Day: April 8, 2023

The Executive Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), reaffirmed the historical Jordanian Hashemite Custodianship over the Islamic and Christian holy sites in the city of Jerusalem, and its role in protecting these sanctities and preserving their legal and historical status quo. In its extraordinary open-ended meeting, held on Saturday in Jeddah, the Committee also reaffirmed that the Jerusalem Awqaf and Affairs of the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Al-Sharif, affiliated to the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf, is the entity authorized to manage the affairs of the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Al-Sharif. The meeting was held to discuss the ongoing Israeli attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque, at the request of Palestine and Jordan, in coordination and consultation with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Chairman of the current Islamic Summit and Chairman of the Executive Committee to address Israel’s aggressions, the continuing illegal colonial occupation authority over the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque. The meeting supported all resolutions issued by the OIC related to the Palestinian cause and Al-Quds Al-Sharif. The closing statement of the meeting stressed the Arab and Islamic identity of occupied East Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Palestine, and refused to prejudice it in any way. The OIC condemned the dangerous escalation of the Israeli occupation forces and terrorist settlers by repeatedly storming the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Al-Sharif during the holy month of Ramadan, which continued, on the night of the 14th of Ramadan, and brutally attacking worshipers in its courtyards while performing their prayers and rituals, including women and children. The OIC called for providing international protection for the Palestinian people and the occupied city of Jerusalem and its holy sites, specifically the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif, against illegal attempts to change the current legal and historical situation.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) 2022 session will begin on Tuesday July 4, 2023. The ministry published the exam schedule on its website, noting that the first exam sessions will start on Tuesday, July 4, and will end on Tuesday, July 25. The first session of the exam will start at 10am, and the second session will start at 1pm , according to the ministry.

Source: Jordan News Agency

National economy has made an important stride toward economic recovery in 2022, performing positively on many important economic indicators, especially external ones despite the crises and difficulties that afflicted the global and local economies over the past few years. According to statistical data for various economic indicators in 2022 obtained by the Jordan News Agency (Petra), the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at constant market prices during the past year by 2.5 percent, while tourism revenue increased during the past year by 110.5 percent, reaching $5.816 billion. Additionally, remittances from Jordanian expats increased in 2022 by 1.5 percent amounting to $3.452 billion. Foreign reserves with the Central Bank of Jordan amounted to $17.3 billion, which is sufficient to cover the Kingdom’s imports of goods and services for a period of 5-7 months. Moreover, bank facilitations stood at JD32.6 billion in 2022, an increase of JD2.6 billion from the previous year, while bank deposits grew by the same amount to reach JD42.1 billion. According to statistical data, foreign direct investment inflows to the Kingdom rose last year to $1.1 billion, a growth of 83 percent from the figure reported in 2021. In the tourism sector, travel data issued by the Airport International Group revealed that the number of passengers that passed through the Queen Alia International Airport increased last year to about 7.83 million passengers, an increase of 71.9 percent from the figure reported in 2021. On unemployment in Jordan, the unemployment rate decreased during the last quarter of 2022 by 0.4 percent compared to the same period in 2021, while in the third quarter of last year the rate dropped by 0.2 percent to reach 22.9 percent. Meanwhile, the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a measurement of inflation increased in 2022 by 4.23 percent amounting to 106.79 points compared to 102.46 points in 2021. As for foreign trade in 2022, national exports grew by 33.8 percent amounting to JD8.081 billion compared to JD6.038 billion in 2021. The value of the Kingdom’s imports during the past year amounted to JD19.375 billion, an increase of 26.7 percent from the JD15.295 billion reported in 2021. The Kingdom’s trade deficit increased, during the past year, to reach 22.4 percent, standing at JD10.585 billion compared to JD8.651 billion in 2021.

Source: Jordan News Agency

A workshop organized by the National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA) and the United Nations Population Fund on Saturday at the Dead Sea underscored the importance of commitment to implementing the 2021-2022 plan of national priorities to strengthen the protection system from gender-based violence, violence against children and domestic violence. The participants in the workshop, which was held to discuss a monitoring and follow-up report on the plan and its achievements during 2021-2022, recommended continuing monitoring the implementation of the plan and for the concerned authorities such as the ministries of social development, justice and health in addition to the Public Security Department to carry out their roles in monitoring the activities of the various sectors and following up on coordination with donors to approve the plan and its priorities within its programs. Secretary-General of the Council Muhammad Miqdadi said that the plan aims at providing greater access to cases of violence within an integrated institutional framework that provides quality services and included different sectors such as social and health services, police and justice, coordination and partnership, awareness and the legislation sector. Miqdadi indicated that this workshop aims at pinpointing the challenges, finding the reasons behind not achieving some goals laid out in the plan, as well as implementing corrective measures in that regard to strengthen the system of protection against gender-based violence, violence against children and domestic violence.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources on Saturday fixed the wholesale price of liquefied petroleum gas sold to the industrial sector during March unchanged similar to last February, at JD722.74 per ton. The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply will shoulder the difference in cost in petroleum gas due to a price hike in April, with the aim of alleviating burden of production costs ravaging the local industry.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates warned of the catastrophic consequences of Israel’s continued violation of the historical and legal status quo in the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Al-Sharif and its violations of the sanctity of the holy sites and the right of Muslims to perform their religious rituals in this holy month. The ministry’s spokesperson, Ambassador Sinan Majali, warned that the Israeli police forces’ violation of the sanctity of the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Al-Sharif and assaulting worshipers again in an attempt to empty it of worshipers, in preparation for major incursions into the mosque, will push the situation towards more tension and violence, for which everyone will pay the price. He said that the Israeli government bears responsibility for the escalation in Jerusalem and in all the occupied Palestinian territories and for the deterioration that will worsen if it does not stop its incursions into the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif and its terrorization of worshipers in these blessed days. Majali said that the Jerusalem Awqaf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department is the only entity authorized to manage the affairs of the Al-Haram and is able to guarantee its security if Israel stops its attacks on Al-Aqsa, lifts the restrictions imposed on it and its staff, and respects the historical and legal status quo in the holy sites and the right of worshipers to worship. The ministry’s spokesperson stressed that the Israeli attacks on the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Al-Sharif and the worshipers are the reasons that spark violence and increase tension, adding that Israel’s cessation of its violations of the holy sites, international law and the right of Palestinians to perform their religious duties will prevent further tension.

Source: Jordan News Agency