Day: March 20, 2024

Gaza: The Ministry of Health in Gaza has reported 10 massacres carried out by Israeli forces targeting families across the Gaza Strip, causing 104 fatalities and 162 injuries over the past 24 hours alone.

In its daily statistical briefing tracking casualties amid the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza, now spanning 166 days, the Ministry added that many victims are still trapped beneath rubble and inaccessible to rescue teams.

The cumulative toll of Israeli aggression now stands at a staggering 31,923 fatalities and 74,096 injuries since the outset of Israeli attacks on October 7th.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: The Department of Statistics revealed encouraging statistics indicating a rise in Jordan’s reliance on its agricultural outputs despite daunting climate hurdles and limited irrigation resources, said Muhammad Hiyari, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Agriculture.

In a statement to the Jordan News Agency (Petra) on Wednesday, Hiyari underscored a noteworthy decrease in agricultural imports, plummeting from JD4.16 billion in 2022 to JD3.7 billion in 2023, marking a significant 10.4 percent decline. These imports, he highlighted, constitute approximately 20.5 percent of Jordan’s total imports.

Contrarily, despite prevailing regional challenges impacting Jordanian exports, the agricultural sector demonstrated resilience by augmenting the value of its exports from JD968.7 million in 2022 to JD1.126 billion in 2023, marking an impressive 16 percent surge. Notably, agricultural exports now contribute around 13.6 percent to Jordan’s total export revenue.

Hiyari attributed these positive outcomes to the s
uccessful implementation of the National Plan for Sustainable Agriculture 2022-2025, which aims to bolster the agricultural sector, elevate agricultural exports, generate employment opportunities, and enhance the livelihoods of small-scale farmers.

The comprehensive plan encompasses various facets, aligning efforts toward organizing and fortifying the agricultural domain. It tackles challenges by prioritizing export-oriented crops for foreign markets and strategically addresses crops crucial for bolstering self-sufficiency, thereby reducing reliance on imports.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: The Ministry of Water and Irrigation reported a notable increase in rainfall, with the long-term annual average (8.1 billion cubic meters) rising to 74 percent as of Wednesday morning.

According to a ministry statement, this surge contrasts with the same period last year, with rainfall reaching 90 percent of the long-term annual average.

Over the past 24 hours, approximately 2 million cubic meters of water flowed into the dams, raising their total storage to 140.5 million cubic meters, or 48.7% of their total capacity, which stands at 288,128 million cubic meters.

Among the regions experiencing significant precipitation, Madaba recorded the highest amount of rainfall within 24 hours, measuring up to 27 mm. This widespread rainfall has benefited most areas across the Kingdom.

Source: Jordan News Agency

DUBAI: Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, stated that the UAE government is proactively embracing digital transformation and is dedicated to harnessing the potential of artificial intelligence solutions to empower both individuals and communities, while encouraging their adoption to ensure tangible benefits from these advancements.

He made this statement during the launch of the UAE Artificial Intelligence Award, with the objective of promoting the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies within federal and local government entities. This initiative is designed to enhance the services’ performance by leveraging artificial intelligence solutions and to proactively shape a more promising future based on digital solutions and collaborative efforts among entities in the UAE.

Al Olama emphasised that the UAE government is working continuously to expand the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence technologies. Thro
ugh a range of initiatives, the government aims to proactively anticipate the future of artificial intelligence, bolster the nation’s competitiveness, and ensure its leadership across diverse sectors.

Mohamed Bin Taliah, Chief of Government Services of the UAE Government, stated the significance of these strategic initiatives, which are designed to elevate the utilisation of artificial intelligence within governmental services.

Bin Taliah emphasised the importance of fostering collaboration between government and semi-governmental entities in the advancement of government services. This endeavour aligns with the leadership’s objectives of cultivating an adaptable government framework, one that continually strives to enhance society’s well-being and deliver an optimal government service experience to diverse segments of society.

The Award categories include the Service Excellence Category, the Decision Making Category, the Operational Efficiency Category, and the Emirati AI Solutions Category. The evaluatio
n criteria will be by the level of innovation, AI ethics compliance level, level of maturity, scalability and replicability and level of impact.

The categories aim to provide effective, easily accessible, and high-quality services through innovative uses of artificial intelligence and technology, enhancing decision-making processes and increasing efficiency by utilising artificial intelligence techniques for data-driven decision-making. The categories also aim to reduce operational costs, improve processes, elevate service delivery, and ensure the development of artificial intelligence solutions in the UAE, solidifying its global position in this field.

Entities can register and participate in one or more categories through the UAE Artificial Intelligence Award website.

Source: Emirates News Agency

Tripoli: A fire broke out in the fodder stores located on the Maslata-Al-Jahawat road in the city of Al-Khoms, in the early hours of today, Wednesday.

The Ambulance and Emergency Service said on its Facebook page that the fire did not result in any injuries.

The agency indicated that it sent emergency teams to the place, after receiving a report from its branch in Al-Khoms, in conjunction with the efforts of the fire brigades to control the fire.

Source: Libyan News Agency

Beirut: Israeli warplanes Wednesday killed at least one and injured several others in a strike on the Qantara town in southern Lebanon.

A Lebanese security official told the Petra correspondent in Beirut, “After the killing of the citizen in the first raid, Israeli warplanes renewed their targeting of the town and the site itself to prevent ambulance teams from approaching.”

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal celebrates Wednesday his 77th birthday. On this occasion, Prince El Hassan penned a letter highlighting the prospects of peace and stability in the region as well as the unfolding situation in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories.

Following is the full text of HRH Prince El Hassan’s letter:

“Reflecting on the past year, one cannot overlook the catastrophic human suffering that continues to unfold in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Occupied Territories.

These distressing events serve as a poignant reminder of the words spoken by His Late Majesty King Hussein at the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on June 26, 1967:

“I will not speak to you only about peace. For this pre-condition of peace is justice. When we have achieved justice, we will have achieved peace in the Near East. There has been talk in these chambers about peace. There has been little talk about justice. Israel has stated that what its people want is peace a
nd security. This has always been the cry of the successful aggressor: peace by submission of the victim and security for what she has stolen. Today’s war is not a new war but part of the old war which will go on for scores of years, if the moral and physical wrong done to the Arabs is not righted.”

In the consequences of the 1967 ill-fated war, an example of failed promises in a promised land, Prince Hassan embarked on research and writing endeavours focused on what he termed as ‘settlement colonies’ in the West Bank.

This dedication led to the publication of several notable works, including A Study on Jerusalem in 1979 and Palestinian Self-Determination: A Study on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 1980. Throughout the decades, His Royal Highness has consistently upheld a steadfast belief in self-determination, recognising it as a fundamental human right.

Over the past year, His Royal Highness has dedicated himself, as always, to working with local communities that focus on making the law work for ever
yone. Prince Hassan has been a vocal proponent of region-based initiatives geared towards fostering regional stability. One such initiative is calling for the formation of an Economic and Social Council in the region, established by the region, to make the Mashreq and the Peninsula recognised in terms of human dignity.

His Royal Highness remains steadfast in his commitment to fostering peace in the Mashreq region and beyond. Central to this endeavour is his dedication to advocating for the self-determination of the Palestinian people.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: An Israeli bombing on Wednesday targeted the Salah al-Din School of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza, killing and injuring several.

Palestinian media reported that Israeli occupation forces carried out “violent” raids on the Al-Rimal neighbourhood in central Gaza City and killed and wounded several in a raid that targeted a house in the Beach Refugee Camp, west of Gaza City.

Separately, the New York Times reported that the UNRWA Commissioner warned that stopping the UN agency’s funding would “have profound effects” on its services in Gaza, especially education.

Source: Jordan News Agency