Category: General

China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration has issued a notice to ban the sale of rubbings from stone inscriptions listed as national cultural relics.

In a statement on Monday, the Administration said that in order to further protect cultural relics, museums and cultural relics protection institutions were asked to stop selling rubbings in their collections and put them on record for preservation, and stop making more rubbings.

Rubbings should not be used as gifts by any institution or individual, the administration noted.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Royal Jordanian (RJ) will resume flights to the Iraqi city of Najaf on February 8th this year, threes times a week, raising RJ destinations to Iraq to five: Najaf, Baghdad, Basra, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah.

RJ CEO Samer Majali said resuming operations to Najaf serves the strategy of RJ, which focuses in the meantime on enhancing operations, boosting frequency of intra-regional travel and bolstering commercial, social, cultural relations between the two countries.

This route is bound to serve businessmen, students and Najaf citizens who wish to travel to Amman and beyond on RJ’s wide network, he said. Additionally, it would encourage tourism to Jordan and prop up transit operations through Queen Alia International Airport he added.

He added that RJ operates more than 30 weekly flights between Jordan and Iraq; 14 weekly flights to Baghdad, 9 weekly flights to Erbil and 3 weekly flights to each of Najaf, Basra and Sulaymaniyah. He noted that the company is now offering a discount of up to 20% on the ticket fares to these stations.

Passengers who wish to book to/from Najaf are invited to visit rj.com or RJ’s mobile app, or call the Call Center at +962 5100000 or visit RJ’s global sales offices or their preferred travel agent.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Deputy Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi and his Dutch counterpart Wopke Hoekstra said Monday that Jordan and the Netherlands continued to strengthen relations in economic, investment and defence fields at the bilateral level and within the partnership with the European Union.

During a telephone conversation, the ministers reviewed prospects for closer cooperation in agricultural, water, vocational education and other vital sectors. They also discussed developments in the region, stressing the need to continue coordination to resolve regional crises and achieve security and stability.

Safadi commended the Netherlands’ support of Jordan’s development process and its role in hosting refugees, and thanked the European nation for its aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA).

He also noted that the Netherlands supports the two-state solution, which, Safadi said, is the only path to a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

For his part, the Dutch minister stressed the deep Jordanian-Dutch friendship, praising Jordan’s key role, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II, in achieving regional security and stability.

Safadi wished his Dutch counterpart well in his position as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and agreed with him to meet soon to discuss prospects for enhancing the partnership between the two kingdoms that established diplomatic relations seventy years ago.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Director of Public Security Directorate (PSD), Maj. Gen. Hussein Hawatmeh, lauded the advanced level of personnel of the gendarmerie command, which has become a model for discipline and professionalism, providing assistance to society, and protecting lives and property.

“We in the PSD with all its formations are moving towards the future, under the wise Hashemite leadership, by developing performance, raising efficiency and effectiveness,” Hawatmeh added.

Hawatmeh made his remarks in his visit on Monday to gendarmerie battalions, during which he inspected the operational readiness and key training and organizational plans in place to ensure that the gendarmerie forces carry out their duties according to the highest standards.

Hawatmeh conveyed the greetings of His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces- Arab Army (JAF), and his pride in efforts of PSD personnel in all units and formations, and their active role in helping citizens and preserving the security of the country.

“We renew our pledge to His Majesty King Abdullah II, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces- Arab Army (JAF), to continue working, building and consolidating the rule of law in a framework of transparency and respect for human rights,” the PSD chief noted.

He expressed appreciation for the gendarmerie’s continuous support to PSD units and formations, to ensure law enforcement, crime prevention, and arrest of outlaws, stressing the continuation of providing logistic and training support and providing them with the necessary equipment to continue their work according to the highest and best standards.

Battalions commanders, in the presence of the Gendarmerie Commander, Brigadier General Mohammad Maaitah, the PSD chief was briefed on key measures taken to improve performance and maintain a high level of cooperation and coordination with all PSD units and formations.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Awqaf Minister, Mohammad Khalaileh, launched the Fiqh lessons initiative in key mosques of the Kingdom, on the sidelines of the opening of the Preaching and Guidance Forum, held by the ministry through the Preaching and Guidance Directorate in the Al-Hasa District in the Tafila Governorate, southern Jordan.

Khalaileh said that the initiative comes in light of the ministry’s efforts to reinvigorate mosques’ role and enhance their thought message. He stressed that Jordan has taken it upon itself to launch initiatives that have become global in its defense of Islam, exemplified by the Amman Message and Harmony Week, and other initiatives that were launched under the patronage of His Majesty the King.

He pointed out that this initiative reaffirms the ministry’s support and caretaking of mosques, and its role in spreading faith and spirituality in society, and enhancing Islamic values and morals among the people of society.

He explained that the aim of the initiative is to introduce scholars, mosque goers and students of knowledge to Fiqh and its meanings in the Holy Qur’an and the Honorable Hadith, and a brief study of the history of Fiqh, stressing that the Hashemites are the first sponsor of mosques, especially the Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Khalaileh indicated that names of those assigned by the ministry and teaching places will be announced through the ministry’s website and other platforms.

On the sidelines of the Preaching and Guidance Forum, Khalaileh met with imams, preachers and scholars participating in the forum, urging them to play their advocacy role in spreading Islamic values and morals, positivity, promoting love and solidarity among people, and addressing various societal issues that touch the lives of citizens in Islamic lessons.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Temperatures are expected to slightly drop on Monday, bringing chilly weather conditions in most parts of the Kingdom, with clouds at different altitudes, the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) said in its daily update.

At night, the Kingdom will be affected by unstable weather conditions with scattered rainfall expected in several regions, mainly in the northern and central regions, the JMD noted without ruling out the possibility of spotty snowfall in the southern mountainous region.

The weather department warned of the danger of dust-caused low horizontal visibility, frost formation in the early morning and late night hours, especially over hilltops, and of slippery roads in areas witnessing rainfall.

Similar weather will prevail on Tuesday, while Wednesday will see a slight rise in temperatures with sunny but cold conditions and southeasterly moderate winds.

Today, the maximum and minimum temperatures in eastern Amman will range from 11Celsius degrees to 2C during night, while highs in western Amman will be 9C and lows at 1C. The Gulf of Aqaba will see a fair 18C, dropping to 9C at night hours.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Jordan on Monday denounced a ballistic missile launch by the Houthi militias on the United Arab Emirates (UAE), describing the attack as a “cowardly terrorist act”.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said the attack is a flagrant breach of international law, stressing Jordan’s unwavering solidarity with the UAE against all that threatens its security.

Source: Jordan News Agency