Day: 8 May 2024

Washington: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday discussed efforts to stop the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the Israeli attack on Rafah.

In a phone call, the two ministers discussed the attack by Israeli extremists on the Jordanian aid convoy heading to Gaza through the Beit Hanoun/Erez crossing, where Safadi urged the international community to condemn the attack as a heinous crime, and held Israel fully responsible for this crime.

Blinken strongly condemned the violent attack by Israeli extremists on the convoy aimed at preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

He reiterated that the United States expects the Israeli government to take full and appropriate action to prevent such attacks on aid convoys and hold perpetrators accountable.

Blinken recognized the Kingdom’s leadership role in delivering critical humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The two ministers also discussed efforts to re
ach a deal for an immediate ceasefire, release the hostages, and prevent the war from expanding regionally.

They stressed the need for all efforts to succeed in the mediation efforts undertaken by Egypt, Qatar and the United States to finalize the exchange deal and reach a ceasefire.

Safadi warned of the catastrophic consequences of Israel’s attack on Rafah and the blocking of the entry of aid through the Rafah and Karem Abu Salem border crossings.

The two ministers emphasized that the two countries will continue to work together to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: A noticeable increase in temperatures is forecast over the coming days, according to the latest weather forecast from the Jordan Meteorological Department.

Today, Wednesday, is anticipated to see a rise in temperatures across the region. While the mountainous areas will experience mild weather, elsewhere conditions are expected to be warm. Winds will be light, blowing predominantly from the northwest to the northeast.

On Thursday, temperatures are forecast to climb even higher. Dry and warm weather is expected over the mountainous regions and plains, while the rest of the country will experience hot conditions. Some high clouds may appear at higher altitudes, and moderate winds blowing from the southeast may occasionally stir up dust, particularly in desert regions.

Friday will continue the trend of rising temperatures, surpassing normal averages by approximately 5-6 degrees Celsius. The weather is expected to remain dusty and relatively hot over the mountains and plains, with high clouds dotting th
e sky. Winds will maintain a moderate pace, predominantly blowing from the southeast to the southwest, occasionally causing dust disturbances.

The maximum and minimum temperatures for today in eastern Amman range between 25 – 17 degrees Celsius, while in western Amman, temperatures are expected to range between 23 – 15 degrees Celsius. In the northern highlands, temperatures will vary from 21 – 14 degrees Celsius, while in the Sharah Mountains, temperatures will range from 22 – 12 degrees Celsius. Temperatures near the Dead Sea are expected to range from 33 – 22 degrees Celsius, and in the Gulf of Aqaba, temperatures will vary from 34 – 23 degrees Celsius.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Two Lebanese were martyred in an airstrike carried out by Israeli warplanes on Wednesday evening in the town of Al Adeisseh in southern Lebanon.

A Lebanese security source told Petra’s correspondent in Beirut that the airstrike targeted an inhabited house, which was completely destroyed, and that there was also a search with machine guns from a settlement overlooking the Lebanese border town of Kafr Kila.

The source pointed out that the airstrikes targeting the villages and towns of southern Lebanon Wednesday amounted to twenty, including ten airstrikes on the forests extending from the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab to the outskirts of Ramia town.”

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: The Israeli occupation army radio announced that a soldier was injured when rockets were fired from Gaza at the settlement of “Shlomit” on Wednesday evening.

According to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, the Israeli occupation army on Wednesday presented a new toll of its human losses since the beginning of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, where the Israeli occupation army admitted that 614 Israeli officers and soldiers were killed, including 266 killed in the ground operation inside the Gaza Strip.

The army said that 3358 soldiers have sustained injuries since the outbreak of the war, including 520 seriously injured, and that 41 soldiers have been killed by friendly fire and operational accidents since the beginning of the war.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Zarqa: Zarqa University, represented by Vice President for Administrative Affairs, Nidal Eshah, signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with all Iraqi universities in Sulaymaniyah Governorate in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

The MoUs were signed on the sidelines of the Jordanian Higher Education Forum in Erbil.

In a press statement on Wednesday, Eshah expressed his pride in the distinguished cooperation with the universities of Sulaymaniyah Governorate, which came as a culmination of the success of the Jordan-Kurdistan Higher Education Forum 2024, dubbed “Shaping the Future through Sustainable Development”, organized by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in coordination and cooperation with the Kurdistan Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Jordanian Tourism Promotion Authority.

Eshah pointed out that this cooperation would consolidate academic, research and scientific relations and establish an advanced future relationship that serves both sides by encouragin
g cultural and student exchange and establishing joint scientific and research projects and programs.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed deep concern over the increasing Israeli attacks on the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, which have forced most of Gaza’s population to flee in search of safety.

According to Euronews, Ghebreyesus said during a press conference in Geneva on Wednesday: After the Israeli ground offensive, an estimated 30-40,000 people left Rafah to go to Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah, emphasizing that 1.4 million people, including 600,000 children, are at risk in Rafah.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: President of the Jordan Economic Forum (JEF), MP Khair Abu Saileik, urged the youth to follow up on the implementation and performance of the economic modernization vision, considering that the vision is a trans-governmental state project aimed at providing a better quality of life for Jordanians.

Abu Saileik said in a statement on Wednesday that gaining the support of youth for the vision contributes to more popular control over its outputs and the executive program, which is part of the battle for awareness that Jordanian youth are armed with to understand the state’s political, economic, and administrative projects.

Abu Saileik spoke at the Second National Youth Dialogue Conference organized by the Senate, which opened at the Dead Sea in the presence of Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh, who deputized for HRH Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II.

Abu Saileik highlighted the main drivers, sectors, and initiatives included in the vision, its philosophy, and the extent of the need for the vision.

In an interactive youth dialogue moderated by Senator Issa Murad, Abu Saileik stressed the importance of youth awareness of geopolitical challenges, adding that they should not be a reason to slow down the momentum of modernization.

He explained that the Jordanian economy has proven its resilience, which constitutes the cornerstone of the transition to tangible results in reducing the unemployment rate, noting that tangible results by citizens will be achieved if the economy exceeds a growth rate of 5 percent.

Abu Saileik explained that the infrastructure for the investment environment has been prepared through royal support and the enabling legislative framework.

At the end of the session, Abu Saileik addressed remarks and answered inquiries of the youth, which focused on investing in the remote areas and governorates, removing bureaucracy and combating corruption of all kinds.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: Jordan Phosphate Mines Company (JPMC) informed its shareholders that dividends will be disbursed to shareholders as of Monday via Jordan Kuwait Bank branches.

The JPMC’s General Assembly decided in its ordinary meeting to approve the recommendation of the Board of Directors to distribute “cash” dividends to shareholders at 130% of the nominal value of the share to all shareholders registered in the company’s records on April 29, 2024.

The company called on shareholders who wish to transfer their dividends to other banks to visit the company’s website, https://www.jpmc.com.jo/Investor Relations, and fill out the personal information and bank data form, along with a copy of their identification and personal documents.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: The Ministry of Awqaf, Islamic Affairs, and Holy Places warned of new penalties for anyone caught in Mecca and the holy sites during the Hajj season without a permit.

In a statement on Wednesday, the ministry said that the Saudi authorities have announced strict penalties for anyone caught in Mecca and the holy sites without a Hajj permit, as of June 2.

The penalties include a fine of SAR10,000 (JD1890) with double the fine in case of repetition, deportation of resident violators, and banning them from entering the KSA, in addition to punishing anyone who is caught transporting violators with up to six months in prison, a fine of up to SAR50,000 (JD9450), and confiscation of the land transportation means.

The statement stressed that Hajj must be performed only through approved Hajj visas, calling on citizens to be cautious and not to deal with fake companies, campaigns and accounts on social media claiming to organize Hajj trips at attractive prices.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Cairo: Minister of Transport Wissam Tahtamouni met on Wednesday with her Egyptian counterpart, Lieutenant General Kamel al-Wazir and discussed aspects of bilateral cooperation in land, maritime, and rail transportation fields.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the preparatory committee meetings of the Jordanian-Egyptian Higher Committee, which kick off on Thursday in Cairo.

Tahtamouni lauded the deep-rooted Jordanian-Egyptian ties and joint cooperation in various economic fields, especially transportation in its various sectors, noting the importance of holding such periodic joint meetings to enhance cooperation in transportation and other economic sectors for the benefit of the two countries.

For his part, the Egyptian minister praised the regularity of holding joint technical committees in land and maritime transportation, stressing their role in strengthening the bonds of economic cooperation between Jordan and Egypt.

Prime Minister Bishr Khasawneh, who arrived in Cairo on Wednesday, is heading
the Jordanian delegation participating in the meetings of the 32nd session of the Jordanian-Egyptian Joint Higher Committee.

The delegation includes ministers of State for Prime Ministry Affairs Ibrahim Jazi, Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh, Tourism and Antiquities Makram Qaisi, Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Ahmad Hanandeh, Industry, Trade and Supply Yousef Shamali, Planning and International Cooperation Zeina Toukan, Transport Wissam Tahtamouni, and Government Communication Muhannad Mubaideen.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Doha: Qatar Wednesday condemned Israel’s bombing of the Rafah municipality and taking over the land crossing and the threat to displace Gazans.

According to a statement, Doha called for urgent international action to prevent the invasion of the embattled city and the “commission of the crime of genocide” and to provide full protection for civilians.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry warned that forcefully displacing Palestinians out of the city, which has become a final refuge for hundreds of thousands inside the Gaza Strip, represents a “serious violation” of international laws and would double the worsening humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave.

The Foreign Ministry reiterated Qatar’s support for justice for the Palestinian issue, the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Beirut: Israeli warplanes Wednesday killed three people in a raid carried out in southern Lebanon.

A Lebanese security official said Israeli aircraft carried out a raid on a three-story house in the town of Khiam, destroying it, killing three people and wounding others.

They added that operations to remove rubble are continuing with difficulty in the search for missing persons.

They added that Israeli warplanes raided the areas of Kafr Kila, Tallet al-Ghazlan in Jabal al-Rayhan, Aita al-Shaab and Maroun al-Ras.

The Israeli army shelled with phosphorus neighbourhoods in the Naqoura, Aitaroun and Blida towns.

Source: Jordan News Agency