Day: 10 March 2024

Amman: During the Arab Bridge Maritime Company’s general assembly meeting in Cairo, Transportation Minister Wissam Tahtamouni met with her Egyptian counterpart, Kamel Wazir, to discuss bolstering cooperation, facilitating commercial movement, and addressing challenges in the transportation sector of both nations.

Tahtamouni highlighted the importance of bilateral agreements and cooperation memorandums amid regional geopolitical events affecting maritime transport in the Red Sea, leading to increased operational costs.

She commended Egypt’s efforts in overcoming obstacles in the transport sector between the two countries and stressed the need for more bilateral meetings to strengthen cooperation.

Wazir praised Jordan’s efforts in aligning transport policies with global standards, aiming to enhance services for all modes of transport.

He affirmed Egypt’s commitment to facilitating procedures to improve service quality and develop the work environment, aiming to boost trade and transit traffic through both c
ountries.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: The Jordan Armed Forces – Arab Army, on Sunday conducted six joint airdrops in the northern parts of Gaza with several friendly nations as part of international efforts to mitigate the effects of the war on the Gaza Strip.

This coordinated effort involved two C130 aircraft from the Royal Jordanian Air Force, along with one Egyptian, one American, one French and one Belgian aircraft.

The Armed Forces reiterated their dedication to conducting airlift operations to provide humanitarian and medical aid, utilizing the Marka Airport to El Arish International Airport, and airdrops over Gaza and land convoys. These airdrops are part of efforts led by Jordan, aimed at alleviating the suffering of Gazans and supporting them in the face of the dire circumstances imposed by the Israeli war on Gaza since October 7 of last year.

Since the onset of Israeli aggression on Gaza, the Jordan Armed Forces have executed 37 airdrop missions, in addition to 40 airdrops conducted in collaboration with partner nations.

Sou
rce: Jordan News Agency

The Capital Municipality warned of the dangers of burning tires in neighborhoods and public streets with the advent of the blessed month of Ramadan.

The executive director of the Cleanliness and Improvement Fund at the municipality, Muhammad Sharaf al-Din, confirmed to the Saba that burning tires is a negative phenomenon, causing environmental pollution and harming the health of society.

He called on citizens to cooperate with the concerned authorities to prevent this phenomenon, and to spread community awareness of the dangers of burning tires, and the need to preserve the capital’s environment.

Source: Yemen News Agency

JERUSALEM: Israeli occupation forces Sunday evening obstructed the entry of hundreds of worshipers into Al-Aqsa Mosque to perform Tarawih prayers.

Eyewitnesses said that the occupation forces detained citizens at the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque and impeded their access to it.

They added that the occupation imposed restrictions on young men entering Al-Aqsa to perform Tarawih, and allowed women from the age of 40 to enter.

It is noteworthy that the occupation forces have imposed a strict siege on Al-Aqsa Mosque for five months and prevented entry to it. They also issued dozens of deportation orders against Jerusalemites in order to prevent them from praying during the holy month of Ramadan.

Source: Palestine news and Information Agency – WAFA

Amman: Minister of Transport, Wissam Tahtamouni, said the Arab Bridge Maritime Company (ABMC) represents an “Arab success story,” adding that joint Arab projects can follow suit.

The minister’s remarks came during the ABMC’s general assembly meeting in Cairo, chaired by Egyptian Minister of Transport, Kamel Wazir, in presence of Tahtamouni, as well as a representative of Iraqi Minister of Transport, and the company’s General Manager, Adnan Abadleh, to review the company’s activity, its key achievements, its work plans, and its 2023 financial results.

Tahtamouni said the “successful” management of such joint projects is the cornerstone for their launch, stressing the importance of maintaining the current approach to protect this “distinguished” Arab achievement.

ABMC is considered a “fundamental” development driver for Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) and Egypt’s Nuweiba that reflects an “effective” link between Arab countries and Jordan’s commercial gateway to Africa and Europe, according to T
ahtamouni.

The minister also praised the company’s role in supporting people in the besieged Gaza Strip by providing all facilitations and transporting humanitarian aid trucks to Gaza.

In this context, she referred to the continuous coordination with Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Jordanian Embassy in Cairo to transport citizens and Arabs returning from Gaza onboard the company’s ships, noting ABMC’s “important” role to serve the local community.

Tahtamouni expressed appreciation to the company’s management for their efforts to advance this Arab project, noting that ABMC’s general assembly meetings are an opportunity to strengthen joint cooperation ties between Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq in various transportation fields.

Source: Jordan News Agency

JERUSALEM: The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, Mohammad Hussein, declared that tomorrow, Monday, March 11, will be the first day of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.

Daily work hours in government institutions will be reduced to only five during the holy month of Ramadan, according to a recent government statement.

It said work will begin at 9:00 in the morning and end at 2:00 in the afternoon during Ramadan.

Usually, work hours are seven, from 8 until 3.

Source: Palestine news and Information Agency – WAFA

Amman: The Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ), alongside the Water Reuse and Environmental Conservation Project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), on Sunday hosted a workshop titled “Engaging Stakeholders and Presenting Initial Findings on the Economic Value of Water in the Jordan Valley.”

The workshop aims to emphasize the importance of tapping into new water sources, enhancing water use efficiency in agriculture, focusing on economically viable crops, and presenting a methodology along with preliminary findings of a study assessing the economic value of water utilized for irrigation in the Jordan Valley.

The Secretary-General of the Authority, Hisham Haisa, underlined the prioritization of water provision for farmers, despite challenges and scarcity, highlighting the significance of collaborative efforts with farmers and irrigation water user associations to ensure the success of the Authority’s initiatives.

Haisa underscored the necessity of consultation and partnersh
ip to enrich ongoing endeavors and achieve future objectives, expressing hope that the study would deepen understanding of water value in irrigated zones within the Jordan Valley and guide efforts toward enhanced water resource management.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources hosted on Sunday a workshop focused on broadening the utilization of surface geothermal energy for heating and cooling across Jordan. This collaborative effort involved the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Dutch government.

The workshop featured discussions on geothermal technology, risk assessment, policy frameworks, and financing mechanisms. Additionally, insights were shared from the experiences of the European Union, Germany, Switzerland, and Jordan’s Supreme Council for Science and Technology.

Saleh Kharabsheh, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, emphasized the nation’s strides in renewable energy utilization, highlighting the need to explore geothermal energy as a means to diversify energy sources, particularly given Jordan’s high energy consumption and costs.

While acknowledging the widespread commercial use of geothermal energy for heating and cooling in various countries, Kharabsheh underscored its untapped potential in J
ordan. Leveraging this technology, he suggested, could expedite Jordan’s transition to renewable energy sources, bolster energy security, and align with climate action goals.

Expressing gratitude to the IFC, Kharabsheh appreciated their initiative in promoting geothermal energy adoption.

Khawaja Aftab Ahmed, IFC’s Regional Director for the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the significance of geothermal energy in advancing energy efficiency and decarbonization efforts.

Ahmed emphasized the global imperative to shift towards cleaner heating and cooling technologies, especially given the substantial energy consumption dedicated to these purposes. He underscored Jordan’s pivotal role in climate action despite facing challenges such as water scarcity.

Notably, the International Finance Corporation’s initiative aims to foster dialogue and collaboration across the Middle East, Central Asia, Turkey, and Pakistan to expand the utilization of surface geothermal energy for he
ating and cooling, aiming to identify opportunities and overcome barriers in each country’s energy landscape.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: The Israeli aggression against Gaza Strip and Palestinian people is the ugliest aggression witnessed in modern human history, as it revealed false claims of theorists about right of people to freedom, justice, independence, and a safe and stable life,” Senate President, Faisal Fayez, said.

Fayez made the remarks in a speech to politicians and professors from University of Cambridge in Britain, at the invitation of its Centre for Geopolitics about regional and Arab-Israeli conflicts and the latest developments in Middle East region.

Fayez, who is on an official visit to the British capital, London, during which he held several official discussions, noted some conflicts are “decades old and have not ended,” adding that the evidence for their continuity is that Israeli occupation has lasted for nearly eight decades.

Palestinian people are still suffering injustice, killing, and arrest on a daily basis, he said, indicating that this historical fact is confirmed by the ongoing Israeli aggression against
Gaza Strip today.

Fayez stressed that the continued Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories has increased the conflicts facing our world and has fueled more tension and instability at all regional and international levels.

In this regard, he noted the Israeli occupation is now striving to transform the conflict in the region into a religious war, without caring about the catastrophic consequences to which all will be exposed.

According to a Senate statement on Sunday, he called on the international community to take “practical” measures to stop the aggression on Gaza Strip and open crossings to deliver relief aid to its residents.

To date, he noted that this aggression claimed lives of tens of thousands of Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children, and aimed to forcibly displace Palestinians, destroy homes and infrastructure, and starve this people within the framework of a systematic, barbaric and racist aggression.

Nothing can justify the continued destruction of the livelihoo
ds of two million people, killing of thousands of Gazan children and women, and destruction of hospitals, schools, mosques and churches, Fayez affirmed.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Azmi Mahafzeh, called for activating the Bylaw for Student Partisan Activities aimed to “institutionalize” and develop party-related engagement in universities.

Mahafzeh added that this engagement should provide spaces of freedom for students to practice partisan activity, affirming that this “process shouldn’t hinder progress of educational process and ensure neutrality of universities as institutions that incubate student activity.”

During a workshop held by Politics and Society Institute (PSI), in cooperation with King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD), in the Dead Sea, he said the next stage is “important” in removing doubts among university students regarding party work.

Mahafzeh added that this future drive also seeks to strengthen the “new” path that was launched by Royal Committee to Modernize the Political System, to integrate the Kingdom’s younger generation into public life and create “safe” spaces t
o engage in party activity.

According to a PSI statement Sunday, the minister pointed out that universities are “not required to play party role by attracting students to partisan activities, but rather provide an incubating environment and safe spaces that aim to change students’ mental image and fears on practicing political and party-related work.”

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: The illiteracy rate among Jordanian women (15 years and over) decreased to 7.3 percent in 2022, compared to 9.5 percent in 2015, according to the Department of General Statistics.

The department said in a statement Sunday, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, based on the results of the labor force survey data, that the increase in the percentage of educated women reached 92.7 percent in 2022, compared to 90.5 percent in 2015, noting that the annual statistical report of the Ministry of Education for the year 2021/2022 showed the net enrollment rate for female students in the basic education stage reached 94.8 percent, compared to 94.1 percent for male students, and the net enrollment rate for female students in the secondary education stage reached 83.1 percent, compared to 71.7 percent for male students.

The percentage of female principals in the basic education stage was 75 percent, compared to 25 percent for male principals, while 61.3 percent of secondary education principals were femal
e, compared to 38.7 percent of males.

In the basic education stage, the percentage of female teachers was 70.1 compared to 29.9 for males, and in the secondary education stage, the percentage of female teachers was 55.1 percent, compared to 44.9 percent for teachers.

Women constitute 47.1 percent of the total population, compared to 52.9 percent of males, meaning that for every 100 females in Jordan, there are 112.5 males. The percentage of productive females in the productive age group (15-64) years reached 60.6 percent of the total females, and the results of the labor force survey showed a high percentage of Jordanian women heading their families increasing to 20.6 percent in 2022, compared to 15.5 percent in 2015, an increase of 32.9 percent.

According to the department, Jordanian women achieved great progress in university and postgraduate education in 2021/2022, as the percentage of female graduates with bachelor’s degrees reached 60.9 percent, compared to 39.1 percent for males, the percentage of fe
male graduates with higher diploma degrees reached 62 percent, compared to 38 percent for males, and the percentage of female graduates with master’s degrees reached 59.6 percent. Compared to 40.4 percent for males, the percentage of females holding a doctorate degree was 56.3 percent, compared to 43.7 percent for males.

The results also showed an increase in the economic participation rate of Jordanian women (15 years and over) to 15.1 percent, compared to 14 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022. They also showed that most of the female workers are paid employees, at a rate of 95.9 percent, while the percentage of self-employed women and business owners did not exceed 4. percent.

The unemployment rate for Jordanian women (15 years and over) decreased in the fourth quarter of 2022 and 2023 to 31.7 percent and 29.8 percent, respectively, with a decrease of about 6 percent, compared to a decrease in the unemployment rate for males from 20.6 percent to 18.9 percent, with a decrease of 8 percent for the same p
eriod.

The results of the created job opportunities survey indicate that the net number of created opportunities for females doubled between the years (2015 and 2022), as the number of created opportunities increased from 12,798 to 20,550 respectively, and created opportunities for females constituted 23 percent of the total job opportunities created in 2022, meaning that one job opportunity females benefited from every four opportunities during the year 2022, and the percentage of social security participants increased from 27.3 percent in 2015 to 29.1 percent in 2022.

Indicators of women’s economic empowerment showed a noticeable improvement during the period (2015-2022), as the percentage of female land ownership increased from 15.8 percent in 2015 to 19 percent in 2022, an increase of 20.3 percent. The percentage of joint land ownership also increased from 32.9 percent to 37.5 percent. For the same period, the percentage of female owners of apartments increased from 23 percent to 25.6 percent, an increa
se of 11 percent, and the percentage of joint ownership of apartments increased from 16 percent to 20.3 percent for the same period, an increase of 26.9 percent.

In females’ contribution to the financial markets for the year 2022, the percentage of female owners of securities (shares) reached 42.6 percent, compared to 57.4 percent for males, and the percentage of deposits owned by females was 36.3 percent, compared to 63.7 percent for males. It is worth noting that the percentage of females borrowing microcredit decreased from 77.7 percent in 2015 to 72.7 percent in 2022, with a decrease of 6.4 percent.

According to the department, when tracking women’s participation in decision-making positions during the years 2015-2022, the results showed an increase in the percentage of female judges from 18.9 percent in 2015 to 28.7 percent in 2022, an increase of 52 percent. The percentage of female lawyers also increased from 23.7 percent to 30 percent. Their participation rate in political parties increased from 35.
5 percent to 42.1 percent for the same period.

In 2022, the percentage of female participation in the Senate and Lower House of Parliament reached 13.8 percent and 13.1 percent, respectively, and female ambassadors constituted 13.4 percent of the total ambassadors. In the ministerial corps, the percentage reached 18.9 percent, and in the diplomatic corps, it reached 23.2 percent.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: The International Labor Organization (ILO), in partnership with Jordan River Foundation (JRF) and representatives of government institutions and civil society organizations on Sunday celebrated graduation of 156 Jordanian and Syrian women beneficiaries of the “Digitalize Your Business (DYB) for Female Entrepreneurs” module.

The program, supported by Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) of U.S. Department of State, comes within the project “Formalizing access to the legal labour market for refugees and host communities in Jordan,” and seeks to increase women’s economic participation in Jordan by supporting entrepreneurship of Jordanian and Syrian women, according to a joint statement.

The project was implemented in several stages, as DYB guidelines were developed to establish entrepreneurial business projects for women.

Under this process, these guidelines were adopted and developed through ILO, aligned to the Jordanian environment and about 422 women were trained on entrepreneurship.

S
peaking at the graduation ceremony, Qais Qatamin, ILO Coordinator of Crisis Response Support Programs said this initiative aims to empower women and youth and provide them with the “necessary skills to overcome challenges in a rapid and changing economic landscape.”

Qatamin also stressed that digital entrepreneurship is “capable of changing the economic reality for the better.”

Meanwhile, Director of the Training, Consultation and Programs Department, Dr. Mohammad Hourani, pointed out the number of beneficiaries of the program during the past two years exceeded 50,000.

The program aims to train and support Jordanian and Syrian women to digitize their projects to expand scope of their businesses and enhance their access to local markets, the statement pointed out.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: The King Hussein Cancer Foundation launched the fourth edition of the King Hussein Prize for Cancer Research, established by Her Royal Highness Princess Ghida Talal, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the King Hussein Cancer Foundation and Center in 2020. Its purpose is to advance cancer research in the Arab region and combat cancer using cutting-edge scientific approaches.

Arab researchers can apply for participation through the website www.kinghusseincanceraward.jo, with submissions open until May 31st.

The award categories include the Lifetime Achievement Award in both regional and international tracks, the Emerging Researcher Award in both regional and international tracks, and the Promising Researcher Grant.

Last year, 200 researchers, spanning 20 countries, applied for the award. Their submissions underwent evaluation by a specialized jury based on predefined criteria.

Source: Jordan News Agency