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AMMAN — The Jordan Paralympic Committee, represented by the Jordan Sports Federation for the Handicapped, will host the Asian ping pong qualifiers between October 22 and 29, the committee announced Monday.

China, South Korea, Thailand, India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Macao, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and Lebanon confirmed their participation in the qualifiers with around 250 members representing players, administrative personnel, referees and trainers, the majority of whom use wheelchairs, a committee statement announced.

The qualifiers will determine the teams to participate in the International 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, Brazil, scheduled for September 7-18.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday met with Chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko and stressed the depth of Jordanian-Russian relations, according to a Royal Court statement.

The meeting at Al Husseiniya Palace covered bilateral economic relations and the level of commercial exchange, in addition to enhancing cooperation between legislative institutions.

The two sides stressed the importance of the Jordanian-Russian Higher Joint Committee’s meeting that will take place this month, when officials from both sides will discuss several vital projects, particularly in the fields of energy and transportation.

The meeting also covered efforts to combat terrorism and extremism, where His Majesty stressed the importance of supporting regional and international efforts to neutralise the dangers threatening global security and stability. 

For her part, the Russian official said Jordan is "an oasis" of security and stability in the region, stressing that Russia has exerted efforts to arrive at a political solution in Syria and the importance of international cooperation against Daesh.

The meeting was attended by Senate President Abdur-Ra’uf S. Rawabdeh, King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan, the delegates accompanying Matviyenko and Russian Ambassador to Jordan Boris Bolotin.

Rawabdeh met separately with Matviyenko on Monday and they signed a parliamentary cooperation agreement. 

The deal stipulates further parliamentary cooperation through exchanging visits and encouraging communication, in addition to coordination among international parliamentary institutions, Rawabdeh said.

Matviyenko invited Rawabdeh to visit Russia, heading a Senate delegation. 

At his meeting with the Russian lawmaker, Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh said Jordan was able to build a reform model, overcoming challenges and turning them into opportunities despite the turbulent political and security situations in the region and the tough economic conditions.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday stressed, during a meeting with retired General John Allen, US special envoy to the anti-Daesh coalition, the importance of intensifying regional and international efforts to fight terrorism and extremism, a Royal Court statement said. 

The meeting covered recent developments in regard to the war on Daesh and international efforts in the field.

The meeting was attended by King’s Military Adviser and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Gen. Mashal Al Zaben and King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan.

AMMAN — Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury and Minister of Finance Umayya Toukan left the Kingdom to attend the annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which will be held in Lima, Peru, October 5–11. 

A statement issued by the Planning Ministry said Fakhoury, who represents Jordan on the board of governors of the World Bank, is scheduled to hold a series of meetings with top executives at the international financial institution to discuss bilateral ties and future cooperation. 

He is also scheduled to have bilateral meetings with representatives of donor countries and organisations, said the statement, which added that the minister will also participate as a speaker in several sessions and seminars on local, regional and international issues. 

Toukan will represent the Kingdom on the IMF board of governors. 

A statement issued by the Finance Ministry and carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, said that Toukan will hold several meetings with officials from the US Department of Treasury as well as representatives from the IMF and the World Bank to discuss cooperation and economic assistance.

The minister's discussions with IMF executives, according to the statement, will focus on an IMF-sponsored financial reform programme that is expected to start its implementation by the beginning of next year.  

The annual meetings are usually held for two consecutive years at the IMF and World Bank headquarters in Washington, DC, and every third year in another member country.

AMMAN — The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on Monday launched a series of training sessions for judges in Jordan as part of an initiative to develop capacity in commercial law.

The courses are being delivered under the EBRD’s legal transition programme which contributes to the improvement of the investment climate in the bank’s countries of operations by helping create an investor friendly, transparent and predictable legal environment, according to a statement.

They are the first EBRD legal courses in its countries of operations in the southern and eastern Mediterranean (SEMED) region and are being rolled out under the auspices of Jordan’s Ministry of Justice.

The capacity-building training will cover three priority areas identified by the scientific committee of the Judicial Institute of Jordan (JIJ) — competition, intellectual property and enforcement of arbitration awards — all of which are important in a well-functioning market economy.

In this pilot training, EBRD will draw on and share lessons learned from dispute resolution and other judicial capacity-building projects it has implemented in many countries with transition economies over the last decade. 

Marie-Anne Birken, EBRD general counsel, said the ERBD is “proud to partner with the Judicial Institute of Jordan to conduct this training", she said, stressing on the importance of building up a knowledge base in these specific areas of law "especially at a time when the number of legal cases is growing in Jordan". 

"This sort of training will assist the Jordanian government in its efforts to develop a more transparent and effective legal system that supports the economy."

Jordan became a member of the bank in 2012 and to date the EBRD has committed US$422 million across 22 projects in various sectors of the economy. 

Within the SEMED region, the bank also invests in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.

AMMAN — The Jordan Breast Cancer Programme (JBCP) on Monday launched its annual awareness campaign “Stay in my life… get screened.”

The October campaign, carried out in partnership with the King Hussein Cancer Foundation (KHCF) and the King Hussein Cancer Centre (KHCC), seeks to encourage women to get screened for early detection of breast cancer. 

Speaking at a meeting with the press, HRH Princess Ghida Talal, chairperson of the KHCF, highlighted the role of family, especially children, in encouraging female family members and teachers to get screened. She also urged women to commit to regular medical checkups. 

The importance of the role of children in encouraging checkups was concluded after an analytical study of the previous campaign was undertaken. Discussion sessions with a number of women across the board concluded that delivering the message through children has a high impact on women.

The sessions concluded that children are especially effective in reminding women of the social costs of neglecting checkups and treatment, and of the familial repercussions of the disease.

The meeting was attended by HH PrincessDina Mired, director of the foundation and the honorary chairperson of JBCP, as well as KHCC Director General Asem Mansour, who is also a member of the international advisory committee for the JBCP.

AMMAN — A Jordanian pilgrim thought to be missing has been confirmed deceased in the recent Hajj stampede in Mecca that left hundreds dead, according to a senior official.

Saudi authorities said 70-year-old Sami Batayneh was buried in Mecca, Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Hayel Daoud told The Jordan Times on Monday.

Authorities handed over his belongings to family members in Saudi Arabia, he said.

Batayneh is the second Jordanian killed in the stampede, according to the minister.

“A third Jordanian pilgrim is still missing in Mecca… There is no information about his whereabouts, but his family members said they were in touch with him on the day of the stampede and that he was close to the site of the accident. They said they lost contact with him after the stampede,” the minister said Monday.

The man works as a driver in Mecca, said the minister.

“The Jordanian consulate in Jeddah is following up, but we do not have any official information at this stage. There are still many unidentified dead pilgrims in Saudi Arabia and authorities are conducting DNA tests to identify them,” said the minister.

The stampede, which occurred on the first day of Eid Al Adha between the Jamarat pillars and the bridge in Mina, during the ritual of the Stoning of the Devil, resulted in the death of over 700 pilgrims and injury of some 800 others.

Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, is one of the five pillars of Islam and considered the religious high point of a Muslim’s life. It is performed during a five-day period from the 9th through to the 13th of Dhul Hijja, the 12th month of the Muslim lunar calendar.

Some 5,600 Jordanians performed Hajj rituals through the ministry this year, including administrative teams.

AMMAN — Two brothers of a Jordanian MP who reportedly assaulted an Egyptian restaurant worker in Aqaba last week were ordered detained on Monday pending a settlement, official sources and the lawyer of the victim said.  

Mohammad Theeb Barakeh, the lawyer representing the victim, waiter Khaled Yamani, and the Lebnani Snack restaurant, told The Jordan Times that a settlement is expected either Monday evening or Tuesday.

Barakeh filed a lawsuit against the MP and the people accompanying him with an Aqaba court on charges of libel, slander and intimidation in addition to assault. 

The alleged assault on Friday, which went viral on social media, showed lawmaker Zeid Shawabkeh purportedly talking to an Egyptian worker at a fast food restaurant in the port city. As he was speaking to the 36-year-old waiter, his brother slapped the guest worker across the face.

The footage shows the MP’s brother then allegedly pushing Yamani to the ground and, with the help of two others, beating him up.

The Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted a source at the Ministry of Interior as saying on Monday that “the Jordanian government does not allow anyone to be above the law regardless of the individual or his/her background. 

Yamani was admitted to Princess Haya Hospital in Aqaba after the assault and was discharged Monday, according to Barakeh.

An employee at the restaurant who witnessed the assault told The Jordan Times on Sunday that “the MP did not beat Khaled, but his brother and the other people accompanying him did,” countering previous reports that the MP was involved in the assault. 

The incident apparently occurred because Yamani was “late in delivering the meal to the deputy and his company”, added the employee, who preferred to remain anonymous.

The video of the alleged assault went viral on social media, triggering anger among Jordanians, Egyptians, diplomats and media commentators. 

The issue prompted the government to comment, with Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani insisting that Jordan respects Arab guest workers, adding that the law protects both citizens and residents and guarantees their right to turn to the Kingdom’s legal system if their rights were compromised.

AMMAN — The Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation on Monday signed a grant agreement of 300,000 Kuwaiti dinars (around $992,000) with the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), according to a ministry statement. 

The agreement allows AFESD to contribute to financing an electronic tracking system for transit trucks in Jordan. 

The project is part of the “Jordan 2025” vision aimed at enhancing the Kingdom's role as a regional gateway and hub for commerce, business and investment, the ministry statement said.

Planning Minister Imad Fakhoury, who signed the agreement on behalf of the government, said it aims to provide  the Jordan Customs Department with modern devices for an e-tracking system of transit trucks in a way that sustains the system effectively. 

The grant, signed by AFESD Chairman and Director General Abdul Latif Hamad, would also help provide more facilities to guarantee flexible movement of goods passing through the Kingdom, increase control over goods, limit smuggling, and increase Treasury revenues, the statement added.

Fakhoury said AFESD is one of the Kingdom's main partners in supporting development projects, noting that in the last 40 years, between 1975 and 2015, the fund has contributed to financing 46 economic and social schemes for a total value of $1.791 billion. Additionally, is has provided $43 million as grants during the same period.

AFESD has also contributed to financing small and medium projects through soft loans worth $80 million, added the statement.

AMMAN — Northern Jordan’s archaeological and historical significance remains underexploited and little known, despite its huge cultural significance and economic potential. 

Aside from Jerash and the lesser known site of Gadara, much of northern Jordan’s cultural heritage has the potential to contribute to a boom in Jordanian tourism, a two-year Oxford University project utilising satellite imagery has found.

The role this technology can play in identifying and protecting endangered historical sites was emphasised at a conference held last week at the Jordan Museum that brought together international experts of Middle Eastern history. 

Held under the patronage of HRH Prince Hassan Bin Talal, the Protecting the Past conference is part of an international series focusing on threats to cultural heritage sites and developing strategies aimed at their preservation.

The organisers said the archaeological heritage of the region is under increasing threat from “massive and sustained population explosion, agricultural development, urban expansion, warfare and looting”.

The conference was planned by Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA) and the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nurnberg, in collaboration with the Department of Antiquities (DoA), and was held September 28-30.

Andrea Zerbini, a 31-year-old researcher with a PhD from Royal Halloway, University of London, and coordinator of Protecting the Past, claimed the conference was a success. 

 “We were very pleased to see so many scholars and stakeholders from Jordan, Palestine, Europe, the US, Australia and New Zealand as well as UNESCO representatives,” Zerbini told the Jordan Times on Monday.

He commended HRH Princess Sumaya for her role in highlighting “the importance of these subjects in the public debate”.

Zerbini attributed the success of the project to the continuous and systematic collaboration between EAMENA and DoA, as well as cooperation with the University of Jordan and the Hashemite University.

Director of EAMENA Robert Bewley said once the humanitarian crisis in the region is resolved “the impact on cultural heritage will be reduced.”

The scholar emphasised that the rebuilding of towns and cities, as well as archaeological sites destroyed during war, should be done with respect to the region’s cultural heritage.

Bewley’s interest in the Levant began back in 1978, when he conducted fieldwork in Iran, Iraq and later, Jordan. Zerbini’s passion for the history of the region began more recently, when he toured the area in 2006 and then joined fieldwork teams in Syria in 2010, later coming to Jordan, he said. 

“There are interconnections which link the Levant with both East and West and this region is known as the Cradle of Civilisation,” Bewley explained.

 “Currently, our project has mostly covered Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen. In 2016, we plan to expand our operations into countries we haven’t yet worked in, such as Algeria, Iran and Oman,” he stated.