Day: 28 April 2024

Based on information and field follow-up by the agency, the Customs Police, in cooperation with the competent authority in the Environmental Quality Authority, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Municipality of Qalqilya, today, Sunday, seized a number of trucks loaded with waste coming from Israel to be buried in citizens’ lands in Qalqilya Governorate, and it is considered waste. Dangerous to the Palestinian environment.

In view of this, the competent authority decided to return the seized items to their source and properly complete the legal procedures

Source: Maan News Agency

Amman: The number of government services that have been digitized reached 1173 by the end of the first quarter of this year, accounting for 49 percent of the total services, according to the achievement report of the Executive Program of the Economic Modernization Vision in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector.

The report showed that the number of government services that were digitized during the first quarter of this year only reached 213 out of 480 services for 2024.

Regarding the “Youth, Technology, and Jobs” program, the report indicated that 22 companies were contracted to receive support by granting salaries within the Jordan Growth Project “Kafaat”, 7 companies were also contracted to receive support in the expansion process within the Jordan Growth Project “Business Development,” 2 companies were contracted to start training beneficiaries to leverage the free business platforms, and 48 startups were selected within the Startup Support Project.

The report pointed to the start o
f employing the 165 beneficiaries who have been trained so far within the training project through the Digital Skills Association, and the completion of training 4 batches of students within the job skills project (communication and interview skills) for IT students and scientific disciplines interested in obtaining jobs in the ICT sector. Training was started at Yarmouk University and Ghor es-Safi in cooperation with the British Council to train 100 beneficiaries in the cloud computing field.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: – The Ministry of Awqaf, Islamic Affairs and Holy Places has warned that performing Hajj can only be done through Hajj visas, stressing that using visas other than those officially approved is illegal.

A ministry statement on Sunday pointed out that the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has monitored advertisements for companies and campaigns as well as fake accounts on social networks claiming to organize Hajj at attractive prices, calling for caution against dealing with such campaigns and companies.

The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah had previously clarified that Umrah, tourism, work, family visit, transit and other types of visas do not qualify their holders to perform Hajj, calling on everyone to abide by the regulations and laws imposed by the official authorities organizing Hajj, and not to get carried away behind fake companies and offices which claim to have commercial Hajj campaigns and other names.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: The Arab Parliament called for initiating an urgent and independent international investigation into the mass graves discovered in the Shifa and Nasser medical complexes, following the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from some areas in the Gaza Strip.

The Arab Parliament called on the international community, human rights organizations, the United Nations and the Security Council to take all necessary legal measures to hold the occupation accountable for its crimes and massacres in accordance with the standards of international law and international humanitarian law and to bring those responsible to justice as war criminals.

He explained that the magnitude of the massacres and heinous crimes of the occupation against Palestinians, including children, women and the elderly, in the Gaza Strip raises serious doubts and questions about the ability of the UN system to protect civilians, especially since the massacres of the occupation represent war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide
and violate all resolutions that call for the protection of civilians during wars.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: HRH Princess Muna Al Hussein, Honorary Global Ambassador of Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) Organization, participated in the opening of the 36th Global Conference of Alzheimer’s Disease International in Krakow, Poland.

In a speech, Princess Muna said that Alzheimer’s disease affects millions of people around the world, but its impact on people in the Middle East and North Africa is limited.

She called for the development of a national plan to address Alzheimer’s disease in Jordan.

HRH emphasized her commitment to lend her voice to Alzheimer’s issues, affected people, families, and caregivers at the Krakow conference.

Princess Muna is the first Alzheimer’s ambassador from the Middle East, and the fourth ambassador after Queen Silvia of Sweden, Queen Sofia of Spain, and former President Luis Guillermo Solis Rivera of Costa Rica.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 55 million people are living with Alzheimer’s globally, with the number likely to rise to 139 million by 2050.

In
the Middle East and North Africa, the number of people living with Alzheimer’s is currently around 3 million and is expected to increase by 367 percent to more than 13.8 million cases by 2050.

Jordan faces challenges in dealing with Alzheimer’s disease, including a lack of community awareness of the disease and a lack of available resources for diagnosis, treatment, and care, The government and health associations are making efforts to raise awareness of the disease and provide more resources.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: The Board of Commissioners of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) approved the timetable for the 2024 parliamentary elections for the 20th Lower House, according to an IEC statement on Sunday.

According to the timetable, May 26 will be the date to start the legal procedures for the 2024 parliamentary elections for the 20th Lower House by requesting voter records from the Department of Civil Status and Passports. They will then be presented by the IEC as preliminary tables of voters in June 2, distributed on the map of the 1,600 polling centers.

The IEC indicated that in a session chaired by its President, Musa Maaytah, the timetable for the upcoming elections was reviewed in terms of its conformity with the legal periods related to the date of the polling day scheduled for September 10.

According to the timetable, all stages of objections and appeals to the preliminary voter lists will end on July 24, and will be published as final lists after their approval by the Board of Commissioners.

Th
e board also decided that the date for submitting candidates’ applications for local and general constituencies (party list) will be on July 30, for a period of three days.

The electoral campaigning phase begins after the acceptance of candidacy applications from the Board of Commissioners in accordance with the conditions stipulated in the law on August 9, for a period of one month before the polling day.

The IEC statement noted that its president gave directions to the Directorate of Electoral Operations to finalize the oath-taking procedures in the main electoral committees for 18 local districts and one general district.

He set a time-bound plan to train field cadres and volunteers on the executive instructions, and to train polling center committees on polling and counting process within the models prepared by the IEC.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Aqaba: His Majesty King Abdullah II on Sunday attended the closing session of the Esports Future Summit, which focused on a key promising sector for creating employment opportunities for young Jordanians and supporting the national economy.

His Majesty listened to a briefing on the outcomes of discussion panels at the summit, held as part of Jordan’s efforts to advance the creative industries sector, a pivotal sector in the Economic Modernisation Vision.

The summit was organsied by the Jordan Gaming Lab, a King Abdullah II Fund for Development project, in cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, as well as other partners.

Jordan Gaming Lab Technical and Operational Partner Nour Khrais gave a brief, attended by His Royal Highness Prince Omar bin Feisal, chairman of the Jordan Esports Federation, on how the summit highlighted the potential of young Jordanians in designing and developing electronic games, as well as their talents in e-sports.

For his part, Minister of Digital Ec
onomy and Entrepreneurship Ahmad Hanandeh elaborated on the Jordanian Strategy for E-Gaming and E-Sports (2023-2027), endorsed with the aim to secure 3,000 jobs, prepare 1,500 professional players and certified trainers, and attract foreign investors.

The summit included panel discussions, workshops, and contests that started on April 20, held across Jordan, in Umm Qais, Amman, Petra, and concluding in Aqaba, with sessions for experts and professional e-gamers from various countries, attended by over 1,500 participants.

Around 15 local small- and medium-sized enterprises work in the e-gaming industry in Jordan, with partnerships with international companies to develop e-games and market them in regional and international markets.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Ramallah: Palestinian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Varsen Aghabekian Shaheen, lauded bilateral ties with Jordan and stressed the importance of maintaining joint coordination between the two countries under the directives of President Mahmoud Abbas and His Majesty King Abdullah II.

Shaheen gave her remarks in a meeting on Sunday with the Kingdom’s Ambassador to Palestine, Issam Bdour, in Ramallah, which covered the tragic situation and the genocidal war against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip for 205 consecutive days, as well as the crimes of the occupation the Palestinian people and the escalation of violence by extremist settlers in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem

Shaheen commended King Abdullah’s efforts in defending the Palestinian cause in all international forums and providing the necessary relief for the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

The two sides discussed ways to develop relations between the two countries to serve the interests of the two
peoples, and to activate the Palestinian-Jordanian Joint Committee as soon as possible.

Ambassador Bdour emphasized Jordan’s firm position in support of the Palestinian cause in various fields and at all levels, noting that his country always stands by the Palestinian people and that the Kingdom will spare no effort to achieve the just and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

He pointed out that Jordan will continue its efforts to stop the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and to secure the entry of humanitarian and relief aid and needs into the Gaza Strip.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Gaza: World Central Kitchen Sunday announced resuming its operations in Gaza after stopping since April 2 over the Israeli killing of 7 of its staff.

World Central Kitchen works to provide humanitarian aid through dozens of community kitchens in the embattled enclave, which cook and provide meals to displaced Palestinians.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Riyadh: Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Political and Security Affairs Josep Borrell Sunday discussed, in Riyadh, efforts to implement the two-state solution and recognise the Palestinian state.

Safadi and Borrell discussed developments in Gaza and efforts to stop the war, protect civilians, deliver humanitarian aid to all parts of the Strip and ensure regional de-escalation.

Safadi stressed the “need” for the international community to take effective actions to impose a two-state solution, starting with recognising a Palestinian state.

This came during a meeting held by Safadi and Borrell on the sidelines of the special World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Safadi lauded Borrell’s efforts to stop the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, counter the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, and implement international law and his clear positions in emphasising that establishing an independent Palestinian state based on the two-state solution
is the way to achieve regional security, stability and peace.

The meeting discussed the “importance” of intensifying ceasefire efforts in Gaza and allowing the entry of humanitarian aid without obstacles.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Baghdad: Minister of Labour Nadia Rawabdeh and her Palestinian counterpart Enas Atari Sunday discussed, on the sidelines of the Arab Labour Conference in Baghdad, cooperation.

Rawabdeh reiterated Jordan’s support for the Palestinians in the face of the “brutal” Israeli war on Gaza, noting that the Jordanian position “continues to support the Palestinian brothers and demand an immediate ceasefire.”

She discussed the cooperation agreement with Palestine, which focuses on exchanging experiences in inspection, vocational safety and health and employment, stressing the Ministry’s readiness to share expertise in employment, education, vocational and technical training and sector skills councils in the Authority for the Development of Vocational and Technical Skills.

In turn, Atari stressed the “importance” of leveraging Jordan’s expertise in various labour affairs and social security, stressing the “necessity” of exchanging visits to enhance cooperation.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Dead Sea: Jordan Cooperative Corporation and the Cooperation Development Office in Morocco Sunday signed a cooperation memo to exchange experiences in cooperatives.

The memo included the exchange of experiences in strengthening the internal structure of the two institutions and the exchange of experiences to enhance the capabilities of the two parties in developing cooperatives.

The memo, signed by the Director General of the Foundation, Abdel Fattah Chalabi, and the Director General of the Cooperation Development Office in Morocco, Aisha Rifai, included cooperation in promoting cooperative thought and developing joint training programmes.

Source: Jordan News Agency