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AMMAN — The Catholic Centre for Studies and Media (CCSM) in Jordan will hold a Christian-Islamic celebration of the Annunciation at Al Hussein Cultural Centre in Ras Al Ain on Wednesday at 6:30pm.

In a statement to The Jordan Times on Monday, the CCSM said that the festival will be attended by senior Jordanian officials, bishops and heads of churches, in addition to Muslim clergymen and MPs.

A delegation from Lebanon, ambassadors accredited to the Kingdom, several Jordanian and foreign journalists will also attend the ceremony, which will be open to Jordanian dignitaries as well as Christians and Muslims, the statement said.

The CCSM's initiative is designed to entrench values of brotherhood and common living in Jordan, as well as to further consolidate Muslim-Christian relations in the country and abroad, the statement read.

"This coming together around Blessed Virgin Mary is already an especially important event in the history of the two religions," the centre said.

"Once more, the Holy Virgin will increase Her love for the whole of humanity," the statement read, adding that the gathering will also position Jordan as a country conveying a message of peace, love and common living.

AMMAN —HRH Prince Hassan, president of the Arab Thought Forum (ATF), stressed the importance of supporting Jerusalem and protecting its Arab identity, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Monday.

During a meeting with a number of Jerusalemites on Sunday, the prince said that the Israeli settlements have changed the situation of the Palestinian territories that were occupied in 1967 and created an imbalance in the demographic ratios.

He stressed the need to activate the role of Muslim and Christian endowments as a development action that would contribute to enhancing the steadfastness of Jerusalemites in light of the increased Israeli measures against the people of holy city.    

AMMAN — The Public Security Department (PSD) on Monday announced that the King Hussein Bridge will be opened for passengers on Thursday for 24 hours from 8am until Friday 3pm, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The PSD said the last bus for tourists VIPs, UN employees, private cars and diplomats will be at 9pm on Thursday. On Friday, March 30th, the last bus for the aforementioned, plus Arabs, will be at noon.

AMMAN — Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat on Monday received a US delegation headed by Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) Director Vayl Oxford, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Freihat and Oxford discussed means to enhance joint cooperation and bilateral relations between the two countries.

Freihat also received Director General of the National Service Project Organisation (NSPO) at the Egyptian Armed Forces Maj. Gen. Mustafa Amin and his accompanying delegation on Monday, according to Petra.

They discussed means of cooperation to best serve the interests of both countries. Amin briefed the Jordanian official on the work of the NSPO and its goals and objectives for the future.

AMMAN — Minister of State for Investment Affairs Muhannad Shehadeh on Monday called on the Jordanian business community to establish a logistics company in Mombasa, Kenya’s main port, to facilitate marketing and promote national products in Kenya and African countries, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During the Jordanian-Kenyan Business Forum, Shehadeh said that there is a government study to establish a free zone in Aqaba called the Jordanian-Kenyan Free Zone.

He said that the forum will contribute towards enhancing cooperation, expanding the volume of trade and investment, and exchanging experiences between the two sides.

AMMAN — The Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) has arrested 10 suspects involved in drug cases following a security crackdown in Mafraq, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

According to a Public Security Department’s (PSD) statement, a number of the people arrested were classified as “dangerous”.

315 palm-sized sheets of hashish were seized, in addition to various quantities of narcotics, the statement said, adding that the suspects were referred to the relevant authorities.

AMMAN — Security services have arrested a driver wanted for running over a girl at the Dead Sea a week ago, before fleeing the scene, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Monday.

According to a Public Security Department’s statement, the driver confessed to committing the accident, and will be referred to prosecution. The nine-year-old girl was rushed to the hospital following the hit and run, where she was later pronounced dead.

AMMAN — Minister of Public Works and Housing Sami Halasa on Monday announced the opening of bids for the new emergency department project at Al Bashir Hospital, financed by USAID.

Halasa said that the design meets the best international standards for emergency rooms, pointing out that the project consists of four floors with an accommodation capacity of 147 beds.

The new emergency department includes operating rooms, laboratories, a pharmacy, a surgery department, a pediatric department, and other services for patients and nurses.

AMMAN — Jordan’s national football team plays Vietnam on Tuesday in its final return leg 2019 Asian Cup qualifier.

Jordan has already secured qualification to the Asian Cup finals after topping Group C, eliminating relatively unknown teams in the Asian continent. The Kingdom beat Cambodia 7-0, Afghanistan 4-1 , and was held 0-0 with Vietnam. In the return leg, Jordan managed a 3-3 draw with Afghanistan and beat Cambodia 1-0 to qualify alongside second place Vietnam. The top two teams from each group will move to the Asian Cup finals set for the UAE in 2019.  

The national team beat Kuwait 1-0 this week in a friendly ahead of the Vietnam match and earlier lost to world’s 66th ranked Finland and beat 12th ranked Denmark’s second tier under-21 during a training camp in Abu Dhabi. With the draw for the finals a month away, Jordan is now 117th in the latest FIFA rankings and the team’s latest results and ranking mean the squad will not be in best position for the Asian Cup draw. 

Group C had limited capabilities and advancing to the 2019 Asian Cup was not a difficult task against relatively unknown teams in the Asian continent. India and Kyrgyzstan moved from Group A, Lebanon from B, Palestine and Oman from C, Bahrain and Turkmenistan from E. the Philippines leads group F with another round to go.

Since first taking part in Asian Cup qualifiers in 1972, Jordan reached the Asian Championship three times: the pinnacle was at the 13th Asian Cup, when it lost to Japan in the quarterfinals and jumped to the best ever FIFA rank of 37th in August 2004. They also reached the Asian Cup in 2011.

After elimination from the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, qualifying to the Asian finals was a priority for Jordan who have steadily slid which FIFA rankings while the team has had an inconsistent two years compared to 2013 when Jordan was on the verge of qualifying to the 2014 World Cup for the first time and advanced to play then World’s 6th ranked Uruguay in an intercontinental qualifying tie. It lost the home game 5-0 and held the former World Cup champs 0-0 in the away match. Jordan had never reached that far in World Cup qualifying since taking part in qualifiers. Round 3 had been the furthest Jordan reached in the past seven times in the qualifiers since 1986.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah and a US congressional delegation, headed by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), on Sunday discussed the strategic partnership and cooperation between both countries, as well as regional and international developments.

His Majesty, during the meeting that was attended by HRH Prince Feisal, voiced Jordan's appreciation for the US support and the pivotal role of the Congress in helping the Kingdom address challenges ensuing from regional crises, and enable it to implement development programmes, according to a Royal Court statement. 

In this regard, King Abdullah underlined the five-year Memorandum of Understanding that both countries have signed recently on economic and military cooperation, under which the US grants Jordan $1.275 billion a year through 2022, with the door left open for additional aid. 

Meanwhile, the King highlighted the importance of realising just, comprehensive peace in the region and intensifying regional and international efforts to re-launch negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis according to the two-state solution, which leads to the establishment of a Palestinian independent state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, which lives in security and peace side by side with Israel.

The King pointed out Jordan’s efforts in safeguarding Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, under the Hashemite custodianship.

During the meeting, which continued over a lunch banquet, both sides reviewed various challenges and crises in the Middle East and endeavours to work out political solutions to these conflicts, in addition to efforts in the war on terrorism within a holistic approach.

For their part, Pelosi and the delegates expressed their appreciation for Jordan’s focal role in realising peace and enhancing regional security and stability, commending the Kingdom’s efforts in handling the repercussions of hosting Syrian refugees.

They also expressed the Congress’ keenness on supporting the country and providing it with all kinds of support in various fields. 

Also on Sunday, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi met with the delegates over relations between Jordan and the US and regional developments, especially those related to the Palestinian issue and challenges facing the efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of the two-state solution. 

They also went over developments in the Syrian crisis and the war on terrorism, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Safadi stressed the “deep-rooted” strategic relations between the US and Jordan on several levels, expressing Jordan’s appreciation for the support provided by the US. 

For her part, Pelosi praised King Abdullah’s role and efforts to promote peace, security and stability and combat terrorism, stressing that US support for Jordan as a strategic partner would continue.