Day: August 12, 2021

State Minister for Media Affairs Sakher Dudin on Thursday said the Jordan News Agency (Petra) is a reliable source of truthful information and stressed that the agency has played a key role in educating the public about the coronavirus pandemic and urging vaccinations.

The Minister made the remarks during a visit to the agency where he met with its Director-General Fayeq al-Hijazin, senior editors and other staff members. Dudin, who is also the government’s spokesman, said Petra has a mandate to convey the Jordanian state’s news and messages to the world.

He commended the agency for its wide and balanced coverage of local, regional and international affairs, in addition to providing in-depth and timely reporting. Dudin revealed that the government plans to set up a media content fund that will be launched under public-private partnership.

The minister explained that the fund will aim to provide sustainable financial resources, especially for papers, while upgrading the whole media landscape and content through training and development.

Speaking on local affairs, Dudin said the government aspires to have 3 million double vaccinated at the beginning of September, which, he added, would contribute to providing greater community immunity to limit the spread of the delta variant now prevalent in most countries of the world.

He reiterated that schools in the Kingdom are ready for the resumption of face-to-face education in the next academic. In this regard, Dudin called on the media to spread “hope and positive spirit” when circulating news and information, especially after the difficult period that citizens went through psychologically as a result of the repercussions of the pandemic.

In turn, Petra Director-General Fayeq al-Hijazin said that the agency is continuing its mission to provide the public and readers with information at the highest degrees of professionalism and credibility.

Al-Hijazin pointed out that the agency, and in order to preserve its archive of photos and news that documents important milestones in the history of the Jordanian state, started a photo archiving project in cooperation with the National Library Department and was able to document 10,000 photos in the first phase.

He noted that the agency, through the Directorate of Training and Institutional Development, offers a number of specialized training courses in the various domains of journalism, targeting staff, university students and public servants.

Source: Jordan News Gazette

Leaders International for economic development announced on Thursday the launch of a national hackathon for its crowd-solving ‘Idea Bank’ project to foster innovation and economic growth in Jordan.

With funding from the United States – Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), the project will give Jordanian youth the opportunity to suggest innovative solutions to tackle issues and challenges faced by Jordanian governmental institutions.

In a statement, Leaders International said that young entrepreneurs and those with creative ideas can now submit their ideas on the project’s website: www.ideabankjo.com as individuals or teams responding to the specific challenges outlined by the ministries of: Agriculture – which faces insufficient demand for agricultural extension (education and development support) services; Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship – which faces a challenge in connecting ICT graduates with private sector companies; and the Jordan Investment Commission – which faces a challenge in providing continuous and periodically updated data on potential investors in Jordan and reaching out to them accordingly.

Jordanian youth aged 18 – 35 can participate in the hackathon by filling a registration form that introduces the idea, which is available on the project website’s challenges page. Proposed ideas must be clear, feasible, innovative, and sustainable.

As for the selection criteria, Leaders International will use a number of measures, including the idea’s distinction and feasibility, innovation and creativity, ease of implementation, and sustainability and development potential. Eligible teams will be chosen by a qualified judging panel of experts and representatives of participating governmental institutions and the incubator IPARK, the statement added.

The hackathon will close with the selection of three winning teams, where each will receive a financial award of 5,000 USDollars; in addition to 4-month incubation services at IPARK, which will offer guidance and training to turn ideas into reality.

Cultural Attache at the American Embassy and Representative of the U.S. – Middle East Partnership Initiative, McKenzie Louw, expressed her excitement and pride in contributing to Jordan’s strides to promote innovation and entrepreneurship, adding “we look forward to seeing the hackathon foster an environment for innovative ideas to flourish while solving Jordan’s governmental challenges in the process. Idea Bank’s goals align greatly with ours, aiming to collectively support Jordan’s youth and foster digital transformation to achieve impactful sustainable development.”

Country Manager at Leaders International, Hamzeh Shamaileh, stated: “The project and its hackathon’s efforts to facilitate youth participation are setting the stage for more public-private partnerships to come”.

Shamaileh stressed the importance of such collaborations, emphasizing their role in “cultivating innovation and entrepreneurship and advancing more inclusive, participatory growth and development in Jordan”. “We continually endeavour to invest in our youth, give them a voice, and provide them with a platform to engage and participate in tackling issues for the betterment of Jordan and Jordanians at large,” he pointed out.

Idea Bank’s 3-day hackathon will commence on the 19th of August, and those interested in participating should register on the project’s website. To be eligible to apply, participants must attend the entire 3-day hackathon to reach the final evaluation stage where they will present their ideas to a judging panel.

Source: Jordan News Gazette

The General Command of Jordan Armed Forces- Arab Army (JAF) announced the JAF, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, is following up on media reports on the issue of newly discovered remains of a fallen Jordanian soldier who died at the site of Tal Al-Adkhira near Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Jerusalem during 1967 June war.

An official JAF military source said coordination with the concerned authorities is made to conduct the necessary tests to determine the fallen soldier’s identity, whose unearthed belongings include a knife, ring, helmet and gas mask used by the Jordanian army.

The soldier’s identity and all related information will be announced later by the competent authorities.

Source: Jordan News Gazette