Day: January 14, 2023

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said Saturday that 12 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the start of the year, and held the occupation authority responsible for ongoing crimes and atrocities in the occupied territories.

It said in a statement that three children were among those killed by the Israeli army in the past two weeks, the latest of whom were three men shot in Jenin in the north of the occupied West Bank.

The escalating violations and crimes of the Israeli occupation (authority) would only embolden the Palestinians to uphold their rights, the ministry said, adding that Israel is fully and directly to blame for the “ongoing crimes against the unarmed people of Palestine, their land, homes, properties and sanctities.”

“Israel is carrying out extrajudicial killings and field executions and using live bullets with the intent to kill upon orders from the political and military echelons of the state of occupation”, it said.

The ministry called on the international community and the US administration to exert pressure on Israel, the occupying power, to stop the “bloody escalation”, and urged the International Criminal Court to quickly complete investigations in order to hold the occupying state and the perpetrators of crimes accountable.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Iraqi authorities Saturday announced it is granting citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states entry to Iraq without the need to issue an entry visa.

The governor of Basra, Asaad Eidani, said in a statement that the Prime Minister, Muhammad Sudani, had issued a directive allowing citizens of the GCC member states to enter the country without the need to acquire a visa to make it easier for football fans to enter the country for the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Minister of Industry and Minister of Labour Yousef Shamali Saturday said the government continues to implement the political, economic and administrative reforms to increase growth and reduce poverty and unemployment rates.

In meetings with the boards of directors of the Salt and Southern Shuna chambers of commerce, Shamali said the system of political legislation and the launch of the vision of economic modernisation “are complete,” adding that work is underway to complete the administrative modernisation plan.

He added that the action programme for the vision of economic reform (Priorities 2023-2025), recently approved by the government, comprises 183 initiatives out of 380 that would be implemented through 418 priorities at a total cost of JOD2.3 billion through the end of 2025, of which JOD670 million are allocated for 2023.

Shamali noted that the programme aims to raise the growth rate of gross domestic product to 3 per cent and gradually raise the volume of exports to JOD9,713 million and net foreign direct investment to 1,092 million.

He said the vision of economic reform seeks to provide one million job opportunities and investments worth JOD41 billion in partnership with the private sector as the basis for achieving development goals and economic advancement.

Regarding national efforts to reduce unemployment rates, Shamali said work is underway to absorb Jordanians from across the country into the market and encourage them to leverage the government employment programme and the training and qualification programmes provided by the Vocational Training Corporation and Skills Development Authority.

He noted that the programme offered job opportunities to some 15,000 Jordanians with the possibility.

Source: Jordan News Agency

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Saturday confirmed the UK is to send “Challenger 2” tanks to Ukraine to support it in the war.

According to a statement by Downing Street, Sunak informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call that his country would supply Ukraine with combat tanks.

Source: Jordan News Agency