Day: November 4, 2021

Categories
General

Jordan elected member of 3 institutions affiliated by SMIIC

Jordan Standards and Metrology Organization (JSMO) has been elected to join three institutions affiliated by the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC).

This came during SMIIC’s 22nd meeting recently held in Al-Medina Al-Munawara, Saudi Arabia, with participation of 45 Islamic countries and several regional and international organizations.

JSMO’s Director General Abeer Barakat Al-Zuhair said that Jordan’s winning of membership in SMIIC’s councils for standardization, accreditation and administration promotes its position as a trusted source of standardization for the countries of the Islamic world.

SMIIC aims to stimulate cooperation and joint Islamic action in standardization activities; to promote economic and industrial growth and maximize trade interests between Member States.

Source: Jordan New Agency

Categories
General

Climate change extremes spur U.N. plan to fund weather forecasting

As climate change triggers deadly heatwaves, droughts and floods, three U.N. agencies on Wednesday rolled out funding plans to improve weather forecasting in vulnerable countries.

The initiative, announced at the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, aims to plug gaps in weather monitoring and data collection so developing countries can better prepare for possible climate-fuelled disasters.

Source: Jordan New Agency

Categories
General

Gov’t mulls to produce green hydrogen, nitrogen

Environment Minister Muayyah Radaidah, on Thursday, met with Chairman of Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) Andrew Forrest, on the sidelines of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow.

The meeting came to announce the beginning of conducting studies related to production of green hydrogen and nitrogen in the Kingdom by utilizing solar and wind energy.

Radaidah stressed the importance of such project, which provides an opportunity for the Kingdom to become a leading country in the green energy sector, since the great capabilities that exist in Jordan pertaining to solar and wind energy.

For his part, Forrest highlighted the importance of a partnership, in this domain, with Jordan as a step towards reducing emissions and creating job opportunities.

He added that the only way to stop global warming is through practical and applicable solutions, noting that the partnership will play a key role in taking advantage of the great potential in the renewable energy sector the Kingdom has.

Source: Jordan New Agency

Categories
General

Odat: National responsibility key motivation in dealing with reform process

Lower House Speaker Abdul Minim Odat, on Thursday, stressed that the Lower House deals with the Royal directives aiming at boosting our reform process in a way that reflects the national responsibility.

Odat made his remarks as he met, at the Lower House, with Chair of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries (DMAS) Isabel Santos, in the presence of EU Ambassador to Jordan Maria Hadjitheodosiou and the rapporteur of the Lower House’s Foreign Affairs Committee MP Ayman Madanat.

Odat indicated that the Lower House is waiting for the draft constitutional amendments that the government will send and those related to drafts of the laws of local administration, election and political parties, stressing that the lawmakers will exercise their constitutional role with a high national responsibility.

Santos stressed that the EU Parliament will continue its full support for the social, economic and democratic reforms in Jordan aimed at enhancing the stability process in the Kingdom, praising His Majesty King Abdullah’s in achieving stability and security in the Middle East region.

Source: Jordan New Agency

Categories
Government Policy

FM, DMAS chief talk ties, Middle East developments

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ayman Safadi, on Thursday received Chair of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries (DMAS), Isabel Santos, and its parliamentary members.

The meeting went over ways to enhance “strategic” Jordan-EU cooperation and partnership relations, in addition to regional developments, according to a ministry statement.

Lauding the EU’s support provided to Jordan in many sectors, Safadi adding that Jordan views the bloc as a “strong” partner to back Jordan’s development process.

Safadi also referred to the current negotiations with the EU to agree on the partnership priorities document 2021-2027, and the Kingdom’s aspiration to sign the pact in the coming period, in addition to holding Jordanian-EU Partnership Council.

Reviewing regional developments, primarily in relation to the Palestinian cause, Safadi stressed the need to reach a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution and in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions.

Safadi also stressed the need to maintain support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), highlighting the importance of the international conference to mobilize support for the UN agency, which will be held on November 16 in Brussels, co-chaired by Jordan and Sweden.

For her part, Santos lauded Jordan’s “key” role under His Majesty King Abdullah II’s leadership to achieve security and stability in the region.

Santos also lauded Jordan as a model for its “moderate and wise” policies, and its “key” role in hosting refugees, stressing that Jordan is an “important strategic” partner of the European Union.

Work is continuing to develop cooperation and partnership programs with Jordan, Santos added.

Source: Jordan New Agency

Categories
Government Policy

FM, Irish counterpart hold talks on boosting ties

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi, on Thursday, held talks with Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney that focused on bilateral ties and latest developments in the Middle East region.

The two ministers agreed to form a teamwork to develop, in the coming weeks, a program to activate cooperation in a number of issues in the field of food security, water, education, tourism, technology, culture.

The Palestinian cause, Syria, Libya, and Yemen were figured high during the talks between the the top diplomats.

Safadi stressed that the security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states is intertwined, voicing Jordan’s rejection of any insult to Saudi Arabia.

Safadi added that today’s meeting reviewed ways to enhance bilateral relations in various fields, considering that the official opening of the Irish embassy in the Kingdom is an indication of the strong ties that bring the two countries together.

For his part, Coveney, who is also the Irish defense minister, stressed that Jordan is a strategic partner of Ireland in the region, and that his country is seeking to improve relations with the Kingdom at various levels, pointing out that the volume of trade exchange has doubled during this period, and is expected to reach more than $300 million.

Source: Jordan New Agency

Categories
Government Policy

JCI lauds gov’t measures to facilitate entry of Jordanian goods to Palestine

Jordan’s industrial sector welcomed the government’s steps to enhance procedures to facilitate entry of a list of priority Jordanian goods to the Palestinian market.

In a press statement on Thursday, Jordan Chamber of Industry (JCI) said these measures facilitate the entry of 425 Jordanian goods to the Palestinian market, with a value of about $500 million annually.

These steps also enhance Jordanian products’ competitiveness and increase the production efficiency of the Kingdom’s factories, the statement added.

The JCI also voiced keenness to ensure that entry of Jordanian products to Palestine will alleviate Israel’s pressures and measures.

The JCI lauded these “empowering” measures for Jordan’s industry, which also serve the Palestinian market that depends on the Jordanian market to a “large” extent.

On Tuesday, the government signed the minutes of a ministerial meeting between Jordan and Israel to facilitate entry of a list of priority Jordanian export commodities for the Palestinian market.

Source: Jordan New Agency

Categories
Affairs

Real estate trade volume up by 11% in first 10 months of 2021

The real estate trade volume in the Kingdom increased by 11 per cent to JD3.957 billion in the first ten months of 2021, compared with the same period of 2019, the Department of Land and Survey (DLS) announced on Thursday.

According to the DLS’s monthly report, the department’s revenues in the January-October period 2021 declined by 12 per cent to JD163.3 million, compared with 2019, despite the overall increase in the real estate trade.

The comparison was made to 2019 due to the impact of the pandemic that affected workdays in 2020, the department noted.

The real estate sales in the January-October period 2021 increased by 44 per cent, where apartment sales rose by 29% and land sales went up by 49%, compared with the same period of 2019, the DLS’s data showed.

Source: Jordan New Agency

Categories
Affairs

OPEC plus raises oil production by 400k barrels

At the 22nd meeting of the ministers of the OPEC plus countries, which was held via videoconference on Thursday, an agreement was reached to maintain the decision adopted at the July meeting of ministers to increase the daily crude oil production by 400 thousand barrels per month during August-December 2021.

It should be noted that it was agreed to hold the 23rd meeting of the ministers of the OPEC plus countries on December 2.

Source: Jordan New Agency

Categories
Health

Jordan sees 11 COVID-19 fatalities, 2, 012 new cases on Thursday-MoH

The Ministry of Health announced 11 Covid-19 fatalities and 2, 012 new cases were recorded in the Kingdom on Thursday, bringing the death toll to 11,088 and the caseload to 870, 505.

To date, there are currently 22, 999 active 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 93, while 87 cases have recovered and discharged.

According to the briefing, the total number of recoveries recorded Thursday, whether at hospitals or at home, stood at 1, 494 bringing the total to 836,418 since the outbreak began.

Moreover, the number of Covid-19 patients still receiving treatment at hospitals countrywide has reached 607.

The statement also indicated that occupancy of ICU beds in the northern, central and southern regions, has has reached 39%, 28%, and 15%, respectively.

With regard to testing, 36, 291 tests were conducted Thursday, 5.54 percent of which were positive.

Since March 2020, the total number of tests administered has increased to 11,114, 632, 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 3,989,035 and 3,557,403 have received their second shot.

Source: Jordan New Agency