Day: March 2, 2024

Amman: The Royal Jordanian (RJ) is scheduled to operate two new services in the UK’s London Stansted, starting Sunday with three flights per week and Manchester set to begin next Wednesday by two flights per week.

This move aligns with RJ’s commercial strategy to further expand its “continuously” growing route network and focus on attracting inbound tourism to Jordan, while enhancing traffic between Jordan and the world, according to an RJ statement.

In remarks, RJ vice chairman/CEO, Samer Majali, said the new routes in the UK are a “significant” addition to the airline’s network since RJ aims to open new travel options to its customers to serve their needs and facilitate travel of businessmen, Jordanian and Arab communities residing in the UK. The new routes will also enhance tourism from European countries to Jordan.

Majali noted the decision to operate flights to these two stations comes to reflect the common interest in developing Jordanian-UK relations.

Additionally, the move aims to facilitate trave
l for Jordanians wishing to visit the UK and stimulate tourism and investment, particularly with the new process of issuing electronic visas to the UK.

Majali said Jordan’s flag carrier supports national efforts to promote Jordan as a tourist destination and connect Amman to major stations by giving passengers different travel options, building a robust regional network, and increasing frequency of flights to multiple cities.

The RJ plan, he noted, is focused on expanding the network of destinations to reach 60 and increasing the size of its fleet of aircraft to almost 40 in the coming years to cater to the growth and development witnessed by the air transport industry and the growing travel demand.

Source: Jordan News Agency

ABU DHABI: The Organising Committee of the Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award yesterday honoured the winners of the second edition of the Award’s Promotion and Awareness Competition. After six months of competition among media institutions, individuals, influencers and content creators, the winners were recognised for presenting creative content that raises awareness of the importance of sustainable agriculture, animal wealth development and food security in the country.

The competition saw wide participation from various institutions and individuals, including media organisations, content creators and individuals interested in the agricultural sector. The total value of the prizes was AED200,000, distributed among the winners in all categories.

The competition aims to enrich society with meaningful content about the UAE’s agricultural and livestock wealth, highlighting the role of local influencers in the agricultural sector and their contribution to agricultural sustainability.

The co
mpetition has five categories: Best Media Coverage of the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award (for media institutions), Best Local Influencer in Agriculture, Best Local Influencer in Animal Wealth, Best Educational Video Promoting the UAE Agricultural Sector (for digital media and individuals) and Best Promotional Video for the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award (for digital media and individuals).

Dr. Mariam Hareb Al Suwaidi, Deputy Director General of Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) for Operational Affairs, Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award, congratulated the winners of the second edition of the Award’s Awareness and Promotion Competition. She expressed her pleasure at the high level of participation in the competition, which reflects the awareness of the importance of sustainable agriculture in its plant and animal aspects and food security.

She thanked the media institutions,
content creators and individuals who participated in the competition, highlighting their role in raising awareness about these important issues, including sustainable agricultural development. Dr. Al Suwaidi said that the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award aims to encourage innovation in the agricultural sector, support farmers and livestock breeders, and enhance food security in the country. She also mentioned that ADAFSA will continue working to support the agricultural sector and promote innovation through organising more events, programmes, and initiatives.

For his part, Badr Hassan Al Shehhi, Chairman of the Award’s Awareness and Promotion Competition Jury, expressed his thanks and appreciation to the media organisations, content creators and individuals who participated in the competition. He stressed that the competition had achieved its objectives in raising awareness about the importance of sustainable agriculture, animal wealth development and food security.

He said that the me
dia is a key partner in achieving the goals of the Award by spreading awareness about the importance of sustainable agriculture and promoting the Award, its objectives, and the conditions for participation.

He praised the fruitful collaboration between ADAFSA and various media organisations, media content creators and influencers, which contributed to the success of the Award in its second edition. The Award received extensive media coverage from various media organisations and individuals, which helped spread its message to different segments of society.

The winners of the Awareness and Promotion Competition are as follows:

Best Media Coverage of Sheikh Mansour Agricultural Excellence Award:

First Place: Al Emarat TV Channel

Second Place: Yas TV Channel

Third Place: ALETIHAD Newspaper

Best Local Influencer in Agriculture:

First place: Iman Salem Saleh

Second place: Ahmed Al Hafeeti

Third place: Saeed Al Muaili

Best Local Influencer in Animal Wealth:

First place: Mahra Al Naqbi

Second pla
ce: No winner

Third place: No winner

Best Awareness Video to Promote the Agricultural Sector in the UAE:

First place: Saeed Al Maamari

Second Place: Ahlam Salem Al Menhali

Third place: Mohamed Al Otaiba

Best Promotional Video of Sheikh Mansour Agricultural Excellence Award:

First Place: Majid Al Junaibi

Second Place: Ali Salem Al Ketbi

Third place: Hazza Al Shariyani

Source: Emirates News Agency

Amman: Pleasant weather will prevail almost countrywide and warm conditions are forecast in the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea, and Aqaba, The Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) said in its daily update.

According to the JMD report, the Kingdom will be affected Sunday by a cold and humid air mass and a significant drop in temperatures is expected with showers of rain set to fall in the Kingdom’s northern and central regions.

On Monday, a possibility of light showers is forecast in the morning hours in Jordan’s northern regions.

Also today, the capital city of Amman will have a high temperature of 18 degrees Celsius and a low of 6C, meanwhile the port city of Aqaba will see a fair 29C, dropping to 19C at night.

Source: Jordan News Agency

SHARJAH: American photojournalist and former official White House photographer Pete Souza took visitors at the ongoing 8th edition of the Xposure International Photography Festival on an unforgettable journey through history during his talk Documenting for History.

The session offered an in-depth look at Souza’s illustrious career and the impact of visual storytelling in shaping understanding of key historical events.

From humble beginnings working for local Kansas newspapers to serving as the official photographer for US presidents Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama, Souza had a ringside view of historic, era-defining moments and the figures in them. His presentation offered many behind-the-scenes glimpses into the lives of two iconic presidents, from moments of triumph to scenes of profound emotion.

About being hired for his second term as White House photographer, Souza recalled, ‘I got a call about two weeks before President Obama’s inauguration… I felt that I was the right person to do it. I had known him
for four years and had the previous experience with President Reagan. I consider myself a seasoned photojournalist. I asked for unfettered access and the pictures I made would not have been possible without that.’

One of the highlights of the talk was Souza’s discussion of his experience covering significant historic events, including the 9/11 attacks.

‘I was always on the lookout for these little moments, just trying to capture humanity,’ Souza remarked, highlighting the importance of capturing the human element in his photographs.

Obama’s role as the first African-American US president also informed a big part of the thinking behind Souza’s photography, resulting in iconic images such as the one of a young black child, Jacob Philadelphia, touching Obama’s head; and Obama sitting on the same bus that Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks first protested in.

‘Photography has the ability to not only show our understanding of the world but to shape it,” Souza concluded.

Source: Emirates News Agency

Amman: Pleasant weather will prevail almost countrywide and warm conditions are forecast in the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea, and Aqaba, The Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) said in its daily update.

According to the JMD report, the Kingdom will be affected Sunday by a cold and humid air mass and a significant drop in temperatures is expected with showers of rain set to fall in the Kingdom’s northern and central regions.

On Monday, a possibility of light showers is forecast in the morning hours in Jordan’s northern regions.

Also today, the capital city of Amman will have a high temperature of 18 degrees Celsius and a low of 6C, meanwhile the port city of Aqaba will see a fair 29C, dropping to 19C at night.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Secretary-General of the UN, António Guterres, announced the appointment of the American Stephanie Khoury as Deputy Special Representative for Political Affairs in the UNSMIL, succeeding Raisedon Zenenga from Zimbabwe.

Khoury has more than 30 years of experience in supporting political processes, peace talks, and conflict mediation, and more than 15 years of experience working with the United Nations in Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

Source: Libyan News Agency

DUBAI: Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) has announced the organisation of a series of reading activities and sessions across most of its Dubai Public Library branches, coinciding with the UAE Reading Month 2024 held under the theme ‘UAE Reads’. This embodies the Authority’s commitment to supporting the National Reading Strategy 2016-2026, aimed at spreading awareness of the importance of reading and enhancing cultural values in the community.

Dr. Saeed Mubarak bin Kharbash, CEO of the Arts and Literature Sector at Dubai Culture, affirmed the Authority’s interest in empowering the cultural system, enriching the community’s cognitive construction, and encouraging individuals to establish reading as a daily habit, saying, ‘The Reading Month has turned into an annual season to celebrate books and authors, thanks to the activities and events it provides that contribute to opening horizons for authors and building a generation of readers and intellectuals capable of leading the comprehensive develo
pment process and achieving the aspirations of the state and its future ambitions. The Authority has prepared a comprehensive programme for this month, targeting all community members to be part of these activities and instilling the love of books and reading in everyone’s hearts, promoting the value of reading and providing its sources for adults and children.’

Bin Kharbash added, ‘Dubai Culture is proud of its strategic partnership with Big Bad Wolf Books, which presents more than two million books in its fifth edition, launching on 1st March in Dubai Studio City. We also appreciate our knowledge partnership with L’Ecole Middle East, which resulted in the establishment of a special corner in the Al Safa Art and Design Library; the comprehensive collection of books about the arts of jewellery design and crafting is a fantastic addition.’

Throughout March, the Dubai Public Library branches will open their doors to visitors of School of Life who will be attending a series of discussion sessions and interacti
ve workshops. Al Safa Art and Design Library will host a ‘Celebrating Traditions and Cultures’ session presented by Naoul Chaoui, highlighting the importance of literature within diverse traditions and cultures. Meanwhile, Latifa Mohammed will present two exciting sessions; the first will be held at Al Safa Art and Design library and will transform a simple exchange into a captivating literary adventure through the ‘Stories Between Pages: Book Swap’ session, while in the second the attendees will convene in a circle, fostering connections and facilitating engaging conversations about literature and beyond at Al Shindagha Historic Neighbourhood as part of Sikka Art and Design festival.

For the Library Talks initiative at Al Mankhool Library, Hiba Khalil introduces ‘Hubble Bubble’ to young readers. This book is a gentle guide that helps children understand themselves through a captivating journey. It uses rhymes and illustrations to explore profound life themes, aiding kids in reflecting on their thoughts and
emotions.

Dubai Culture will organise a ‘Second-Hand Book Fair’ at Al Rashidiya Library to contribute to the spread of knowledge and make it accessible to everyone, encouraging interest in books and recycling them, with the proceeds allocated to a charitable organisation in the country as a community contribution from the Authority.

Source: Emirates News Agency