Jordan News UpdatesAmman: The Israeli army decided to demobilize five combat brigades involved in the aggression against the Gaza Strip.
The occupation army decided to demobilize 5 combat brigades operating in the Gaza Strip, including the 551 and 14 reserve brigades, in addition to 3 training brigades, the Israeli Army Radio said on Sunday.
Source: Jordan News Agency
Beirut: Israeli forces Sunday carried out airstrikes and shelling in Lebanese border towns, according to a Lebanese security official.
The military source said the towns of Marwahin, Jabal al-Blat and Alma al-Shaab on the Labouneh-Naqoura side and the outskirts of Ramia were targeted.
Separately, Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al Rai condemned the silence of the international community about the Israeli war on Gaza.
Al Rai said in Sunday Mass sermon, “Words cannot be found to condemn the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip and its children, women and elderly in their safe homes, hospitals, mosques and churches.”
Source: Jordan News Agency
Amman: Maqasid Charity Hospital, affiliated with Zakat Fund of Ministry of Endowments, Islamic Affairs and Holy Places, on Sunday signed an agreement with International Medical Corps (IMC) to treat Syrian and Arab refugees.
The agreement was signed by the hospital’s General Director, Dr. Ali Al-Sa’ad Bani Nasr, and IMC’s Executive Director, Ahmed Bawaaneh.
Under the agreement, Bani Nasr said medical treatment is provided to Syrian and Arab refugees in camps, while refugees residing in the Kingdom’s cities and villages, who hold a UNHCR card, can be treated in Ministry of Health hospitals.
Bani Nasr added that patients are “fully” treated without bearing any expenses, as the IMC pays all costs as per prices mentioned in the agreement, noting patients will be offered transportation services to and from refugee camps.
Source: Jordan News Agency
Amman: Jordan’s National Urban Policy was approved during its Steering Committee’s meeting, which was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Local Administration, its Chairman, Tawfiq Krishan.
The meeting was attended by Mayor of Greater Amman Municipality (GAM), Yousef Shawarbeh, Chairman of Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA), Fares Breizat, and Deputy Director of United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), Dr. Lubna Shaheen.
The policy, which will be submitted to Council of Ministers, aims to form a national team from the steering committee’s members to directly implements its content.
According to a ministry statement on Sunday, the policy features an action plan for all sectors working in infrastructure, municipal services, GAM, public transportation, urban environment management and climate change at the local and regional geographical levels to achieve the desired national goals in this regard.
In the long term, the policy aims to enhance opportunities for
cross-sector inclusion and integration within an action scheme regulating proactive planning that shifts work in all sectors from service provision to the development dimesnsion.
Additionally, the policy is a tool for implementing New Urban Agenda, reflects action goals at the national level and aims to launch action plans that make “pioneering” neighborhood plans, public transportation, and agriculture priorities as cross-government and sectors.
During the meeting, the participants noted importance of the first national urban policy in the Kingdom and urged a “qualitative” plan to regulate all sectors’ activities locally to reach the regional and national levels, which would be reflected in quality of services “quantitatively and qualitatively,” noting need to amend some legislation to keep pace with this step and enhance its implementation on the ground.
Source: Jordan News Agency
Ramtha: Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) Chairman, Dr. Khaled Touqan, said it is “constantly” working to achieve “qualitative” achievements in its “cutting-edge” programs and train competencies by sending staff to training courses to obtain “advanced” scientific qualifications in nuclear science.
Speaking at a symposium to introduce JAEC’s activities and achievements at Jordan university of science and technology (JUST), Touqan added that the JAEC seeks to make Jordan as the “main” center in the region in terms of the quality of trained workers in nuclear science activities and programmes.
Touqan added that projects of the Jordanian nuclear program are mainly Jordanian nuclear power plant, development of human resources, Jordan’s nuclear reactor for research and training, synchrotron center, and the uranium enterprise.
The nuclear reactor, he noted, plays a “key” role in building and training new generations of nuclear researchers, scientists and engineers and is used to produce medical and industria
l radioactive isotopes.
Touqan briefed the audience on the nuclear reactor for research and training and its produced radioactive isotopes, including the isotope of iodine (I-131), which is used in treatment and diagnosis of thyroid and liver cancers.
Meanwhile, he said Jordan Uranium Mining Company (JUMCO), which was established in 2013, is managing the uranium project in central Jordan, and has worked to explore and develop uranium ore processing “optimally,” which led to developing a pilot factory for uranium production.
Touqan indicated that the company is also working on an economic feasibility study to produce uranium from raw materials in central Jordan region and establish a commercial factory capable of producing about 400 tonnes of uranium annually.
Touqan said this figure will then hit 800 uranium tonnes per year to be used as fuel for Jordan’s nuclear power plant and export the surplus to other countries in the region.
Through JAEC, he noted the importance of Jordan to retain the right to enr
ich uranium at low levels for use as future fuel for Jordan’s nuclear power plants, as it is a “strategic” national wealth.
Source: Jordan News Agency
The Internal Security Forces’ General Directorate – Public Relations Division issued a statement on Sunday, in which it indicated that ‘within the framework of the Internal Security Forces’ pursuit of those involved in drug trade and promotion operations in various Lebanese regions, news was available to the Information Division about a network storing, packaging, distributing and promoting drugs in different areas in the Lebanese mountain.”
The statement added that instructions were immediately given to the concerned units within the Division to carry out field measures to uncover the identity of the network members and arrest them.
As a result of extensive investigations, ISF was able to identify the perpetrators, including its mastermind of M.H. (Born in 1994, Lebanese – nicknamed ‘Mido”) in the area of Haret Hreik, who is subject to a search and investigation warrant for a drug crime, and another by initials A. M. (Born in 1996, Lebanese – drug trafficker) who resides in Khaldeh.
The legal requirement
s were carried out against them, as the seized items found in their possession were handed over to the concerned sides based on the judicial reference, the statement added.
Source: National News Agency-Lebanon
Amman: The general industrial producer prices index decreased by 4.4 percent during the January-November period of 2023, reaching 135.67 points compared to 141.92 for the same period last year.
The monthly report of the Department of Statistics issued Sunday attributed the decline to the prices of transformative industries going down by 5.37 percent and electricity prices by 1.13 percent, while the prices of extractive industries increased by 2.84 percent.
In November 2023, the index went down to 136.42 points against 140.56 for the same month last year, down 2.95 percent.
The report explained that November’s drop was the result of a decrease in the prices of transformative industries by 3.32 percent and extractive industries by 4.97 percent, while electricity prices edged up by 6.01 percent.
On a monthly level, the index retreated by 1.23 percent, reaching 136.42 points in November 2023 compared to 138.11 in October of the same year. This was due to a decrease in transformative industry prices by 1.63 pe
rcent, extractive industry prices by 1.81 percent, and electricity prices by 0.5 percent.
Source: Jordan News Agency
Amman: The Jordanian Media Credibility Monitor (Akeed) documented 12 rumors circulating among the public in December 2023, which is a decrease from the 18 rumors reported in November, as outlined in its monthly report released on Sunday.
The report categorizes political rumors as constituting half of the total recorded rumors, amounting to six, while economic rumors make up 16.67 percent with two instances. Security, social, health, and public affairs rumors each account for 8.33 percent, with one rumor each.
Internal sources contributed to 75 percent of the rumors recorded in December, totaling nine, while external sources accounted for the remaining 25 percent, representing three rumors. Social media played a significant role in disseminating these rumors, with 58 percent originating from platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Telegram. The remaining 42 percent were spread through traditional media channels.
Akeed’s report highlighted that the rumors reached the audience through l
ocal media and public publishing platforms, including various social networking sites and smartphone applications. Akeed employs a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative methodology for rumor monitoring, defining rumors as inaccurate information related to Jordanian public or national interests, disseminating to an estimated audience of over 5,000 people via digital media.
Source: Jordan News Agency
As the end of the year 2023 approaches, Caretaker Environment Minister Nasser Yassin greeted the Lebanese through platform ‘X’ with a greeting post symbolizing the necessity of protecting our forests, natural reserves, water, air, and environment, and saying, ‘I hope for a new year in which we create a more just world and a more sustainable land, and we work together sincerely to recover Lebanon.’
Source: National News Agency-Lebanon
Amman: The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at current and constant market prices exhibited a 2.7 percent growth in the third quarter of 2023 compared to the corresponding period last year, as reported by the Department of Statistics’ (DoS) quarterly update on Sunday.
The GDP at constant market prices also saw a 2.7 percent increase during the January-September period of the current year in comparison to the same period last year.
As for sectoral estimates, preliminary data disclosed that all economic sectors experienced growth during this timeframe, according to the DoS.
The report highlighted the hotels and restaurants sector as the top performer, achieving a growth rate of 6.3 percent, contributing 0.11 percentage points to the overall growth rate. Following closely was the transportation, storage, and communications sector at 5.3 percent, contributing 0.44 percentage points, trailed by the agriculture, hunting, forestry, and fishing sector with a growth rate of 5.1 percent and a contribution of 0.20 percen
tage points. The manufacturing industries sector also played a role with a growth rate of 3.9 percent, contributing 0.73 percentage points to the overall achieved growth rate.
Source: Jordan News Agency