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MENA Press Releases

CGTN: Father’s Day: Three ‘treasures’ Xi Jinping gets from his father

BEIJING, July 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Falling on the third Sunday of June, Father’s Day will be celebrated on June 20 this year.

https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1537072/Xi_Jinping_Xi_Zhongxun.jpg

Fathers always have a great influence on their children – the same applies to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

There are at least three characteristics that Xi has inherited from his father Xi Zhongxun (1913-2002), a leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the state.

People-oriented philosophy

Many Chinese leaders started their careers from the grassroots, going through the difficulties ordinary people face and understanding the people’s needs, which lays a solid foundation for their practical and people-oriented approach in formulating national policies.

The people-oriented philosophy is one of the most important treasures Xi Jinping got from his father, who believed that officials and the masses are equal and they must always live among the people.

The father once told his boy: “No matter what your job title is, serve the people diligently, consider the interests of the people with all your heart, maintain close ties with the people, and always stay approachable to the people.”

Adhering to the path of “serving the people,” Xi Jinping visited China’s 14 contiguous areas of extreme poverty after becoming general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee in November 2012. He went to villages and households, and told communities that he is just “a servant of the people.”

During his domestic inspection tours, Xi Jinping always chatted with the locals, cared about their daily life and stressed the responsibilities of serving the people with other officials.

The Party has won the people’s wholehearted support because it has always served the people with heart and soul and striven for the well-being of all ethnic groups, Xi has said on many occasions.

Down-to-earth approach

Inheriting his father’s down-to-earth approach, Xi Jinping visited all the villages in Zhengding, Hebei Province during his tenure of county Party chief in the 1980s. Then in Ningde, Fujian, he visited nine counties within the first three months as secretary of the CPC Ningde Prefectural Committee, and traveled to most townships later on.

After he was transferred to east China’s Zhejiang Province in 2002, he visited all 90 counties in over a year. During his brief tenure in Shanghai in 2007, he visited all its 19 districts and counties in seven months.

The formulation of the country’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for Economic and Social Development and future targets for 2035 also reflected Xi Jinping’s adherence to investigation and research.

By convening and presiding over a number of symposiums, he listened to opinions and advices on the country’s economic and social development in the plan period from all walks of life.

Living a simple life

The Xi’s has a tradition of being strict with children and living a simple life. Xi Zhongxun believed if a senior Party official wanted to discipline others, he should begin first with himself and his family.

Xi Jinping and his younger brother used to wear clothes and shoes from their elder sisters. After Xi Jinping became a leading official, his mother called a family meeting to ban the siblings from engaging in business where Xi Jinping worked.

Xi Jinping has carried on his family’s tradition and been strict with his family members. Wherever he worked, he told them not to do business there or do anything in his name, or else he “would be ruthless.” Whether in Fujian, Zhejiang or Shanghai, he pledged at official meetings that no one was allowed to seek personal benefit using his name and welcomed supervision in this regard.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-06-19/Father-s-Day-Three-treasures-Xi-Jinping-gets-from-his-father-11dOYnkTNYc/index.html

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1537072/Xi_Jinping_Xi_Zhongxun.jpg

 

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MENA Press Releases

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi Boosts Tourism Recovery with Sojern’s Co-Op Marketing Solution

DCT Abu Dhabi has successfully navigated the challenges of COVID-19 to help hotels in the emirate drive direct domestic bookings

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, June 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Sojern, a leading provider of digital marketing solutions for travel, today announced an extension of their partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) to drive further traveller demand into the Emirate using its Co-Op Marketing Programme. Following a successful pilot of the joint marketing programme, which has reached more than 3 million people so far, Abu Dhabi hotels have been able to increase direct bookings through a highly targeted, digital display and social media advertising campaign.

Logo, no tagline

The hospitality industry has been heavily impacted by the pandemic but DCT Abu Dhabi has worked closely with the UAE government to launch a series of stimulus initiatives to support the recovery of the tourism industry.

“We were looking for ways to support the hospitality industry and navigate the economic challenges presented by the pandemic, and the partnership with Sojern helps us do just that, by supporting hotels in Abu Dhabi to drive direct bookings and improve room profitability,” said HE Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, Executive Director of Tourism and Marketing at DCT Abu Dhabi. “DCT Abu Dhabi is committed to collaborative efforts between the private and public sectors within the local tourism industry to continuously support and drive tourism growth to the capital. Our efforts are aligned with the overall strategic objectives and vision — to support the evolution of Abu Dhabi into a world-class destination, while also reinforcing the capital’s position as a forward-thinking tourism destination.”

Sojern’s Co-Op Marketing Programme is designed to help Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) and their partners increase the effectiveness of their marketing initiatives through collaboration, and drive revenue for the travel industry, at scale.

“Hotels in Abu Dhabi were looking to improve their direct booking volumes and reduce commission from Online Travel Agencies through these challenging times,” said Stewart Smith, MD of MEA at Sojern. “As such, we are delighted to have worked with DCT Abu Dhabi, hotel partners, and Spark Foundry to design, build and deliver successful campaigns.”

The Q1 pilot program with DCT Abu Dhabi is a prime example of DMOs and their partner organisations combining resources to directly reach customers with multichannel digital advertising strategies across video, display, native, Facebook and Instagram.

Because of its success, DCT Abu Dhabi has expanded the partnership with Sojern through to the end of 2021 including rolling out the initiative to all eligible hotels in the city. This second phase will further support properties across Abu Dhabi and aims to attract incremental direct bookings from both domestic and international tourists for the rest of 2021.

About Sojern
Sojern is a leading digital marketing platform built for travel marketers. Powered by artificial intelligence and traveler intent data, Sojern provides multi-channel marketing solutions to drive direct demand. 10,000 hotels, attractions, tourism boards and travel marketers rely on Sojern annually to engage and convert travelers around the world.

About the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi:
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) drives the sustainable growth of Abu Dhabi’s culture and tourism sectors, fuels economic progress and helps achieve Abu Dhabi’s wider global ambitions. By working in partnership with the organisations that define the Emirate’s position as a leading international destination, DCT Abu Dhabi strives to unite the ecosystem around a shared vision of the Emirate’s potential, coordinate effort and investment, deliver innovative solutions, and use the best tools, policies and systems to support the culture and tourism industries.

DCT Abu Dhabi’s vision is defined by the Emirate’s people, heritage and landscape. We work to enhance Abu Dhabi’s status as a place of authenticity, innovation, and unparalleled experiences, represented by its living traditions of hospitality, pioneering initiatives and creative thought. 

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/249299/sojern_logo.jpg

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MENA Press Releases

CGTN: Shenzhou-12 astronauts become first Chinese to enter a space station

BEIJING, June 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Three Chinese astronauts entered their country’s space station during the Shenzhou-12 mission, ending the history of no Chinese in space stations.

The trio, Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo, entered the space station’s core module “Tianhe” from the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft launched on Thursday, according to the China Manned Space Engineering Office.

This came more than 20 years after the International Space Station (ISS) was launched, which does not allow Chinese astronauts to be onboard because of a U.S. law banning the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from working with their Chinese counterparts.

As the ISS is retiring and Russia has decided to pull from the project, China has stood out to build a new space station and is inviting global cooperation.

The China space station, orbiting the Earth at a height of about 400 kilometers, is still under construction, as eight more missions including three manned ones are still being prepared.

Currently the station is composed of a core module named Tianhe, a supply ship Tianzhou-2 and the Shenzhou-12, which docked with the space station less than three hours before the entering.

Astronaut, cosmonaut or taikonaut?

Some Chinese are so proud of the latest achievements that they revived the topic of how to name people in space.

The naming problem emerged in the Cold War, when Soviet Union named their space heroes “cosmonauts” while the U.S. called theirs “astronaut.”

Later, the word “taikonaut” was coined using the Mandarin equivalent of the word space – taikong – and the common suffix “-naut”.

Oxford and Longman dictionaries listed the word taikonaut and said it means a Chinese astronaut.

The next steps

Now the three astronauts are unpacking the supplies on Tianzhou-2, setting up Wi-Fi connections and other equipment on the space station.

They will live in the station for at least three months and conduct various technology test and science experiments, during which spacewalks involving robot arms will also be performed.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-06-17/Shenzhou-12-astronauts-enter-space-station-core-module-11aD1mmDQ1a/index.html

Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QINRV_S-Pkk

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General

Awadallah, Sharif Hassan to appear before SSC Monday

The State Security Court (SSC) will Monday open its first hearing into what has become publicly known as the “sedition” case in which Bassem Awadallah, a former minister of planning and finance, and Sharif “Abdulrahman-Hassan” bin Zaid face charges of incitement and sedition.

In addition to incitement against the political regime, both men will be tried for “carrying out acts that endanger the safety and security of society and stirring up sedition in violation of Articles 2 and 7/I of the Anti-Terrorism Law No. 55 of 2006 and amendments thereto, and Article 7/F of the same law.

Moreover, the second defendant (Sharif “Abdulrahman-Hassan” bin Zaid) is facing the charge of possessing narcotics and substance abuse in violation of Article 9/A of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law No. 23 of 2016.

Source: Jordan News Agency

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General

Economic sectors explore ways to address customs challenges

Director General of Jordan Customs, Major Gen. Jalal Qudah, said the department’s “doors are open” to various economic sectors to address problems and issues to serve the public interest.

He made the remarks at a meeting with Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) chairman and heads of trade unions operating in import operations, adding that the Jordan Customs will set up a coordination council with the ACC to addressing common issues within regulations and laws in force.

Qudah stressed that the department is “keen to remove any obstacles facing the flow of goods to the local market and provide a safe stock of commodities, especially after the rise in freight charges.”

He referred to the efforts being made to improve and develop the customs performance, which would be reflected in reducing import costs, calling on holding separate meetings with the commercial and service sectors to discuss their challenges.

In 2021, Qudah also indicated that the department will launch an information center to provide all the details of importing goods and commodities, pointing to the customs role in stopping entry of counterfeit goods into the local market, which harms the national economy.

He called on traders and importers to focus and pay attention to the pre-clearance system, which facilitates the process of goods delivery into the local market, noting the department is “ready” to overcome any obstacles in this regard through coordination with the commercial sector.

For his part, ACC Chairman, Khalil Haj Tawfiq, expressed hope to see a “new phase of cooperation and coordination” between the commercial and service sector and Jordan Customs, which is a “real” partner for ACC, pledging full collaboration to address issues of concern to traders.

The proposed coordination council between the two parties is tasked with addressing common concerns within the laws and regulations in force and establishing a new partnership, he said, noting that the new body is scheduled to hold its first meeting at the beginning of next month.

Source: Jordan News Agency

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General

Finance ministry submits new General Sales Tax Law to Cabinet

Income and Sales Tax Department (ISTD) has completed a draft law amending the General Sales Tax Law for 2021.

The draft law, which was submitted by the Ministry of Finance to the Prime Ministry, aims, through its mandating reasons, to harmonize with international practices in the concept of levying sales tax on goods and services by approving the principle of supply, which addresses issues pertaining to sale or ownership transfer, or service delivery.

The draft law, a copy of which was obtained by “Petra”, eyes to contribute to reducing tax evasion and avoidance by bridging the loopholes that some taxpayers may resort to, and addressing the problem of delays in disbursing sales tax refunds.

The new bill merges in its articles the 1994 General Sales Tax Law No. (6), which shall come into force as of the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.

Source: Jordan News Agency

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General

Ebrahim Raisi wins Iran’s presidency

Iran’s judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi is set to become the country’s new president after winning most of the votes counted in an election, according to preliminary results announced by state television.

The head of the electoral commission said Saturday that Raisi garnered more than 17 million votes of the 28 million ballots cast in the polls.

It said that Raisi won 62 per cent of the ballots counted so far, defeating three other candidates, including his closest rival Mohsen Rizaei, who secured only 11 per cent.

Raisi, Iran’s top judge and one of the senior Iranian officials under US sanctions, received congratulations from the other candidates for his victory, it said.

Source: Jordan News Agency

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General

Royal Initiatives: Issawi inaugurates projects in Jerash and Mafraq

Royal Court Chief Yousef Issawi, Head of the committee to follow up on the implementation of His Majesty King Abdullah’s initiatives, Saturday inaugurated a number of projects in Jerash and Mafraq, in implementation of directives the King gave during previous meetings with officials and dignitaries in the two governorates.

The initiatives are meant to address the needs of local communities and have an impact on targeted groups across the country as His Majesty places sustainable social and economic development as a foremost priority.

In Mafraq, Issawi inaugurated the Sama Al-Sarhan Youth Centre, which was established upon a royal initiative according to the finest standards to empower youth to serve the local communities and galvanize them to participate in the development process, especially in sports and cultural aspects.

His Majesty attaches utmost attention to the youth, and constantly directs the need to support them and provide the infrastructure for youth work and the sports movement, provide them with knowledge and skills for excellence and motivate them to engage in volunteerism.

The 670-square-metre centre includes a gym, computer lab, library, multi-purpose hall, offices and other facilities.

In Deir Warq, Issawi handed over to a local resident, Khaled Jaraideh, the keys to his home, which was renovated and fully furnished after a fire at the house that killed his wife and four children in February when His Majesty ordered that it be maintained and furnished.

In Jerash, Issawi opened a multi-purpose hall in the village of Meqebleh that will be used by the local people in various social occasions and cultural events.

He also cut the ribbon at a public park with a children’s play facility in Raymon, which was launched as part of the royal initiatives in cooperation with the Zaha Cultural Centre within the framework of the partnership with civil society institutions, to offer optimal service to the local community and promote the children’s creativity and talents.

Under the royal directives, the various governorates saw the launch of model parks and the rehabilitation of many urban villages and parks, including training centres and children’s facilities to embrace talents and develop creativity among the makers of tomorrow.

Issawi told Petra that the Royal Court, in partnership with the concerned government agencies, is constantly following up on projects and programmes under the royal initiatives with the aim of improving the living conditions of citizens, empowering them and enhancing their development role.

Source: Jordan News Agency

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General

Industry Minister: Food security top national priority

Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Maha Ali Saturday briefed food importers and merchants on measures taken by the government last week to curb price rises of food staples in the local market amid soaring global shipping rates.

During a meeting with the Foodstuff Traders Association at the Amman Chamber of Commerce, the minister stressed the importance of maintaining the strategic food reserves to enhance food security, as a top government priority.

She urged the private sector to diversify imports from various origins, adding that the ministry will look into all proposals “in a manner to achieve the public interest and ensure price stability.”

Ali also told the meeting that her ministry will coordinate with the relevant government agencies to speed up and simplify clearance procedures of imported foodstuffs in accordance with the health, safety and consumer protection standards and the requirements of the food and specifications and standards legislation.

For his part, Foodstuff Traders Association President Khalil Haj Tawfiq spoke of the need to exempt all kinds of imported foods from customs duties, taxes and fees, which currently range between 4 and 30 per cent, to help reduce import costs and stabilize prices.

Source: Jordan News Agency

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General

Minister: Health facilities should have enough staff, medicines

Health Minister Firas Hawari Saturday checked first-hand on health services in Karak during a tour of medical facilities in the southern governorate, pledging to address shortages in hospitals and clinics across the country and meet their needs.

He said that the ministry has a plan on the shortages of medical and nursing staff at the health centres with the aim of upgrading health service, adding that there was no shortages of medicines, but their distribution mechanism and management needs to be developed to ensure they reach the centres on time.

The minister said that there are enough supplies of life medicines and their alternatives in the ministry’s warehouses, hospitals and health centres, adding that in case they were not available, a prescription drugs can be bought at the expense of the Health Insurance Fund.

Karak Lawmakers, who accompanied the minister on the tour, demanded the provision of hospitals and health centres with the necessary cadres and medical equipment and to ensure enough supplies of some medicines.

Source: Jordan News Agency