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AMMAN — Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat on Tuesday received US 5th Fleet Commander Vice Admiral John Aquilino and his accompanying delegation, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The two sides discussed joint cooperation and ways of enhancing bilateral relations between the two countries' armed forces.

AMMAN — More than 14 per cent of employees in the Kingdom are not subscribed to the Social Security Corporation (SSC), corporation spokesperson Musa Sbeihi said on Tuesday.

During a meeting with Tafileh's imams and preachers, Sbeihi called for raising awareness among workers on their social security rights and for promoting SSC campaigns that aim to acquaint employees with their rights, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

He called on employees to notify the SSC if their employers refuse to register them with the corporation, warning against the dangerous repercussions of such practices on individuals and the society. 

AMMAN — The Italian Government has announced the increase of the number of scholarships to be offered to foreign and Italian students residing abroad to 15 starting from academic year 2018-2019, an embassy statement said.

The scholarships, worth 900 Euros per month, are offered to carry out study, training and/or research programmes in Italian state institutions or university-level institutions.

“This is an opportunity that aims to strengthen cooperation in the cultural, scientific and technological fields between Italy and Jordan, in addition to projecting Italy’s economic model worldwide and disseminating the Italian language and culture,” the statement read. More information can be found about the applications, which are set to close on April 30, at https://studyinitaly.esteri.it 

DEAD SEA — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday attended the opening ceremony of the Laureates and Leaders for Children Summit 2018 that will address the challenges facing children impacted by forced migration.

President of Panamá Juan Carlos Varela, Panamanian First Lady Lorena Castillo de Varela and a number of former presidents of different nations, Nobel Laureates, and 250 government officials, leaders, academics and representatives of civil society organisations from around the world took part in the event, held at King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre on the shores of the Dead Sea.

HRH Prince Ali, who is a member of the Steering Committee for the summit, delivered a keynote speech during the opening ceremony.

“Around the world, in countries and regions affected by conflict, or poverty, triggered by human-made or natural disasters, or even by… climate change, children are bearing the brunt of the suffering,” Prince Ali said.

The summit, he added, is a gathering of people from different backgrounds who all share a strong commitment “to work for a better future for children that is worthy of them” and to put together a collective effort towards ensuring that these children live the lives that they should be living.

Jordan, “in its time-honoured tradition of hospitality no matter how challenging”, has put the protection of refugee communities and children at the top of its priorities, Prince Ali said, noting that the Kingdom “is the largest registered and non-registered refugee-hosting country in the world when compared to the size of its population”.

“Nearly half of all refugees today are children,” the Prince added.

The prince called on participants in the summit to take action on the ground to make a difference in the lives of children.

“Let us utilise this summit to help open the world’s eyes to our children’s dreams and aspirations, because they are today’s hope for a better future,” he said.

In his speech during the opening session, President Varela said: “As a head of state and leader, I feel a special commitment to guarantee every child in my country a fair opportunity and environment to develop, free of any exploitation, abuse, violence and discrimination.”

The president praised Jordan’s efforts to protect “refugees that have fled a horrendous ongoing war in Syria and a still unstable regional situation”, noting that “more international resources are needed in Jordan and the Middle East region for humanitarian aid and to offer hope to the victims of war”.

In a televised message at the ceremony, HRH Princess Haya noted that there are more than 15 million displaced children around the globe due to conflict, violence, climate change and poverty.

She emphasised the importance of working towards addressing the challenges faced by children worldwide, all of whom have the right to live in safety and freedom and to have access to education and protection.

Meanwhile, Founder of Laureates and Leaders for Children, Kailash Satyarthi, delivered an emotional speech in which he stated: “I dream of a world where no child needs to carry a passport or a visa. If technology, knowledge and money can flow freely through borders without having to seek refuge anywhere, why can’t children have the same privilege?”

“I dream of a world where all borders and hearts are open to every child. I dream of a world where childhood is not a charity issue, but where the essence of childhood — innocence, purity and forgiveness — are forces that drive everyday life.”

In remarks in a televised message, United Nations Secretary General António Guterres stressed the importance of holding the summit to address the challenges facing children worldwide, such as violence, poverty and climate change.

The opening ceremony also included an opera-style performance by Jordanian child singer and Arabs Got Talent winner Emanne Beasha.

Launched in 2014 by children’s rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Satyarthi, Laureates and Leaders for Children is a movement that mobilises Nobel Laureates, youth, celebrities and other leading thinkers and influencers across disciplines and generations who are champions for children.

The movement was conceived as an engaging platform to establish the groundwork for a more sustainable and forward-thinking leadership capable of safeguarding the future of the world’s children, particularly in the face of global challenges and chronic social predicaments impacting communities worldwide.

The summit is headed by José Ramos-Horta, Nobel Peace Prize winner and former president of East Timor.

The summit’s steering committee includes Prince Ali, Panamanian First Lady Lorena Castillo de Varela, Satyarthi, human rights activist and President of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Kerry Kennedy, and American economist and director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University Jeffery Sachs.

The opening ceremony of the summit was also attended by TRH Prince Feisal, Prince Hashem and Princess Rym Ali.

Senate President Faisal Fayez, Royal Hashemite Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Adviser to His Majesty and Director of the Office of His Majesty Manar Dabbas and a number of ministers and senior officials were also in attendance.

International attendees included former president of Ireland Mary Robinson, as well as current and former officials from various nations, Arab and foreign ambassadors to Jordan and representatives of several international organisations and institutions that have received the Nobel Prize.

AMMAN — The Cabinet, in its meeting on Monday chaired by Prime Minister Hani Mulki, reviewed the monthly agenda related to the Economic Growth Plan to (EGP) for 2018-2022, which was prepared by the government's economic team, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During a press conference at the Prime Ministry on Monday, State Minster for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani told reporters that the government has set a monthly agenda for all sectors to ensure substantial progress in the implementation of the EGP, in a transparent manner and within a fixed timeframe.

Momani said that the agenda comprises two parts, the first of which is the monthly executive programmes of each ministry and public institutions, listing all activities that have to be implemented, while the second part covers the annual evaluation of each sector.

The minister referred to Sunday’s meeting of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Economic Affairs Jafar Hassan with editors-in-chief of local newspapers and media outlets to publicise the plan and announce the action schedule and the measures that will be taken by concerned institutions.

The calendar has been posted on www.egp.jo to allow all concerned parties to access information related to the progress in projects in the pipeline on a monthly and a yearly basis.

Momani noted that specific procedures would be taken to follow up on progress in the executive measures associated with the plan, stressing that the implementation of EGP will go simultaneously with the ongoing plan to reform public finance and stimulate the economy.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday met with Arab League Secretary General Ahmad Aboul Gheit, who handed the King an evaluation report on pan-Arab joint action during Jordan's rotating presidency of the Arab summit.

During the meeting, Aboul Gheit praised the Kingdom presidency, during which various decisions were issued to stress the centrality of the Palestinian cause and the need to reach an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on the two-state solution with East Jerusalem as capital of Palestine.

The meeting focused on the challenges and crises that face the region and efforts to work out political solutions to these conflicts.

His Majesty stressed Jordan’s keenness on supporting the pan-Arab action in light of the critical circumstances that the region is undergoing, which, he said, require collective action to serve the nation’s interests and just causes.

The King highlighted the role of the Arab League in unifying Arab countries positions on issues of common interest.

King Abdullah praised the role and efforts of the Arab League, especially during Jordan’s presidency of the summit, which started at the Amman-hosted leaders’ summit one year ago.

For his part, Aboul Gheit expressed his appreciation for the King’s efforts in supporting the organisation.

Also on Monday, His Majesty met with UNRWA Commissioner  General Pierre Krahenbuhl on the sidelines of the Laureates and Leaders for Children Summit 2018, a Royal Court statement said.

The meeting covered the economic challenges that face UNRWA and means to support the UN organisation to continue providing basic services to more than five million registered Palestinian refugees.

His Majesty highlighted the importance of the agency’s humanitarian role, urging the international community to fulfil its responsibilities in supporting it to continue delivering education, health and relief services.

For his part, Krahenbuhl commended the Kingdom’s efforts and the contacts it has made with influential international stakeholders, in finding effective and quick solutions to address UNRWA’s unprecedented financial crisis, which was deepened by US President Donald Trump’s to drastically cut aid to the agency . 

He also thanked Jordan for its endeavour in co-chairing a ministerial emergency conference recently in Rome to support the UNRWA, where new pledges were made to the organisation to help it overcome the financial challenge.

AMMAN — Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh on Monday condemned the Israeli practices against children and women in the Palestinian occupied territories, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

In response to claims of the Israeli delegation participating in the Inter-Parliamentary Union on Sunday, in its 138th session currently held in Geneva, Tarawneh said that such practices would not bring peace to the region.

The Israeli delegates alleged that Israel is a peace-loving state and they were shocked at the international "attack" on it, claiming that Palestinian children kill and assault “Israeli civilians”.

In response, Tarawneh addressed the Israeli delegation saying: "Your prisons are packed of detained [Palestinian] children, and the latest was the arrest of Ahed Tamimi.”  

If a committee from the parliamentary union visits the Palestinian territories, it would find thousands of detained Palestinian children, he said.

According to media reports Ahed Tamimi, a 17-year-old Palestinian girl, was arrested for slapping a soldier during a demonstration. The demonstration was organised to protest Israel’s use of force during a rally, when Ahed’s 14-year-old cousin Mohammed was shot in the face by an Israeli soldier, leaving him in critical condition.

Tarawneh stressed: "It is we who are truly a peace-loving nation."

He underlined the legitimacy of the Hashemite Custodianship on the Muslim and Christian holy places in Jerusalem, a status Jordan will not compromise, he said.

He added that peace lovers around the world do not recognise Jerusalem as capital of Israel, except for the isolated decision of the US, which, he said, was faced by strong international rejection.

"We will not forget the rights of Palestinians in Jerusalem," he reiterated.

Tarawneh's speech was applauded by the delegations participating in the session, which had witnessed a decision that was secured by Jordan to support the rights of Palestinians in Jerusalem.

On Sunday, the participants voted for supporting the Palestinians' right of Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

The vote followed efforts by the Jordanian parliamentary delegation to the meeting to support an Arab-Islamic emergency item added to the agenda in relation to the repercussions of the US decision to relocate the embassy into Jerusalem.

AMMAN — Three Jordanian women have just returned from Melbourne, Australia, where they were selected as one of the top six teams nominated for the Hult Prize’s 2018 regional competition.

An annual, year-long competition running since 2010, the Hult Prize aims to crowd-source ideas from university students after challenging them to solve pressing social issues related to food security, water access, energy and education, according to its website.

Ramah Abu Safieh, a pharmacy student at the University of Petra, spoke to The Jordan Times on Monday as she returned from the regional finals where she and her teammates Shaden Thwieb and Duha Ghazi presented their innovative project of thermal energy formula.

“The idea behind our 'Here For Heat' team’s project was to serve the health sector in producing a safe pharmaceutical formula that generates thermal energy inside the human body in order to combat cold weather and increase the feeling of warmth,” Abu Safieh said, noting that the formula is made “only from natural plant extractions and is alcohol free”.

"Two years ago, I took part in the Atlantic Humanitarian Relief missions in Jordan that aims to provide medical relief and support services to the most vulnerable population including injured individuals, refugee women, children and the elderly," the young student recalled, noting that she witnessed the dramatic consequences of cold weather on these communities during winter.

“Our project aims to reduce the risk of hypothermia, support the traditional heating sources performance and reduce the complications caused by alcohol intake to feel warm in cold areas,” the team leader said, citing the danger of alcohol abuse by vulnerable population such as homeless people in countries with long cold winters or seasonal drops in temperature. 

The project’s prototype, named “Hodka”, seeks to serve a large segment of people, specifically refugees, outdoor workers and people in vulnerable living settings.  

This year’s challenge, which has been announced by former US president Bill Clinton, focuses on the theme of “harnessing the power of energy to transform the lives of 10 million people by 2025”, team member Thwieb said, noting that the solutions provided have to serve one of several fields including connectivity, education, health, mobility, water or agriculture.

The Jordanian “Here For Heat” participated in the Hult Prize 2018 — Petra University, where they seized the second place among 28 contestants, entitling them to move on to the regional finals at Melbourne Business School, where they were named as one of the top six teams.

One of the world’s biggest engine for the launch of innovative startups, the Hult Prize movement runs regional competitions in 15 cities, including Amman, around the world, as well as “Wild Card” rounds. The young women are expected to receive the official approval to take part in these rounds, which represent the “accelerator phase”.

Over the next eight weeks, the three Jordanians expect to undergo intensive start-up accelerator training at the UK Ashbridge Castle along with 49 other teams from around the globe.

Following this stage, six international teams will be selected to attend the global finals held at the UN headquarters in New York, where they will compete for the $1 million prize to be handed out by President Clinton as a capital investment for their innovation.

In the meantime, the “Here for Heat” team is preparing for the national finals to be held in May, a parallel process carried out simultaneously as part of the prize programme. They hope to seize the winning prize of $150,000, which will help them in developing their project to the next level, according to Ghazi

“Hult Prize was truly the turning point from being regular students to becoming social entrepreneurs,” said Abu Safieh, voicing her team’s hope to develop viable solutions for sustainable change.

“We are currently at the stage of conducting clinical trials and further developing our formula to achieve the safest, most effective and stable product with the help of experts in the labs of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Studies at the University of Petra,” she concluded.

AMMAN — Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) Chief Commissioner Nasser Shraideh on Monday announced that the new Aqaba port will begin its operations mid-2018, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The step will follow the old port site’s hand-over to an investment company that bought the location to build the Marsa Zayed, large-scale development project. 

At a meeting with Aqaba Company for Ports Operation and Management’s director general, Mohammad Mubaideen, and other executives, Shraideh stressed that the Marsa Zayed project, which will be implemented after old facilities are removed, will be a distinctive Gulf of Aqaba landmark, reflective of the city’s cultural and touristic image and a must-visit attraction for Jordanians and guests.

He announced that the implementation will start after the site’s official hand-over in September, noting that the relocation process has already begun to the new port on Aqaba’s southern shore. Handling operations at the new port will commence on the 1st of May, he added.

The ASEZA chief noted that emptying the old port’s silos and warehouses will take place before the end of April, adding that the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army is assisting in the demolition of old buildings. Operations will completely cease at the old port by early May.

Shraideh said that the new port was designed to meet international standards and specifications to contribute to the envisioned increase in trade exchange, and handling and compete with other Red Sea ports.

AMMAN — Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Monday said that Jordan has been shouldering burdens of hosting the Syrian refugees that have exceeded its capacity, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During a phone call with the UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura, Safadi stressed that the international community has to meet its responsibilities in addressing the needs of the refugees.

He said that Jordan would continue carrying out its humanitarian role in helping the Syrian refugees, who reached 1.3 million.

At the same time, Safadi said the Kingdom will take all necessary measures in protection of its national interests and security from the repercussions of any developments on the Syrian crisis.

The minister highlighted the importance of sustaining the de-escalation zones in the south of Syria, which emerged as a result of a Jordan-US-Russia effort.