Amman - The reshuffled Jordanian government said Wednesday it was embarking on a new era of "openness" with the Islamic-led opposition in order to speed up political reforms, including the enactment of a new election law.

"Upon instructions from King Abdullah II, the government will be staging a new epoch of openness with all political parties and civilian society organizations in the run-up for the enactment of laws that boost democracy and reforms," newly-appointed Minister of Political Development Mussa Maaita said.

Amman - European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pottering said Tuesday that the European Union was after the role of a "fair and objective partner" in world efforts, aimed at setting up a vital Palestinian state to live in peace with Israel.

In an interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa, Pottering made it clear THAT the EU would not deal with Hamas until the Islamist militant movement, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since June 2007, changes its policies and becomes part of a Palestinian "consensus government."

Amman - The United States on Tuesday extended a grant of 100 million dollars to Jordan under four aid agreements, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Suhair al-Ali said.

The accords were signed by al-Ali and the US Ambassador in Amman Stephen Beecroft, who praised Jordan's pivotal role in shoring up stability in the Middle East.

He also renewed the commitment of the US administration of President Barack Obama to extend more financial and technical aid to Jordan in all spheres.

Amman - The United States on Tuesday extended a grant of 100 million dollars to Jordan under four aid agreements, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Suhair al-Ali said.

The accords were signed by al-Ali and the US Ambassador in Amman Stephen Beecroft, who praised Jordan's pivotal role in shoring up stability in the Middle East.

He also renewed the commitment of the US administration of President Barack Obama to extend more financial and technical aid to Jordan in all spheres.

Amman  - The Jordanian government on Monday inked a memorandum of understanding with the British-Australian Rio Tinto group for the exploration and mining of uranium and other nuclear ores in the country, according to an official statement.

The document seeks to formulate the general terms for defining the areas were uranium and other nuclear metals can be found in the run- up for the signing of exploration and mining agreements with the conglomerate, the statement said.

It is the latest in a series of agreements that Jordan has entered into with world nuclear powers in its bid to develop a nuclear system for peaceful purposes.

Amman- Jordan's King Abdullah II on Monday issued a decree approving a major reshuffle of Prime Minister Nader Dahabi's cabinet which was formed 15 months ago, according to a royal court statement.

The cabinet change was designed to ensure the ministerial group had more coherence and enable it to cope with new economic and political challenges that emerged recently as a result of the global financial crisis and the election of what is widely perceived in the Arab world as an extremist right-wing government in Israel, the statement said.