Jordan

AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordanians began voting on Tuesday in elections set to keep parliament in the hands of tribal and pro-government deputies under a system that under-represents the cities where the Islamist and liberal opposition do best.

A handful of people lined up outside polling stations in several Jordanian towns before polls opened across the kingdom at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT), witnesses said.

Across the country, banners of around 1,700 candidates fluttered from signposts appealing to 4.64 million eligible voters on mostly tribal and family loyalty.

07 Nov 2020; MEMO: Jordanian Queen Noor Al-Hussein has slammed the Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem as “disgusting” behaviour, Shehab News Agency reported on Friday.

Her remarks came as she tweeted a comment on a BBC report about Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes during the last decade.

AMMAN, Nov 2 (NNN-PETRA) – In order to curb the surge in COVID-19 cases, Jordan’s Prime Minister, Bisher Khasawneh, announced that a five-day nationwide lockdown would be imposed from Nov 11, a day after the country’s parliamentary elections.

According to the Jordanian Health Ministry, Jordan registered 3,259 new cases yesterday, bringing the overall tally to 75,866. The kingdom also reported 37 new deaths, with the current toll standing at 866.

29 Oct 2020; MEMO: Jordan is reported to have granted permission for the establishment of the Saudi-Jordanian Investment Fund.

The fund has the right to own, develop, operate, manage and exploit certain specific projects worth at least $5 billion.

The projects include constructing the national railway system which would connect the Jordanian capital, Amman, with the port city of Aqaba.

AMMAN, Oct 21 (NNN-PETRA) – Jordan announced that it will impose a comprehensive curfew on Fridays, until the end of 2020, and tighten restrictions on the public and business.

At a press conference in the capital, Amman, Prime Minister, Bisher Khasawneh, said, business sectors would be allowed to open until 10:00 p.m. local time, and the public can move freely until 11:00 p.m., after which all movement will be banned until 6:00 a.m., in a bid to curb the surge of COVID-19 cases.

11 Oct 2020; MEMO: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder in the West Bank on Saturday, a Palestinian minister said, following a call by Lauder for Palestinians to revive peace talks with Israel, Reuters reports.

Civil Affairs Minister Hussein al-Sheikh revealed the meeting in a Twitter posting but gave no details.

07 Oct 2020; MEMO: Classes in schools will be suspended in Jordan from tomorrow “until further notice”, the education minister announced yesterday.

“Exams for secondary school students will, however, be held on time, with the exact dates for the tests to be announced sometime next week,” Tayseer Al-Nuaimi was quoted as saying by the official Petra news agency.

AMMAN, Sept 28 (NNN-PETRA) – Jordan, on Sunday, signed a soft loan agreement with the European Union (EU), under which the kingdom will receive 700 million euros (813.93 million U.S. dollars).

The financing programme by the EU will be disbursed to Jordan in three batches, starting from Oct, the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation said, in a statement Sunday.

Jordanian Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Wissam Rabadi, said, the loan would be provided with a competitive interest rate and a long repayment period of an average of 15 years.

AMMAN, Sept 24 (NNN-PETRA) – Jordan and Egypt yesterday stressed, the two-state solution is the key to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The remakes were made by Jordanian Foreign Minister, Ayman Safadi and his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry in Amman, where their talks covered the latest regional developments and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, according to a Foreign Ministry statement of Jordan.

AMMAN, Sept 23 (NNN-PETRA) – King Abdullah II of Jordan, said that, countries can only overcome global challenges, including the COVID-19, through re-globalisation, which makes the well-being of all peoples the ultimate goal.

The Jordanian King made the remarks in an address at the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, held virtually for the first time, in which he emphasised that there will be several global challenges ahead, including food security.