Jordan receives $200m US grant

The United States transferred 200 million U.S. dollars as an additional assistance to Jordan to help reduce pressure of the large influx of Syrian refugees in the kingdom, the state-run Petra news agency reported Tuesday. Jordan's Minister of Finance Umayya Toukan said the U.S. transferred the grant to the Central Bank of Jordan. He added that the grant was pledged to Jordan during a recent visit by U.S. President Barack Obama to Jordan in March, adding that the grant seeks to help Jordan shoulder the burden in light of the presence of large number of Syrian refugees. According to official figures, there are more than 500,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan. Amman and Washington are expected to sign the regular U.S. grant to the Arab kingdom that stands at 350 dollars million in September.