Day: March 16, 2024

Amman: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Major General Yousef Huneiti Saturday checked on Jordanian aid aircraft heading to the Gaza Strip.

Among aircraft prepared for today’s airdrops was a military plane from Germany, which is participating for the first time as “a qualitative addition” in the Jordan-led mission to deliver aid from the air to hunger-stricken people in Gaza.

In remarks during the inspection at King Abdullah II Air Base, Huneiti stressed the need to rally for continued international humanitarian aid to Gazas, who face severe food shortages amid the ongoing Israeli war on the besieged enclave.

He hailed the high morale of the Jordan Armed Forces’ personnel, voicing his admiration for their efforts to provide assistance to the people of Gaza.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff met with the base’s officers, and conveyed to them the greetings of His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, expressing his pride in the “distinguished level, efficiency and pro
fessionalism” the Armed Forces have reached in performing their tasks and duties.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Gaza: sraeli forces killed 63 Palestinians and injured 112 in new massacres in the last 24 hours, the Gaza Health Ministry said Saturday.

In its daily update of casualties in the war, now in its 162nd day, the ministry said the latest fatalities raised the death toll to 31,553 and the number of injured to 73,546.

Many people were trapped under the rubble of buildings targeted by air strikes, or on the roads and out of reach of paramedics and civil defense crews, it added.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: Jordan’s postal sector saw a notable expansion with a total of 196 operators reported by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC), as revealed in a recent update. The breakdown includes 183 local private postal service providers, 12 international private operators, and one public postal operator.

According to TRC’s statement, the private postal sector employed around 34,000 individuals and operated a fleet of 34,000 vehicles by the end of 2023.

This significant presence underscores the sector’s pivotal role in the Jordanian market and its contribution to employment opportunities for the local workforce.

The regulatory framework governing Jordan’s postal market delineates the roles of both public and private operators, with exclusive rights granted to the public postal operator, represented by the government-owned Jordan Post Company, for specific services.

Licensing procedures for private postal operators are outlined, including the issuance of local and international category licenses, e
ach subject to designated annual fees.

TRC emphasized its oversight role in ensuring compliance with performance contracts between the public postal operator and the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship.

It also urged entities involved in digital platforms or mobile applications related to postal delivery services to adhere to licensing procedures established by the authority.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Beirut: Israeli airstrikes and artillery Saturday targeted Lebanese border areas as part of an approach to destroy entire residential areas and cut off roads., according to a Lebanese security source.

It said aircraft raided the southern towns of Markaba, Tayr Harfa, Jabal Balat and Mays al-Jabal.

Artillery shelling was also recorded on the towns of Kafr Keila, Adiseh, Wazzani, Jebain and Marjayoun Plain, it added.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and the Singaporean Foreign Minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, Saturday held a meeting for talks on ties and the Israeli war on Gaza.

Safadi and Balakrishnan discussed efforts to stop the Israeli war on the embattled enclave and to deliver humanitarian to Palestinian Gazans.

The two ministers stressed keenness to strengthen relations between the two countries and praised the growing cooperation in many vital sectors.

The top ministers reviewed actions taken to implement the outcomes of the visit of His Highness Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II to Singapore last January to institutionalise sustainable cooperation in education, vocational education and administrative development.

The two ministers affirmed continued cooperation and coordination in efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Singapore will participate in the Jordanian airdrops in Gaza, as the Minister’s visit to Jordan was accompanied by the arrival of two different humanitarian aid planes to be delivered to
Gaza.

Safadi praised Singapore’s support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and its announcement of new donations to it.

In turn, Balakrishnan lauded the Kingdom’s efforts in enhancing security, stability and peace in the region and in the efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: Head of Tourism, Services and Restaurants Committee at Amman Chamber of Industry (ACI), Raed Hamadeh, said citizens’ in-house resturant orders for Ramdan meals is “still limited” since the beginning of the holy month.

In a statement Saturday, he noted restaurants operating in the Kingdom are “currently suffering” from a decline in their sales due to the citizens’ weak demand and a decline in tourism activity, in comparison to Ramadan in past years.

Hamadeh added that the decline in restaurants’ in-premise activity since the beginning of the holy month is due to a “significant” change in the citizens’ consumption pattern due to their weak purchasing power and consequences of the brutal Israeli aggression against Gaza Strip.

Additionally, Hamadeh indicated that restaurants are currently launching “wide” offers on their meals and foods, aimed to stimulate the sector’s wheel and push sales to sustain their work and fulfill their obligations.

However, Hamadeh said restaurants’ activity is set to be “act
ive” during the second half of the holy month, after disbursement of workers’ salaries and amid “strong” competition in wide offers.

Restaurants, tourist and service establishments are ” important, vital” sectors that support national economy and also employ local labor, he said.

In recent years, these businesses saw a “remarkable” development in quality of products, services and equipment and attracted foreign investments that have “added value and increased competition,” he said.

Hamadeh pointed out the need to intensify marketing and promotion campaigns for Jordan’s tourist sites within Arab markets, especially in Gulf region, aimed to attract more tourists, which would be reflected in reviving commercial activity in many economic and service sectors.

According to Hamadeh, a total of 18,000 restaurants operate across the Kingdom, employing approximately 120,000 workers, the majority of whom are Jordanians.

Source: Jordan News Agency