King of Jordan Says Losing Citizen for Negligence Is 'Absolutely Unacceptable'

King Abdullah II of Jordan
King Abdullah II of Jordan
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King of Jordan Says Losing Citizen for Negligence Is 'Absolutely Unacceptable'

King Abdullah II of Jordan
King Abdullah II of Jordan

King Abdullah II of Jordan on Monday paid tribute to the lives lost at Al Hussein hospital in Salt due to oxygen outage, stressing that all those proven to have been negligent in the investigation will be held to account.

Chairing a National Policies Council (NPC) meeting, the King said officials and junior or senior employees must be up to the responsibility, or else step aside to enable those who want to serve Jordanians to replace them.

He said it was absolutely unacceptable to lose a citizen as a result of negligence, according to a Royal Court statement.

Official positions do not serve to offer favors and benefits, he affirmed.

The King dismissed claims that negligence or corruption was part of the culture in Jordan, stressing that Jordanians have always been known for honor and dignity, in line with the values of their ancestors who founded the state.

He further expressed understanding of the difficulties facing Jordanians as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this context, Jordan reported 9,417 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, which is its highest one-day tally since the pandemic started, official health data showed on Monday. It also recorded 82 deaths.

A total of 48,638 virus tests were also conducted on Monday.

The statement added that there are currently 79,723 active COVID-19 cases in Jordan. A total of 491 COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospitals on Monday, it added.



Musk Calls Lebanese President as Starlink Seeks License

FILE - Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition, March 9, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
FILE - Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition, March 9, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
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Musk Calls Lebanese President as Starlink Seeks License

FILE - Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition, March 9, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
FILE - Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition, March 9, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Billionaire businessman Elon Musk and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun spoke by phone to discuss making elements of Musk's sprawling business empire available in Lebanon, a statement from Aoun's office said on Thursday.

The statement said Musk called Aoun and "expressed his interest in Lebanon and its telecommunications and internet sectors".

Aoun invited Musk to visit Lebanon and said he was open to having Musk's companies present in the country, which ranks among the countries with the lowest internet speeds, Reuters reported.

The call came just weeks after Aoun and other top Lebanese officials met with Starlink's Global Director of Licensing and Development, Sam Turner, in Beirut for talks on providing satellite internet services in Lebanon. US ambassador Lisa Johnson was pictured attending those meetings.

The negotiations have prompted some pushback in Lebanon. Internet access in the country has so far been operated exclusively by state-owned companies and their affiliates, who are lobbying the government not to license Starlink.

Starlink recently received licenses to operate in India and Lesotho.