Jordan News UpdatesMoscow, The Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation Saturday announced that more than 20 people were killed when a fire broke out in a nursing home in the eastern city of Kemerovo.
The Ministry said in a statement that the fire broke out in a two-storey building with an area of 180 square meters due to “improper” use of the heating system, killing at least 20.
Source: Jordan News Agency
Amman, Police on Thursday arrested a 17- year-old girl suspected of killing 3 of her family members and injuring two others, in the northern city of Irbid.
According to a spokesman for the Public Security Directorate (PSD), Irbid police were notified that a teenage girl had allegedly shot dead three family members and injured two others due to family disputes.
A slide action firearm was seized and investigations into the incident were underway, the spokesman added.
Source: Jordan News Agency
Oman, Oman Wednesday expressed condolences to Jordan on the death of police officers while responding to riots in the country’s south and wished a speedy recovery for the injured.
In a press statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed Oman’s “full” solidarity with Jordan’s measures to maintain security and ensure stability and its absolute rejection of violence and terrorism aimed at undermining security and stability.
Source: Jordan News Agency
Amman, Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) welcomed the first Wizz Air UK flight from London Luton Airport, marking the start of three direct flights per week between Amman and London via the British low-cost airline.
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities and Chairman of Jordan Tourism Board (JTB), Nayef Al-Fayez, stressed the importance of launching new direct flights between Amman and London via Wizz Air UK.
“Opening this air route is part of the JTB endeavor to promote tourism in Jordan, as the board has been advancing in tourism support and attraction indicators,” Al-Fayez added.
JTB Director General, Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat, said opening this new air route, with three flights per week, is important for directly stimulating tourism in the Kingdom, and driving occupancy rates increase.
He explained that this line enables tourists to travel directly from the United Kingdom to Jordan and shows the great potential for growth in Jordan as a destination for tourists traveling from Europe.
CEO of Airport International Group, Nicolas Claude, said that this new air route has a strategic importance to the group. “It offers connectivity to a key tourist market to Jordan via a low-cost airline, and provides another affordable travel option for UK tourists to visit Jordan.”
“We are very pleased to announce the launch of our new route to Amman, the vibrant capital and gateway to the historic country of Jordan,” said Marion Geoffroy, Managing Director of Wizz Air UK.
“We are constantly striving to diversify and expand our network, and we are delighted to offer our passengers more exciting and affordable travel opportunities outside Europe, as we look forward to welcoming passengers aboard our efficient and sustainable aircrafts,” Geoffroy added.
Source: Jordan News Agency
The West Asia-North Africa (WANA) Institute and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) office in Jordan held a roundtable discussion on Tuesday to present and advocate five policy briefs on issues related to labour contractual problems, accessibility for persons with disabilities, the collaboration between academia and the food industry sector, social entrepreneurship, and citizen’s civic engagement.
Deputizing for Minister of Social Development (MoSD),Wafa’ Bani Mustafa, the ministry’s General Secretary, Bark Damour, highlighted MoSD’s active role in addressing the challenges facing Jordan by ensuring that the Ministry is working on policies aimed to meet SDG goals and not leaving anyone behind.
The session saw an interactive discussion among representatives from the relevant ministries, the Parliament, and a number of local and international civil society organisations with the five authors of the policy papers.
The roundtable discussion is part of a larger joint project titled “Public Policies for Innovation in Jordan: Realities and Ambitions” that aims to cement the dialogue between policy writers and national and international decision-makers, according to a ministry statement.
The project invites emerging scholars from all governorates of Jordan to engage in research and policy writing training, conduct peer reviews, and produce evidence-based policy papers. The attendees and authors expressed the importance of a holistic, multilateral approach to difficult problems, the statement noted.
WANA Director, Ms Shereen Shaheen, highlighted the need for continuous efforts to raise awareness and present concrete recommendations from a non-governmental perspective on topics of public interest.
She also thanked the attendees for their commitment to engage in the democratic process of policy formation and recommendations.
For his part, Dr Edmund Ratka pointed out that the KAS foundation has been operating for 40 years in the Kingdom. He expressed that the continuation of KAS work is built on successful partnerships with local institutions like the WANA Institute and the belief that youth should be part of public debates.
Dr Yara Shaban, a senior researcher at WANA Institute facilitated the discussion where each author presented their findings and recommendations.
The discussion started with Atallah Mashaqbeh advocating for the use of “smart contracts” that cater to the legal needs of different workers in the construction sector. Enas Alkhatib presented how the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Ministry of Social Development could raise awareness for persons with disabilities on their rights.
Another author, Reham Hanaqta, explained why a specialised business association for the food processing sector needs to be established to advocate for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in governmental entities and stakeholders in the food processing sector.
The discussions continued to address the challenges facing youth in social entrepreneurship.
Sarah Sheikh proposed changes to The Social Security Law to differentiate between start-ups and other established enterprises in terms of social security costs.
Concluding the event, Shahd Almahameed suggested the inclusion of citizens in designing online platforms as part of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship’s strategic plan to engage citizens in e-decision-making.
The policy briefs are published in a joint KAS-WANA booklet with a Foreword by His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan Bin Talal, and available online on WANA’s and KAS’s websites.
Source: Jordan News Agency
The Eastern Military Zone on Tuesday dawn carried out a “qualitative” operation, which resulted in thwarting an attempt to infiltrate and smuggle “large” quantities of narcotic substances into Jordan from Syrian territories.
This crackdown is part of efforts made by Jordan Armed Forces (JAF) -Arab Army to safeguard the Kingdom’s security and stability and protect its borders, and reflects its commitment to its national duty, an official military source in the JAF General Command said.
In coordination with the military security agencies and Anti-Narcotics Department (AND), Border Guard surveillance units tracked an attempt by a group of smugglers to cross Jordan’s border illegally from Syrian territory.
Thus, rapid response patrols promptly moved to the site and applied rules of engagement by directly shooting at smugglers, which led to injuring a number of them and retreat of others into the Syrian territories, the source added.
After intensively searching the area, 200,000 Captagon pills and 581 palm-sized of hashish were found, and were transferred to the competent authorities, the source announced.
The source noted JAF is continuing to deal “vigorously and firmly” with any threat on Jordan’s border fronts, adding that any endeavors intended to undermine and destabilize the Kingdom’s security and terrorize its citizens will be foiled.
Source: Jordan News Agency
A security officer was shot and wounded on Tuesday in a shootout during a raid of a hideout of drug dealers in the Jordan Valley district of Southern Shuna, the Public Security Directorate (PSD) said.
The non-commissioned officer was rushed to hospital, where he was still under treatment, said the directorate’s media spokesman.
After an investigative team managed to pinpoint the location and identify the drug dealers, most of them were dangerous, a security force moved in but came under fire, injuring a member of the force who was still hospitalized, said the spokesman.
One of the suspects was also injured in the shootout and treated, but he later succumbed to his injuries, he said.
The spokesman added that the security force arrested one of the drug dealers, a dangerous trafficker, and was still searching for three other suspects who engaged in the shooting on police and fled the scene.
He also said quantities of narcotic substances were found inside the place along with six firearms, adding that an investigation was still underway.
The PSD vowed to continue the war on drugs and “pursue criminals who sold death and poison, as a profession, at the expense of the safety and security of society, and to confront the death dealers no matter the sacrifices to protect the country from that deviant group.”
Source: Jordan News Agency
Amman, Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) has welcomed the first Vueling Airlines flight from Josep Tarradellas Barcelona El Prat Airport, marking the start of two weekly direct Amman-Barcelona flights on the Spanish low-cost carrier.
The move demonstrates the ongoing commitment of Airport International Group and the Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) to provide passengers with more affordable travel options by expanding QAIA’s airline network.
Officials from Airport International Group, Vueling Airlines, the carrier’s general sales agent in Jordan, Dakkak Travel, and the ground handler, Menzies AHS, were on hand to welcome the inaugural flight.
“We’re excited to welcome the first Vueling Airlines flight, which marked the start of another direct connection to Amman for European tourists looking to discover the rich history and unique attractions of Jordan, as well as for passengers traveling from QAIA to tour the vibrant city of Barcelona,” said Airport International Group CEO, Nicolas Claude.
“We appreciate the dedicated efforts of our longstanding partner, JTB, in helping to further diversify the airline network of QAIA, as we collectively work towards bolstering its standing as the prime gateway to Jordan and the Levant.”
“Vueling is proud to announce this new connection from Barcelona to Amman, offering the citizens of this fantastic city a convenient product to travel to Barcelona and connect onward to over 100 destinations across Spain and Europe,” stated Vueling Airlines Director of Network Strategy and Long Term Planning, Jordi Pla Pintre.
Source: Jordan News Agency
TULKAREM, Dozens of Palestinians today suffocated by tear gas fired by the Israeli army during a military incursion into the city of Tulkarem, in the northern occupied West Bank, according to WAFA correspondent.
Israeli military forces stormed the city heading toward the western neighborhood, amid the firing of the tear gas canisters, causing dozens to suffocate.
An increasing number of unarmed and peaceful Palestinians were either killed or seriously injured as a result of Israel’s constant use of tear gas against Palestinians.
Source: Palestine News & Info Agency
TAYBEH, Scores of Palestinians in Taybeh, an Arab city in central Israel, demonstrated this evening in condemnation of the failure of the Israeli police to put a stop to the rise in crime in Arab communities in Israel.
Protesters, including families of the victims, closed the crossroad in Taybeh to express their condemnation of the rising crime in the Arab communities in Israel and chanted slogans denouncing the Israeli police inaction and accusing the police of being an accomplice to criminal gangs.
This came following the recent killing of a Palestinian youth inside his workplace in al-Taybeh city.
Demonstrators stressed their rejection of violence and the rampant crimes taking place in Arab communities inside Israel and the police’s inaction to combat violence and crimes.
Palestinians in Israel accuse the police and government of discriminating against them and not doing enough to stop crime in their towns compared to Jewish towns.
Several protests and calls by the Palestinians in Israel, who make up more than 20 percent of the Israeli population, on the government and police to fight the rise in crime in their towns have not yet yielded any significant results with less than a fifth of the crimes be resolved or criminals apprehended.
Source: Palestine News & Info Agency