Day: January 19, 2022

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MENA Press Releases

Shanghai Electric Launches Chinese Language Training Program for Pakistan’s Personnel on Thar Block-1 Integrated Coal Mine and Power Project

SHANGHAI, Jan. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Shanghai Electric has partnered with Confucius Institute at the University of Karachi (CIUK) to launch a new education resource for the Pakistani personnel of the Thar Block-1 Integrated Coal Mine and Power Project and surrounding communities, as part of a joint initiative to uplift the skill set of project employees and unlock better career prospects for the students from Pakistan’s southern Sindh province.

Shanghai Electric has launched a Chinese language training program for Pakistan's personnel on Thar Block-1 Integrated Coal Mine and Power Project.

The initiative offers free access to Chinese lessons for Pakistani workers of the projects and students from Islamkot and nearby towns and villages who will receive free textbooks and other language-learning resources provided by the teaching staff of CIUK. As of now, 40 workers and 60 students have been enrolled in the first class.

“As a leading energy solution provider, Shanghai Electric recognizes its role to educate and train the next generation of electrical engineers and technicians, as well as help more students to launch their careers in the energy industry. Our previous initiatives have seen the Thar Block-1 project arranging on-board training sessions to help local workers to improve their skills and inviting senior technicians to pass on their experience to newly hired employees,” said Meng Donghai, deputy manager of Shanghai Electric Power Generation Engineering Company.

“Closer economic ties between China and Pakistan have created more business opportunities for people from the two countries, and we hope the Chinese language training program can equip local workers and students with a meaningful skill as they advance towards their next career goals, as well as serve as a window for connecting the two cultures, enhancing mutual understanding and China-Pakistan friendship,” Meng added.

“The Chinese language training program launched by Shanghai Electric will be beneficial to the students in a remote area like Islamkot. It is a unique and valuable educational opportunity that will allow them to learn more about Chinese culture and find better jobs in the future,” said Muhammad Nasiruddin Khan, Pakistani director of the CIUK.

“I have gradually developed a great interest in learning Chinese while working with Chinese employees in Thar Block-1 Integrated Coal Mine and Power Project. I am very glad that Shanghai Electric can provide me with such an opportunity to learn Chinese, which will give me better employment prospects in the future, as there are a large number of China-Pakistani cooperation projects in Pakistan. Being able to speak Chinese is a standout skill,” said a student who joined the program.

In 2017, Pakistan officially joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and strengthened China-Pakistan cooperation has made Chinese an in-demand course for those who want to work for local Chinese companies. The rise of Chinese language training programs in the country has helped fill the communication gap between China and Pakistan, and also enabled more locals to land their dream jobs.

In recent years, Shanghai Electric has helped Pakistan build numerous energy infrastructure with industry-leading energy technologies through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The EPC contract for the Thar Block-1 Integrated Coal Mine and Power Project, which features two 660-megawatt coal-fired power plants and a coal mine with an annual output of 7.8 million tons, was signed in April 2019. As a priority CPEC project, the plants will optimize Pakistan’s energy mix and significantly increase the country’s energy security.

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Categories
MENA Press Releases

Q9 launches YIELD, Dual Cryptocurrency Products

High yielding, short maturity crypto products with up to 200% APY on BTC, ETH and USDC

HONG KONG, Jan. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Q9 Capital, a crypto investment platform for individuals and institutions, today announced the launch of YIELD allowing clients to monetise their market view on crypto and earn attractive premiums.

YIELD provides clients with an easy way to enter the market within their preferred parameters in exchange for a premium.

Often known as dual currency products (DCPs), these investments provide unique and customisable contracts where investors decide their preferred strike price, yield and maturity period at inception. Investors benefit from knowing their yield upfront with a pre-determined premium, and depending on whether the market price is above or below your strike price at maturity, they receive their proceeds in BTC or USDC. Yields typically range from 40% to 200% APR and can be rolled at maturity.

With interest rates on traditional bank deposits close to zero, investors are now increasingly looking for yield elsewhere in alternative asset classes like cryptocurrencies.

Launched in early 2021, Q9 has now developed one of the broadest product sets in crypto globally. The addition of DCIs further expands and complements Q9’s integrated offering which includes Spot and Leveraged Trading, Custody and Earn.

James Quinn, Managing Partner of Q9, elaborates, “YIELD is a major building block in the development of the Q9 platform. We are incredibly excited to expand our suite of innovative crypto products and 2022 is promising to be a strong year of growth for the platform on the back of this launch”.

DCIs are a non-principal protected structured product with an enhanced yield involving two different cryptocurrencies. Upon subscription, you select the underlying crypto asset, subscription amount, yield and delivery date. Your return will be denominated in the deposit currency or alternate currency, depending on market conditions.

Q9 YIELD is available to international investors and there is no minimum commitment for account opening. For residents of Hong Kong these products are only available for accredited investors.

About Q9 Capital

Q9 Capital is a full-service crypto investment platform for individuals and institutions. We combine innovative products and personalised service to deliver a simple and safe solution for crypto investing. Our best in class products, performance analytics and systematic investment offerings provide investors with the tools they need to accumulate assets, maximize returns and generate income from their crypto investments.

Categories
MENA Press Releases

Miami International Holdings Reports Trading Results for December and Full-Year 2021; MIAX Exchange Group Sets Multiple Volume and Market Share Records

PRINCETON, N.J., Jan. 18, 2022  /PRNewswire/ — Miami International Holdings, Inc. today reported December and 2021 full-year trading results for its U.S. exchange subsidiaries – MIAX®, MIAX Pearl® and MIAX Emerald® (together, the MIAX Exchange Group™) and Minneapolis Grain Exchange (MGEX™) with multiple market share and volume records reached over the course of the year.  December and full-year 2021 market share and volume milestones include:

MIAX Exchange Group

  • The MIAX Exchange Group collectively traded a record 1.34 billion multi-listed options contracts in 2021, a 61.8% increase from 2020 and representing an average daily volume (ADV) of 5,309,972 contracts.
  • Total multi-list options contract in December 2021 totaled 113.0 million contracts, representing a market share of 14.22% and a 42.4% increase from December 2020.
  • Total U.S. multi-listed options market share reached a record 14.29% in 2021, 248 basis points higher than the 11.81% market share in 2020 and representing a 21.0% increase in market share.
  • All three MIAX options exchanges reported record annual multi-list option volume totals in 2021, with MIAX Options reporting volume of 522.6 million contracts, a 58.3% increase; MIAX Pearl, 427.0 million contracts, a 45.5% increase; and MIAX Emerald, 388.6 million contracts, a 90.7% increase.
  • MIAX Emerald reported a new annual market share record in 2021, accounting for 4.15% of total industry multi-list option volume.

MIAX Pearl Equities™

  • MIAX Pearl Equities™ reported record volume of 11.07 billion shares in 2021, as compared to 349.8 million shares in 2020 (MIAX Pearl Equities launched in September, 2020).
  • MIAX Pearl equities reported both a monthly volume record of 1.94 billion shares and a market share record of 0.81% in December of 2021.
  • MIAX Pearl Equities volume reached a record daily volume of 161.2 million shares on December 3, 2021, which also represented a daily record market share of 1.15%.

Minneapolis Grain Exchange

  • MGEX reported record volume of 3,873,016 futures and options contracts in 2021, an increase of 40.0% from 2020.
  • Hard Red Spring Wheat trading set annual records in both futures and options, with total volume of 2,997,693 and 123,079 contracts, respectively in 2021.
  • SPIKES® Futures volume totaled 752,240 contracts in 2021, after MIAX received approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to relaunch SPIKES Futures in December 2020.  New trading incentives enacted on July 1, 2021 contributed to volume totals in the second half of 2021, with 741,819 contracts traded, compared to 10,421 contracts traded in the first half of 2021. ADV for SPIKES® Futures in the second half of 2021 was 5,795 contracts, compared to 84 contracts in the first half of 2021.

Additional MIAX Exchange Group volume records are highlighted in the tables included below.

Multi-Listed Options Trading Volume for

 MIAX Exchange Group, Current Month

 Year-to-Date Comparison
Multi-Listed Options Contracts Dec-21 Dec-20 % Chg Nov-21 % Chg Dec-21 Dec-20 % Chg
Trading Days 22 22 21 252 253
U.S. Equity Options Industry 794,555,696 719,646,140 10.4% 898,166,403 -11.5% 9,366,823,566 7,004,304,148 33.7%
MIAX Exchange Group 113,005,405 79,347,042 42.4% 124,657,770 -9.3% 1,338,112,960 827,187,596 61.8%
MIAX Options 42,812,426 31,200,513 37.2% 50,452,313 -15.1% 522,549,941 330,036,680 58.3%
MIAX Pearl 31,633,894 22,347,253 41.6% 34,378,589 -8.0% 427,001,176 293,410,388 45.5%
MIAX Emerald 38,559,085 25,799,276 49.5% 39,826,868 -3.2% 388,561,843 203,740,528 90.7%
Multi-Listed Options ADV Dec-21 Dec-20 % Chg Nov-21 % Chg Dec-21 Dec-20 % Chg
U.S. Multi-Listed Options Industry 36,116,168 32,711,188 10.4% 42,769,829 -15.6% 37,169,935 27,684,997 34.3%
MIAX Exchange Group 5,136,609 3,606,684 42.4% 5,936,084 -13.5% 5,309,972 3,269,516 62.4%
MIAX 1,946,019 1,418,205 37.2% 2,402,491 -19.0% 2,073,611 1,304,493 59.0%
MIAX Pearl 1,437,904 1,015,784 41.6% 1,637,076 -12.2% 1,694,449 1,159,725 46.1%
MIAX Emerald 1,752,686 1,172,694 49.5% 1,896,518 -7.6% 1,541,912 805,299 91.5%
Multi-Listed Options Market Share for

MIAX Exchange Group, Current Month

 Year-to-Date Comparison
Multi-Listed Options Market Share Dec-21 Dec-20 % Chg Nov-21 % Chg Dec-21 Dec-20 % Chg
MIAX Exchange Group 14.22% 11.03% 29.0% 13.88% 2.5% 14.29% 11.81% 21.0%
MIAX 5.39% 4.34% 24.3% 5.62% -4.1% 5.58% 4.71% 18.4%
MIAX Pearl 3.98% 3.11% 28.2% 3.83% 4.0% 4.56% 4.19% 8.8%
MIAX Emerald 4.85% 3.58% 35.4% 4.43% 9.4% 4.15% 2.91% 42.6%
Equities Trading Volume for

MIAX Pearl Equities, Current Month

 Year-to-Date Comparison
Equities Shares (millions) Dec-21 Dec-20 % Chg Nov-21 % Chg Dec-21 Dec-20 % Chg
Trading Days 22 22 21 252 NM
U.S. Equities Volume – Industry 238,596 240,220 -0.7% 233,151 2.3% 2,869,009 NM NM
MIAX Pearl Volume 1,940 268 NM 1,610 20.5% 11,066 NM NM
MIAX Pearl ADV 88 12 NM 77 15.0% 44 NM NM
MIAX Pearl Market Share 0.81% 0.11% NM 0.69% 17.7% 0.39% NM NM
NM – Not meaningful
Futures & Options Trading Volume for

MGEX, Current Month

 Year-to-Date Comparison
Futures & Options Contracts Dec-21 Dec-20 % Chg Nov-21 % Chg Dec-21 Dec-20 % Chg
Trading Days 22 22 21 252 253
MGEX Volume 215,062 211,067 1.9% 420,826 -48.9% 3,873,016 2,766,442 40.0%
MGEX ADV 9,776 9,594 1.9% 20,039 -51.2% 15,369 10,935 40.6%

2021 Market Share and Volume Records:

miax MIAX Exchange Group Options Records
Single Day Market Share 16.82% August 6, 2021
Volume 8,126,083 March 5, 2021
Monthly Market Share 15.53% July 2021
Volume 127,701,099 June 2021
Annual Market Share 14.29% 2021
Volume 1,388,112,960 2021
miax
Options		 MIAX Options Records
Single Day Volume 3,203,327 November 5, 2021
Monthly Volume 55,410,315 June 2021
Annual Volume 522,549,941 2021

 

 

 

miax
Pearl Options		 MIAX Pearl Options Records
Single Day Market Share 6.92% March 5, 2021
Volume 3,506,013 March 5, 2021
Monthly Market Share 6.09% March 2021
Volume 52,194,814 March 2021
Annual Volume 427,001,176 2021
 miax
Emerald		 MIAX Emerald Options Records
Single Day Market Share 6.92% July 29, 2021
Volume 3,392,372 January 27, 2021
Monthly Market Share 5.49% August 2021
Volume 41,821,523 August 2021
Annual Market Share 4.15% 2021
Volume 388,561,843 2021
 miax
Pearl Equities		 MIAX Pearl Equity Records
Single Day Market Share 1.15% December 3, 2021
Volume 161,173,623 December 3, 2021
Monthly Market Share 0.81% December 2021
Volume 1,940,287,963 December 2021
Annual Market Share 0.39% 2021
Volume 11,066,336,629 2021

About MIAX
MIAX’s parent holding company, Miami International Holdings, Inc., owns Miami International Securities Exchange, LLC (MIAX®), MIAX PEARL, LLC (MIAX Pearl®), MIAX Emerald, LLC (MIAX Emerald®), Minneapolis Grain Exchange, LLC (MGEX), and Bermuda Stock Exchange (BSX).

MIAX, MIAX Pearl and MIAX Emerald are national securities exchanges registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that leverage MIAX’s industry-leading technology and infrastructure to provide U.S. listed options trading to their member firms. MIAX serves as the exclusive exchange venue for cash-settled options on the SPIKES® Volatility Index (Ticker: SPIKE), a measure of the expected 30-day volatility in the SPDR® S&P 500® ETF (SPY). In addition to options, MIAX Pearl facilitates the trading of cash equities through MIAX Pearl Equities™.

MGEX is a registered exchange with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and is a Notice Registered Securities Futures Product Exchange with the SEC. MGEX serves as the exclusive market for a variety of products including Hard Red Spring Wheat, SPIKES Futures, BRIXX Commercial Real Estate Futures and TAX Futures. MGEX is a Designated Contract Market (DCM) and Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO) under the CFTC, providing DCM, DCO and cash market services in an array of asset classes.

BSX is a leading electronic international securities market regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA) specializing in the listing and trading of capital market instruments such as equities, debt issues, funds, hedge funds, derivative warrants and insurance linked securities. A full member of the World Federation of Exchanges and affiliate member of the International Organization of Securities Commissions, BSX is globally recognized, including by the SEC.

MIAX’s executive offices and National Operations Center are located in Princeton, NJ, with additional offices located in Miami, FL, Minneapolis, MN, and Hamilton, Bermuda.

To learn more about MIAX visit www.MIAXOptions.com.

To learn more about MGEX visit www.mgex.com.

To learn more about BSX visit www.bsx.com.

Media Contact:
Andy Nybo, SVP, Chief Communications Officer
(609) 955-2091
anybo@miami-holdings.com

Disclaimer and Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
The press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase any securities of Miami International Holdings, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, the Company), and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer; solicitation or sale would be unlawful. This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as “may”, “future”, “plan” or “planned”, “will” or “should”, “expected,” “anticipates”, “draft”, “eventually” or “projected”. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

All third-party trademarks (including logos and icons) referenced by the Company remain the property of their respective owners. Unless specifically identified as such, the Company’s use of third-party trademarks does not indicate any relationship, sponsorship, or endorsement between the owners of these trademarks and the Company. Any references by the Company to third-party trademarks is to identify the corresponding third-party goods and/or services and shall be considered nominative fair use under the trademark law.

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Categories
Games

Kansas escapes Oklahoma with 67-64 win after furious Sooners run

Published by
The Kansas City Star

NORMAN, OKla. — The No. 7-ranked Kansas Jayhawks survived a 20-2 second-half run by Oklahoma and first-half wrist injury to Ochai Agbaji in a 67-64 victory over the Sooners on Tuesday at Lloyd Noble Center. Christian Braun hit a 3-pointer off a pass from Agbaji (X-rays on his wrist were negative) to bust a 62-62 tie with 10.9 seconds left. The Jayhawks (15-2, 4-1 Big 12) had entered with three losses in their last four trips to Norman. It wasn’t over after Braun’s 3. Braun fouled Jordan Goldwire, who hit two free throws at 6.1 seconds to cut the gap to 65-64. Agbaji — after calling timeout aft…

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General

How 3 ambitious documentaries seek to change our views of the past | Opinion

Published by
NJ.com

By Chris Reed Three lengthy, popular, highly regarded documentaries have come out in recent years that have as a goal nothing less than changing how we think about the past. “O.J.: Made in America” — the five-part, seven-hour and 47-minute documentary released by ESPN in 2016 — is a staggering journalistic achievement with a 100% positive ranking on Rotten Tomatoes and an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Director Ezra Edelman’s starting point is, of course, the June 12, 1994, stabbing deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman outside her house in Brentwood, California. Her form…

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Categories
Health

Queen Alia International Airport receives Airports Council International ‘Airport Health Accreditation’

Airport International Group (AIG) announced that Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) has received the Airports Council International (ACI) ‘Airport Health Accreditation’ effective until December 2022.

In an AIG press statement on Wednesday, the certificate comes in appreciation of QAIA’s commitment to prioritizing health and safety measures, in line with the recommendations of the ACI’s Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART) of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and ACI World’s Aviation Operations during COVID-19 – Business Restart and Recovery.

“This achievement is a testament to the seriousness of QAIA community in continuing to care for the health and safety of passengers and employees alike,” said Nicolas Claude, AIG CEO.

The AIG’s team and all parties concerned with its work are taking effective steps to reduce health risks at Jordan’s main airport and maintain the health accreditation of airports for another year, Claude pointed out.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the AIG has implemented a series of preventive measures aimed to curbing spread of Covid-19, including installing counter glass barriers, displaying health and safety instructions, and providing hand sanitizers, in addition to establishing medical laboratories at QAIA to conduct “PCR” tests for incoming travelers, in line with travel procedures approved by the Jordanian government, according to Claude.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Categories
Health

Qatar reports 4,720 new COVID infections

More than 4,720 Qataris tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, according to health authorities.

The Ministry of Public Health said that a total of 3,540 people had recovered and were discharged from hospital in the last 24 hours.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Categories
Health

Jordanian Nursing Council, Kurdistan Board of Medical Specialties sign MoU

The Jordanian Nursing Council (JNC) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Kurdistan Board of Medical Specialties (KBMS), with the aim of developing nursing and health workforce in Iraq’s region, and providing it with Jordanian expertise.

The MoU, which was signed Wednesday, at the JNC headquarters, aims to implement a project to develop nursing profession by launching a nursing council in the Kurdistan region, building legislation and regulations, strengthening and raising worker capacities, developing various nursing specializations and providing expertise and advice to establish a simulation center in cooperation with JNC.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, the JNC’s Secretary-General, Dr. Hani Nawafleh, said the MoU eyes to build a project that contributes to developing nursing workers’ competencies in the Kurdistan region, in line with the “growing” growth for the nursing profession scientifically and technically to provide the best services with international quality, through JNC’s Jordanian experts and specialists.

The JNC, he said, is “fully prepared to offer its expertise in organizing and developing the nursing and midwifery profession, proposing a policy for its teaching and setting its priorities, in line with each country’s policies, in addition to adopting standards necessary to raise the nursing level and proposing legislation related to its practice.”

For her part, KBMS Chairman, Dr. Ariana Khalis Jawad, said the KBMS seeks to develop Kurdistan’s nursing and health cadres and provide them with all the “most advanced” equipment, stressing the need to develop related legislation, regulations, and instructions governing the nursing profession to keep pace with developments at the world level.

The MoU, she noted, signed with JNC is an “important” step, in light of the Jordanian body’s preparations to develop and oversee nursing specialty examinations in the Iraqi region, hold specialized training programs to develop Kurdistan’s administrative and technical skills for health and administrative workers, enhance their contact skills, community outreach, management and leadership competencies and professional ethics.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Categories
General

Reporter Kidnapped, Beaten in Northeast Syria

WASHINGTON — Tuesday started like any other day for Jindar Barakat. The reporter, who works part time at a currency exchange, was opening up the store in the northeastern Syrian city of Al-Hasakah.

But instead of customers, masked men in military uniform filled the store.

“They were probably five men, all masked up,” Barakat said. “Two of them captured me, while the rest started to search the store, seizing my cellphone and other personal belongings.”

The 33-year-old was confused, but as he was blindfolded and bundled into a nearby vehicle, he suspected he was being targeted for his reporting for Yekiti Media.

The news website is affiliated with the Kurdish Yekiti Party in Syria, one of several political parties that oppose the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the de facto ruling party in northeast Syria.

The PYD and its affiliated military force, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), control large parts of north and eastern Syria. The SDF has been a major U.S. partner in the fight against the Islamic State terror group.

Barakat’s reporting focuses on abuses carried out by the local authorities, including the arrests of activists, recruitment of children by local military forces, and corruption.

As he was driven away, Barakat tried to make sense of what was happening.

“I asked them to identify themselves, but they were very harsh with me. I knew they were affiliated with the PYD because of their uniforms and also because they didn’t stop on checkpoints,” Barakat told VOA.

“I was blindfolded and handcuffed, and they kept beating me and insulting me,” he said.

About an hour later, the vehicle stopped, and Barakat said he was taken to what felt like an empty room.

“They kept me blindfolded and tied my already cuffed hands to a rope and pulled it upward,” he said. “They beat me on my back, neck and the back of my hands.”

As he was being beaten, Barakat said his captors told him they didn’t like his media work and Facebook posts. But “they didn’t point to a particular article or post,” he said.

Neither the press office at the PYD-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) nor the local security service known as Asayish responded to VOA’s requests for comment.

After several hours, Barakat was dropped without his phone at the side of the road, about 15 kilometers from his home. The journalist walked to a nearby house to borrow a phone to call a cab.

Images he shared with VOA showed bruising to his hands, the back of his neck, and his stomach.

“Their objective was to intimidate me and deter me in my work as a journalist,” he said. But “I won’t be afraid of them.”

Risky beat

Since the beginning of Syria’s conflict in 2011, the PYD-run semiautonomous region has largely been seen as friendly to international journalists.

But it’s a different story for local reporters, who can be detained, harassed or attacked for coverage deemed too critical of local authorities.

Red lines for media often include major corruption cases, oil deals made by the local administration and military matters, particularly those related to terrorism.

Security forces in the northeastern city of Qamishli last month briefly detained eight reporters and personnel from international and regional news organizations who were covering a demonstration against the recruitment of children by local military forces.

History of harassment

Barakat was first harassed over his reporting in 2015. It was the first of at least three occasions where he has been detained or taken for questioning by different security agencies, local news reported.

Last month, a stun grenade was thrown at the balcony of his apartment. He believes those responsible are part of the local security apparatus.

The incident was widely reported in Kurdish and regional media. The regional AANES security forces did not comment publicly on the incident.

Tuesday’s beating was condemned by the General Union of Kurdish Writers and Journalists in Syria.

In a statement, the union demanded that “the perpetrators be brought to a fair trial by independents, and in the presence of independent human rights organizations.”

Radwan Badini, a professor of politics and journalism at Iraq’s Salahaddin University-Erbil, said the violence against journalists in northeast Syria is alarming.

“This is increasingly becoming a regular occurrence, which will necessarily threaten the margin of press freedom that journalists in northeast Syria enjoy,” he told VOA.

While the northeast generally has a better climate for media than the rest of Syria, the country as a whole has a poor media freedom record. It ranks 173 out of 180 countries, where one is freest, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

“The risk of arrest, abduction or death makes journalism extremely dangerous and difficult,” according to RSF’s World Press Freedom Index.

Source: Voice of America

Categories
General

Social Development Society launches women empowerment project in Amman

The Social Development Society (SDS) launched its development project “My Right to Work 2,” in Markah neighborhood in Amman.

The project is implemented by Expertise France, in partnership with Ministry of Social Development under the umbrella of “Support to Social Protection in Jordan” programme, funded by the European Union, according to a SDS statement on Wednesday.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, the SDS’s Chairman, Amal Sayed, said the project aims to economically empower a number of local community women, 10% of whom are people with disabilities, through free training at the SDS’s headquarters on making toys and children’s supplies.

Continuing:” The SDS seeks to always make the project of a service nature, which will be implemented over a 12-month period to serve and train women in society and empower them economically, especially in light of the Covid-19 pandemic-related economic crisis that increased the rates of of unemployed women.”

The project is a continuation of “My Right to Work 1” project, implemented by the SDS with a grant from EuroMed Feminist Initiative (EFI), supported by the European Union and EU “Madad Fund,” with the aim of providing the necessary equipment and materials that help empower women economically, the SDS said.

Source: Jordan News Agency