Month: February 2023

Huawei, a Chinese multinational technology corporation, said it will be meeting, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona 2023, with operators, industry partners, and other key opinion leaders from around the world to discuss “GUIDE to the Intelligent World”.

“Together, they will look at how to use the GUIDE business blueprint to lay the foundation for 5.5G and build on the success of 5G for even greater prosperity in an intelligent world,” Huawei said Tuesday in a statement.

According to the statement, Huawei’s main exhibition booth in MWC Barcelona’s Hall 1 is designed around the concept of “Intelligent Future, Full of Hope”. At the booth, Huawei painted a picture of an era fueled by the digital economy and defined by collaboration that is more vibrant and full of unlimited possibilities.

At the event, Huawei is also showcasing its latest products and solutions that deliver ultimate 5G experiences, premium and intelligent ultra-broadband connectivity, digital and intelligent transformation, and their Green 1-2-3 solution, according to the statement

Huawei’s offerings show a clear commitment to innovating for the 5.5G era, creating value for customers, and stimulating the digital economy, the statement said.

Leading global operators, standards organizations, and industry ecosystem partners are coming together to promote innovation and exploration for this 5.5G era, as it will create more new applications and business opportunities.

Huawei’s Enterprise division is also hosting their own event at MWC 2023, themed “Leading Digital Infrastructure for New Value Together”, where they will launch more than 50 innovative products and solutions for global customers.

Highlights here include their Intelligent Simplified Campus Network Solution, a series of innovative data center solutions, and business strategies for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

In the device field, Huawei is showcasing their new HUAWEI Mate 50 series, HUAWEI WATCH Buds, HUAWEI WATCH GT Cyber, that come packed with new innovation in areas like mobile imaging, fitness and health, and smart office.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Israeli occupation army Tuesday imposed a tight blockade of the city of Jericho in the occupied West Bank for the second straight day after a Jewish settler was shot dead by unidentified gunmen.

Israeli occupation forces erected roadblocks barring entry or exit from the city as travel to Jordan via the Jericho Passenger Terminal, the only land crossing for West Bank travel, came to a stop, eyewitnesses told Petra’s correspondent in Ramallah.

Also across the West Bank, Israeli troops rounded up 16 Palestinians in search-and arrest raids last night and early today, sparking clashes in some areas.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club grassroots organization said in a statement that those detained were referred to Israeli security services for investigation as the arrests came amid tension sparked by Jewish settlers violence and arson attacks in the northern West Bank.

It said dozens of homes were ransacked during the raids and their residents were held for hours and questioned on the spot.

In occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli bulldozers tore down a house in Al-Issawiyeh, northeast of the city, claiming it was illegally built, and also imposed a $30,000 fine on the owner of the property.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Oil Derivatives Pricing Committee Tuesday decided to reduce diesel prices and fix the prices of kerosene and gasoline for the month of March.

In its monthly meeting, the committee reviewed global prices of crude and oil derivatives during the month of February and decided on the selling prices of oil derivatives locally in March.

After applying the price equation on all oil derivatives, the committee said it found that diesel was down JD0.010, and accordingly the selling price of diesel in March will be JD0.810 per liter, instead of JD0.820, and the price of gasoline of both grades (90-octane and 95-octane) will remain unchanged at JD0.945 per liter and JD1.185 respectively.

It also decided to fix the price of kerosene for the month of March at JD0.620 per liter, upon a royal directive, and also to keep the price of a cooking gas cylinder at JD7.00.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Ministry of Water and Irrigation said the storage of Jordan’s dams was 114 million cubic meters as of Tuesday morning, or 40.5 percent of their total capacity of 280.7 million cubic meters.

Earlier this month, the ministry said storage at the Kingdom’s 14 dams stood at 115 million cubic meters, explaining that the drop was due to water being used for agricultural and industrial facilities and feeding groundwater reserves.

The rainy season is still below the annual average in most regions due to interruptions this month, said Director of the Meteorological Department Raed Khattab.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Civil society plays a vital role in spreading awareness about the use of information technology in training and in spreading the digital space, said Minister of Social Development Wafaa Bani Mustafa, pointing to the public responsibility of leveraging the digital space for good purposes.

Speaking at the International Conference on Civil Society Organizations and Equality between Women and Men in the Digital Age, Bani Mustafa explained the media’s and educational curricula’s role in cementing respect for the other, spreading awareness about the best uses of the digital space and using social networking sites to introduce different cultures and exchange information.

The Jordanian government, she indicated, has laid out among its priorities switching to a digital economy to enable individuals, sectors and companies to increase productivity, ensure growth and prosperity, create an attractive business destination for international investments and partnerships, and build the capabilities of women in the world of digitization and entrepreneurship, which draws in female graduates and workers in digital technology in the labor market in the pursuit to achieve sustainable national development and bridge the digital gap in the sector.

Bani Mustafa stated that the government is also looking to operate centers for comprehensive services across the Kingdom, creating services and providing to the local community, taking into account accessibility for people with disabilities.

Pointing to other government measures, the minister said an e-participation policy was launched with the aim of hearing the opinions of citizens, enhancing women’s e-participation, uprooting gender inequality and rejecting cyber violence.

As for the role of technology in bringing in investments, the minister pointed to the Jordan Source program, which was launched under the vision of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II and aims to promote Jordan as a model destination for investment and innovation in the information and communication technology sector.

On technology’s role in women’s economic empowerment, Bani Mustafa said that the Economic Modernization Vision’s women’s empowerment strategy has launched an initiative that enables women to market their products online, stressing commitment to achieving justice and equality for all members of society to create safe and developed societies that achieve sustainable development and prosperity.

For her part, the European Union’s Ambassador to Jordan Maria Hadjitheodosiou said that promoting women’s empowerment, gender equality and innovation were key themes in the “Stronger Together” project, which aims to close the gender gap using digital tools and empower women economically while combating gender-based violence, which may also occur in the digital space.

Head of the French Development Agency in Jordan Laurent Duriez indicated that the conference honors and celebrates women and girls who seek to develop transformative technology and digital education, noting that an approach that takes into account the differences between women and men in innovation, technology and digital education can enhance the empowerment of women and girls.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: Egyptian-Iraqi delegations on Sunday and Monday were briefed on the National Aid Fund experience in designing and implementing social protection programs.

Minister of Social Development, Wafaa Bani Mustafa, said that the goal of exchanging visits and experiences is to empower poor and vulnerable families and prioritize them in Arab governments agendas, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic and the impacts of political conflicts, noting that the Ministry of Social Development and the National Aid Fund are interested in the Egyptian and Iraqi experiences in tis field.

For her part, Director General of the National Aid Fund, Khitam Shneikat, highlighted the Fund’s efforts to reach an advanced level in providing social protection services according to the best international standards.

She undderlined the importance of these visits in exchanging experiences and benefiting from mutual experiences in addressing poverty and unemployment in an effort to reduce poverty rates, especially in light of the similar geographic and economic difficulties Arab countries face.

For his part, head of the Egyptian delegation, advisor to the Minister of Social Solidarity for support social safety nets programs and executive director of the Solidarity and Dignity Program, Raafat Shafiq, lauded Jordan’s efforts to alleviate the suffering of poor families, pointing out that the National Aid Fund efforts are considered a model to follow in reaching common policies between Arab countries in combating poverty and unemployment.

In turn, head of the Iraqi delegation, Assistant Director General of Social Protection at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Abdul Rahman Owayid Al-Mansouri, said that the Aid Fund programs enjoy an advanced level in contributing to reducing poverty rates and providing support and assistance according to the best tools used at the regional level.

For her part, Jordan Resident Representative of the World Bank Group, Holly Benner, said that Jordan has reformed and expanded the social protection system, which provides support for poor families and vulnerable workers, by adopting innovative and automated mechanisms and systems, which enabled it to overcome many challenges and reach the target groups – a challenge that emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic – which turned the Jordanian social protection system into a role model in the region, through the cash support program, which includes periodic cash transfers, in addition to the temporary response to the pandemic, as it is supported by the World Bank emergency cash transfer project, which reaches 120,000 families through periodic cash support, in addition to nearly 230,000 families who benefited from the cash support provided in response to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

The World Food Program (WFP) Representative and Country Director in Jordan, Alberto Correia Mendes, lauded the effective social protection services of the National Aid Fund, stressing the WFP commitment to strengthening systems and supporting national actors seeking to eradicate poverty.

“The World Food Program will continue its support to the National Strategy for Social Protection in Jordan by providing technical assistance to the National Aid Fund in digitizing systems and strengthening institutional capacities in close collaboration with the World Bank and UNICEF,” Mendes added.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: The Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO) and Export Bahrain on Monday signed an agreement with the goals of sharing knowledge and experience in the areas of private sector support, product exhibitions, and increasing trade.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the higher committee meeting of the Integrated Industrial Partnership for Sustainable Economic Development, which was held in Amman on Sunday. The signing ceremony was attended by Yousef Shamali, Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply, and Minister of Labor, and Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Bahraini Minister of Industry and Commerce.

Minister Shamali stressed the importance of the higher committee meeting’s outcomes, which included signing investment agreements worth more than $2 billion in sectors related to food and medicine security and electric vehicles.

The higher committee, which comprises Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates and has the door open for more countries, has established comprehensive Arab cooperation in economic fields and achieved integration in several sectors, added Shamali.

He underscored the agreement’s role in bolstering economic cooperation by increasing two-way trade.

Fakhro, for his part, emphasized the necessity of taking action to boost economic cooperation and build on the achievements of the quadripartite partnership.

The agreement will lay the foundation for extensive areas of cooperation between the two entities in order to serve the private sector and foster stronger relationships between small and medium-sized businesses, according to Abdel Fattah Kayed, Executive Director of JEDCO.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Aqaba: Aqaba Airports Company (AAC), operator of King Hussein International Airport in the southern city, Monday carried out a drill (Salam 23) featuring the evacuation of passenger terminals due to a fire outbreak.

The exercise is part of the management and safe operation plan to test the readiness of the various entities to respond to emergencies and ensure the effectiveness of the contingency plan at the airport.

This drill was designed to simulate a fire in the passenger terminal, which warrants dealing with it in accordance with evacuation procedures taken in such emergency situations, said AAC CEO and Director Ramzi Arafat, adding it does not involve any risks or disruption of flight schedules.

The exercise is part of the AAC’s endeavor to raise the capacity of airport workers and service providers and train them on the proper procedures to respond to various emergencies, he said, adding that it is in line with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and Jordan Civil Aviation Authority instructions to conduct such drills biennially.

Such drills, which will help meet safety and security standards for travelers and aviation workers alike, are ordered by local and global aviation organizations, Arafat said, commending support agencies, security personnel and other entities for their efforts to achieve the objectives of the exercise.

AAC, which is wholly owned by the Aqaba Development Corporation, was founded to manage, operate and develop King Hussein International Airport on a commercial basis in accordance with best international practices.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: Currently, Jordan generates more electricity from renewable sources than any other Arab country, and by 2030, the country hopes to have generated half of its electricity from renewables, said Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh.

The minister’s remarks were made on Monday at a discussion session organized by the EDAMA Association for Energy, Water, and Environment, in cooperation with the Energy Sector Support Program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The session, attended by the CEO of Kawar Energy Company, Hanna Zaghloul, and Deloitte’s U.S. Managing Director Richard Longstaff, tackled ongoing measures and future directions to develop the energy transition roadmap in Jordan.

“The ministry’s vision is to achieve a secure and sustainable supply of energy through a clear strategy set out for the coming years, with the aim of making Jordan a regional hub for green energy, in line with the Economic Modernization Vision,” Kharabsheh added.

He indicated that Jordan is working toward energy transformation by upping the contribution of renewable energy to the overall energy mix and building a suitable infrastructure by developing the electrical grid and energy storage projects and smart grids.

“Projects to improve energy efficiency are currently underway in various sectors,” he added, pointing to a specific project for electric transportation for which a strategy and legislation are being developed.

The ministry is also working on keeping abreast of developments in the energy sector, including a strategy to set technical and legal standards to produce green hydrogen, the minister added, noting that an agreement was signed with the Fortescue Future Industries company to implement a project to produce green hydrogen and green ammonia in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone.

Additionally, he said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Danish A.P. Moller-Maersk Company was signed regarding the production of green fossil fuels in Aqaba as part of the Kingdom’s plans to expand clean energy resources and increase local energy resources in the total energy mix by 50 percent by 2030.

Zaghloul stated that the energy transition is an opportunity for Jordan to lure in investments, create jobs in the local information technology (IT) and energy management sectors, and encourage Jordanian youth to innovate, pointing to the significance of benefiting from the integration between the telecommunications, IT and energy sectors, which opens up many promising opportunities.

“Jordan has the qualifications and good governance that qualify it to be a regional hub for green energy,” said Richard Longstaff, the Deloitte Consulting executive director, highlighting the significance of mobilizing individual efforts to accelerate and achieve the goals that were discussed at the climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, COP27.

In turn, the Chairman of the EDAMAH Board of Directors, Dureid Mahasneh, stressed the importance of the session in focusing on the energy transition in Jordan and addressing the sector’s challenges.

This comes in conjunction with the government’s recently-launched Economic Modernization Vision (2023-2033), which includes a pillar on sustainable resources that lays out a goal of “developing an enforceable energy transition roadmap (renewable energy sources, hydrocarbons, and hydrogen, etc.),” in addition to upgrading the energy infrastructure (smart energy grid, storage processing, transportation, pipelines) and enhancing mechanisms to reduce energy costs.

The vision’s Green Jordan program seeks to prop up sustainable practices as a key feature of the Kingdom’s future economic growth and the improvement of the quality of life.

Source: Jordan News Agency