Tag Archives: Jordan

Energy minister Walid Fayad has launched two projects in the country’s north to facilitate the flow of natural gas from Egypt. The move aims to improve electricity production and expand the country’s tanks to increase oil reserves. The revival of the Arab Gas Pipeline to deliver Egyptian gas to Lebanon …

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea held a meeting Tuesday afternoon with Energy Minister Walid Fayyad and Electricité du Liban Director General Kamal Hayek. “Jointly, we really feel that we’re making very good progress on the regional energy deals that the United States has been keen to see move forward. …

The U.S. mediator for indirect talks on border demarcation between Lebanon and Israel said on Thursday that the negotiations he was hoping to revive should be concluded in a short period if they were to succeed. Amos Hochstein, speaking to Al Hadath TV during a visit to Beirut, said holding …

Iran-backed forces in Syria said on Thursday they would respond forcefully to an Israeli strike over Syria’s Palmyra area in the province of Homs on Wednesday evening in the second such strike within a week. The Syrian defence ministry said in a statement that one soldier was killed in the …

Egypt is finalising arrangements to start supplying gas to Lebanon soon under a plan to help ease Lebanon’s power crisis, the two countries’ energy ministers said after meeting on Tuesday. Under an agreement announced last month, Egypt will supply natural gas to Lebanon via a pipeline that passes through Jordan …

A massive leak of financial documents was published by several major news organizations on Sunday that allegedly tie world leaders to secret stores of wealth, including King Abdullah of Jordan, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The dump of more than 11.9 million records, …

The UN agency helping Palestinian refugees is facing an “existential” budget crisis and appealing for urgent funding of $120 million to keep essential education, health care and other services running, the agency’s chief said. “We keep struggling, running after cash,” Philippe Lazzarini said. “The financial situation is a real existential …

Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum Tarek El Molla voiced hope that the country can soon export gas to Jordan to help supply Lebanon with electricity, saying Egypt will allocate all capabilities to help end the Lebanese energy crisis and work to quickly send natural gas to Lebanon. Molla’s remarks were made …

The deportation of senior Reuters correspondent Suleiman al-Khalidi from Lebanon has been criticized by journalists in the Arab world. Al-Khalidi, a Jordanian national, flew to Beirut in early August on a reporting assignment but was stopped by authorities at passport control who took him aside for questioning and asked him …

The Lebanese presidency said on Thursday that the United States has decided to assist Lebanon with electricity provision as the country struggles with crippling fuel shortages. It said the U.S. ambassador informed President Michel Aoun of the decision through a phone call on Thursday. There was no immediate comment from …

By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD     Before I say anything at all I have to highlight that this movie, Mousa (2021), is to be commended just for the fact that it’s an Egyptian (and Arabic SF) production, something almost unheard of and inexcusably neglected nowadays in the world of …

Israel’s new prime minister backtracked on Monday after claiming that Jews were entitled to “freedom of worship” at Al-Haram Al-Sharif in Jerusalem, the third-holiest site in Islam. In fact, the site is administered by Jordan through the Islamic Waqf, and Jews may visit but not pray. Naftali Bennett’s office made …

Arab visitors attracted by quarantine-free travel and a cheap lira are helping bolster a rebound for Turkey’s tourism industry, as it struggles to plug the gap left by Britons, for whom the country remains off limits. Holidaying with his family in Istanbul, Jordanian Omar Zahra, 48, said flying there from …

Arab countries and organizations have denounced the Houthi attacks targeting Saudi Arabia’s Khamis Mushait and Najran using explosive-laden drones. Saudi Arabia’s air defenses destroyed 17 drones launched toward the Kingdom’s southern region on Saturday.A booby-trapped drone targeted Khamis Mushait early in the morning before seven more targeting the southern region …

Netflix has announced a new hardship fund in collaboration with the Arab Fund for Arts & Culture (AFAC) to support those most affected by the pandemic in the Arab region’s film and TV community. The fund, valued at $500,000, will provide financial support in the form of individual grants ($2000 …

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the violence in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza in phone calls with the Saudi, Qatari and Egyptian foreign ministers, the State Department said on Sunday. Blinken and Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani discussed “efforts to restore calm in Israel and the …

Israel unleashed new airstrikes on Gaza early Tuesday, hitting a pair of high-rise buildings believed to be housing militants, as Hamas and other armed groups bombarded southern Israel with hundreds of rockets. The escalation was sparked by weeks of tensions in contested Jerusalem. Since sundown Monday, 26 Palestinians — including …

Saudi Arabia on Saturday denounced Israeli plans to evict Palestinian families from their homes in Jerusalem amid soaring violence in the city. Israel reinforced its security operation on Saturday after clashes on Friday night, when more than 200 Palestinians were injured. Riot police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and stun …

Saudi Arabia will start exporting electricity to neighboring countries, Argaam reported citing the Kingdom’s energy minister, following the opening of the Sakaka IPP photovoltaic (PV) power plant, its first renewable energy project. “Projects are ongoing to connect power grids with Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, and the GCC,” Prince Abulaziz bin Salman …

Egyptian diplomatic sources have denied rumors that Cairo discussed the eastern Mediterranean issue with Turkey. Egypt is committed to Cyprus and Greece being part of any negotiations with Turkey, the sources added. Cairo also has “no intentions” of negotiating with Turkey over the issue, they said. Turkish claims that a …

John Bolton, former US President Donald Trump’s national security advisor, said on Wednesday that while a return to the Iran nuclear deal appears to be a priority for the Biden administration, he doubts the sincerity of Tehran’s promises not to pursue the development of nuclear weapons. In an interview with …

Ahmed Al-Natour was working at his Gaza market shoe stall when a fire started in a nearby bakery and swept through a crowd of shoppers last March. Twenty-five people were killed and Natour, 34, suffered severe burns to his face and other parts of his body. Back home after months …

Three people were killed and several others were injured on Monday in two separate explosions in the United Arab Emirates’ capital Abu Dhabi and its tourism hub Dubai, the police and local media said. The Abu Dhabi government media office said two people were killed in the blast in the …

Almost 7 billion euros were pledged today to support war-torn Syria at a donor conference in Brussels. Around 60 countries and international agencies gathered to drum up financial aid for the Arab nation as the corona-virus and economic chaos wreak even more havoc in a country shattered by a conflict …

U.S. officials will gather this week to discuss whether to give Israel a green light for its plan to annex Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s target date of July 1 approaches. A senior administration official said on Monday that the U.S. ambassador …

The U.N. human rights office voiced concern on Monday about more than a dozen countries that have declared states of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic where police have arrested or detained hundreds of thousands of people and killed others. “Emergency powers should not be a weapon governments can wield …

The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) revealed the winning logo from the design competition held for the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2020. IAC, which will be hosted in Dubai for the first time in the Arab world, is a global event that brings together leading space specialists and decision-makers …

The Expo Centre Sharjah recently concluded its visit to Egypt and Jordan where it explored prospects of future cooperation and joint coordination in the sector of international exhibitions and conferences, to promote the interests of the Arab economy. The Expo delegation was headed by Saif Mohamed Al Midfa, Expo Centre …

The UAE and Jordan today started joint military drills in demonstration of the robust cooperation ties between the two countries. Titled “Bonds of Strength”, the exercises are part of the ongoing military collaboration between the armed forces of the two countries to improve their fighting capabilities and combat readiness in …

A high-level delegation from Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, ADFD, today participated in the inaugural ceremony of the AED771 million (US$210 million) Petroleum Storage Facilities project in Jordan. Fully financed by ADFD, the funding was made as part of the UAE government’s contribution of AED4.6 billion ($1.25 billion) in 2013 …

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, on Sunday ordered an emergency airlift of humanitarian aid to help those affected by the devastating floods in Jordan. A 747 jumbo jet and a C130 Hercules transport carrier took off from Dubai during …

Jordan says it plans to end a lease of two areas of land to Israel that was agreed in annexes to the 1994 peace treaty between the two countries. The areas are Naharayim in the north and Tzofar in the south, known as Baqura and Ghamr in Arabic. The lease …

The Palestinian authorities believe that a confederation with neighboring Jordan, proposed by US President Donald Trump as a solution for peace, would be meaningless before a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders and with eastern Jerusalem as its capital is established, the country’s ambassador to Russia, Abdel Hafiz Nofal, told …

By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD   The Israelis just passed a ‘Jewish nation state’ bill meant to do away with what little progress has been made when it comes to using Arabic names, as well as pushing for yet more settlement building while calling for Jerusalem as the country’s ‘whole …

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Sunday arrived in Jeddah. He is heading a UAE delegation to the quartet meeting called for by King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia, to discuss ways to support …

By Elias Muhanna   On a small rock found in Jordan, Ahmad Al-Jallad, a linguistics professor in the Netherlands, discovered text that he thought could be the oldest known record of literary expression in Arabic.   Afew years ago, Ahmad Al-Jallad, a professor of Arabic and Semitic linguistics at Leiden University, …

By: Wasan Abu-Baker   Dr. Rola Ghanem is a Palestinian novelist from the city of Tulkarem, she tells the story of her father through this novel which resembles the Palestinian resistance against the Israeli occupation and reveals the struggle of generations. In the novel, she highlighted the importance of education …

There is a serious lack of quality Arabic literature for children, which needs to be addressed quickly, renowned children’s authors said during an interactive session at the 10th Emirates Airline Festival of Literature on Wednesday. Speaking during a session titled “What Children Want to Read,” Emirati children’s author Marwa Al …

If you remember, Ahmed Salah Al-Mahdi wrote a stunning post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel called Malaaz: City of Resurrection. Now he’s written the long anticipated prequel, The Black Winter (2018), launched at the Cairo international book festival – and with the help of Amna, a Jordanian publishing house no less. To add …

By Mohamed Mohamed It is regrettable that the most basic human needs of millions of Palestinian refugees are now being used as a weapon in the Trump administration’s political assault on Palestinians. On January 16, the administration decided to withhold $65 million of a planned $125 million in US funding for the …

The US aviation security agency has issued an emergency order requiring additional screening of cargo on flights departing for the United States from five Mideast countries. It says the steps are aimed at preventing terrorist attacks. The Transportation Security Administration said in a statement that the order was prompted by …

In pointed public remarks, Jordan’s King Abdullah II told Vice President Pence on Sunday that he had repeatedly warned Washington about the risks of recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and that he hoped the United States would now “reach out” and find the right way to move forward. At a …

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence will visit Egypt, Jordan and Israel from Jan. 20 to 23, the White House said on Monday, embarking on a tour originally planned for last month after President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Pence will hold talks with Egyptian President Abdel …

Arab states will soon embark on a diplomatic drive to persuade the United Nations to recognise a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on territory captured by Israel in the 1967 war, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said. Six Arab foreign ministers met in Amman on Saturday to …