AMMAN - The Jordanian Armed Forces – Arab Army (JAF) carried out on Sunday five airdrops into the North of the war-torn Gaza Strip. These airdrops were carried out in response to the humanitarian duty and as part of the ongoing efforts of Jordan to support the steadfastness of the Palestinians and alleviate the repercussions of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. The operation involved the participation of one aircraft from the Royal Jordanian Air Force, one from Egypt, two from the USA and one aircraft from Germany. JAF reiterated that it is sti ..read more

LOS ANGELES -- Anthony Edwards scored a play-off career-high 43 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves dominated defending champion Denver in the final minutes for a 106-99 victory in Saturday's NBA play-off series opener. Edwards made 17-of-29 shots from the floor, 3-of-7 from 3-point range, and all six free throws for his third career 40-point play-off game.   "My teammates trust me in every position in critical moments in the game. I try to come through for them," Edwards said after Minnesota took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference second round series, which continues o ..read more

EL AMRA, Tunisia — Hundreds of Tunisians rallied Saturday in the town of El Amra to protest makeshift camps for migrants primarily from sub-Saharan African countries, an AFP correspondent said. The demonstration in the small town in central Tunisia follows recent crackdowns by authorities on similar encampments in the capital Tunis and other areas, often after complaints from local residents. In El Amra, protesters called for the "departure" of migrants and the "quick" eviction of the thousands estimated to be staying there, the correspondent said. Lawmaker Tarek Mahdi said that the "immediat ..read more

LONDON — Britain's ruling Conservatives braced Saturday for further losses in local elections, their worst results in recent memory and a key test before a general election to be held by January. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's party lost nearly 500 councillors and control of 12 councils as well as a parliamentary seat, after voting Thursday across a swathe of England saw the Labour opposition make huge gains. The beleaguered Tory leader faces more likely defeats when results of crunch mayoral races — in London, Liverpool and Manchester — are announced Saturday, but is hoping to retain the West ..read more

KUMASI, Ghana — Ghana’s Asante King on Wednesday displayed for the first time dozens of royal artefacts looted during colonial rule, after they were returned by British museums on a long-term loan as part of his silver jubilee celebrations. The British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum earlier this year agreed to give back 32 gold and silver treasures pillaged by British military forces from Asante leader Asantehene’s court during the 19th-century Anglo-Asante Wars. They include the sword of the state known as Mpomponsuo and the gold badges of officials authorised to purify the king ..read more

SÃO SEBASTIÃO DO CAÍ, Brazil — The death toll from floods and mudslides triggered by torrential storms in southern Brazil climbed to 39 on Friday, officials said, as they warned of worse to come. As the rain kept beating down, rescuers in boats and planes searched for dozens of people reported missing among the ruins of collapsed homes, bridges and roads. Rising water levels in the state of Rio Grande do Sul was putting strain on dams and threatening the metropolis of Porto Alegre with “unprecedented” flooding, authorities warned. “Forget everything you’ve seen, it’s going to be much worse in ..read more

TOKYO — Japan hit back on Saturday at US President Joe Biden’s comments about the Asian ally being “xenophobic” like China and Russia, calling the characterisation “unfortunate” and misguided. Biden lumped together allies Japan and India with rivals China and Russia at a recent campaign event, arguing the four economic powers were struggling because of their unwillingness to accept immigrants. “Why is China stalling so badly economically? Why is Japan in trouble? Why is Russia in trouble? And India? Because they’re xenophobic. They don’t want immigrants,” the president said on Wednesday. “One ..read more

BEIRUT — EU chief Ursula von der Leyen recently announced $1 billion in aid to Lebanon to help tackle illegal migration, as rights groups warned against forced returns to Syria. The European Union has already agreed deals with Egypt, Tunisia, Mauritania and others aimed at helping stem flows of irregular migrants. "I can announce a financial package of $1 billion for Lebanon that would be available from this year until 2027," the European Commission chief said, adding that "we want to contribute to Lebanon's socio-economic stability". She said the aid was designed to strengthen basic services ..read more

AMMAN — The Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) on Saturday announced the arrest of 34 alleged drug dealers in dozens of illicit drug bust operations in various locations in the Kingdom over the past few days.   Two of the major busts occurred in Karak, according to Police Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi. “Our special forces raided a house of a wanted and dangerous suspect in Karak,” Sartawi told The Jordan Times. Law-enforcement officers found 30,000 Captagon pills, eight staches of Hashish and some firearms,” the police official added. In addition, the police officer said that one ..read more

AMMAN — The professor of Pantheon-Sorbonne, Francois Villeneuve, has worked for decades in the region and some of his project included the Nabataean sites in Saudi Arabia, at Medina Saleh, as well as the Nabataean, Roman and Byzantine sites of Jordan. One of those sites is located in Dharih, on the Kings Highway, where Villeneuve excavated a Nabataean sanctuary with a team of scholars. "In the baren landscape of Edom, Khirbet Tannur is a well-known archaeological site," noted Villeneuve last week at the lecture jointly organised by the French institute Ifpo and ICOMOS Jordan, at Bait Yaish, i ..read more