AMMAN: Jordan’s King Abdullah II has opened the country’s third ordinary session of parliament and delivered a speech during which he vowed to crack down on corruption.
The king acknowledged “dissatisfaction with the way current challenges are being addressed.”
“The process of construction and development in Jordan, as in other countries, has been marred by some flaws and challenges, which we need to learn from,” he said in his speech to mark the opening of parliament in Amman.
“Homelands are not built with skepticism and self-flagellation, nor with undermining achievements or denying them, but with knowledge, will and hard work.”
The king said he will not allow “Jordan’s reputation be at stake,” stressing that the country is capable of fighting corruption.
“All Jordanians have an equal right to justice, and corruption will not be left unaddressed to become a chronic social illness.
“I hereby affirm that the state’s institutions are well capable of uprooting corruption and holding to account those who dare to encroach on public funds,” he added.
Earlier in June, thousands of Jordanians hit the streets to protest against corruption, price rises and austerity measures.
The week of mass demonstrations forced the prime minister’s resignation and the withdrawal of a controversial income tax bill.
With a lack of natural resources to boost state coffers, Jordan relies heavily on foreign aid and faces an unemployment rate of 18.5 percent.
In 2016 Amman secured a $723-million loan from the International Monetary Fund, but the resultant economic reforms led to price hikes.
Jordan’s King Abdullah vows to crack down on corruption
Jordan’s King Abdullah vows to crack down on corruption
18 killed in road collision in northeastern Egypt
- The collision occurred on the 30 June Axis south of Port Said province
- The pickup truck was transporting the fishermen to work at fish farms in Port Said
CAIRO: A truck and a pickup truck collided on a highway in Egypt late Thursday afternoon, killing 18 people and injuring three others, officials said.
The collision occurred on the 30 June Axis south of Port Said province, killing the fishermen who were on the road in one of the vehicles, according to a statement from the Labor Ministry. It’s unclear how the vehicles collided.
The pickup truck was transporting the fishermen to work at fish farms in Port Said, a coastal province in northeastern Egypt with an active fishing industry, when the collision happened around 12:30 p.m. It is likely that they are natives of the town and district of Matareya in Dakahlia province, according to officials.
Photos posted on Dakahlia’s governor’s Facebook page showed the aftermath of the crash, with a pickup truck crushed between two large cargo trucks and debris scattered across the road.
Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly in a statement expressed condolences to the families of the victims and ordered that monetary assistance be provided to them. Meanwhile, the Port Said governor visited the crash site and the injured at local hospitals to ensure traffic was restored and that survivors were receiving proper medical care, according to a statement issued by the governor’s office on Facebook.
Deadly traffic accidents claim thousands of lives every year in Egypt, which has a poor transportation safety record. Speeding, bad roads and poor enforcement of traffic laws are the main reasons behind most of the crashes.
