Ministry of Public Works Launches Project to Improve Traffic Flow and Safety on the Amman–Salt Road - Jordan News
It is worth noting that the Amman–Salt road is one of the Kingdom's vital transport corridors, and this initiative is part of a series of projects to develop the main road network.
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Taliban hails Russia's 'brave decision' of recognizing Afghanistan rule
Afghanistan's government said on Thursday that Russia had become the first country to officially recognise its rule, calling it a "brave decision". The Taliban swept back to power in 2021 after ousting the foreign-backed government. They have keenly sought official international recognition and investment, as the country recovers from four decades of war, including the Soviet invasion from 1979 to 1989. The announcement was made after Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met with Russia's ambassador to Afghanistan, Dmitry Zhirnov, in Kabul on Thursday. "This brave decision will be an example for others... Now that the process of recognition has started, Russia was ahead of everyone," Muttaqi said in a video of the meeting on X. "Russia is the first country which has officially recognised the Islamic Emirate," Taliban foreign ministry spokesman Zia Ahmad Takal told AFP, using the government's name for their administration. Muttaqi said it was "a new phase of positive relations, mutual respect, and constructive engagement", the foreign ministry posted on X. Russia's foreign ministry added on Telegram: "We believe that the act of official recognition of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will boost the development of productive bilateral cooperation between our countries in several areas." It highlighted potential "commercial and economic" cooperation in "energy, transportation, agriculture and infrastructure". The ministry said that Moscow hoped to continue helping Kabul "reinforce regional security and fight against the threats of terrorism and drug-trafficking". Russia has taken recent steps to normalise relations with the Taliban authorities, removing them from a list of "terrorist organisations" in April and accepting a Taliban ambassador in Moscow. In July 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Taliban "allies in the fight against terrorism". Russia was the first country to open a business representative office in Kabul after the Taliban takeover, and has announced plans to use Afghanistan as a transit hub for gas heading to Southeast Asia. 'Allies' Only Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates recognised the Taliban during their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001. This time, multiple other states, including China and Pakistan, have accepted Taliban ambassadors in their capitals, but have not officially recognised the Islamic Emirate since the end of the then-insurgency's two-decade war with US-led NATO troops. There has been limited but growing engagement with the Taliban authorities, particularly from regional neighbours, but also major global players China and Russia. China on Friday said it welcomed Russia's decision. "As a traditional friendly neighbour of Afghanistan, the Chinese side has always believed that Afghanistan should not be excluded from the international community," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said. However, restrictions on women and girls, barring them from education and squeezing them from public life, have been key sticking points for Western nations. Multiple Afghan women activists were quick to condemn Russia's recognition. The move "legitimizes a regime that bans girls from education, enforces public floggings, and shelters UN-sanctioned terrorists", said Mariam Solaimankhil, former member of Afghanistan's parliament. "The move signals that strategic interests will always outweigh human rights and international law." Senior Taliban figures remain under international sanctions, including by the United Nations. Another former MP in Kabul, Fawzia Koofi, said any recognition of the Taliban "will not bring peace it will legitimize impunity" and "risk endangering not just the people of Afghanistan, but global security".
Roya News
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Russia becomes first country to recognize Taliban government
Russia has officially accepted the credentials of Afghanistan's newly appointed ambassador from the Taliban-led government, making it the first nation to formally recognize the administration that took control of Kabul in August 2021. The announcement was made on Thursday by the Russian Foreign Ministry, marking a major diplomatic shift and a significant win for the Taliban as it seeks to emerge from years of international isolation. "We believe that the act of official recognition of the government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will give impetus to the development of productive bilateral cooperation between our countries in various fields," the ministry stated, adding that Moscow sees strong potential for collaboration in security, counter-terrorism, and combating drug trafficking. Russian officials also pointed to opportunities in trade, energy, agriculture, infrastructure, and transportation sectors. 'We value this courageous step taken by Russia, and, God willing, it will serve as an example for others as well,' said Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in response to the move. No other country has formally recognized the Taliban government to date, though several nations, including China, Pakistan, the UAE, and Uzbekistan, have appointed ambassadors to Kabul in recent years. The recognition by Russia is expected to be closely watched by the international community, particularly Washington, which has imposed sanctions on Taliban leaders and frozen Afghan central bank assets. Moscow's relations with the Taliban have grown steadily in recent years. In 2003, Russia officially designated the group as a terrorist organization, but that designation was reversed earlier this year. President Vladimir Putin even referred to the Taliban as a partner in fighting terrorism in 2023. Since 2022, Afghanistan has been importing fuel, wheat, and other commodities from Russia, and both governments have emphasized a shared interest in addressing regional security concerns. The Afghan affiliate of Daesh was blamed by US officials for the March 2024 attack near Moscow that killed 149 people. Despite this step toward normalization, human rights concerns continue to shadow the Taliban's international standing. The group has faced widespread criticism for its policies restricting women's rights, including barring girls from secondary schools and universities and limiting women's freedom of movement. Russia's recognition comes despite a fraught history between the two nations. The Soviet Union's 1979 invasion of Afghanistan triggered a decade-long war that left 15,000 Soviet troops dead and played a role in the USSR's eventual collapse. With Moscow now signaling a willingness to move beyond that past, Afghanistan under Taliban rule may find itself with a powerful new ally, but at the cost of further deepening global divisions over how to deal with the regime in Kabul.
Jordan News
18-06-2025
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Public Works: Central and Local Road Projects in Balqa Exceed 10 Million Jordanian Dinars - Jordan News
The Ministry of Public Works and Housing, represented by the Directorate of Public Works in Balqa Governorate, continues to implement a wide range of central and decentralized projects across the governorate's districts, with a total cost estimated at over 10 million Jordanian dinars. These projects include maintenance of main roads, construction of service and agricultural roads, as well as public safety and technical services, all within the allocations of the 2025 budget. اضافة اعلان According to the ministry's media spokesperson, Omar Muharameh, the leading projects include maintenance works on the Salt – Wadi Shueib and Mahes – Wadi Shueib roads, costing approximately 3.7 million dinars. These are part of a central tender executed by the Ministry's Roads Directorate aimed at improving infrastructure quality and enhancing safety on these vital corridors. Additional technical and executive updates during implementation have amounted to 810,000 dinars. Regarding traffic infrastructure improvements, Muharameh told the Jordan News Agency (Petra) that the ministry is executing a new service road along the Amman – Salt road extending to the Dabbabneh tunnel in both directions, costing 484,000 dinars. This aims to improve traffic flow and reduce pressure on the main road. He also pointed out that the ministry is working on a project to widen the access road and build new buildings and yards for cargo and passengers at the King Hussein Bridge, with a budget of 3.5 million dinars, in addition to illuminating Mada'i road at a cost of half a million dinars. The Balqa Public Works Directorate is also monitoring the implementation of decentralized budget projects exceeding 600,000 dinars, which include road maintenance, construction of agricultural roads, and service works in various areas of the governorate. In the maintenance sector, work is underway rehabilitating the road from Sakneh traffic signal to Karama in the Shouna Al-Janoubi district, with a cost exceeding 59,000 dinars. Another major maintenance project covers the road from the Jordan University Farm to Al-Wadi Al-Abyad in Deir Alla district, costing 222,000 dinars. Both projects involve milling the old asphalt layer, surface leveling, and re-paving. In terms of road safety, the directorate is implementing a project costing 30,000 dinars that includes installing concrete speed bumps and traffic management elements within Salt city center. The directorate has also launched a general maintenance services project in Salt city center for 10 months, costing about 70,000 dinars, to provide labor and machinery for daily maintenance works. Supporting the agricultural sector, the directorate is implementing a series of agricultural road projects in the areas of Rmimen, Soumya, Ayra, Allan, and Umm Al-Omad, with a total cost approaching 220,000 dinars. These projects aim to pave agricultural roads with a final asphalt layer, improving farmers' mobility and ease of access to their lands. Recently, the ministry announced the tender for a project to improve traffic movement and raise public safety standards on the Amman-Salt road, extending from Al-Awaisah complex to the start of the Dabbabneh tunnel over approximately 6 kilometers. The work includes creating side islands to organize entry and exit for commercial complexes without disrupting main traffic flow, with a budget close to half a million dinars. These efforts are part of the ministry's comprehensive plan to develop infrastructure across governorates, implementing royal directives calling for improved services and balanced development in various parts of the Kingdom. Muharameh affirmed the ministry's keenness to complete the governorate council projects before the end of the fiscal year, noting that the ministry has worked according to a plan supervised by the Minister of Public Works and Housing, Engineer Maher Abu Al-Samen, to ensure project preparation, approval, and tender documentation were ready before the new year, allowing tenders to be launched within the first month.
