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Jordan Protesters Demand 'Radical' Reform, Slam New Govt.

More than 1,000 Jordanians, mostly opposition Islamists, demonstrated on Friday demanding elected governments and "radical" reforms, and criticizing newly appointed Prime Minister Fayez Tarawneh.

Marching in central Amman after midday prayers, the protesters, including youths and trade unionists, carried banners reading "we want to reform the regime, radical change and elected governments."

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European Court Clears Way for Abu Qatada Extradition to Jordan

Radical cleric and terror suspect Abu Qatada lost his bid Wednesday for top European Court of Human Rights judges to hear his appeal against Britain's efforts to extradite him to Jordan.

The ruling means Britain can now press ahead with attempts to deport him to Jordan, where he was convicted in his absence in 1998 for involvement in terror attacks.

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Jordan Urges UNRWA to Meet Demands of Striking Staff

Jordan's parliament on Wednesday urged the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency to meet the demands of its staff in the country after they launched an open-ended strike to push for better pay.

"The lower house stresses the need of finding a solution to the crisis between the U.N. Relief and Works Agency's management and employees in a way that satisfy the two sides," it said in a statement.

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Jordan King Swears In New 'Transitional' Government

Jordan's King Abdullah II on Wednesday swore in a cabinet tasked with pushing for reforms, but analysts said the new government was too "conservative" to deliver.

Led by Prime Minister Fayez Tarawneh, the 30-strong team includes 20 newcomers, including one woman, Nadia Hashem, as state minister for women's affairs.

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Jordan Warns Israel over E.Jerusalem Hotel Rooms

Jordan's King Abdullah II on Thursday warned Israel that building hotel rooms in annexed east Jerusalem would increase regional "tension and stability."

"Israel's continued policies and plans to build settlements and take unilateral measures in Palestinian territories, particularly Jerusalem, will hinder peace efforts and increase tension and instability in the region," a palace statement quoted the king as telling a U.S. congressional delegation.

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U.N. Palestinian Agency Staff in Jordan Strike over Pay

More than 7,000 staff of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency in Jordan observed a one-day strike on Monday to demand better pay and conditions.

The U.N. Relief and Works Agency employees, including teachers and medical staff, "demand a $140 salary raise and they do not want their annual bonus cut," UNRWA spokesperson Anwar Abu Sakinah told Agence France Presse.

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Report: AQIM to 'Free Brit' if Qatada Let Go Where he Wants

Islamist militants have offered to free a British-South African hostage if London allows radical cleric Abu Qatada to choose a country for his extradition, U.S. monitoring service SITE said.

Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) also threatened that Britain would "open the door of evil" unto its country and people should it send the imam back to his native Jordan where he faces jail, the report said.

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Jordan Sees Egypt Resuming Gas Supplies Early May

Egypt will resume supplying gas to Jordan from early May after the flow was disrupted by repeated attacks on its pipeline, a Jordanian government official said on Saturday.

Egypt informed Jordan that it would "resume gas deliveries of 100 million cubic metres per day to the kingdom early next month," the unidentified official was quoted as saying by the official Petra news agency.

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Jordan King Tells New PM Success Depends on Reform

Jordan's King Abdullah II on Friday asked premier-designate Fayez Tarawneh to form a cabinet for "a limited transitional period" to implement reforms needed to hold elections before the end of 2012.

"I instruct you to form a new government whose top priority is resuming the reform march," the king said in a letter of designation to Tarawneh, 63, who was prime minister and royal court chief in the late 1990s.

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Jordan Demonstrators Slam New PM, Insist on Reform

Jordanian demonstrators on Friday criticized premier-designate Fayez Tarawneh, a day after he replaced Awn Khasawneh, accused by King Abdullah II of delaying much-needed reform.

"The people want to change policies, not only governments," read a banner among the more than 1,000 protesters, including opposition Islamists, other political parties and youths, who marched in central Amman.

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