Category: General

Amman: Minister of Public Works and Housing Maher Abu Saman and Minister of Transport Wissam Tahatmouni supervised on Sunday the final preparations for the trial operation of the Amman-Zarqa Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, scheduled to commence by month-end.

Inspecting the project sites, both ministers were updated on its progress across four packages and the completion of furnishings and finishing touches for passenger stations.

Funded by the Social Security Investment Fund, the project involved four separate tenders, encompassing bus and road routes, alongside a dedicated package for station construction and finishing works.

Infrastructure enhancements comprised road widening, bridge and tunnel construction, intersection upgrades, pedestrian bridges, retaining walls, drainage systems, lighting, and traffic safety measures, alongside the establishment of five passenger stations.

Designed to provide swift and secure transit, the project relies on high-capacity buses operating on designated lanes, ensurin
g frequent services at speeds of up to 80 km/h.

Emphasizing the project’s significance, Abu Saman stressed the government’s commitment to its timely operation, citing its role in enhancing public transportation and alleviating traffic congestion in Amman.

Abu Saman noted the completion of main roadworks last year and ongoing efforts to finalize passenger stations, poised to serve commuters upon project launch.

Tahatmouni commended project teams for their diligence, underscoring the route’s importance in improving transit between the capital and Zarqa.

She expressed the Ministry of Transport’s eagerness to promote high-speed bus services to address Jordan’s transportation challenges and elevate citizen services.

Source: Jordan News Agency

SHARJAH: Expo Centre Sharjah (ECS) is set to host the second edition of the “UAE Schools and Nursery’ Show.

Organised with the support of Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA), the event, which is set to run from 19th to 21st April, boasts extensive participation of key players in the UAE education sector, including major educational institutions, schools, and nurseries.

The event, which came under the International Education Show, provides an indispensable opportunity for parents to explore and learn about the best private schools and educational centres in the country. It also offers valuable insights into emerging trends shaping the future of the education industry, showcasing exemplary learning methodologies, curricula, and comprehensive educational practices.

Furthermore, attendees can engage with representatives of educational institutions, language institutes and education services providers to explore their advanced educational curricula and
training programmes, so they can opt for what best suits their children.

The event serves as a prime platform for showcasing a plethora of state-of-the-art educational and training programmes, most notable of which are the after-school programmes, services of disabled children centres, child development initiatives, and extracurricular activities.

These activities are all intended to enable parents to get introduced to the best educational choices for their children, while fostering knowledge exchange, leveraging experiences, and capitalizing on the expertise and services offered by participating education and training specialists.

Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, CEO of Expo Centre Sharjah, emphasised that the Centre seeks this year to deliver an exceptional edition of the “UAE Schools and Nursery’ Show that could amplify its success and potential. The 2nd edition will also add to the event’s contribution to fostering an environment that stimulates educational development and keeps pace with contemporary scientifi
c trends.

Highlighting the event’s growing significance, Al Midfa noted that the “UAE Schools and Nursery’ exhibition is witnessing wide participation of prominent private schools, nurseries, and educational centres.

He added that the exhibition serves as a crucial platform for participants to promote their educational and training programmes to a broad audience. Moreover, it facilitates knowledge exchange and exploration of the latest methodologies, trends, and practices in the education sector.

The exhibition, which will be opening its doors to visitors daily from 15:00 to 21:00, will host a series of workshops and awareness seminars. Led by esteemed education professionals and experts, along with school principals and teachers, these sessions will delve into the modern standards of education and its innovative systems and processes.

The symposiums will also explore the importance of integrating e-learning tools into curriculum development, in addition to drawing up strategies for talent cultivation.

Source: Emirates News Agency

ABU DHABI: The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) has issued a weather advisory detailing at-intervals-fluctuations in weather patterns across the country over the coming days.

From Sunday until Monday morning, a surface low pressure system is expected to linger to the south, mitigating instability somewhat. However, intermittent rainfall is anticipated, particularly in coastal and southern regions.

As Monday progresses into Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, both surface and upper air low pressures are forecasted to deepen, heightening instability nationwide. This surge in instability will be fuelled by increased humidity from the Arabian Sea. Widespread convective cloud formation is expected, leading to variable-intensity rainfall accompanied by lightning, thunder, and the potential for hail in localised areas. These conditions may result in flooding and strong winds, impacting horizontal visibility.

By Wednesday morning through to the evening, rainfall is projected to concentrate primarily in
the northern and eastern regions before tapering off gradually into Wednesday night.

Source: Emirates News Agency

SHARJAH: The Real Estate Registration Department in Sharjah has announced the provision of the service of ownership and usufruct deeds of various types in the digital wallet of the UAE Digital Identity (UAE Pass) app, making it the first government department in the emirate to provide this service.

This comes within the framework of its commitment to providing the best services to customers, and in an implementation of the UAE government’s vision for digital transformation and enhancing customer experience,

The Department’s customers can now download ownership and private benefit deeds (ownership deed, joint ownership deed, usufruct deed, or joint usufruct deed) through the digital ID smart application on mobile phones.

In this context, Abdul Aziz Ahmed Al-Shamsi, Director-General of Sharjah Real Estate Registration Department, said, ‘The Department is keen to provide an easy and smooth experience for customers while they use our services. We want them to complete their transactions efficiently, quickly, a
nd effectively, which supports the strategic directions of the Department by providing all the services in accordance with the best global practices.”

Al-Shamsi added, ‘This pioneering step comes within the directives of Sharjah’s Executive Council for digital transformation, and in line with the objectives of ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision, which aims to translate the future visions of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, into a tangible reality. All institutions operating in the country are working on it, leading to the UAE Centennial 2071.”

Source: Emirates News Agency

The Israeli army announced that the Iranian drones are targeting the Golan Heights and the Negev Desert.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

Syrian media reported, today, Sunday, that an Israeli bombing targeted Damascus International Airport.

They explained that the air defenses are confronting the missiles and drones that continue until now

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The Ministry of Transport announced that Iraqi Airlines will resume its flights today, Sunday.

The Ministry said in a statement: ‘Iraqi Airways will resume its direct flights today, Sunday, after the Iraqi airspace is reopened to all arriving and departing planes and to those crossing the country’s airspace by the Civil Aviation Authority.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

Gaza – Together – Five citizens, including a woman, were martyred, and 23 others were injured, today, Sunday, as a result of occupation artillery targeting displaced people on Al-Rashid Street while they were trying to return to the northern Gaza Strip.

Local sources said that the occupation forces stationed near Al-Rashid Street fired artillery shells, fire, and poison gas bombs at the displaced people while they were trying to return to Gaza City, which led to the death of five of them and the injury of at least 23.

She added that hundreds of citizens are trying to return to northern Gaza via the Wadi Gaza Bridge on Al-Rashid Street.

Some social media pages had reported that the Israeli occupation forces had allowed the displaced to return to the northern Gaza Strip under conditions, but they were surprised when the occupation opened fire on them and targeted them with artillery shells on Al-Rashid Street on their way back to the north.

In an infinite toll, the number of martyrs since the start of the I
sraeli aggression on the Gaza Strip on October 7 last year reached 33,729 martyrs, in addition to 76,371 wounded, while thousands of victims remain under the rubble.

Source: Maan News Agency

Hebron – Together – The coordinator of the Popular and National Committees to Resist the Wall and Settlements in South Hebron, Ratib Al-Jabour, said that settlers set up residential tents near citizens’ homes in the Umm Tuba area in Musafer Yatta.

Al-Jabour added that this indicates the settlers’ intention to make the lives of citizens miserable and seize their lands, in preparation for expanding settlements in the region.

Al-Jabour said: ‘Today, settlers stole the water of the citizen Ibrahim Ali Awad from his well, and the settlers are treating everything in the area as their property, and we as Palestinians have no right to be on our lands and benefit from our property.’

Source: Maan News Agency

Amman: Head of Audit Bureau of Jordan, Dr. Radhi Hamadin, on Sunday met with a delegation from the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI).

During the meeting, Hamadin said the bureau audits 300 national entities subject to its supervision, including companies in which the government owns 50% of the shares or more, with total budgets estimated at JD13 billion.

Hamadin also said cooperation with other institutions concerned with oversight is carried out according to the “highest” levels to spare effort and time aimed to enhance accountability, which would increase citizens’ confidence in state institutions.

For his part, the UNICRI delegation head, James Shaw, said Jordan is one of the “pioneering” countries in the Middle East region, indicating that the meeting comes within framework of looking into possibility of launching joint cooperation to reduce organized crime, especially in financial areas.

Shaw expressed the UNICRI’s readiness to provide technical support to the
Jordanian bureau through official channels and learn about the best international practices, especially in combating financial crimes under the partnership project funded by the European Union with multiple Jordanian institutions.

The UN official said the bureau has “long accumulated” experience in reducing corruption cases, especially since it is directly linked to the Jordanian Parliament.

Additionally, he noted UNICRI’s readiness to provide technical support to the bureau in reducing tax evasion as well as providing expertise in forensic financial auditing by recruiting experts from other countries with a “long” history to transfer expertise to the Jordanian oversight agency.

Source: Jordan News Agency