Author: Web Desk

Tripoli: The workshop held by UNSMIL commended the decisive role of the Joint Military Committee (5+5) in implementing the ceasefire agreement concluded in October 2020.

The workshop was participated by members of the House of Representatives (HoR) and High Council of State (HCS) with military, security, and civil society actors on advancing security sector reform and governance in Libya.

UNSMIL stated on its website that the workshop discussed the role of legislative bodies and civil society in security sector reform and the importance of coordination between all parties concerned with this reform.

The workshop, which was held on January 9 and 10, concluded with recommendations from the HoR and HCS participants, setting out principles and steps in the common pursuit of effective security reform in Libya.

The mission said that moving forward, the HoR and HCS participants are encouraged to explore the possibility of translating some of their key recommendations into legislation aimed at addressing current
security challenges identified during the workshop.

Source: Libyan News Agency

Beirut: United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix on Saturday called for a ceasefire in southern Lebanon, adherence to Security Council Resolution 1701 and working toward a political solution.

He said in a statement at the end of a four-day visit to Beirut, where he met top officials, that the UN continued to urge all parties for a ceasefire, adding that current tensions carried the risk of a larger and more destructive conflict.

Since Israel and Hezbollah began exchanging fire, dozens of civilians and journalists were killed or injured, he said, adding that UN peacekeeping mission in south Lebanon, UNIFIL, sites were bombed more than 20 times and three peacekeepers were injured.

Lacroix held talks with Lebanese Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib and also met with ambassadors of countries contributing military forces to UNIFIL, as well as envoys of permanent UN Security Council members.

In South Lebanon
today, Israeli forces fired more than 25 phosphorus and smoke shells on the border town of Mays al-Jabal, a Lebanese security source told Petra reporter in Beirut.

It also said two interceptor missiles fired by Israeli troops exploded in the airspace over the town.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: Food sector exports grew by JD947 million, about 11 percent in 2023, compared to JD853 million in 2022, according to certificate of origin data released Saturday by the Jordan Chamber of Industry (JCI).

Exports grew despite a decline in national exports, an indication of the sector’s “qualitative and upward” performance that has been recorded since the Covid-19 pandemic, said JCI food, supply and livestock industries representative Mohammad Al-Jitan.

Hower, the road to growth is still long, he said, noting that the sector has untapped export opportunities of more than JD200 million.

He called for an integrated national tracking system of food and animal products (cheese, processed meat, and dairy), which is key to a product’s data to ensure an effective use of resources, and offers the opportunity for national food products to access more markets.

Al-Jitan also urged maximizing the benefit from signed trade agreements, especially with the United States and the European Union, which require a nation
al tracking system of their imports, and which are an entry point for more than 1.1 billion consumers.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: The Israeli occupation army confirmed Saturday evening that a reserve forces major, a soldier from the 5037th Battalion of the 11th “Yifthah” Brigade, was killed in combat in the central Gaza Strip.

The army also reported that two officers and a soldier were critically injured in clashes in the southern and central Gaza Strip.

According to the latest figures available on the Israeli army’s official website, 521 officers and soldiers have been killed since October 7, 2023.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: Rainfall as of Saturday morning raised the season’s total to 41.4 percent of the annual average of about 8.1 billion cubic meters, according to the Ministry of Water and Irrigation and the Jordan Valley Authority.

The storage rate in major dams was up 99 million cubic metres, 34.3 percent of their storage capacity of 288,128 million cubic metres, it said in a statement.

It said the highest precipitation was recorded in Shtafina in Ajloun with 42 millimeter in 24 hours.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: “Death threatens about 800,000 people in the Gaza and northern governorates due to the ongoing policy of starvation and thirst pursued by the Israeli occupation army against them,” according to the government media office in the Gaza Strip.

“The two governorates require 1,300 food trucks every day to alleviate hunger, 600 for the north and 700 for Gaza,” the office said Saturday in a statement.

Source: Jordan News Agency