Day: June 12, 2023

The United States and Saudi Arabia have condemned the resumption of violence in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, where residents have reported air strikes and exchanges of artillery fire.

In a joint statement the two countries noted that the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces had controlled their forces during a 24-hour ceasefire, and it was deeply disappointing that fighting had resumed.

A pro-democracy neighbourhood group said shells had landed in people’s homes in the south of the capital following the expiry of the ceasefire.

One resident, who was awoken by the sound of fighting, said the one-day lull on Saturday was like a dream that had now vanished.

Source: BBC

Iran on Monday said it has continued indirect negotiations with the Unites States through the Sultanate of Oman over its nuclear deal and a possible prisoner swap. In recent days, the two capitals have denied media reports that they were close to reaching an interim deal to replace the 2015 accord. ‘We welcome the efforts of Omani officials and we exchanged messages with the other party through this mediator’ over the lifting of US sanctions, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said Monday. ‘We have never stopped the diplomatic processes,’ he added during his weekly press conference, emphasising that the talks ‘were not secret.’ Kanani on Monday said a prisoner exchange could be agreed ‘in the near future,’ provided that Washington exhibits ‘the same level of seriousness’ as Tehran.

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon

The Ministry of Water and Irrigation said the storage of Jordan’s dams was 129.674 million cubic meters (mcm) as of Monday morning. According to the ministry statement, the dams’ storage reached 46.19 percent of their total capacity of 280.750 mcm.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Jordan’s national karate team rode back on a triumphant wave from the World League Championship in Japan, clutching two glittering golds and a shimmering silver. Simultaneously, their taekwondo counterparts basked in the glow of a gold medal, a precious memento from their foray at the Grand Prix tournament in Rome. Individual sports such as karate, taekwondo, and boxing remain the fountainhead of Jordan’s sporting triumphs. These disciplines propel the nation to an elevated stature, as one of the leading lights in the global sporting arena. This illustrious chapter of Jordan’s sports history is penned by a distinguished cohort of athletes and coaches, bolstered by the robust support that these sports receive from the councils of sports federations. Faisal Abdallat, the Taekwondo Federation secretary and media spokesperson, reiterates that the storied success of Taekwondo continues unabated. He points to the foreign ventures of the national Taekwondo teams as testaments to their unbroken streak of podium finishes. In an interview with the Jordan News Agency (Petra), Abdallat lauded the ingenuity of the athletes and coaches, and the unwavering support of the Taekwondo Federation, as the pillars of their success. Likewise, the Karate Federation Director, Mustafa Faouri, celebrates the soaring successes of Jordanian karate in the firmament of Arab, Asian, international, and Olympic championships. This was underscored by their recent coup in Japan, bagging two golds and a silver in the World League series. Faouri expressed a fervent desire for karate to remain a beacon of Jordanian achievements and affirmed the Federation’s commitment to fuel this search for greater glories. A noteworthy point is the propensity of individual sports to return laden with medals from major championships, a tradition steadfastly upheld by karate and taekwondo. Boxing, too, has demonstrated this tendency on numerous past occasions.

Source: Jordan News Agency