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AMMAN — Senate President Faisal Fayez stressed that it is not Jordan which started the Syrian crisis, wondering why the Kingdom has been bearing the responsibility and repercussions of the refugee influx.

During his address to the attendees of the 8th Bosphorus Summit in Istanbul, he called on the international community to support the Kingdom financially to help it face the economic and security challenges that emerged from the regional conflicts, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

In a session dedicated to the refugee crisis and overcoming humanitarian challenges, the Senate president noted that Jordan has received several refugee influxes since its independence, starting in 1948 and 1967 when it received Palestinians. 

AMMAN — The State Security Court (SSC) on Wednesday sentenced a defendant to ten years of hard labour for plotting to carry out a terrorist attack targeting military buses, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The defendant, who is a supporter of Daesh terror group, has been held in custody since November 2016.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday met with the US Senate leadership, and the chairs and members of the Senate Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on Armed Services at the House of Representatives, as well as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

The Capitol Hill meetings, partly attended by Her Majesty Queen Rania, covered ways to enhance Jordan-US cooperation in various areas, particularly in the economic and military fields, according to a Royal Court statement.

Discussions also addressed renewing the memorandum of understanding on US economic support for Jordan for the coming years.

The two sides discussed the programmes and reforms implemented by Jordan to bolster its economic resilience in the face of regional challenges.

King Abdullah voiced Jordan’s appreciation of the US' support to enable the Kingdom to implement development programmes and shoulder the burden of the Syrian refugee crisis, commending the Congress major role in this regard.

Turning to the Palestinian issue, His Majesty affirmed the importance of pushing the Palestinian-Israeli peace process forward, based on the two-state solution and international terms of reference, arriving at the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side by side with Israel.

Reaching a just and permanent solution to the Palestinian issue will bring security and stability to the entire region, the King said.

The meetings also covered developments in the Middle East and efforts to reach political solutions to regional crises.

Commenting on the Syrian crisis, His Majesty said the tripartite agreement between Jordan, the US and Russia to secure a ceasefire in southern Syria and establish a de-escalation zone will help create an environment conducive to reaching a political solution through the Geneva process.

In the fight against terrorism, the King stressed the importance of intensifying international coordination and cooperation within a holistic approach.

For their part, the US lawmakers commended Jordan’s positions, led by His Majesty, on various regional issues, as well as the King’s efforts to bolster peace and stability in the region.

At the meeting with Secretary of State Tillerson — held within the ongoing Jordanian-US coordination and consultation — discussions covered regional and international developments, in addition to efforts to jumpstart the peace process.

The two sides affirmed the need to support efforts to reach political solutions to regional crises, and restore security and stability for the region’s peoples.

His Majesty reiterated the importance of the US’ role in securing peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

Discussions at the meeting also covered developments in Syria and Iraq, in addition to regional and international efforts to fight terrorism within a holistic strategy.

 Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan, Planning Minister Imad Fakhoury and Jordan’s Ambassador in Washington, DC, Dina Kawar attended the meetings.

AMMAN — A “wall of kindness” recently popped up in front of the Landmark hotel in Jabal Amman, inviting generous souls to donate clothes for the most in need ahead of the winter season.

“We wanted to find a way for the less fortunate to receive warm winter clothes without feeling the need to ask anyone,” said Layla Al-Qasim, head of strategic engagement and sustainability projects at the Landmark.

Designed in the public and free of access area outside of the hotel, the “Wall of Kindness” was inaugurated last week, marking the first day of the rainy season.

“We wanted to see it launched when it first rained in Amman, so that people would feel the need for warm clothes and realise it can be a difficult time for those who do not have these items,” explained Mary Nazzal-Batayneh, the founder of the Landmark hotels who initiated the idea.

“People who want to donate clothes can come and deposit them on the hangers attached to the wall. They do it anonymously without anyone knowing. Then, our laundry team at the hotel picks up the clothes, cleans them, folds them, wraps them up and hangs them back so they are available for the recipients, just like brand new items,” Al-Qasim told The Jordan Times at the hotel.

Batayneh said that since they launched the project last week, clothes have been deposited daily, voicing hopes that the phenomenon will keep growing.

“It is not only this specific wall that is important, but the effect it will have, and the ideas it will keep inspiring people,” she continued, noting “we hope this wall will have a small but positive tangible impact on our local community”.

Communicating about the initiative on social media platforms, Al-Qasim stressed that “we also want to reach out to people who do not have access to Internet. We try to spread the word through the radio, word of mouth, newspapers, etc”.

She noted that “since this is aimed to help the less fortunate, we need to find accessible ways for them to learn about the initiative.”

Set up to let people donate and receive the items anonymously, the wall seeks to promote generosity and humanity, away from the media exposure surrounding some winter donation campaigns.

The “first project of its kind” in Amman, the Wall of Kindness was inspired by the first initiative launched in Iran to help the homeless people of Mashhad in 2015, according to Al Qasim.

The initiative has since spread to the cities of Karachi in Pakistan, Liuzhou in China, Rome, numerous cities in India, and many others, according to web sources.

“We encourage people to donate and to take what they need,” the hotel founder concluded.

AMMAN  — The Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD) on Monday celebrated its 40 year anniversary, honouring its various partners for the joint work exerted to enhance human and social development in Jordan.

HRH Princess Basma, chairperson of JOHUD’s board of trustees and patron of the ceremony, said at the event: “The fund’s achievements over the past 40 years would not have been possible without the effective partnerships with the various institutions of the public and private sectors, the civil society and international organisations working in Jordan.”

Held under the title “Commemorating 40 years of Partnership Looking Towards the Future”, the ceremony was attended by several ministers, ambassadors and representatives of local and international organisations, in addition to JOHUD partners.

During her speech, the princess highlighted the importance of the trust, credibility, hard work and devotion of JOHUD and its partners in providing the best services to the Jordanian people, and in pushing forward the human, social and economic development process in the Kingdom.

She stressed JOHUD’s commitment to these partnerships and the fund’s keenness on developing them.

Princess Basma highlighted that the fund has become a “hub for expertise” in finding successful tools to meet development challenges through its specialised entities and centres, especially in the area of poverty alleviation and unemployment.

JOHUD’s Executive Director Farah Daghistani outlined the fund’s main programmes in tackling poverty and unemployment, noting that the 51 Princess Basma centres for development reach around 1 million beneficiaries per year.

Daghistani also reviewed the programmes and activities carried out by the Princess Basma Community Development Centres  across the Kingdom, which target various segments of society.

Qais Tarawneh, director of the Queen Zain Al Sharaf Institute for Development, JOHUD’s training arm, presented the work mechanism in the social support network targeting the most vulnerable categories.

JOHUD is the oldest and largest nongovernmental organisation dedicated to promoting rights based, sustainable human development in Jordan, a JOHUD statement said.

AMMAN — HRH Crown Prince Hussein on Tuesday attended a military drill carried out by the 39th Jafar Bin Abi Taleb Mechanised Battalion, one of Princess Alia 48th Mechanised Brigade units.

Upon arrival, the Crown Prince was received by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat, Northern Military Zone Commander Brig. Gen. Ghazi Muqeibil and the Brigade’s Commander Brig. Gen. Diab Shawabkah, according to a Royal Court statement.

The Crown Prince listened to a briefing on the drill’s various phases that included live firing exercises involving different weapons and vehicles, and urban combat with cover from warplanes of the Royal Air Force and Special Operations.

Participants in the drill showed high levels of accuracy in shooting targets as well as coordination among each other, which highlighted their high morale and advanced skills in dealing with various circumstances, the statement said, adding that His Highness praised the high level of competence of the unit. 

The prince also visited Al Sin site, where Shawabkah briefed him on the geographical, strategic and historic significance of the site. Several senior civil officials and military officers attended the function.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Tuesday said that the executive agreements pursuant to the 1994 peace treaty with Israel have been implemented in line with the relevant constitutional procedures.

Mulki's remarks came during Tuesday's Lower House oversight session, in response to a question by MP Saleh Armouti who asked whether Jordan has signed any further agreements with Israel since 1994 and, if so, inquired about their nature. 

The premier explained that all agreements signed with Israel were complementary to the 1994 Wadi Araba Peace Treaty under which, he said, both parties agreed that all deals included in the peace pact should be executed within a nine-month deadline from the date of exchanging the ratification documents.

Of the 15 questions discussed Tuesday, five MPs took a more probing approach turning their questions into inquiries.

Some of the questions focused on the appointment mechanism at the Jordan Tourism Board and the Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission while others touched on capital spending and development projects.

At the beginning of the session, House Speaker Atef Tarawneh said that the issue of the citizen whom he asked not to intervene and was then seen escorted by police outside the Chamber during Sunday’s session “was misunderstood”.

A video showing Tarawneh addressing a citizen at Parliament, asking him not to interrupt the meeting went viral on social media, sparking widespread criticism.

The video, which became a social media fodder on Facebook and Twitter, showed the security escorting the citizen out of the Lower House.

The citizen, who was attending Sunday’s session presenting the 2018 state budget, protested the referral of the budget to the House’s Financial Committee. In response, Tarawneh addressed him saying: “This is none of your business, citizen.”

“This House is for all Jordanians and, along with our keenness on enforcing the bylaws to ensure smooth deliberations and no disruption especially from attendees on the gallery, we are also keen on listening to citizens’ demands and keeping all doors open for them,” Tarawneh said on Tuesday.

AMMAN — The information and communication sector’s contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) ranges around 12 per cent, a sector leader said, reporting an improving performance. 

Quoted by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, on Tuesday, Bashar Hawamdeh, chairman of the Information and Communications Technology Association (Int@j) said that the investment volume in the industry is “considered good”, especially when compared with previous years. 

He stressed that the sector's exports have achieved a growth, citing the association's most recent study, without elaboration. 

During a press conference attended by Int@j board of directors, Hawamdeh noted that the investment volume in ICT enterprises in Jordan is four times the average in the Middle East region, noting that the investment volume of the entrepreneurship in Jordan equals $420 for every $1million of GDP, compared to the regional average of $120.

However, Int@j’s chief said that the ICT business in Jordan is facing several challenges and obstacles, calling for a clear and integrated vision for the sector in the Kingdom that covers all governorates.    

Hawamdeh said that local companies have developed the current e-payment systems in cooperation with the Central Bank of Jordan, while it has successfully developed the governmental electronic systems in neighbouring countries.

AMMAN — Indonesian Ambassador to Jordan Andy Rachmianto on Monday presented the “Ambassador Award” to a number of Jordanian and Palestinian companies, in recognition of their commitment and outstanding performance in doing business with Indonesia. 

More than 70 prominent Jordanian and Palestinian business figures attended an event by the embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, the embassy said in a statement on Tuesday, a copy of which was e-mailed to The Jordan Times.

Speaking at the event, Secretary General of the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Supply Yousef Al Shamali, delivered a remark on the ways to enhance the bilateral trade between Jordan and Indonesia and to congratulate the awardees. 

Last month, Indonesian embassy successfully managed a business trip to Jakarta to participate in 2017 Trade Expo Indonesia. The embassy was able to bring and invite a large delegation from Jordan and Palestine. Last year, the embassy brought 40 Jordanian businessmen, and this year, the embassy managed to bring 60 Jordanian businessmen, the statement said.

As a result of the trade mission, the embassy recorded a total of $22 million in business transactions. Mostly, the transactions are in the food sector, in which Jordanian buyers contribute about $14 million. This amount exceeded the transaction at the previous expo in 2016, in which the embassy only recorded $12 million in transaction, according to the  statement.

The bilateral trade volume between Indonesia and Jordan in 2016 reached $256 million, which was a 50 per cent drop from $500 million in 2012.

“This is not a good sign and it is believed that this amount does not reflect the true potential of the commerce between the two friendly countries. The two nations must work together to improve the bilateral ties and cooperation, especially in the field of economy, trade, tourism, and investment,” the statement read. 

AMMAN — The Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) has launched a mobile application providing users of smartphones with a four-day forecast and up-to-date weather-related warnings, among other atmospheric data.

The application, called “JMDWeather”, seeks to provide accurate weather forecast for all of the country’s governorates, as well as live details on temperature, wind speed and direction, and humidity levels, among other information, according to a weather forecaster at the JMD.

“The application provides users with four-day weather forecast, temperatures and any urgent weather-related warnings. The application also covers the weather conditions in the country’s tourist locations,” meteorologist Raed Rafed told The Jordan Times.

Weather forecast for all of the governorates are provided to the users via “an interactive map”, the department official said, noting that the application offers detailed forecast for the current day and the next three days when clicking on a given city, in addition to maximum and minimum temperatures.

JMDWeather, which is currently available in Arabic, while the English version is expected to be released soon, also provides aerial weather images, information on the JMD and data on the user’s live location.

“The option on the user’s location is the highlight of this new application as it identifies the user’s live altitude above sea level; a detail that is very much sought after by people during winter, when snow fall is expected,” Rafed said.

As the department specifies on which altitudes snow is expected to fall, it usually receives several calls from people inquiring about the altitude of the area where they live in regard to sea level, the official added.

Since the department experimentally launched the application last week, some 500 users have downloaded the app.

On the department’s Facebook page, social media users have welcomed the release of the JMDWeather app, saying that it is a useful tool to receive trusted and accurate weather forecast and warnings.

Raed Abu Saadeh commented on the department’s Facebook page,  saying “great step, well done and good luck”.