The lockdown caused a raise of 33% with regards to family violence

[25-11-2020]

The Higher Population Council: 64% of women believe that violence against wife is justified.

Jordan participates in International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

In a statement, the general-secretary of the Higher Population Council, Dr. Ablah Amawi, said that 46% of women and 69% of men believe that violence against wife is justified.

She added that the rate of family violence according to the Population Survey and family health during the full lockdown raised by 33% in contrast with the same period of the last year, according to the family protection department.

The pandemic of COVID-19 and its consequences such as the lockdown is believed to have a great impact on the family violence, she added.

Source: Ammon News.

Link: http://en.ammonnews.net/article/44759.

Jordan reiterates rejection of Israeli attempts to alter status quo at Al Aqsa

Nov 24, 2020

AMMAN — Jordan on Tuesday reiterated that Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif, with its total area of 144 dunums, including its walls and gates, is a place of worship for Muslims only.

According to a Foreign Ministry statement, the Jordan-run Jerusalem Awqaf and Aqsa Affairs Department, under international law and legal and historical status quo, has the exclusive authority to supervise the holy site’s affairs and manage entries.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Daifallah Fayez voiced the Kingdom’s rejection of any attempts to alter Al Aqsa Mosque’s historical and legal status quo.

Fayez also reaffirmed that Mughrabi Gate (Bab Al Magharbeh) and the road leading to it, is an integral and inseparable part of Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif, in accordance with UNESCO decisions.

The Mughrabi Gate is like the other gates of Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif, but Israeli authorities have confiscated its keys since 1967,  denying the awqaf department’s right to manage the entries of non-Muslim tourists, which violates the status quo, the statement said, stressing that, the Jerusalem Awqaf and Aqsa Affairs Department, to this day, is still committed to restore it. 

Fayez said that the Kingdom as per the Hashemite custodianship of Jerusalem's Islamic and Christian holy sites will continue its efforts towards protecting Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif and preserving the rights of all Muslims.

Source: The Jordan Times.

Link: http://jordantimes.com/news/local/jordan-reiterates-rejection-israeli-attempts-alter-status-quo-al-aqsa.

King inaugurates 300-bed military field hospital dedicated to COVID-19 patients

Nov 24, 2020

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army, on Tuesday inaugurated a field hospital established on the grounds of the Royal Medical Services’ (RMS) Prince Hashim Bin Al Hussein Hospital in Zarqa Governorate.

The field hospital, built at a cost of JD9 million, is dedicated to receiving COVID-19 patients, with the aim of supporting the government’s efforts in countering the pandemic, according to a Royal Court statement.

King Abdullah toured the field hospital, which has a 300-bed capacity, including 48 intensive care unit beds and 12 intermediate care beds ready to be converted into ICU beds.

His Majesty, accompanied by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti, was briefed on the field hospital’s medical capabilities and the capacities of its qualified medical and administrative personnel.

The field hospital, covering an area of 5,200 square meters, was built in 14 days.

According to the RMS, two more field hospitals will be opened in the upcoming weeks, with the combined capacity of the three hospitals set to reach 900 beds, including 220 ICU beds.

Source: The Jordan Times.

Link: http://jordantimes.com/news/local/king-inaugurates-300-bed-military-field-hospital-dedicated-covid-19-patients.

Lonely Planet names Amman to its Best in Travel 2021 list

Nov 24, 2020

AMMAN — Lonely Planet, world’s leading publisher of the popular travel guides, has listed Amman in its Best in Travel picks for 2021, “singling out the Jordanian capital as one of the destinations, which are helping transform travel experiences”, the Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) said in a statement.

Amman is recognized as a “welcoming destination”, focusing on diversity and inclusivity.  Lonely Planet’s award showcases people, tourism operators and destinations, which share the stories and experiences of a variety of people from around the world, ensuring a more diverse representation in travel, the JTB said.  

“Amman welcomes the majority of our visitors to Jordan and we are very proud of its reputation as an inclusive destination,” said JTB Director General Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat in the statement. 

“It is also home to some of our most awe-inspiring historical sites, and is becoming renowned for its culinary and shopping experiences.  As the gateway to the rest of the country, spending time in Amman is a highly recommended part of every trip to Jordan and is often cited as the main reason people wish to return to Jordan again and again,” he was quoted in the statement as saying.

Amman is the capital and largest city of Jordan and the country’s economic, political and cultural center. With a population of 4,007,526, Amman is the largest city in the Levant region and the sixth-largest city in the Arab world. As well as being home to Jordan’s world famous historical sites like Mount Nebo, the Roman Theatre, the Citadel and Archeology Museum, which houses some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the city is among the most popular locations in the Arab world for multinational corporations to set up their regional offices, ensuring a modern, multicultural city, the statement said.

Amman joins other world-class destinations and tour operators in receiving this award from Lonely Planet: Gabby Beckford, Packs Light; Costa Rica; El Hierro, Spain; Hiakai, New Zealand; Jeff Jenkins, Chubby Diaries; Wheels of the World; Karl Krause and Daan Colijn, Couple of Men; Gullah Islands, the US; and San Diego, the US.

Lonely Planet started the process for the Best in Travel 2021 list by seeking nominations from Lonely Planet’s vast community of staff, writers, photographers, videographers, bloggers, publishing partners and more. 

Then, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and, like the rest of the travel world, Lonely Planet hit the pause button. But other things changed too. The conversation surrounding diversity took a decisive shift. The future of travel moved towards small-group engagement and decades-old issues like over tourism came back to the forefront. As a result, Lonely Planet’s picks fit this new approach and are tailored for travel in 2021 — a year that’s going to be like no other, read the statement.

“Travel is a much more considerate exercise in 2021 than it has been ever before,” Lonely Planet CEO Luis Cabrera said in the statement. 

“Best in Travel 2021 champions people, places and organizations that are making travel a force for good, all the more essential in a year when COVID-19 has disrupted and deprioritized travel. Best in Travel 2021 reflects how travel contributes to sustainability, community and inclusivity and showcases how we can best explore the world responsibly,” Cabrera noted.

After a tumultuous year for travel, Best in Travel also symbolizes Lonely Planet’s commitment to these values, according to the statement. 

“We are taking the chance to re-emphasize what we are here for and why: our mission remains to make travel a force for good,” said Cabrera. 

“Lonely Planet continues to reflect the tourism development values among Jordan’s tourism industry, to create a sustainable, regenerative and inclusive industry that drives positive economic growth across the country,” Arabiyat said.  

“We are very honored to have Amman recognized by Lonely Planet this year.”

Source: The Jordan Times.

Link: http://jordantimes.com/news/local/lonely-planet-names-amman-its-best-travel-2021-list.

Azerbaijanis who fled war look to return home, if it exists

November 22, 2020

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — As Azerbaijan regains control of land it lost to Armenian forces a quarter-century ago, civilians who fled the fighting decades ago wonder if they can go back home now — and if there's still a home to go back to.

An estimated 600,000 Azerbaijanis were displaced in the 1990s war that left the Nagorno-Karabakh region under the control of ethnic Armenian separatists and large adjacent territories in Armenia's hands. During six weeks of renewed fighting this fall that ended Nov. 10, Azerbaijan took back parts of Nagorno-Karabakh itself and sizeable swaths of the outlying areas.

More territory is being returned as part of the ceasefire agreement that stopped the latest fighting. But as Azerbaijani forces discovered when the first area, Aghdam, was turned over on Friday, much of the recovered land is uninhabitable. The city of Aghdam, where 50,000 people once lived, is now a shattered ruin.

Adil Sharifov, 62, who left his hometown in 1992 during the first war and lives in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, knows he will find similar devastation if he returns to the city of Jabrayil, which he longs to do.

Jabrayil is one of the outlying areas regained by Azerbaijani troops before the recent fighting ended. Soon after it was taken, one of Sharifov's cousins went there and told him the city was destroyed, including the large house with an orchard where Sharifov's family once lived.

Nonetheless, “the day when I return there will be the greatest happiness for me,” he said. For years, he said, his family had followed reports about Jabrayil on the internet. They knew the destruction was terrible, but Sharifov's late mother retained a desperate hope that their house had been spared and held on to the keys.

"I will build an even better house,” he vowed. Ulviya Jumayeva, 50, can go back to better, though not ideal circumstances in her native Shusha, a city that Azerbaijani forces took in the key offensive of the six-week war.

Her younger brother, Nasimi, took part in the battle and phoned to tell her the apartment their family fled in 1992 was intact, though mostly stripped of the family's possessions. “According to him, it is clear that Armenians lived there after us, and then they took everything away. But our large mirror in the hallway, which we loved to look at as children, remains,” Jumayeva said, adding: “Maybe my grandchildren will look in this mirror.”

“We all have houses in Baku, but everyone considered them to be not permanent, because all these years we lived in the hope that we would return to Shusha," she said. "Our hearts, our thoughts have always been in our hometown.”

But she acknowledged that her feelings toward Armenians have become more bitter. “My school friends were mostly Armenian. I never treated ordinary Armenians badly, believing that their criminal leaders who unleashed the war were to blame for the massacre, war, and grief that they brought to their people as well," Jumayeva said.

”But after the current events, after the shelling of peaceful cities ... after the Armenians who are now leaving our territories, which are even outside of Karabakh, burn down the houses of Azerbaijanis in which they lived illegally ... something fractured in me. I changed my attitude toward them," she said. “I understood that we, Azerbaijanis, will not be able to live peacefully next to the Armenians.”

While Sharifov has less to go back to, he has a more moderate view, saying the two ethnic groups with different religious traditions still have the potential to live together amicably. “If the Armenians observe the laws of Azerbaijan, and do not behave like bearded men who came to kill, then we will live in peace," he said. “The time to shoot is over. Enough casualties. We want peace, we do not want war.”

Associated Press writers Aida Sultanova in London and Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this story.

France: Bill on publishing police images sparks protests

November 21, 2020

PARIS (AP) — Thousands of people took to the streets in Paris and other French cities Saturday at the urging of civil liberties campaigners and journalist groups to protest a proposed security law they say would impinge on freedom of information and media rights.

Pending legislation in France's parliament would create a new criminal offense for publishing images of police officers with intent to cause them harm. Offenders would face a maximum penalty of up to one year in prison and a 45,000-euro ($53,000) fine.

The government says the proposal is intended to protect police officers from online calls for violence. Critics fear that, if enacted, the measure would endanger journalists and other observers who take videos of officers at work, especially during violent demonstrations.

In Paris, several thousand demonstrators gathered on the Trocadero square near the Eiffel Tower, chanting “Freedom, freedom” and “Everyone wants to film the police." Police used water cannons to disperse the crowd as minor scuffles broke out at the end of the demonstration. Paris police said 23 people were detained and an officer was slightly injured.

Reporters without Borders, Amnesty International France, the Human Rights League, journalists’ unions and other groups encouraged people to attend the protest. The crowd included many journalists and students.

“We are not here to defend a privilege of our profession, press freedom and journalists' freedom," Edwy Plenel, co-founder and editor of investigative website Mediapart, said. "We are here to defend fundamental rights, the rights of all people.”

Some members of the anti-government yellow vest movement also joined the demonstration. The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and France’s human rights ombudsman have also voiced concerns that the new provision could undermine fundamental rights.

In response to the criticism, Prime Minister Jean Castex said Thursday that the measure would be amended to specify that it "won’t impede the freedom of information” and that it will focus only on images broadcast with “clear” intent to harm a police officer.

Emmanuel Poupard, secretary general of the National Journalists Union (SNJ), said Saturday that he thinks the new amendment “doesn’t change anything.” The police image law “has only one goal: to boost the sense of impunity of law enforcement officers and make invisible police brutality,” he said.

Protesters argue that recording officers in action is essential to being able to condemn and curb the actions of violent officers. They also worry how courts would determine whether images were posted with intent to harm.

In July, three French police officers were charged with manslaughter over the death of a delivery man, Cedric Chouviat, that bystanders caught on video. Chouviat's death had similarities with the killing of George Floyd in the U.S. state of Minneapolis, which sparked outrage around the world and a series of Black Lives Matter demonstrations in France.

The proposed law is championed by lawmakers from President Emmanuel Macron’s party, which has a majority in the National Assembly. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote Tuesday on the bill, which also includes other security measures. It will then go to the Senate.

Mortar shells hit Kabul residential areas; at least 8 dead

November 21, 2020

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — About 23 mortar shells slammed into different parts of the Afghan capital on Saturday, killing at least eight people and wounding 31 others, an official said. The shells were fired from two cars, Interior Ministry spokesperson Tariq Arian said. No one took immediate responsibility for the early morning attack that also targeted the posh Wazir Akbar Khan area of Kabul, which houses diplomatic missions.

At least one rocket landed in the Iranian Embassy compound. In a tweet, Iran's embassy in Kabul in confirmed that a rocket came down in the courtyard of the embassy compound and “a number of shrapnel” hit the embassy's main building, causing some damage to windows and equipment, without specifying the equipment.

“Fortunately the incident has no casualty and all the staff are in good health,” said the tweet. The Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan claimed the rocket barrage, according to SITE Intelligence Group. The IS group has carried out similar attacks in the past and claimed responsibility for recent assaults in Kabul including two devastating attacks on educational institutions that killed more than 50 people, many of them students.

As well as insurgent groups, there are several heavily armed warlords with militias living in Kabul with long-standing animosities against each other. Pakistan, whose Prime Minister Imran Khan visited on Tuesday Kabul for the first time since he came to office, condemned the attack and warned “it is important to be vigilant against the spoilers who are working to undermine the peace efforts.” He did not identify “the spoilers.”

The mortar barrage comes as representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban continued to hold talks in Qatar, though progress has been slow. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Doha on Saturday to press for a reduction in violence in his meetings with both the Taliban and government negotiating teams. The Taliban have mostly ignored such previous requests.

Pompeo told members of the government's team, at the outset of their meeting, that America will “sit on the side and help where we can" in the peace negotiations. Pompeo also met with the Taliban’s co-founder, Mulllah Abdul Ghani Baradar.

There are many within the Afghan government who want February's U.S.-Taliban peace deal scrapped. President-elect Joe Biden has previously advocated a small, intelligence based force in Afghanistan to focus on counter-terrorism.

Meanwhile, Abdullah Abdullah, head of the government's High Council for Reconciliation, condemned the attack in a tweet calling it a “cowardly” act. The council oversees the government's negotiating team at the table with the Taliban in Doha.

Hours before the attack rattled Kabul, a bomb attached to a car killed one security personnel and wounded three others in an eastern neighborhood of the capital, said Kabul police spokesperson Ferdaws Faramarz.

Violence in Afghanistan has spiked in recent months with increasingly horrific attacks often claimed by the Islamic State group affiliate. The Taliban have also continued near daily assaults on beleaguered Afghan government forces.

There have been increasing calls for a cease-fire if peace talks are to continue. The Taliban have been steadfast in their refusal, demanding that any truce be part of the negotiations.

Gannon reported from Islamabad.