Jordan pools $131m in COVID-19 donation fund

Global accounting firm EY has been hired to audit the accounts. (File/AFP)
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Updated 30 May 2020
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Jordan pools $131m in COVID-19 donation fund

  • An official said the distribution of assistance “is being robustly monitored”
  • The fund continues to receive contributions at a Central Bank of Jordan account

DUBAI: Jordan’s national fund – Himmat Watan – has gathered a total of $131.1 million (93.5 million Jordanian Dinars) since its launch on March, the state news agency has reported.

The fund was established in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, and the contributions were distributed to several charity organizations.

Jamal Sarayrah, the deputy chairman of the committee assigned to oversee the fund, said the distribution of assistance “is being robustly monitored,” adding more than 250,000 households have already been given aid.

Global accounting firm EY has been hired to audit the accounts, Sarayrah said.

The fund continues to receive contributions at a Central Bank of Jordan account.


Iran missile barrage sparks explosions over Tel Aviv

Updated 9 sec ago
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Iran missile barrage sparks explosions over Tel Aviv

TEL AVIV: The latest Iranian missile barrage sparked a wave of explosions across Tel Aviv as firefighters worked to contain a blaze at a residential building near Israel’s commercial hub on Friday.
The blasts came after Israel expanded its campaign against Hezbollah, vowing retribution against the Tehran-backed militant group for joining the conflict following the killing on Saturday of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran’s state broadcaster said Tehran had fired missiles “against targets in the heart of Tel Aviv,” after Israel’s military said it was working to intercept incoming Iranian fire late Thursday.
AFP journalists in Tel Aviv heard two near-simultaneous waves of explosions reverberating across the city.
Rocket trails also lit up the sky in Netanya, a city north of Tel Aviv on Israel’s Mediterranean coast.
After the barrage, Israel’s emergency services, the Magen David Adom (MDA), said its teams had visited several reported impact sites but that there were no casualties.
Israeli police said it was “currently handling scenes involving fallen projectiles in central Israel,” adding that there was “damage” but no injuries.
A projectile hit a building on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, forcing residents to evacuate.
At another residential site near Israel’s economic hub, firefighters worked to put out a blaze caused by falling debris after an Iranian rocket fire was intercepted.
Israel’s Home Front Command issues several rocket fire warnings early Friday for communities near the Lebanon border.