Day: June 27, 2021

The impact of a relatively hot air mass that affected the Kingdom over the last few days is expected to deepen on Sunday, pushing temperatures up and bringing relatively hot weather in the highlands and the plains, and hot conditions in other regions, the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) said in its daily brief.

The department warned against direct exposure to sunlight during daytime in the Badia, the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea and Aqaba, and the possibility of low horizontal visibility due to dust in the desert.

On Monday, mercury levels will continue to rise, becoming 3-5 degrees above annual average and making hot conditions in the Badia areas, while it will remain relatively hot in the mountains and the plains, the JMD added, noting that the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea and the port city of Aqaba are set to swelter in scorching weather.

Tuesday is expected to bring in similar weather conditions, with northwesterly moderate speed winds, the JMD predicted.

In Amman and other highlands, north and south, daytime mercury levels will range between 34 and 30 degrees. In the late afternoon and evening hours, cooler weather is forecast as temperatures slide to around 22 and even 18 in the southern highlands. Highs in Aqaba will reach 41 degrees, while lows will stand at 28 at night.

Source: Jordan News Agency

A Russian tourist airplane early Sunday arrived at Aqaba’s King Hussein International Airport, as the second trip of a weekly regular commercial flight program between Jordan and Russia that will last until the end of this year.

According to a statement by Jordan Tourism Board (JTB), Tourism and Antiquities Minister Nayef Fayez said that the arrival of the Russian tourists who will visit historical and tourism sites will drive the tourism movement in the Kingdom.

The minister stressed that Jordan is keen to welcome international tourist groups, especially that the Kingdom has managed to keep COVID-19 cases low and maintain the overall pandemic situation under control.

JTB Director General Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat said that such foreign tourist arrivals bode well for the tourism sector in the Kingdom, noting that the government’s measures and incentives granted to airplanes coming to Aqaba remarkably contribute to increasing inbound tourism.

General Manager of Travco Jordan Paolo Nocerino, the company receiving tourists, said that “the arrival of Russian tourists for a second week came as a result of joint efforts by the agency and the JTB,” noting that Travco is working to put Jordan at the top of the Russian tourists’ destinations.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Minister of Labor Yousef Shamali on Sunday discussed with Egyptian Ambassador in Amman Sherif Kamel a number of issues pertaining to Egyptian laborers in the Kingdom following a recent government decision to extend fee exemptions to illegal workers and set window for status correction.

The minister told the Egyptian envoy that the government is keen to keep channels of communication open to overcome any obstacles that Egyptian workers may face in Jordan, in accordance with the law.

Shamali indicated that the government’s decision would simplify procedures and reduce financial burdens on Jordanian employers, and allow them to correct the status of their non-Jordanian employees, especially Egyptians.

For his part, Ambassador Kamel praised the continuous Jordanian-Egyptian cooperation and coordination on various issues related to Egyptian laborers in the Kingdom, and said the status-correction decision will benefit many Egyptian workers.

Source: Jordan News Agency

His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday departed for Baghdad to head the Jordanian delegation participating in the fourth trilateral summit with Egypt and Iraq.

King Abdullah is slated to attend the summit along with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Iraq Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi.

The Jordanian delegation to the summit includes Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan, General Intelligence Department Director Maj. Gen. Ahmad Husni, and Jordan’s Ambassador to Iraq Montaser Oklah Alzoubi.

His Royal Highness Prince Feisal bin Al Hussein was sworn in as Regent, in the presence of Cabinet members.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Minister of Agriculture Muhammad Najjar on Sunday announced that the farmers in the Southern Ghour (Southern Jordan Valley) are now allowed to drill artisan wells for crop irrigation purposes only.

The minister told a meeting with members of the Lower House of Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Water that the decision is necessitated by the current water crisis in the Kingdom.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Ukrainian embassy in Amman on Sunday released a statement marking the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of Ukraine and said the occasion “is a reminder of the commitment to the tradition of excellence and the rule of law as well as a testimony to the aspirations of Ukrainian people to continue building the state on a solid ground laid out by Verkhovna Rada in 1996”.

It added that: “Having embraced the best global practices and unique historical background of our country, the Constitution has stipulated effective legal framework with sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine being the highest value for each and every citizen”.

On this occasion, the statement added, it is important to remember that Ukraine and Jordan are united by the relations of mutual trust and friendship as well as a strong constitutional tradition in both countries.

It emphasized that bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and the Kingdom is successfully moving forward, in a way that raises the level of mutual responsibility and opens new horizons to explore.

Jordan is a trusted and valuable partner of Ukraine, – the fact that is acknowledged on the level of the highest political leadership of our countries – His Excellency Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, and His Majesty King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the statement concluded.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Ministry of Agriculture on Sunday announced that it had completed the first phase of preparations to automate veterinary epidemiological information next August.

In a statement, Minister of Agriculture Khaled Hunaifat said that the automation initiative comes within the framework of a project for integrated electronic system for disease control, with a JD500,000 funding from the U.S. Department of Defense to reduce biological threats.

This experiment, he indicated, is the first of its kind in the Arab region, adding that the ministry is a major partner and beneficiary of the system, having contributed JD90,000 as of the third year of the project, which will be implemented over four years until 2024.

Hunaifat stated that the system includes documenting cases of veterinary diseases that are common between animals and humans, pointing out that the ministry will be in contact with the Ministry of Health to exchange epidemiological information.

The system, he added, includes data for various animal vaccination campaigns, epidemiological control insect vectors. It also provides accurate and technical models for analyzing the geographical and temporal distribution of diseases to highlight the role of veterinarians as a key factor for early detection of veterinary diseases, which facilitates planning for disease control to protect livestock, increase production and reduce losses of breeders.

The minister pointed out that the second phase of the project includes procuring computers to install the system on them in addition to tablets in each of the concerned departments at the Veterinary, Animal Health, and Livestock Laboratories departments.

Additionally, veterinary clinics will be spread across the Aqaba, Mafraq, Zarqa and Ajloun governorates to launch the pilot phase of the system before year end to be launched later on in all departments of agriculture, border posts and quarries early next year.

The minister also commended the U.S.’s support for key projects that are an addition to the agricultural sector, especially projects with advanced electronic systems.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Minister of Water Muhammad Najjar on Sunday said the Kingdom is expecting a water supply shortage of 40 million cubic meters in 2021 following low annual precipitation.

The minister told lawmakers that the ministry has already been pursuing other options to meet demand, including the drilling of artisan wells and the rental of some private sector-owned wells.

During a meeting with members of the Lower House of Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Water, Najjar said the Kingdom has received its full water share from Lake Tiberias, but still not enough to address the current supply crisis.

He revealed that talks were underway with Syria to provide the Kingdom with larger quantities of water, adding that other options include increasing pumping from the Disi aquifer, something which the minister said needs financial resources.

Nevertheless, the minister said the water shortage “will not greatly affect” the quantities of water supplied to citizens, and will not have an impact on the supply rotation system applied across the Kingdom.

For their part, the lawmakers urged the government to use all agreements concluded with regional countries to increase the quantities of water and address the water deficit that the Kingdom suffers from, and to take all measures, plans and strategies that enhance water supply in the Kingdom.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Minister of Water and Irrigation, Mohammad Najjar, announced the ministry holds weekly meetings to start implementing Jordan’s “National Water Carrier” project, with a capacity of 130 million m3 annually.

Speaking at a a meeting with Lowe House Agriculture and Water Committee on Sunday, headed by MP Mohammad Alaqma, Najjar said part of the project funding will be through grants, while discussions are underway with Association of Banks to finance the project, in addition to publicly offering shares similar to companies previously established like the Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company Ltd (JPRC), which is on Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) listing.

The project, estimated at a cost of JD2 billion, will help shut down “useless and deep” water wells drained for many years, which will positively affect the agricultural sector, he pointed.

Locally, there are complaints about fresh water shortages in the Kingdom’s governorates, with the exception of Aqaba, he noted.

Source: Jordan News Agency