Day: January 11, 2022

Categories
General

Parliamentary delegation meets Bahrain Interior Minister, Defense Force chief

The Jordanian parliamentary delegation, chaired by House Speaker, Abdel Karim Dughmi, concluded its visit to Bahrain on Tuesday, after holding a series of meetings and talks with speakers of house of representatives and the Shura Council in Bahrain, and a number of civil and military officials.

Dughmi and the delegation attended part of a Bahrain house of representatives’ session, during which Speaker Fawzia bint Abdullah lauded the visit and its role in deepening joint parliamentary cooperation, according to a Lower House statement.

In the presence of Jordan Ambassador to Bahrain, Rami Wreikat, Dughmi and the delegation also met with the Commander-in-Chief of the Bahrain Defense Force, Field Marshal Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, and with the Bahraini Minister of Interior, Lieutenant-General Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa.

During the two meetings, Dughmi said, “We in Jordan, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah, are keen on strengthening Arab unity,” stressing that Jordan always supports his nation’s causes, and sees Bahrain’s security and stability as part of Jordan’s security and stability.

“The deep-rooted historical ties between the two kingdoms push us in the House of Representatives to maintain coordination and consultation on various issues of common concern,” Dughmi said.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Bahrain Defense Force commended the deep-rooted ties with Jordan, thanks to both kingdoms leaderships.

For his part, the Bahraini Minister of Interior expressed his appreciation for the security cooperation and coordination that brings together Bahrain and Jordan, which contributed to strengthening joint security work and consolidating stability to ensure the protection of national gains for both brotherly countries and enhancing regional security.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Categories
Fashion

SPA honors Media Minister for his support to FANA

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Tuesday honored Minister of State for Media Affairs, Faisal Shboul, in recognition of his support for the Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA) for 13 years, during his tenure as the Director General of the Jordan News Agency (Petra).

The honoring ceremony took place during the opening of FANA 48th conference, hosted by the SPA in Riyadh, and was held to celebrate Minister Shboul’s role in supporting FANA’s activities and work, and hosting its training center at Petra’s headquarters in Amman.

Since its opening, the center has been holding specialized training courses for journalists from Arab news agencies.

Petra’s Director General, Fayeq Hijazin received the award on behalf of Shboul.

In the conference, a number of chairmen and directors general of Arab news agencies were also honored.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Categories
Government Policy

King congratulates Iraq parliament speaker on election

His Majesty King Abdullah has sent a cable to Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al Halboosi, expressing congratulations on his election and wishing him success, while reaffirming Jordan’s steadfast support for Iraq.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Categories
Affairs

Revenues from income, sales tax hit JD5 billion in 2021

Revenues from income and sales taxes stood at JD5.213 billion in 2021, compared with JD4.637 billion collected in 2020, an increase of 12 percent, the Income and Sales Tax Department (ISTD) announced on Tuesday.

In a statement, ISTD Director General Hossam Abu Ali said that the sales tax in 2021 reached JD4.037 billion, up from JD3.534 billion in 2020, increasing by 14 percent.

“Meanwhile, revenues collected from the income tax in 2021 reached JD1.176 billion, up from JD1.103 billion in 2020, marking an increase of 7 percent,” he added.

Abu Ali attributed the increase to the impact of resuming economic activities, economic growth, and tax reforms.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Categories
Affairs

King meets Committee to Modernise Public Sector; urges tying outcomes to timeframe for implementation

His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday urged the Committee to Modernise the Public Sector to clearly identify its goals and tie its outcomes to a timeframe for implementation, expressing the desire to see its recommendations in the near future.

During a meeting with the chair and members of the Committee to Modernise the Public Sector at Al Husseiniya Palace, attended by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, King Abdullah stressed the need to forge ahead with administrative reform, which should have a tangible impact for citizens.

His Majesty said improving services would bolster trust in the competence and professionalism of the public sector.

The King said reforms must be comprehensive and overarching, with administrative reform concurrently taking place alongside the political and economic reform tracks, to avoid negatively impacting the entire process.

His Majesty highlighted the need for stability in laws and regulations, urging evaluating and utilising prior experiences to advance performance.

For his part, Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh, who heads the committee, said it convenes regularly and works systematically on developing the public sector’s structure, enhancing performance, empowering promising talents, and identifying missteps and rectifying them.

The prime minister added that the committee is also working on improving and automating public services, enhancing cooperation between the public and private sectors, and delivering quality services in vital sectors.

He said the committee has set a six-month timeframe, noting that the first phase entails identifying missteps that were marked in some institutions and ministries, in order to find swift solutions for them.

Prime Minister Khasawneh noted that the committee is working on a long-term strategy tied to a roadmap that could entail merging institutions, commissions, and ministries.

For their part, the committee members highlighted the need to hone the skills and build the capacities of public sector employees by activating the Institute of Public Administration and strengthening its role in training and qualifying public servants.

They noted the value of institutional processes and instilling commitment within the workforce, calling for utilising prior administrative reform experiences and successful examples from the private sector.

Committee members also affirmed the need to activate the role of the Audit Bureau and the Jordan Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission to deter negative practices in the public sector and encourage positive ones, highlighting the role of accountability and setting clear KPIs in improving the overall quality of public services provided to citizens.

Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan attended the meeting.

Last month, the Cabinet decided to form the Committee to Modernise the Public Sector, chaired by the prime minister, with the membership of several ministers, officials, experts in public administration, and private sector figures.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Categories
Affairs

Investment minister, Korean envoy talk investment

Minister of Investment Khairy Amr on Tuesday discussed with Korean ambassador to Jordan Lee Jae-wan prospects of organizing a Jordanian-Korean investment forum, along with the importance of introducing Korean businessmen to investment opportunities in the Kingdom.

Talks during the meeting also tackled means of bolstering bilateral cooperation in economic and commercial fields, stressing the importance of networking between the Korean and Jordanian private sectors.

Amr showcased investment features of Jordan and the ministry’s readiness to offer facilities and services to Korean companies interested in having commercial ventures in Jordan.

Source: Jordan News Agency