Day: May 9, 2021

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) late Saturday condemned Israel’s violence against worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied east Jerusalem.

In a statement, the Council said that dozens of worshippers were injured, including men, women and children at a mosque that is one of Islam’s holiest sites during the most sacred nights of Ramadan.

“The violence comes amidst illegal efforts to evict Palestinians from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah area,” it added.

The council also called on the UK government to condemn such flagrant theft and uphold UN Security Council Resolution 2334 concerning the occupation of Palestinian territories and stopping illegal settlement activity, according to the statement.

On the other hand, English rock musician Roger Waters denounced Israel over evictions of Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

Waters, best known as bass player, lyricist and principal songwriter in the rock band Pink Floyd, described Israel as “an apartheid state” in a video he posted on Twitter.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Israeli occupation warplanes Sunday dawn bombed a Palestinian resistance post east of Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian sources.

The occupation aircrafts fired a number of rockets at Deir Al-Balah, causing damage to property but no injuries were reported, the sources said.

The Israeli army spokesman indicated that the bombing came in response to the launch of a missile from the Gaza Strip towards the settlements.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Ten Palestinian worshipers on Sunday dawn were injured by Israeli occupation police, as they were leaving the Al-Aqsa Mosque near the Lions Gate in occupied east Jerusalem.

In a statement, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said that the occupation forces attacked worshippers, leaving at least ten of them wounded.

The PRSC’s crews took one of the injured, who was hit by an Israeli rubber-coated metal bullet in his mouth, to the hospital, while the others were treated in the scene, it added.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on Sunday condemned the terrorist attack that targeted a school in the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing and injuring scores of people.

In a statement, Ministry spokesman Daifallah Al-Fayez affirmed Jordan’s strong condemnation of this “heinous crime” and its rejection of all forms of violence and terrorism that target innocent people indiscriminately, which is inconsistent with religious and humanitarian values, and undermines security and stability.

He also expressed his condolences and sympathies to the families of the victims and wished the injured speedy recovery.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Cabinet on Sunday endorsed a bylaw regulating the licensing, classification and capitalizations of foreign exchange (forex) companies.

The bylaw also defines the criteria which must be met by the senior management teams of exchange companies in addition to renewal of licensing conditions.

In a session Sunday chaired by Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh, the cabinet also approved a bill amending the bylaw of the Military Credit Fund, with the aim of improving the living conditions of military retirees, and encouraging them to invest and save by allowing them to access the carious credit offering of the fund.

Source: Jordan News Agency

In line with the national efforts to develop the renewable energy sector in Jordan, Al Hussein Technical University (HTU), an initiative of the Crown Prince Foundation, and the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners – MENA Program (NABCEP), signed an exclusive partnership agreement to deliver NABCEP accredited training programs in renewable energy to students, engineers, and technicians in Jordan and the region.

Prof. Ismael Al-Hinti, President of Al-Hussein Technical University, indicated that this partnership will contribute to building a capable and highly qualified workforce in the renewable energy sector, and will support this growing sector in Jordan and the region: “The partnership aims to equip young Jordanians with required skills and competencies defined by industry and market leaders, through a structured and accredited framework which covers various renewable energy fields.”

He added: “HTU will integrate the NABCEP training program within its energy engineering study plan, and will also offer it to interested engineers and technicians. This partnership will increase employability opportunities for talented and qualified Jordanian youth in one of the fastest growing industries, regionally and worldwide”.

Shawn O’Brien, NABCEPs CEO, commended the innovative and progressive approach HTU is adopting and its commitment to align its programs with market needs: “This is a model that we wish to see it replicated by other universities and institutions”.

Mr. Khaled Sarhan, CEO of Excellent for Energy Consultancy, An American-based company specialized in developing energy projects which represents NABCEP in the MENA region, expressed his happiness to see NABCEP certification programs offered through HTU for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa.

Based in New York, NABCEP is the most respected, well-established and widely recognized certification organization for professionals in the field of renewable energy.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on Sunday said that the Kingdom is working and moving on more than one level to stop the Israeli violations against the Al-Aqsa Mosque/ Al-Haram Al-Sharif and against Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem.

Stemming from the Hashemite Custodianship over Jerusalem’s Muslim and Christian holy sites, Jordan will devote all its capabilities to protecting the city’s holy shrines, its Arab, Muslim and Christian identity, the historical and legal status quo, and responding to the Israeli attacks, said ministry spokesman Daifallah al-Fayez.

Al-Fayez added that the ministry is in a daily clash with the Israeli authorities, the occupying power in East Jerusalem, to stop the violations and the attacks on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Muslim worshipers, warning the Israeli side against continuing the violations, and demanding that they stop and that Israel abide by its obligations in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law and to respect the historical and legal status quo.

He pointed out that the ministry is in continuous contact with Palestinian authorities to coordinate regional and international stances and movements aimed at confronting Israeli practices and attacks in occupied Jerusalem, indicating that the violations and attacks carried out by the Israeli police and special forces against worshipers is a barbaric behavior that is rejected and condemned.

Regarding the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, Al-Fayez explained that the ministry, in the framework of continuous efforts to support the people to preserve their legitimate properties in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, sent an official memorandum to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressing the Jordanian government’s rejection of the Israeli authorities’ attempts to displace the residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood from their homes.

The memorandum, he added, affirms that Jerusalemites are a protected population under international law and international humanitarian law, and therefore the Israeli authorities have no right to forcibly displace them from their homes, which is a violation of international humanitarian law. The memo also made it clear that the decisions of the Israeli courts in occupied East Jerusalem are null and void according to international humanitarian law.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Jordan Food and Drug Administration’s (JFDA) monitoring and inspection teams carried out 3,931 inspections in various areas across the Kingdom within its inspection campaign during the holy month of Ramadan

In a statement on Sunday, the General Director of the JFDA Nizar Muhaidat revealed that the administration shut down 21 alimentation facilities, suspended 154 facilities, and gave a warning to 2,757 other across the Kingdom over violations of the JFDA’s health requirements and standards.

The JFDA called on citizens to contact it if they have any observation, inquiry or complaint via the toll-free complaints line 117114, e-mail info@jfda.jo, and through the “WhatsApp” application on the number 0795632000 available around the clock.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission (IACC) council referred a number of financial and administrative violations committed by the Cham Palace Hotel and the National Tourism Development Company, responsible for following up on investments of the Social Security Fund during the years 2017-2019.

In a press statement on Sunday, an official source at the IACC said that the hotel’s losses, as a result of these violations, were estimated at JD555,306, while the net losses of the hotel stood at JD6 million.

The violations, the source added, included not depositing the sums collected from the hotel operations and the receivables collected from the owners of tourist offices at the approved banks. Instead, the sums were kept in cash at the hotel under orders from the executive director. Other violations include renting and offering discounts ranging from 10 to 15 percent and free rooms to the owners of tourist offices without obtaining the approval of the company responsible for following up on the investments of Social Security Fund.

The council also referred a number of violations in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, specifically the Al-Riwaq Market, after discovering that some market occupants have ‘symbolic’ lease contracts, some of which are verbal contracts, in addition to lax collection of due wages since the establishment of the market until 2019, estimated at JD500,000 and lack of oversight on the misuse of electrical loads by tenants, leading to high costs. The electrical load also led to a fire outbreak and the closure of the market.

The IACC also referred a case involving manipulation in the maintenance of the Zarqa Municipality’s vehicles. Investigations found that procurement requests were made under false tenders, in addition to the replacement of the vehicles that needed maintenance with others, wasting more than JD81,500.

Source: Jordan News Agency