King says optimistic in new direction towards hope for region’s peoples
His Majesty King Abdullah meets with US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday (Photo courtesy of Royal Court)
AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah expressed his optimism in the beginning of a new direction towards a future of progress and prosperity that inspires hope and trust in the peoples of the region.
“There seems to be a new spirit of cooperation and coordination between many of my friends around the region and so I come here to Washington to see how we can really turn 2021 into a positive year,” King Abdullah said Thursday in remarks to the media ahead of his meeting with US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, which was attended by HRH Crown Prince Hussein.
King Abdullah stressed that Jordan is in agreement with the United States on many of the regional issues and challenges, according to a Royal Court statement.
His Majesty expressed appreciation of the warm welcome by Speaker Pelosi and her colleagues at the Capitol, noting it has been a long time since the last visit to Washington because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re really glad to be back here, because one thing we have learned from this pandemic is that we haven’t been talking to each other in the same language of familiarity, which we should be. But I’m here in Washington to engage with the brotherly relationship we have with this country,” the King added.
His Majesty thanked the United States for providing Jordan with COVID vaccines recently, noting the boost it gives to the Kingdom’s efforts in countering the pandemic.
The King commended the US administration, Congress, and people, for their constant support for Jordan, noting the hard work that both countries will be doing again.
For her part, Speaker Pelosi expressed delight at welcoming His Majesty at the Capitol again, accompanied by Her Majesty Queen Rania and Crown Prince Hussein.
House Speaker Pelosi reflected on the congressional delegation’s most recent visit to Jordan before COVID-19, which she led, noting that discussions with His Majesty at the time covered regional security and stability, peace in the Middle East, as well as issues related to economic and resiliency.
The speaker expressed gratitude to the King and the Jordanian people for hosting a large number of Syrian refugees.
“America is grateful for this relationship. I take great pride in this because I’ve worked with His Majesty King Hussein and King Abdullah II while he was the Crown Prince. I know he brings a wealth of knowledge, intelligence, strategic thinking and values to these discussions. We always learn so much from him. I’m so happy that he’s with us in the Capitol today,” she said.
His Majesty also met with the US House leadership, and discussed means of bolstering the historical friendship between Jordan and the US, as well as Jordan’s programmes to alleviate COVID’s economic ramifications.
The meeting covered several regional issues, with the King reiterating the need to push the peace process forward and relaunch negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis, on the basis of the two-state solution, leading to the establishment of an independent, sovereign, and viable Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Developments in Iraq were also on the meeting’s agenda, with His Majesty calling for supporting Iraqi efforts for enhancing security and stability.
On Syria, the King said it is important to step up international efforts to reach a political solution that safeguards the territorial integrity of Syria and the unity of its people, while guaranteeing the voluntary and safe return of refugees, stressing the need for the international community to shoulder its responsibilities towards Syrian refugees and host communities.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan, and Jordan’s Ambassador in Washington, DC, Dina Kawar attended the meeting.
Peoples Bancorp Inc. Receives Regulatory and Shareholder Approvals of its Merger with Premier Financial Bancorp, Inc.
MARIETTA, Ohio, July 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ – Peoples Bancorp Inc. (“Peoples”) (Nasdaq: PEBO), parent company of Peoples Bank, announced today that it has received all necessary regulatory approvals for the merger between Peoples and Premier Financial Bancorp, Inc. (“Premier”) (Nasdaq: PFBI), with Peoples as the surviving corporation (the “Merger”), and for the mergers between Peoples Bank and Premier’s wholly owned subsidiary banks, Citizens Deposit Bank and Trust, Inc. and Premier Bank, Inc., with Peoples Bank as the surviving bank.
Peoples also announced that the Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) dated as of March 26, 2021 between Peoples and Premier, was approved by Peoples' shareholders on July 22, 2021. Premier’s shareholders approved the Merger Agreement on July 1, 2021.
About Peoples :
Peoples is a diversified financial products and services company that makes available a complete line of banking, trust and investment, insurance, premium financing and equipment leasing solutions through its subsidiaries. Peoples has been headquartered in Marietta, Ohio, since 1902 and has an established heritage of financial stability, growth and community impact. As of June 30, 2021, Peoples had $5.1 billion in total assets, 89 locations, including 76 full-service bank branches in Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky.
Peoples is a member of the Russell 3000 index of U.S. publicly-traded companies. Peoples offers services through Peoples Bank (which includes the divisions of Peoples Investment Services, Peoples Premium Finance and North Star Leasing) and Peoples Insurance Agency, LLC.
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SOURCE Peoples Bancorp Inc.
Taiwan indigenous peoples' long road to preserving mother tongues
When Ms Kalitin Humi decided to drop her Han Chinese name and start using her indigenous name in 2016, her mother objected.
“She was worried I would face discrimination and make things difficult for myself,” Ms Humi said.