Amman  - The trial of prominent Jordanian columnist Khaled Mahadin who has been charged with "slandering" the lower house of Parliament got under way on Thursday, according to judicial sources.

The chamber's Permanent Bureau last week filed a lawsuit against Mahadin, accusing him of defaming the House of Representatives in a recent online newspaper article.

Mahadin, 63, denied the charge, saying that he had "only criticized the house's performance." The case was adjourned to March 30.

Amman - South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo on Thursday conducted separate talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II and Prime Minister Nader Dahabi on latest political developments in the region and means of boosting bilateral ties particularly in the business sphere, an official statement said.

"There is an opportunity for developing a long-term strategic relationship between Jordan and Korea," a royal court statement quoted the monarch as telling the visiting South Korean premier.

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Amman - The Islamic Action Front (IAF), Jordan's largest political party, on Tuesday rebuked Egypt for denying entry to the Gaza Strip for a Jordanian delegation of parliamentarians and politicians.

"Preventing Jordanian parliamentarians from entering the Gaza Strip represents an offence to the Jordanian government, parliament and people," IAF Secretary General Zaki Bani Ershaid said in a statement.

Amman - Iraqi Transport Minister Amer Abdul Razzak said Monday that his government would shortly declare Jordan's Red Sea port of Aqaba as the only conduit for Egyptian goods imported to Iraq.

Abdul Razzak, who is currently on a visit to Aqaba, told the official Petra news agency that the step was taken because of the "plausible transport costs" through the Jordanian port and as a way of increasing trade between the two countries.

Lisbon  - Jordan and Portugal will launch joint diplomatic efforts to push for an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians over the next few months, Jordan's King Abdullah II said after meeting Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva on Monday.

The two countries wanted Israel and the Palestinians to start negotiating "as soon as possible," the king said at the start of his two-day state visit to Portugal.

Portugal and Jordan were to sign cooperation agreements in sectors including education, science, technology, culture and social communication.