Category: General

The Development and Employment Fund (DEF) has injected about JD3 million into 230 projects across the Kingdom, providing 670 jobs for Jordanians in the current year, said Mansour Wareikat, the fund’s Director-General.

During a visit to the fund’s branch in al-Balqa governorate, Wareikat said that the funding supports medium- and small-sized projects to develop the local community and enable Jordanians to start their projects and improve their living conditions, stressing that the DEF is continuously working to develop its lending programs.

President of the Jordan Chamber of Industry (JCI) Fathi Jaghbir and President of the Algerian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CACI) Chaibab Tayeb on Wednesday discussed furthering trade cooperation and prospects of holding joint exhibitions.

According to a JCI statement, Jaghbir said a Jordanian delegation, currently visiting the capital Algiers, has looked first-hand at commercial and economic activities in the country.

The delegation, he added, has also presented investment opportunities available in Jordan to the Algerian commerce and industry sectors, underscoring the need to double the efforts to boost partnerships between the two countries’ business people.

He noted that the JCI looks to reach new markets for national exports, predicting that more partnerships will be agreed upon following the Jordanian delegation’s second visit to Algeria next June.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Minister of Transport, Wajeeh Azaiza, on Wednesday inaugurated the 29th conference of the Middle East Rail 2022, which was held in cooperation with the Jordan Hijaz Railway Corporation (JHRC) and the International Union of Railways (IUR).

Delivering his speech at the opening ceremony, Azaiza lauded as “important” the rail event, which is held in its current version in the Kingdom, with the aim of linking Middle East member states with a single rail network, either by existing or future train projects in the coming years.

The minister also referred to the ministry’s projects currently being implemented, especially in the rail transport field.

In this regard, he pointed to the ministry’s steps to prepare the necessary studies and plans of the Jordan National Railway Project (JNRP), which is a key pillar of the national transport strategy, to link the ports of Aqaba with the consumption and distribution areas in Madouna and Ma’an land (dry) ports, respectively.

This JNRP will reduce the land transport costs, which would give Jordan a “competitive” advantage in the trade network between neighboring countries and “positively” affect manufacturers and suppliers in the Kingdom.

The JNRP, he noted, will provide new job opportunities through implementation and operation tenders, in addition to reducing the negative transport effects, such as traffic accidents and carbon emissions.

JHRC Director General, Zahi Khalil, said the conference is expected to produce “supportive” recommendations to link the surrounding countries with rail transport, and remove all obstacles related to rail interconnection.

The event, he noted, seeks to link neighboring countries with railways to transport goods and passengers with fixed standards, he noted.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Minister of Health Firas Hawari and Italian ambassador Luciano Pezzotti on Wednesday discussed prospects of health cooperation between the two countries.

Hawari stressed the “deep-rooted and historical” Jordanian-Italian relations and the continuous cooperation in various fields, pointing to a number of top priorities and projects, that are incorporated into the ministry’s strategic three-year health plan, that it wishes to work with the Italian side to implement. These projects include a training program for physicians, nurses, and workers in different health professions, as well as upgrades of health care facilities across the Kingdom.

He highlighted coordination between the two countries’ health ministries to enroll Jordanian doctors into training programs for medical subspecialties in Italy.

For his part, Pezzotti underlined his country’s commitment to cooperation with Jordan and supporting the Health Ministry’s projects. He also thanked the ministry’s staff and al-Bashir hospital for providing top-grade care to two Italian doctors, who were injured in a car accident in Petra last month.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The U.S. Embassy in Amman Wednesday said that it had organised a musical tour for jazz artist Herbie Hancock who started a series of musical performances and workshops across Jordan.

The musical tour, which will be performed by Herbie Hancock, the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Ensemble at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and Don Braden, celebrates U.S.-Jordanian cultural ties through arts and music.

Chargé d’Affaires Mike Hankey welcomed the musical tour, emphasising its importance to diplomacy: “The language of great art needs no translation because it speaks to all of us. Diplomats and political leaders have much to learn from the collaboration inherent in jazz…”

Hankey highlighted the long tradition of American jazz ambassadors, noting the 1963 visit by American composer Duke Ellington to Amman at the Roman Theater as part of a global tour supported by the U.S. Department of State.

Hancock, in turn, expressed his delight to perform in Jordan, noting that while jazz originated in the U.S., “it now belongs to the entire world.” He added, “In addition to its artistic significance, jazz is music that promotes peace, freedom, and democratic values. It is an art form with real applications to our world today.”

Herbie Hancock is a 14-time GRAMMY Award winner and Academy Award winner. He is an internationally renowned pianist and composer who has been an integral part of every jazz movement since the 1960s.

Hancock’s itinerary in Jordan includes performances in Irbid, Jerash and Amman, as well as engagement with Jordanian artists and youth.

The tour is supported by the Arts Envoy Programme of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and developed in partnership with the Jordan Ministry of Tourism, Department of Antiquities, National Music Conservatory, National Center for the Culture and Arts, the University of Jordan, King Hussein Foundation and Princess Taghreed Institute.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Federation of Journalists of Iraq Wednesday decried the killing of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot in the head by Israeli occupation forces while covering an Israeli raid in a West Bank refugee camp.

President of the Federation of Journalists of Iraq, Moaid Allami, said that Iraqi journalists have gathered in front of the Al Jazeera office for to protest the killing of the Al Jazeera reporter, adding that the “assassination” of Shireen will only bolster the resolve of Iraqi journalists regarding their principles and support for the Palestinian cause.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday offered condolences over the death of and injury of a number of Egyptian law enforcement forces during pursuit operations of terrorists in North Sinai.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Haitham Abu Al Foul voiced the Kingdom’s solidarity with Egypt, reiterating Jordan’s support for Egypt’s anti-terrorism efforts

He also voiced the Kingdom’s condolences to the victims’ families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

Source: Jordan News Agency