Jordan's king inaugurates newly elected parliamentFebruary 10, 2013 - 15:36 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Jordan's king has inaugurated the kingdom's newly elected parliament with a pledge to press ahead with democratization, but added that he will help choose the next prime minister despite the choice having been formally given to the legislature. According to The Associated Press, Abdullah II's speech was delivered on Sunday, Feb 10, to lawmakers elected last month. Government officials say that this legislature will have more power than any of its predecessors, in line with a reform process meant to forestall any large-scale Arab Spring unrest. But the Jan 23 polls were boycotted by the best organized opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, and yielded a body dominated by inexperienced independents. An official said that the king wanted to avoid "political chaos." Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |