Jordan's PM Reshuffles Cabinet

Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh speaks during a news conference. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh speaks during a news conference. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
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Jordan's PM Reshuffles Cabinet

Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh speaks during a news conference. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh speaks during a news conference. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Jordan’s Prime Minister Bisher al Khasawneh announced a cabinet reshuffle on Thursday to improve his administration's performance under IMF-guided economic reforms.

The finance, foreign and interior ministers were kept in place in the reshuffle, which changed nearly a third of cabinet ministers overall. Of 11 new ministers, three are women.

Khasawneh has sought to accelerate reforms pushed by King Abdullah II.

The government last summer unveiled a plan to attract over $40 billion of investments over the next 10 years. It said it was committed to implementing free market reforms.



White House Sees Latest Gaza Talks as Constructive

 Smoke rises from an explosion in Gaza, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, August 23, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke rises from an explosion in Gaza, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, August 23, 2024. (Reuters)
TT

White House Sees Latest Gaza Talks as Constructive

 Smoke rises from an explosion in Gaza, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, August 23, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke rises from an explosion in Gaza, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, August 23, 2024. (Reuters)

Talks in Cairo aimed at reaching a Gaza ceasefire have been "constructive," with some progress made, and all sides need to come together to work toward implementation of a proposed agreement, the White House said on Friday.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that the discussions will continue on Friday with CIA Director Bill Burns and US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk representing the United States.

Kirby said Hamas should participate in the negotiations, which on Thursday included negotiators from Israel, the United States, Egypt and Qatar but not Hamas.

"We're in Cairo. They're in Cairo. We need Hamas to participate, and we need to get down to the brass tacks of locking in these details. And that's what we're focused on here in the next, coming days here over the course of the weekend," Kirby said.

He said early signs in Cairo were that the discussions "have been constructive," but more talks are planned.

"Things are moving forward," he said, denying some news reports that the talks were near collapse.