Day: January 29, 2023

Algiers, Lower House Speaker Ahmed Safadi and the Saudi Shura Council Speaker Abdullah Al Sheikh Sunday held talks in Algiers on parliamentary cooperation and coordination regarding pan-Arab issues, including the Palestinian cause.

The meeting is part of the parliamentary activities of the 17th Conference of the Union of Parliaments of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states in Algeria.

Safadi noted the depth of the Jordan-Saudi ties and the “importance” of cooperation and coordination between Arab and Muslim countries’ parliaments on key issues, including the Palestinian cause.

He said Jordanians are “proud” that King Abdullah II is responsible for the Hashemite Custodianship of Islamic and Christian sanctities in occupied Jerusalem.

In turn, Al Sheikh noted his country’s “strong” ties with Jordan, adding that bilateral relations are being “consolidated day after day thanks to the leaderships of the two brotherly countries.”

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman, HRH Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II Sunday congratulated His Majesty King Abdullah on his 61st birthday.

Prince Al Hussein wrote on Instagram, “You have long been a beacon for giving… 61 years on the path of goodness… may you stay in the protection of the Most Merciful, dearest of men.”

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman, The Cabinet Sunday approved the mandating reasons for a draft bylaw for the Compensation Fund for Vehicle Accidents Victims 2023 before sending it to the Legislation and Opinion Bureau.

The Cabinet approved the assignment of plots of land on which buildings are built to their occupants after collecting an insurance amount of 3 per cent of the estimated land value and calculating its price according to the approved mechanism.

Separately, the Cabinet extended a previous order whereby Arab tourists would pay entry fees to tourist attractions as Jordanians would through 2023 to support and encourage tourism.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Beirut, Lebanon Sunday condemned the Israeli attack on the Jenin refugee camp that claimed Palestinian lives and wounded scores.

According to a Foreign Ministry statement, Lebanon held Israel “fully” responsible for the escalation in the occupied Palestinian territories and the violation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem.

The statement commended “the persistence of the Palestinians to defend their land, property and sanctities by the available means,” noting that the deterioration of the situation is a natural result of Israel’s efforts to end the two-state solution, the decline in international interest in their cause and the aggressive and racist Israeli policies.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman, Minister of Government Communication Faisal Shboul Sunday said that empowering spokespersons at public institutions has become institutionalised and a priority for the Ministry of Government Communication to ensure the flow of information to the press.

During a meeting with ministry spokespersons at the Jordan News Agency, Shboul said the Ministry of Government Communication is responsible for empowering media spokespersons by supporting the institutional status of media departments and their training needs.

He said the training programme delivered for ministry spokespersons in 2022 strengthened their role by training them to provide information to their target audience with more fluidity and speed of response.

Shboul noted that the primary role of media spokespersons is providing information to the media and countering misinformation, adding that officials figures indicate a decrease in the rate of monthly rumours in the past year from 50 to 30.

He said the Ministry of Government Communication had developed a plan to train 75 media spokespersons in government institutions during the current and next year.

He added that they aim to train workers in ministry and public institution media departments, noting the “importance” of the role of government communication workers in supporting the implementation of the road map for reforming the public sector.

Shboul noted on top of the Ministry’s agenda is the completion of a draft of the government’s media policy, adding that the Ministry would share it for dialogue and discussion with the Jordanian Press Association, editors-in-chief of daily newspapers, journalists, academics, international institutions and ministry and institution spokespersons and communications workers to ensure consensus.

He said Jordan had submitted a guiding draft law to the Arab League aimed at regulating work with international media companies, explaining that the draft law would ensure the circulation of social media Arabic content and address misinformation, hate speech, violation of privacy and limits to the expression of opinion on Arab causes, for most of which is the Palestinian cause.

In turn, the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Jordan, Randa Abu Al-Hassan, said the aim of launching the project to support the media and strategic communication capacities of the Jordanian government came in light of the challenges the government faces and the role of ministry and institution spokespersons in promoting Jordan’s messages, describing them as “the voice of confidence.”

She noted that UNDP Jordan is completing an “important” phase of the project by providing ministry media spokespersons with technical and digital empowerment equipment.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman, President of the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (HCD), Prince Mired bin Ra’ad, and Director of Public Security Directorate (PSD), Maj. Gen. Obaidullah Maaitah on Sunday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed to enhancing joint cooperation in providing the necessary facilitations and arrangements to enable persons with disabilities to access various PSD facilities and departments.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Prince Mired stressed the importance of concerted efforts aimed to implementing accessibility requirements for persons with disabilities at security facilities, correction and rehabilitation centers and their affiliated bodies.

This user-friendly access comes in accordance with construction requirements code for persons with disabilities, he said, adding that realizing the Kingdom’s obligations towards this group requires developing the necessary action plans to implement this policy.

His Highness lauded “successful and constructive” partnership with PSD, including cooperation and coordination with its Command Center, which helped the Kingdom win “Emergency Line for the Deaf 114” project in Zero Project on Inclusive Education ICT Award, which saw participation of 18 countries.

This project aims to facilitating deaf people’s communication with official authorities in crises, emergencies and natural disasters, the Prince added.

His Highness also valued PSD’s efforts to achieve this group’s access to justice and its speedy response to achieve this goal according to clear time plans.

For his part, Maaitah stressed keenness to provide security services to all persons with disabilities, through partnership with HCD to launch requirements for their access to all PSD departments.

Noting multiple steps taken in this context, which saved this group’s effort and time, he said the MoU comes to complete joint work and prepare infrastructure of a number of security facilities and one reform center to be smoothly used by this group.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman, The Ministry of Agriculture said foot-and-mouth (FMD) infections among cows “has not yet reached the stage of outbreak and is within the global normal range.”

The ministry, in a statement on Sunday, said 56 farms recorded FMD infections at end of 2022, according to official data and the integrated e-system for monitoring cattle diseases, adding that a total of 1, 478 out of 14,456 cows were infected out of 92,000 heads in the Kingdom.

According to the ministry, rate of FMD-infected farms and sources of FMD vaccine used by breeders vary, adding that the ministry registered 4 disease-specific vaccines after completing the technical registration requirements.

The ministry said a total of 4 million doses were provided to vaccinate more than 4 million heads of sheep, goats and cows through the first national FMD vaccination campaign.

This project was implemented by the ministry during the last quarter of 2022 within the programs of the National Plan for Sustainable Agriculture to vaccinate dairy cattle and raise the level of veterinary services, the statement added.

Source: Jordan News Agency