Day: September 16, 2021

Categories
General

Army chief attends Bright Star 2021 Exercise in Egypt

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Major Gen. Yousef Huneiti, on Thursday attended the closing activities of multinational military “Bright Star” 2021 Exercise in Egypt, which was carried out by armies of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Cyprus, Greece, Pakistan and Britain, along with 13 countries as observers.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Huneiti lauded level of the joint military exercise and conveyed greetings of His Majesty King Abdullah II, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF), to the Jordanian troops participating in the drill.

Huneiti also lauded the JAF’s participating units for their “good reputation, training efficiency and high professionalism” in carrying out the tasks set in the exercise activities, which reflected the JAF’s “bright” image.

The exercise sought to enhance the participating countries’ security ties, train on atypical combat acts, exchange expertise and boost military cooperation, according to a press statement by Egyptian army.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Categories
General

Kazakhstan hails Jordan’s CICA’s membership to promote world cooperation, peace

Deputy Executive Director of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), Chi Fang, praised Jordan’s “active” role as a CICA permanent member.

Fang, speaking to the press and “Petra” during a visit to CICA’s headquarters, on Thursday, stressed the importance of the organization’s role in promoting cooperation among countries, addressing issues of common concern, cooperating with the international community in this regard, building confidence and achieving peace.

CICA, which was established with an initiative by the first Kazakhstan president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, on October 5, 1992 during the 47th session of the United Nations General Assembly, then officially began its activities in March 1993, according to Fang.

CICA compromises 27 permanent members: Jordan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Russia, and Tajikistan. Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.

For his part, expert and ambassador to CICA, Dulat Kwanishev, said preparations are underway to hold CICA’s summit at the level of leaders next year, noting that member and observer countries’ ministers will hold pre-summit preparatory discussions next October.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Categories
Health

Senate panel reviews cooperation mechanisms with EU

The Senate’s Jordanian Friendship Committee with the European Parliament, headed by Dr. Nidal Qattamin, reviewed the Kingdom’s cooperation mechanism with the EU, at its meeting held on Thursday.

Qattamin highlighted the importance of focusing on Jordan’s “attractive” investment environment and “real” partnership with the local and international private sector, and facilitating procedures to create investment opportunities in various industrial and economic sectors, to provide job opportunities for Jordanians, which would reduce unemployment rates.

Addressing the senators, Minister of Trade and Industry, Maha Ali, said Jordan deems the EU a “close” partner in all aspects, and its relations with the bloc represent a “successful and fruitful” partnership model.

Jordan signed a partnership agreement with the EU countries on November 24, 1997, with the aim of developing economic relations and cooperation in various fields and creating “favorable” conditions to develop joint trade exchange and investments, according to the minister.

The agreement entered into force on May 1, 2002, and replaced the cooperation agreement signed between the two sides in 1977, which aimed to simplify the applicable rules of origin between Jordan and the EU in 2016, the minister added.

Jordanian government, she said, “achieved more flexibility and further relieved rules of origin in 2018,” which increased entry of Jordanian exports into European markets and attracted foreign investments to the Kingdom, according to the minister.

During the first 6 months of 2021, Jordan’s exports to the EU nearly stood at $135.5 million, marking an increase of 35.6 percent, compared to the same period of 2021, meanwhile Jordanian imports from the bloc amounted to about $1.580.5 billion, an increase of 24.3 percent, compared to the same period in 2020, the minister added.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Categories
Health

France suspends 3,000 unvaccinated health workers

About 3,000 health workers in France have been suspended because they have not been vaccinated against Covid-19.

A new rule, which came into force on Wednesday, made vaccination mandatory for the country’s 2.7 million health, care home and fire service staff.

But French Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Thursday that “most of the suspensions are only temporary”.

Many are now agreeing to get jabbed because “they see that the vaccination mandate is a reality”, he said.

The rule applies to all doctors, nurses, office staff and volunteers.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Categories
Health

Italy makes COVID health pass mandatory for all workers

The Italian government approved on Thursday some of the strictest anti-COVID measures in the world, making it obligatory for all workers either to show proof of vaccination, a negative test or recent recovery from infection.

The new rules will come into force on Oct. 15 in the latest effort by Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s broad coalition to persuade people to get inoculated and blunt contagion in one of the countries worst-hit by the virus.

Any worker who fails to present a valid health certificate will be suspended on no pay, but cannot be sacked, ministers told reporters after the cabinet approved the measures.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Categories
Health

Jordan sees 12 COVID-19 fatalities, 904 new cases on Thursday-MoH

The Ministry of Health announced 12 Covid-19 fatalities and 904 new cases were recorded in the Kingdom on Thursday, bringing the death toll to 10,586 and the caseload to 811, 463.

To date, there are currently 12, 479 cases countrywide, according to the media statement issued by the Prime Ministry and the Ministry of Health.

The statement added that the number of patients who were admitted to hospitals today stood at 71, while 45 cases have recovered and discharged.

According to the briefing, the total number of recoveries recorded Thursday, whether at hospitals or at home, stood at 841 bringing the total to 788,398 since the outbreak began.

Moreover, the number of Covid-19 patients still receiving treatment at hospitals countrywide has reached 518.

The statement also indicated that occupancy of ICU beds in the northern, central and southern regions, has has reached 16%, 25%, and 12%, respectively.

With regard to testing, 28, 071 tests were conducted Thursday, 3.22 percent of which were positive.

Since last March, the total number of tests administered has increased to 9,706, 117, the joint statement noted.

The statement also added that the total number of people who received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine has reached 3,613,953 and 3,152,751 have received their second shot.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Categories
Government Policy

Foreign Ministry condemns Israeli violations at Al Aqsa Mosque

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates denounced the continued Israeli violations at Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif, the latest of which was storming the holy place by a number Jewish extremists under the Israeli police protection.

Ministry Spokesperson Haitham Abu Alfoul, in statement on Thursday, said that Israeli forces’ acts are utterly rejected and denounced, reminding Israel that it must commit to its obligations as an occupation force in East Jerusalem as stipulated in international law.

He added that Al Aqsa Mosque, with its total area of 144 dunums, is a place of worship for Muslims only, calling on Israel to stop its provocative acts and respect the authority of the Jordan-run Jerusalem and Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, which is the only institution allowed to administrate the affairs of Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Categories
General

Jordan, Palestine discuss ways to enhance agricultural cooperation

Jordanian-Palestinian Agricultural Marketing Company held on Thursday, its first board of directors’ meeting, headed by Minister of Agriculture, Khaled Hneifat, and his Palestinian counterpart, Riyad Atari.

Speaking during the opening session, Hneifat said the company reflects Royal directives to achieve partnership and cooperation with the Palestinian people and stimulate the two countries’ agricultural sector growth.

The company’s work aims to launch its website during 2021, establish the filling and cooling centers and then sale points in the region’s countries and abroad within a “clear and transparent” action plan that ensures launching plans to attract the private sector to manage the company’s businesses, Hneifat told the meeting.

In this regard, he said Agricultural Risk Fund (ARF) is Jordan’s most prominent funding institution, and the company’s revenues will be an ARF investment, which will reflect positively on the farmer.

Atari, for his part, lauded Jordan’s support to the company, which represents an assistance to steadfastness of Palestinian farmers.

This meeting aims to work jointly to serve the two countries’ agricultural sector, Atari said, adding that the process to register the company’s branches and set its organizational structure will be finished to regulate its businesses.

Source: Jordan News Agency