Jordan's King Abdullah has told US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin that a surge in violence in the occupied West Bank threatens regional stability.
“There is a need for calm and to reduce escalation in Palestinian territories and stop any unilateral steps that undermine stability and abort chances of attaining peace,” the palace in Amman said, following talks between King Abdullah and Mr Austin on Sunday.
“His Majesty reaffirmed the importance of establishing an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian state on the 4 June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” the palace said.
Mr Austin arrived in Jordan on Sunday on the first leg of a Middle East tour that will also take him to Israel and Egypt to show support for Washington's main regional allies amid the growing threat posed by Iran, US officials said.
The Defence Secretary wrote on Twitter before his departure that he would meet key leaders and “reaffirm the US commitment to regional stability and advancing the shared interests of our allies and partners”.
King Abdullah, whose country hosted the first Israeli-Palestinian meeting in Aqaba last week with the participation of top US and Egyptian officials, said efforts must be hastened to bring about a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace deal based on a two-state solution.
In Israel, Mr Austin will also raise concerns about the violence in the West Bank that has alarmed Jordan and Arab leaders and discuss diplomatic efforts to reduce tension before the start of Muslim and Jewish religious holidays, US officials said.
The US Defence Department said ahead of the visit that discussions would also focus on advancing multilateral security co-operation, particularly in the area of integrated air and missile defences.
Central to discussion will be the “full constellation of Iran-associated threats”, a senior defence official was quoted as saying on the Pentagon's official site before the start of Mr Austin's visit.
“Those threats include Iran's arming, training and funding of violent proxy groups, aggression at sea, cyber threats, its ballistic missile programme and drone attacks,” the official said.
The king also discussed with Mr Austin Jordan's concerns over the growing entrenchment of Iranian-backed militias in southern Syria.
The militias have increased drug-smuggling operations through the country's borders, with the narcotics destined for markets in the Gulf, a Jordanian official told Reuters.
Amman wants more US military aid to bolster security on the border, where Washington has — since the more than decade-long conflict began — given about $1 billion to establish border posts, Jordanian officials say.
Jordan's border with Syria is about 375km long.
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The years Ramadan fell in May
The biog
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Top financial tips for graduates
Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:
1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.
2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.
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