Day: June 6, 2022

Qatar Airways and American Airlines announced the expansion of their strategic alliance with a new codeshare agreement, enabling American’s customers to easily book travel on Qatar Airways flights via Doha to and from Jordan and 15 other new countries.

In a tweet on Monday, Qatar Airways said under the new agreement, travelers will be able to book travel beyond Qatar to their final destinations in Jordan, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The expansion of the codeshare agreement comes as American launches new service on June 4 from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH),

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said his company is pleased to extend partnership with American Airlines, as yet another step in renewing bilateral long-term strategic partnership.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Scores of extremist Jewish settlers, led by Rabbi Yehuda Glick, on Monday stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque/ Haram Al Sharif compound in occupied Jerusalem, a Palestinian source confirmed.

A statement by the General Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem said that the settlers carried out today’s raids from al-Magharebah Gate under protection of Israeli army.

“They toured the mosque’s yards and provocatively performed Talmudic rituals,” the statement added.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amazon announced Sunday that it will be launching the second edition of its Amazon Teckathon event for undergraduate and postgraduate university students in Jordan.

A virtual three-day event, Amazon Teckathon, is set to take place from July 26-28th, 2022 and will see participants once again collaborate to design, code, and develop creative software solutions designed to have a real-life impact on improving everyday life within their communities.

An opportunity to showcase their skills and abilities while engaging in healthy competition, Amazon Teckathon is open to all university students in Jordan with a passion for technology and software development. Entrants will pitch their projects to senior engineers and managers from Amazon, who will evaluate submissions based on software implementation, as well as idea and presentation, as top talent comes together and unlock the challenge.

Entry is currently open to individual students or teams of up to three through the official Amazon Teckathon website: www.amazonteckathon.com, with registration open until June 20, 2022.

Amazon Teckathon participants will receive support for Amazon internship applications, and be in for a chance to win prizes, including scholarships in the form of cash contributions towards their education for the top three winning teams. The top three winning teams will be respectively awarded scholarships worth USD 10,000 for first place, USD 7,000 for second place, and USD 5,000 for third place, to be divided equally among members.

Amazon will also recognize winners across two special categories, including ‘Best Customer Centric Solution for MENA Customers’ and ‘Best Gender Inclusive Team,’ with team members from each recognized team winning their own Kindle devices.

Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Ahmed Hanandeh stressed the importance of supporting initiatives, competitions, and events aimed at encouraging Jordanian university students to develop creative software solutions with real-life impact.

Al-Hanandeh pointed out that Jordan’s greatest resource has always been its human capital and its highly skilled youthful population, capable of competing globally with its passion for technology, proving itself on regional and global levels.

He also thanked Amazon for supporting Jordanian talents from universities in Jordan, by launching a virtual Hackathon event for the second time, highlighting their ability to innovate through technology and software solutions.

Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President of Amazon Middle East and North Africa (MENA), said: “We are very excited to once again encourage some of the brightest minds in Jordan’s tech community to come together, demonstrating the synergy between innovation and customer-centric thinking during this year’s hackathon. We saw exceptional innovations come out of our first hackathon event last year, such as the first-place winning idea, which saw a machine learning-based solution to support individuals with speech impediments in using voice-activated technologies. We are truly looking forward to nurturing more students once again this year as we give them the opportunity to innovate on behalf of customers just like we do at Amazon.”

Mahmoud Obeidat, Country Manager of Amazon in Jordan, commented: “The exchange between our teams at Amazon and incredible young local talent from universities across Jordan during these events is always inspiring. Jordan has a very strong technology landscape, with a breadth of local talent and skills, and continues to play a key role for the Amazon business in the MENA region.”

During the Amazon Teckathon, participants will be given three development days to work on their projects, starting from the actual software solution, including back- and front-end development, and closing with a 5-minute presentation for the committee. The showcase should include artifacts such as source code documentation and detail of the technology behind the solution, in addition to the final product to be accessed by the judging panel.

Teams will be shortlisted by July 7, 2022, ahead of the competition, with three top winning teams selected and announced in August 2022. Amazon Teckathon criteria include factors such as originality, real-world impact, product feasibility, and overall presentation.

For more information, please visit www.amazonteckathon.com.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Jordan and Mexico have formed a friendship association with the aim of maximizing bilateral cooperation in a number of areas.

Barakat Awajan, president of the Jordanian-Mexican Friendship Association, indicated at a ceremony held on Sunday in the presence of the Mexican ambassador to Jordan, Roberto Hernandez, that the association, which is still in the process of incorporation, aims to build bridges between investors from both countries and increase bilateral trade exchange.

“Mexico is one of the world’s major rising economies, while Jordan is an outstanding economic gateway to the region, necessitating increased bilateral collaboration,” he continued.

The Mexican envoy indicated that this milestone is a significant step in advancing bilateral ties.

A group of Jordanian investors also praised the initiative to form the association, saying that it will strengthen commercial ties. Annual trade between Jordan and Mexico is estimated at $200 million.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on Monday condemned blasphemous remarks made by a spokesperson for India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against the Prophet Muhammad and his wife, Lady Aisha.

Ministry’s Spokesperson Haitham Abu Alfoul stressed Jordan’s denunciation of such statements and firm rejection of violations against Islamic and other religious figures, considering it as an act that feeds extremism and hatred.

He said BJP’s decision to suspend its spokesperson is a step in the right way.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Middle East University (MEU) and the Mexican National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) on Monday signed an agreement to boost and encourage academic cooperation.

The deal was inked by MEU President Salam Mahadeen and Mexican Ambassador in Amman Roberto Rodriguez Hernandez.

The agreement stipulates conducting a series of activities in fields of mutual interest, such as developing research projects, organizing conferences, and participating in athletic and cultural events.

Mahadeen said the MEU offers room for strategic dialogue with its partners, enabling it to occupy a “unique position” among universities in the world.

Meanwhile, the Mexican envoy commended the MEU’s “prestigious reputation” that landed it on international rankings, stressing the embassy’s commitment to establishing cooperation and communication with the MEU under the deep-rooted and distinguished Jordanian-Mexican relations.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Experts in water and energy said Jordan has great potential to achieve sustainability in these sectors and that they only lack investment and funding.

The pundits made their remarks during the launch of the Economic Modernisation Vision in the Dead Sea on Monday under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II.

CEO of the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission Hussein Laboun called for establishing sustainable projects that move and prop up the economy.

Managing Director of Arabtech Jardaneh’s Infrastructure and Environment Eyad al-Dahiyat highlighted the possibility of sustainable water supply in Jordan and plans set in this regard. He pointed to the importance of using artificial intelligence and modern technology in managing water sources, in addition to focusing on sewage water recycling projects.

Energy expert at the World Bank Mohammed Qameh stated that Jordan can overcome challenges in the energy sector, top of which are human capital, technical cadres, and the infrastructures of the transportation, communication, and information technology fields.

Director of the Water and Environment Office at the US Agency for International Development Andrew McKim noted the need to encourage the private sector to invest in water projects due to the sector’s administrative capabilities. He spoke about USAID’s partnership with the Jordanian government in implementing several water projects.

Source: Jordan News Agency

President Vladimir Putin Monday said that the Western sanctions on Russia following the Ukraine crisis have led to global inflation, food supply shortage and an increase in poverty.

Putin told the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, “Many years of mistakes that were made by Western countries in the economic policy and illegitimate sanctions have led to a wave of global inflation and the destruction of usual logistics services and the production chains. It also led to a sharp increase in poverty and food supply shortage.”

He said in the 2020s period, Russia will focus more on bolstering its economic sovereignty as the country will remain open to international cooperation.

Source: Jordan News Agency