Jordanian PM resigns
Amman: Jordan’s King Abdullah has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Omar Razzazs Cabinet, but asked him to continue as a caretaker premier until a successor was named following the November 10 general elections, according to a Royal Court statement. Replying to Razzaz’s resignation, the monarch in a letter on Saturday thanked the outgoing premier and his ministerial team for “undertaking your duties and diligently assuming your responsibilities throughout your tenure, especially during the extraordinary circumstances imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic”, a website reported. (IANS)
Egypt welcomes Sudan peace deal
Cairo:Egypt has welcomed a peace deal signed between Sudan’s transitional government and rebel groups, said Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, adding that the move reflected “the rational African will” and ushered in a new era of hope and prosperity. On Saturday, an Egyptian delegation, headed by Madbouly, witnessed the signing of the deal in the Sudanese city of Juba which will end the decades-long regional conflicts, the Al Ahram online newspaper reported. (IANS)
US wildfires still out-of-control
San Francisco: Firefighters were continuing to battle two out-of-control wildfires raging in California, which have scorched almost 120,000 acres of land. In its latest update on Saturday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said that the Glass Fire, located in the Napa and Sonoma wine counties, has so far burned 62,360 acres of land and was only 10 per cent contained The massive blaze, that erupted on September 27, has also destroyed at least 826 structures and was now threatening another 28,835. (IANS)
Pilgrims return to Mecca
Riyadh: A very small, limited number of people donning the white terrycloth garment symbolic of the Muslim pilgrimage circled Islam’s holiest site in Mecca on Sunday after Saudi Arabia lifted coronavirus restrictions that had been in place for months. The kingdom had taken the rare step of suspending the smaller “umrah” pilgrimage that draws millions year-round from across the world in early March as the coronavirus morphed into a global pandemic and prompted countries to impose lockdowns and curfews to slow down transmission. (PTI)
