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AMMAN — Akeed, an online portal dedicated to monitoring the credibility of media, said that official media outlets did not cover the nationwide protests against the income tax draft law and raising the fuel prices.

The absence of public media and government officials left citizens more vulnerable for rumours and false news, according to an Akeed statement.

Social media outlets, mainly Facebook and Whatsapp, were very important sources for citizens to keep pace with the developments, especially through Facebook's "live" option, and the rise of several hashtags, including: #The Fourth Circle, and #Manash (We are broke).

AMMAN — The Amman Chamber of Industry (ACI) on Monday expressed its interest in benefiting from Chinese expertise in the industrial development field to increase the competitiveness of the Jordanian industries.

During a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Jordan Pan Weifang, ACI Deputy President Adnan Ghaith said that a lot of Jordanian industrialists have imported their equipment in the past decade from China, especially because they are competitive in terms of quality and prices, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

AMMAN — Land Transport Regulatory Commission (LTRC) Director General Salah Lozi on Monday held a meeting during which he discussed mechanisms of providing services to the school transport in the framework of the commission’s efforts to provide suitable public transport services for public school students, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During the meeting, which was attended by representatives of Egyptian SWVL Company, the German Agency for International Cooperation, and the Ministry of Education, Lozi stressed the need to apply high standards in school transportation to ensure the highest levels of safety for students, noting that the commission is following up on the issue in light of several recent abuses.

AMMAN — Driven by a passion for sustainable tourism that stimulates economic growth, while conserving and protecting cultural heritage and natural resources, Jordanian Muna Haddad started exploring the tourism landscape around the Kingdom. 

She quickly came to two realisations: first, that most of Jordan’s attraction power had been overshadowed by the world famous Petra and Wadi Rum. Second, that despite a rich potential for tourism activities that could be run as small businesses, most of the country’s locals lacked the training and resources to carry out such profitable initiatives.

Haddad, who is the founder of Amman-based Baraka Destinations, therefore sought a grant from the USAID Jordan Local Enterprise Support Project (LENS) to materialise her idea of developing community-based tourism in various locations across Jordan. 

"I encountered so many local communities desperately wanting to engage in the tourism sector, but who were not succeeding, even with support from training programmes and micro-investments by development agencies," the entrepreneur recalled, highlighting that "they are struggling to create products that tourists want while being unable to reach the tourism markets alone".

Aiming to empower these populations by implementing tourism strategies that leave "minimal impacts on the environment and maximum benefits for local communities", Haddad worked towards creating a new form of tourism in Jordan: "experiential tourism".

Experiential tourism has become a rising trend across the world, offering travellers a chance to connect with a country’s culture, history and people by immersing themselves in experiences where they meet locals, spend time with them and get to know their way of life, according to online sources.

"Experiential tourism is particularly beneficial for a country like Jordan as it helps micro and small business owners located in local communities to benefit from tourism money, and provides them and their families with an additional source of income," a USAID representative said.

Starting off in the northern village of Um Qais, which Haddad said she "fell in love with a few years ago", Baraka Destinations helped set up six tourism businesses, creating 38 direct and indirect jobs.

"Um Qais has always been a secondary tourism site that tourists rarely visit or, if they do, rarely spend more than two hours there," explained Emily Clark, project coordinator at Baraka, adding: "Besides, the local community barely benefitted from the existing tourists as their cars crowded their streets and their trash cluttered the area".

Baraka partnered with the local community to develop a cluster of tourism products and experiences offering a “full package” for tourists to enjoy up to three days in Um Qais, taking the money traditionally centred at the archaeological site and spreading it out among the community, she continued. 

"What we do is that we develop clusters of community-owned tourism businesses before incubating them with the local owners until the business is profitable. Skills are transferred and capacities are at the standard to enable tourism entrepreneurs to build their own villages into vibrant tourism destinations," Clark underlined.

Among the projects developed at Um Qais are Beit Al Baraka (or "House of Blessings"), a three-room bed and breakfast, home cooked meals, catering and packaged food products sold by Galsoum’s Kitchen, camping and hiking experiences with Philodemus Camping, and biking excursions with GadaraCycling, among others.

Founder of Galsoum's Kitchen, Um Sulaiman said she has always loved cooking so much that she would "even ditch my studies to cook with my mother". 

She now teaches community members and visitors alike a chance to "create in the kitchen" through her cooking classes. "I kind of became a teacher herself and it feels great to pass on my knowledge and be productive," she told The Jordan Times.

“When you come to Um Qais, you can reconnect with reality… the beauty of nature, historical sites, friendly people, and traditional foods and flavours,” she said, stressing that "to fully experience a place and culture, you must engage all of your senses."

For local beekeeper Yousef Al Sayeh, being part of Baraka's project also helped him forget how his previous salary was “barely enough to make ends meet”. 

“I managed to maintain and grow the two beehives I bought over the years, but it was always a side business. After retiring, I realised that beekeeping is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Sayeh recounted.

He worked with Baraka with the support of USAID LENS to develop his English skills to better communicate with the visitors of the area and developed a successful business.

"We have a policy to hire and source locally as much as possible to ensure money stays in the community," stressed Haddad, who noted that such projects also help in reinstating pride in a place that these people get to call home. 

Capitalising on the success of its work in Um Qais, Baraka is now setting up a shop in Pella in the Jordan Valley, where it opened a bed and breakfast called Beit Al Fannan ("House of the Artist").

“This time, we are experimenting with ‘experiential accommodation’: the place offers guests a full-on immersive experience in an inspiring space that tells the story of an artist so, everywhere you look, there is something to explore that uncovers more of the story,” Haddad explained, adding that “the house also comes fully stocked with art supplies, art books and inspiration for guests to play".

The Baraka founder said they are working with the people of Pella to showcase “their version of the place”, while working closely with the archaeologists in the area and the Department of Antiquities to highlight the significance of the area. 

AMMAN — “UNRWA is moving ahead on the assumption that we are here to stay and we will continue to improve our services regardless of the financial crisis,” UNRWA's director of operations in Jordan, Roger Davies, said on Monday, stressing that “Jordan is now home to a total of 2.3 million Palestinian refugees and we have to keep on providing them with the services they need because it is their right”. 

His remarks came during a media briefing held at the UNRWA’s field office in Amman, where the official outlined the agency’s plans for the rest of the year following the turmoil of the past few months. 

New operations are expected to begin on June 12 at Zarqa refugee camp, where four schools are set to be rehabilitated and upgraded with the funding provided by the Saudi Fund for Development.

A brand new clinic will also be built in Zarqa within the next two years, while the two existing health centres in the area will be merged together in order to provide “faster and better services”.

“The areas of Irbid and Jerash are currently suffering from continuous power cuts, which is especially critical considering that the clinics have fully turned into the electronic health system,” Davies continued, explaining that “in order to fix this situation, UNRWA is planning to install solar panels aimed at generating backup electricity to keep the system running during the power cuts”. 

Regarding UNRWA’s financial situation, Davies noted that the agency has been able to raise $210 million since the beginning of the crisis: a total of $100 million were pledged at the extraordinary ministerial meeting to mobilise support for Palestine refugees co-chaired by Jordan, Egypt and Sweden while a subsequent meeting in Saudi Arabia resulted in a $50 million pledge by the host country and another $50 million from the UAE. A recent $10 million donation was further announced by Turkey. 

“We started this year with a total deficit of $446 million in regular programmes and emergency appeals, and we still have to raise over $200 million by the end of the year,” Davies stressed, noting that UNRWA is currently trying to expand its donor base and setting its hopes into new territories and sources of funding to prepare for the start of the new school year in September. 

The official highlighted the launching of the “Dignity is Priceless” campaign, pointing out that “this is the first campaign in the history of the agency that targets individuals and organisations across the world rather than voluntary contributions from countries”. 

UNRWA’s financial situation will be discussed along with other topics at the next regular meeting of the agency’s advisory commission, which is set to be held at the Dead Sea on June 18-19. 

Concerning the recent protests staged by the agency’s staff, Davies clarified that “the salaries and benefits given to workers across all countries where UNRWA operates are set in comparison with the government's standards and this has been explained to all workers. The only condition requiring a salary survey would be a fundamental change in the government’s structure, and that did not happen up to this point”.

On the complaints over the increase in health insurance premiums for local employees, the official noted that the agency counts with a supervising board formed by members of the company providing the health service, the staff union and the administration, explaining that “the board is responsible for the discussion of the demands and their further application if feasible”. 

Commenting on the staff’s criticism over the lack of replacements for the vacant positions, Davies assured that the agency has agreed to increase the number of daily paid workers since the beginning of Ramadan, noting that the administration will continue to do this in order to ease the pressure on the staff. 

AMMAN — Tkiyet Um Ali (TUA) has offered Iftar meals to Muslims at Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif and the Ibrahimi Mosque, as part of its Ramadan donation campaign, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Monday. 

TUA said it will also offer meals to more than 1,625 fasting individuals across the West Bank. 

The non-profit organisation has distributed meat parcels of 3,351 Adha sacrifices to 9,993 families in the West Bank, in cooperation with the Hashemite Charity Organisation, Petra reported.

Director General of Tkiyet Um Ali Samer Balqer expressed delight over delivering food support to Palestinian people for the 8th year through TUA's project "Takatuf".

He thanked donors who continuously contribute to supporting Palestinian people and "mitigating their suffering". 

During Eid Al Adha (the feast of the sacrifice), TUA supervises the sacrificing rituals and the distribution of meat from sacrificed livestock donated by expats in Australia, according to Petra.

During the sacrificing process, a team from TUA checks on the rituals, accompanied by a mufti (a Muslim legal expert who is empowered to give rulings on religious matters) from the Iftaa Department to ensure the following of the religious rules. 

Tkiyet Um Ali provides sustainable food support to 30,000 underprivileged households in the 12 governorates of the Kingdom through delivering monthly foodstuff parcels that consist of 22 food items.

AMMAN — A Green Centre in the middle of Jordan's desert is leading the way in the fight against pollution in the Kingdom, with refugees from the Azraq refugee camp working to collect plastics and solid waste, which are recycled into, vegetable containers.

Operated by World Vision International with the support of the European Union, the Green Centre recovers recyclable materials from almost 25 tonnes of solid waste collected daily inside the camp, located some 100km east of Amman.

"We wanted to shed light on this amazing project that tackles solid waste management on the occasion of World Environment Day, which is this year conducted under the theme 'Beat Plastic Pollution'," said Zena Khoury, Syria communications officer at World Vision.

Approximately 31 per cent of the recyclable waste collected every day at the camp are plastics, which constitute one of the greatest threats to the environment, according to experts.

After being sorted, the plastics are sold to processing plants that turn them into vegetable containers, said Dominique Monera-Tabora, behaviour change communications specialist at World Vision, noting that, to date, the Green Centre has accumulated some 26 tonnes of plastic waste that will be sold to recover operational cost.

Alongside the recyclable waste collection, Syrian refugees have also been trained as community mobilisers who seek to raise awareness on recycling among the camp residents.

Through community gatherings and shelter visits, they encourage refugees to separate recyclables from organic waste using colour-coded bins. 

“It is important for the camp to have a place to recycle waste and keep the cleanliness,” stressed Mahmoud, a farmer from Homs who said that volunteering with the World Vision’s community mobilisation team also helps in "keeping himself busy from the life he misses back home".

Forty six year old Khalid is also from Homs, where he worked as a businessman before fleeing the war. He said he makes the most of his previous experience owning a big store in Syria to "keep his shelter clean" and ensure his family of seven know how to best use the recycling bin and bag of plastics inside their home. 

“Cleanliness is part of our culture and we continue it here, especially after we were given bins for recyclable waste,” he highlighted.

Prior to the establishment of the Green Centre in November 2017, almost 25 tonnes of organic and recyclable waste collected daily were diverted to nearby landfills and dumpsites, contributing to over 2.2 million tonnes of solid municipal waste generated in Jordan each year, according to official figures. 

A recent report published by UNESCO during a campaign to reduce plastic use indicated: “Plastic littering also affects agricultural productivity and reduces the quality of livestock. Every year, an estimated 60,000 sheep are suffering weight loss or mortality due to blockage of the digestive system as a result of eating littered plastic bags.”

Plastic bags made of polyethylene and derived from petrol have been denounced as "a worrying environmental hazard" with significant repercussions on agriculture by environmentalists. 

On June 3, an article by the BBC reported that a whale found dead off the coast of Thailand had swallowed over 80 plastic bags. 

The Sustainable Food Security for refugees through Environmentally Responsible Solid Waste Management Project implemented in Azraq is one of Jordan's responses to an increasingly critical situation in terms of public waste management, Monera-Tabora concluded.

AMMAN — The Goodwill Campaign, implemented by the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD), on Monday offered financial support to the Yanabee Kawthar charity organisation in Zarqa Governorate to establish a training project for local women, according to a JOHUD statement.

The campaign also provided scholarships to several university students, supported women to help them establish their own home-based business start-ups, and distributed food parcels to 250 families in the area. 

The donations were part of a Goodwill's Ramadan campaign, which seeks to enhance the living conditions of the underprivileged families across the Kingdom, help establish income-generating projects, and support the youth in pursuing higher education degrees.

During the distribution, HRH Princess Basma, president of the Goodwill Campaign's higher committee, stressed the campaign's keenness on providing help and support to vulnerable families and individuals through various programmes, which contribute to fostering social and human development.

She then visited the headquarters of the women’s Zakat committee, which was launched 18 years ago, and the Yanabee Kawthar charity organisation in Zarqa Governorate, where she met with several women who spoke about their ideas and home-based projects.

President of the Zakat committee Dalal Abu Sneineh displayed the committee's activities in supporting over 300 underprivileged families in the area through monthly financial and in-kind aid, while the President of Yanabee Kawthar Hana Agha displayed the organisation's activities and plans for conducting training projects that aim at empowering women. 

For her part, Princess Basma said that the Jordanian women have proved their independence and capability to help their families and enhance their living conditions, expressing the campaign's keenness on supporting women's projects.

AMMAN – His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday received a phone call from Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

The King and the Emirati leader "emphasised the solid fraternal and historical relations between the two countries and their keenness on enhancing them in all fields, in a way that serves the mutual interests of the two countries and peoples," a Royal Court statement said.

HRH Crown Prince Hussein was in Abu Dhabi last week, where he met Sheikh Mohammad.

AMMAN — The two Houses of Parliament on Sunday made a recommendation to His Majesty King Abdullah to convene the Parliament for an extraordinary session to be held as soon as possible to bring an end to the “income tax crisis”.

The Senate separately sent the recommendation to His Majesty King Abdullah, advising holding the session, according to a parliamentary source.  

The senators, according to the source, suggested that since the majority of the House members reject the amended income tax draft law, they can vote it down and forward it to the Senate, which would follow suit and return the bill to the government, as stipulated in the Constitution. 

Later in the day, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted House Speaker Atef Tarawneh as making a similar proposal to the King, noting that the number of MPs who reject the income tax bill had risen to 90. He added that voting down the law is the right move to defuse the nationwide protests that have been ongoing on a nightly basis since Thursday in Amman and several other locations, following a strike led by the professional associations last Wednesday that saw a significant response from citizens. 

Tarawneh cited Article 82 of the Constitution, which allows a majority of the House to request an extraordinary session, noting that these opponents had duly filed the petition with the Chamber’s permanent office. 

Social media and local reports indicated that youth continued their rallies near the Fourth Circle on Sunday night, where the Prime Ministry is located. 

The other suggestion made by the senators as they met to discuss the crisis is that the government withdraw the draft law from the House and a national committee be set up to come up with a new law that has the consensus of all stakeholders, the source said.

The consultation meeting on the income tax draft law was chaired by Senate President Faisal Fayez, who, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, “highlighted the importance of launching a comprehensive national dialogue on the bill so as to achieve balance between challenges, economic pressures and the interests of various social classes”. 

Fayez warned “saboteurs” against damaging public assets and called on security personnel to refer those who seek to destabilise the security of the Kingdom to court, Petra reported. In a related development, Fayez also met with the president and members of the Amman Chamber of Industry (ACI) about the draft law, stressing the importance of resorting to national dialogue in this regard. ACI President Ziad Homsi outlined some remarks about the bill, while chamber members proposed recommendations to help boost the national economy.