Day: May 5, 2025

Shoubak: Search and rescue teams operating in the Southern Region have recovered the bodies of a Belgian woman and her son who went missing following flash floods in the Shoubak District on Sunday.

According to Jordan News Agency, a spokesperson for the Public Security Directorate stated that the specialized teams, comprising personnel from Civil Defense, local police directorates, and the Gendarmerie Forces, conducted extensive search operations under challenging weather conditions and difficult terrain. Their efforts extended over many hours before the two victims were found deceased.

The bodies were evacuated from the area, and an official investigation into the incident has been launched to determine the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.

Amman: Jordan and Bangladesh have agreed to strengthen cooperation on labor issues, with a particular focus on the rights and protections of Bangladeshi workers in the Kingdom, according to a statement by the Ministry of Labor on Monday.

According to Jordan News Agency, the agreement came during a meeting in Riyadh between Minister of Labor, Khaled Al-Bakkar, and Bangladesh’s Minister of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Asif Nazrul. The two officials held talks on the sidelines of the 7th International Conference on Occupational Safety and Health, currently taking place in the Saudi capital.

The discussions centered on improving legal awareness among Bangladeshi workers in Jordan, with an emphasis on educating them about their rights and responsibilities under Jordanian labor law. Both sides agreed on the importance of the Bangladeshi embassy in Amman taking an active role in outreach and guidance efforts.

In a bid to enhance workplace safety, the ministers also discussed launching training and awareness programs in Bengali to explain occupational safety and health regulations in Jordan. These efforts aim to ensure that workers are informed and protected in line with national labor standards.

The talks also covered the handling of labor complaints. The two sides explored mechanisms for tracking and resolving grievances through diplomatic and consular channels, with the goal of improving transparency and response times.

Additionally, the ministers examined prospects for recruiting skilled labor, particularly in the agricultural sector. The idea is to match the needs of Jordan’s labor market with workers who possess specialized capabilities, thereby improving productivity and filling labor gaps.

Amman: The Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO) continues its daily efforts to provide food assistance to affected families in Gaza, as the food security crisis in the Strip grows increasingly severe. These efforts persist despite challenging field conditions and deteriorating circumstances on the ground.

According to Jordan News Agency, in a statement issued Monday, JHCO Secretary General Hussein Al-Shibli said the organization’s efforts, carried out in cooperation with its local partners inside Gaza, are part of a humanitarian response aimed at alleviating civilian suffering and supporting their resilience.

Erbil: A Jordanian government delegation has begun an official visit to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation in higher education and tourism, according to a statement issued Monday by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

According to Jordan News Agency, the visit, organized in coordination with the Jordanian Consulate General in Erbil, includes representatives from both the Ministry and the Jordan Tourism Board. The delegation is led by Muhannad Al-Khatib, Director of the Unified Admission Coordination Unit and Media Advisor to the Minister of Higher Education, alongside Khaled Al-Kilani, the Tourism Board’s representative in Iraq.

Over the course of the visit, the delegation is expected to meet with senior officials from the Kurdish Ministries of Education and Higher Education and Scientific Research. The agenda includes visits to local schools as part of an effort to promote Jordanian universities to prospective students in the region.

On the first day of the mission, the delegation met with Kurdistan’s Minister of Education, Alan Hama Saeed Saleh. The meeting, which was attended by Jordan’s Consul General in Erbil, Fuad Al-Majali, was followed by technical discussions with officials responsible for credential recognition and scholarship programs in the region.

During the meetings, Al-Khatib presented Jordan’s electronic unified admission system, which enables international students to apply to Jordanian universities directly from their home countries without the need for intermediaries. He emphasized ongoing efforts to streamline application procedures and attract more students from the Kurdistan Region.

The discussions also focused on signing an executive program for cooperation in higher education and scientific research, with proposals for student and faculty exchanges, as well as mechanisms for sending Kurdish scholarship students to study in Jordan.

The visit comes in the wake of a formal decision by the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Higher Education to recognize all accredited Jordanian public and private universities. The decision followed the region’s participation in the Jordan-Kurdistan Higher Education Forum, held in Erbil in May 2024.

The forum resulted in multiple cooperation agreements between universities in Jordan and their counterparts in Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Duhok, highlighting the growing momentum in academic collaboration between the two sides. The current visit is seen as a continuation of those efforts to solidify institutional ties and expand academic mobility.

Riyadh: Minister of Labor, Khaled Al-Bakkar, held talks with Ruba Jaradat, the International Labour Organization’s Regional Director for Arab States, to explore expanded cooperation in promoting decent work, enhancing labor inspection systems, and building institutional capacity. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 7th International Conference on Occupational Safety and Health in Riyadh, and focused on strengthening Jordan’s labor framework in line with international standards.

According to Jordan News Agency, discussions highlighted the importance of adopting modern labor inspection mechanisms to ensure workplace compliance and improve working conditions. Both sides also emphasized the need for continued efforts to develop the skills and capabilities of Ministry personnel, particularly through knowledge sharing and exposure to global best practices.

Al-Bakkar underscored the value of Jordan’s partnership with the ILO, citing the organization’s role in supporting labor reforms and sharing successful models from across the region. He also stressed Jordan’s commitment to fostering a safe and fair labor environment.

Jaradat praised Jordan’s ongoing efforts to modernize its labor sector and expand social protection measures. She reiterated the ILO’s readiness to continue supporting Jordan’s initiatives aimed at improving labor standards and fostering decent work opportunities.