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AMMAN — The Japanese government on Tuesday granted a school bus to Queen Zain Al Sharaf Charitable Association in a handover ceremony held at one of the association’s kindergartens, in Tafileh, southern Jordan.

The deputy chief of the Japanese mission to Jordan, Masahiro Tada, handed the bus over to Yusra Shebailat, head of the association’s administrative board, in the presence of Social Development Director for Tafileh Governorate Abdallah Soqour.

According to a statement that was sent to The Jordan Times, the bus will be utilised for transporting mothers who will participate in the vocational trainings provided by the association as well, the statement said.

In 2018, Japan extended to the association a $49,293 grant for the implementation of “The Project for Provision of Bus to Kindergarten Children in Tafileh”, under the Japanese Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects, the statement highlighted.

AMMAN — General Manager of Aqaba Company for Ports Operation and Management Mansour Qawqazeh on Tuesday said that Aqaba ports handled 4,780,000 tonnes of shipments in the last four months, up 323,000 from last year’s 3,957,000 tonnes for the same duration.

The overall volume of merchandise handled via Aqaba ports also increased by 42 per cent, comparatively, from 842,000 tonnes to 1,167,000 tonnes, he added.

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Qawqazeh said the construction of the fourth customs platform has helped cut the clearance time so that the shipments would be cleared and released to importers within three to 10 working days.

Aqaba has become one of the most developed focal ports in the region, he noted, as the company aims to further boost its performance and competitiveness by setting new key performance indices and executing a fully digitised system, which will cost up to JD7 million, Petra said.

AMMAN — The Jordan Press Association’s (JPA) council on Tuesday said that it was following up on the arrest of journalist Abdul Rahman Farhaneh in Saudi Arabia, two months ago.

His arrest was only reported by his family early on Tuesday, a JPA statement said. Association President Rakan Saaydeh also reached out to Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi to address the situation, who in turn stressed that the Jordanian Embassy in Riyadh is following up on the issue and said that the ministry will issue a statement on the matter soon, the JPA underlined.

All relevant ministries and authorities were contacted as part of the follow-up process, including Minister of State for Media Affairs Jumana Ghunaimat, the JPA statement said.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday visited the Hashemite Commission for Disabled Soldiers (HCDS) and met with its president, HRH Prince Mired, and members.

King Abdullah commended the services provided by the HCDS for injured servicemen who have sacrificed to defend the homeland, stressing the importance of coordinating with all relevant institutions to support the commission, a Royal Court statement said.

Prince Mired thanked His Majesty for supporting injured servicemen and the HCDS, which has become a regional model in quality of services offered to beneficiaries.

During the meeting, attended by a number of injured servicemen, the King was briefed by HCDS Director General Jadallah Masarweh on the commission’s role, services, programmes and activities for beneficiaries and their families.

The HCDS, which includes 2,150 members, works in coordination with various relevant institutions to serve and rehabilitate beneficiaries, with the goal of reintegrating them into society as productive and employable members and helping them secure job opportunities.

His Majesty toured the HCDS and visited its physiotherapy department, which offers fitness and rehabilitation sessions supervised by therapists from the Royal Medical Services, according to the statement.

The King visited the vocational training department, which offers courses for injured servicemen and their families.

The tour also covered the commission’s knowledge station, where beneficiaries receive courses on computer science, provided in cooperation with the National Information Technology Centre, the statement added.

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Yousef Issawi accompanied His Majesty on the visit.

Meanwhile, King Abdullah on Monday called for providing all forms of support for entrepreneurship in Jordan and removing obstacles through short- and long-term solutions.

His remarks came at a meeting at Al Husseiniya Palace, attended by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, with a number of young Jordanian entrepreneurs and representatives of institutions that support entrepreneurship, the Royal Court said.

His Majesty expressed pride in the achievements of the young entrepreneurs, commending the efforts of supporting institutions.

Also at the meeting, attended by Prime Minister Omar Razzaz, His Majesty affirmed the importance of public-private partnerships in reviewing and updating policies and implementing plans to support entrepreneurship.

The King said progress in promoting entrepreneurship in Jordan should reflect on attracting investments, increasing job opportunities and enhancing growth prospects, according to the statement.

Monday’s meeting follows His Majesty’s meeting earlier this month, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa, with a group of young Jordanian entrepreneurs whose 27 start-ups were selected among the top 100 in the region by the World Economic Forum.

For his part, Prime Minister Razzaz highlighted the government’s efforts to support start-ups by developing legislation and an ecosystem that nurtures innovation.

The King was briefed by the attendees on plans to develop entrepreneurship in Jordan and the key challenges facing this sector.

Adviser to His Majesty and Director of the Office of His Majesty Manar Dabbas, Adviser to His Majesty for Economic Affairs Mohammad Eses, and ICT Minister Mothanna Gharaibeh attended the meeting.

AMMAN — The Cabinet on Monday approved a 2019 by-law on appointments for top-category government jobs to prevent exclusions in the hiring process, which would rely on the qualifications of candidates.

The new regulations require the ministerial committee in charge of appointing candidates to high-profile positions to provide video recordings of interviews held with the purpose of selecting and appointing a candidate, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

After interviews are completed, the committee is allocated, under the by-law, two business days to rank candidates in accordance with the total acquired points accounting for a candidate’s résumé, interview performance and ability tests. 

The committee must then provide the prime minister with a report containing the finalists’ names, as well as interview templates, forms, results and the committee’s final decision. 

The panel would then forward the names of the three candidates with the highest scores to the institution seeking to fill the vacancy in question, which in turn has two working days to forward their recommendation of the ideal candidate to the Cabinet. 

The names of the three candidates and the institution’s recommendation must be presented during the Cabinet’s first upcoming session after the submission or the one that follows, to make a decision, which would then be published on the websites of the Cabinet, the Civil Service Bureau and the institution with the vacancy. 

The by-law stipulates that the announcement be accompanied by a justification for the candidate’s selection and a summary of the selection process, according to Petra. 

Governors, ambassadors, secretaries general of the Lower House and Senate in addition to the heads of the offices of the prime minister, Senate and Lower House are excluded from the by-law, Petra added. 

The by-law is intended to increase transparency and trust in government decisions with regards to appointments in top-category positions.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday met with Canadian Minister of National Defence Harjit Singh Sajjan at Al Husseiniya Palace and discussed military cooperation between Jordan and Canada.

King Abdullah expressed appreciation for Canada’s support for Jordan in various sectors, a Royal Court statement said.

The meeting covered regional developments and efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region, as well as efforts to counter terrorism within a holistic approach.

Discussions also covered the burden of the Syrian refugee crisis on Jordan’s economy.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat, Adviser to His Majesty and Director of the Office of His Majesty Manar Dabbas, Canada’s Ambassador to Jordan Peter MacDougall and the accompanying visiting delegation attended the meeting.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Omar Razzaz on Monday met with President of Lebanon’s Socioeconomic Council Charles Arbid and an accompanying delegation to discuss issues of mutual interest. 

The meeting was attended by Economic and Social Council (ESC) President Mustafa Hamarneh, Lebanon’s Ambassador to Jordan Tracy Chamoun and ESC Secretary General Mohammed Nabulsi, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

“The government believes in the crucial role played by the ESC in conducting objective studies on governmental policy, and considers the council to be an organic part of the decision-making process and the process of reaching policy agreements,” Razzaz affirmed in a statement carried by Petra.

Razzaz pointed out the fact that the government takes advantage of the studies and reports prepared by the ESC about the challenges facing the Kingdom’s various sectors, drawing attention to the role of the council in organising discussions, on the building system and issues of urban and rural planning, that have resulted in consensus among stakeholders. 

Arbid assured the Lebanese Socioeconomic Council’s keenness on increasing communication with its Jordanian peer, in addition to benefitting from the ESC’s experience in preparing studies and reports, and working on mutual projects. 

He stressed the importance of increasing cooperation between Jordan and Lebanon to enhance tourism through joint programmes, according to Petra.

Hamarneh had also met with Arbid seperately, earlier on Monday, to discuss cooperation and coordination between their two councils.

“Socioeconomic councils, as providers of research-based consultancy to the government, must meet in the pan-Arab arena and coordinate in providing critical and objective studies to enhance the performance of governments and various institutions,” Hamarneh said.

AMMAN — President of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (APU) and Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh on Monday expressed his condolences over the passing of former MP Theeb Marji.

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Tarawneh recalled Marji’s illustrious career and qualities, as well as his participation in the 11th Lower House, where he was an example of dedication and loyalty to his country, His Majesty King Abdullah and his people.

Tarawneh, on behalf of himself and MPs, expressed his condolences to Marji’s family.

AMMAN — The Senate’s Jordanian-Pakistani Brotherhood Committee on Monday discussed possible ways of boosting ties between Jordan and Pakistan in the presence of Pakistani Ambassador to Jordan Junaid Rehmat, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The committee’s chairman, Senator Atef Tal, said that Jordanian-Pakistani relations are distinguished on all levels, and pointed out that the meeting aimed to explore ways to supporting cooperation in the economic, tourism, health and education sectors.

Ambassador Rehmat underlined the “strong relations” between Jordan and his country, stressing Pakistan’s support for Jordan’s position on the Palestinian issue. The meeting also discussed prospects of launching direct flights between Jordan and Pakistan.

AMMAN —  The Jordanian Businessmen Association (JBA) discussed with the Egyptian Ambassador to Jordan Sherif Kamel boosting the economic cooperation between both countries.

JBA President Hamdi Tabbaa pointed out the efforts of the association and its role in strengthening the economic, trade and investment relations between the two countries through the Jordanian-Egyptian Business Council, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Tabbaa stressed that Jordan could benefit from Egypt’s “strong” economic and trade relations with African countries to facilitate the entry of Jordanian products to the African market. The ambassador lauded the “deep and historic” Jordanian-Egyptian ties, stressing that the embassy is willing to cooperate with the JBA to take Jordanian-Egyptian relations to a new level.

He highlighted the importance of boosting cooperation between Jordan, Egypt and Iraq especially in the sectors of common interest, calling for holding meetings to discuss the investment opportunities in the housing, contracting, water and energy sectors.