Day: April 23, 2022

The Public Security Department (PSD) on Saturday evening urged citizens to practice utmost caution due to the heavy dust expected to prevail in the Kingdom, especially in the eastern and southern areas.

The PSD said that all roads in the Kingdom are passable, except for Al-Omari Road, southern Jordan, which was hit by heavy sandstorm, while the rest of the roads in those areas need to be used with extreme caution.

The PSD called for complying with the orders and instructions of the its personnel deployed on those roads in order to preserve their safety and to ensure their safe arrival to their destinations.

Source: Jordan News Agency

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will travel to Kyiv on Sunday and hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian leader said on Saturday.

He told a news conference in Kyiv that he would discuss the kinds of weapons that Ukraine needs to battle Russia’s invasion, Reuters reported on Saturday.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi Saturday received a phone call from his Norwegian counterpart Anniken Scharning Huitfeldt and discussed efforts to restore calm in Jerusalem and its holy sites.

They also talked about steps needed to stop the escalation and prompt Israel to respect the legal and historical status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque/ Al-Haram Al-Sharif and ensure freedom of worship without restrictions.

Safadi said Israel should halt all measures that undermine the historical and legal status quo at Al-Haram Al-Sharif, including incursions by extremists, noting that a ban on the entry of non-Muslims to the compound during the last ten days of the holy month of Ramadan is “a step in the right direction towards respecting the existing historical status quo, which will help to defuse tension.”

Safadi and Huitfeldt also agreed that work is needed to find a “real political horizon” to return to serious and effective negotiations to resolve the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-state solution and the international law.

He warned against the consequences of the continued absence of a horizon to relaunch a real effort to solve the conflict on the basis of the two-state solution, stressing that an international effort should not be restricted to ending the current escalation, but should evolve into a sustainable effort to address the root causes of the conflict, which could further explode unless hope in a meaningful peace process is restored.

Safadi lauded the position of Norway, currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, in supporting the two-state solution and its efforts to breathe new life into the peace process, as well as its role as chair of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC), the body that coordinates the delivery of international aid to Palestinians.

The ministers agreed to continue coordination and consultation to end the cycle of violence and tension and look for practical steps to create a real political horizon to resume serious and effective negotiations to achieve the two-state solution.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Ayla Oasis Development Company in Aqaba said on Saturday it completed preparations to welcome local and foreign visitors to the Red Sea resort over the Eid Al-Fitr and Easter holidays.

It said it prepared squares and outdoor spaces, decorated beaches and waterways and planned recreational and sports activities, including beach animation and Easter events, an exhibition of paintings and music in Al-Marsa Village as well as buffet and food facilities.

It offers a unique, high quality service and experience at an Al Marsa Village restaurants, which serve a variety of Italian, Greek, Arab, Indian and Chinese food, in addition to cafes, shopping centres or handicraft kiosks.

Ayla Oasis Development Company’s efforts in the past period were focused on preparing all facilities to receive visitors to spend their vacations, said the company’s CEO Sahel Dudin.

Ayla Oasis, with its exceptional advantages, is an integrated destination for visitors to enjoy the events that have been put in place, he said, noting that the company seeks to promote Aqaba as an ideal regional holiday destination.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Officials at Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) discussed with their counterparts in the World Energy Council (WEC), the mechanisms and procedures necessary to activate Jordanian participation in the council’s committees and activities and exchange expertise to develop the Kingdom’s energy sector.

According to a ministry statement on Saturday, head of the Jordanian National Committee/ MEMR Secretary-General, Amani Azzam, who chaired the Jordanian delegation, stressed the importance of the meeting to work on developing the Kingdom’s energy sector by holding technical and knowledge-driven exchange talks with other national committees regionally and globally.

In addition, Azzam stressed the importance of participating in technical action groups, particularly WEC’s Studies Committee, in addition to supporting the active youth in the Jordanian energy sector to participate better and engage them in setting the sector’s policies, by working jointly to create initiatives, campaigns, work teams and integrating in the decision-making processes.

For her part, Director of MEMR Planning and Institutional Development, Shurooq Abdulghani, said the ministry re-formed the Jordanian National Committee (JNC) by the end of 2021 to include representatives from the energy sector institutions and stakeholders from government institutions, the private sector and a youth leader.

Abdulghani stressed that the JNC’s new team contributed to the participation of the “largest” possible number of national authorities to exchange knowledge and expertise and integrate work, emanating from MEMR’s belief in the importance of participatory action approach.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Israel said Saturday it will indefinitely seal off the Beit Hanoun (Erez) border crossing with the Gaza Strip, banning the entry of Palestinian workers and traders after rockets were fired from the blockaded territory.

Israeli media reported that the closure takes effect Sunday and that the crossing will only reopen pending “military and security assessment of the situation.”

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Kingdom is gradually affected by the Red Sea depression in the noon hours, as dry and relatively hot conditions prevail, with a weak possibility of light showers of rain in some eastern regions, Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) said in its daily update.

According to the JMD report, the impact of the Red Sea depression will deepen on Sunday, and the weather will be warm, dry and unstable with thunderstorms forecast in the Kingdom’s separate areas, especially in the eastern regions and parts of the central and eastern areas.

Easterly winds become active, causing dust, which leads to a drop in the horizontal visibility, especially in the Badia regions, the JMD said.

On Monday, the unstable weather will continue to affect the Kingdom and the weather will be warm almost countrywide and relatively hot in the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea and Aqaba, with rain expected in separate regions, the JMD noted.

The downpour may be accompanied by thunder, especially in the eastern and southeastern areas. During late evening hours, the weather tends to gradually stabilize, the department pointed out.

Also on Saturday, mercury in Amman will range between a high of 31 degrees Celsius and a low of 15C at night, while the port city of Aqaba will see a scorching 34C, sliding to 23C.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Nasser Shraideh discussed with Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman, ways to support Jordan’s reform and development efforts.

Discussions also went over priorities and areas of future cooperation between the two friendly countries in the development sector, water, economic development, education and health care fields, in addition to supporting the Kingdom’s youth and women, according to a Planning Ministry statement issued Saturday.

During the meeting held in Washington, Shraideh stressed that Jordan’s government is looking forward to more cooperation between the two countries at various levels and fields, which would have a “significant” impact in supporting implementation of the Kingdom’s national reform and development plans and programs.

The Kingdom’s ambassador to Washington, Dina Kawar, attended the meeting.

Source: Jordan News Agency