Jordan

Jordanians protest attempts by Jews to enter Islamic shrine

Jordanians protest attempts by Jews to enter Islamic shrineAmman - Hundreds of Jordanians staged a sit-in Thursday to protest what they called attempts by extremist Jews to storm Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest shrine.

The protest was organized by the Islamic Action Front, Jordan's largest political party and an arm of the influential Muslim Brotherhood movement.

Participants raised placards and chanted slogans urging the government to sever diplomatic ties with Israel and to close down the Israeli embassy in Amman.

Jordan jails three alleged Hamas activists on spying charges

Jordan jails three alleged Hamas activists on spying chargesAmman - Jordan's State Security Court Wednesday decided to jail three alleged Hamas activists for five years with hard labour after finding them guilty of espionage activities, judicial sources said.

The three defendants - Thabet Abul Haj, Salim al-Housani and Azzam Jaber - were found guilty of trying to obtain "information that should remain confidential" as well as possession of unlicensed automatic weapons, the source said.

Jordan's king leaves Amman for an official visit to Japan

Jordan's King Abdullah II Amman - Jordan's King Abdullah II left for Japan on Sunday for a working visit that was due to last for several days, the royal court announced. The monarch would meet with Japanese Emperor Akihito and have talks with Prime Minister Taro Aso on the latest developments in the Middle East and efforts to re-launch peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

The discussions were also expected to focus on means of boosting bilateral economic and trade ties. Abdullah was also scheduled to meet in Tokyo with prominent politicians, parliamentarians and private sector leaders.

Arab foreign ministers discuss Mideast peace process

 Arab foreign ministers discuss Mideast peace processAmman- Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa and six Arab foreign ministers met in Amman on Saturday to appraise the Middle East peace process following the coming to power of a new right-wing government in Israel. The meeting came at the invitation of the Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh to coordinate Arab attitudes on the peace negotiations with Israel ahead of a visit to Washington by King Abdullah II, the date of which has not been set so far, sources close to the meeting said.

Arab bourses rally, buoyed by speculation on small caps

Arab bourses rally, buoyed by speculation on small capsAmman - Arab stock markets extended gains this week, mainly propelled by speculation on small caps by investors who seemed to adopt hit-and-run strategies pending breakthroughs in the world's fight against recession, financial investors said Friday. "Regional markets were led this week by speculators who focused on small caps in the search for speedy profits to the exclusion of long-term blue chip commitments," an Amman-based portfolio manager told German Press Agency dpa.

Arab foreign ministers to meet in Amman Saturday on peace process

Arab foreign ministers to meet in Amman Saturday on peace process Amman - Seven Arab foreign ministers and the Arab League Secretary General Amr Musa are to meet in Amman on Saturday to discuss the future Arab strategy for peace negotiations with Israel, officials said Friday. The meeting has added significance as it falls just ahead of a planned trip to Washington by Jordan's King Abdullah II, who is expected to relay the Arab vision on the peace process with Israel to the US President Barack Obama.

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