to their large financial capacity, which “flood” local markets, adding that parcels are not subject to inspection, assessment, oversight, , or intellectual property ownership procedures.

He said JCC noted injustice on businesses of local merchants and importers, who pay customs duties amounting to about 30% at border centers.

According to estimates by the General Union of Clothing, Shoe and Textile Merchants, a total of about 7,500 parcels arrive in Jordan per day, containing about 90,000 garment pieces and their volume reached JD310 million in 2023, while volu
me of traditional trade did not exceed JD250 million.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: Payments through eFAWATEERcom, an online bill payment service, amounted to JD3.13 billion during the first quarter of 2024, compared to JD2.88 billion for the same period last year, marking an increase of 8.8%.

According to Jordan Payments and Clearing Company (JoPACC) in its monthly report on payment systems for the 2024 first quarter, a total of 15.55 million transactions were executed via eFAWATEERcom during the January-March period, compared to 14.83 million payments, constituting an increase of 4.9%, while the number of the e-service users increased to 4.22 million, compared to 4. 1 million for the same comparison period.

Meanwhile, the number of transactions made through JoMoPay, a mobile payment system, the report showed that a total of 2.25 million users benefited from the e-service in the first quarter of this year, of which 47.5% were male and 52.1 percent were women.

However, value of transactions executed through JoMoPay amounted to JD1.124 billion, marking an increase of 16.8% over the
same period last year, which were carried out through 10.82 million payments.

Regarding statistics of CliQ, an instant payment system, the number of its users surged to 1.132 million by the end of the first quarter of 2024, who carried out about 14.51 million transactions to pay JD2.216 billion.

Source: Jordan News Agency