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AMMAN — Health Minister Mahmoud Sheyyab has called on international pharmaceutical companies to give Jordan preferential prices, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Monday.

Sheyyab made the remarks during meetings with administrations of major international companies, which were held on the sidelines of the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The minister said that the Kingdom should receive preferential prices due to incurring extra burdens as a result of hosting Syrian refugees.

AMMAN — Economists and industrialists on Monday welcomed the opening of a Public Security Department (PSD) special independent unit to provide all kinds of protection to investors as an “important and much needed step”.

Earlier this month, PSD Director Maj. Gen. Ahmad Faqih instructed the establishment of the special independent unit with the aim of having in place direct, specialised and “strict” methods in dealing with investors’ complaints of violations that include blackmailing and extortion.

This is an “important and vital unit because of the recent attacks on investment facilities”, said Director General of Jordan Chamber of Industry Maher Mahrouqi.

Protecting such facilities should be as imperative as “protecting other industries and entities because it contributes to the country’s economy”, Mahrouqi told the Jordan Times.

President of the Textile, Garment and Clothes Union Fathalla Emrani agreed, saying that the development constitutes a “positive and good” step by the PSD that shows they care about the safety and security of guest projects. 

"Such a unit is extremely important and timely but what we are looking at is how it will function. We expect the law-enforcement agency to keep a close eye on individuals who target certain industries and are known to the authorities," Emrani told The Jordan Times.

Economist Khalid Zubeidi told The Jordan Times that he had a different opinion stating that there “is no need for such a unit because anyone can go and file a complaint to the police or protect their rights through the judicial system”.

“We are already suffering financially and I do not see any need to add more financial burdens. Such unit will need a budget, facilities and staff and this will add more financial burdens on the government,” Zubeidi said. 

In addition, Zubeidi explained, “we have a strong judiciary system that can ensure justice for anyone who feels that they were targetted”.

The PSD had said that the unit’s work will focus on the operational aspect through fixed and mobile security patrols at and around industrial complexes, and an intelligence branch that will be responsible of preventive security and criminal investigation departments.

These personnel will also have the role of directly contacting investors and listening to their grievances, before proceeding with relevant procedures. 

The PSD said a hotline was launched recently and called on Jordanian, Arab and foreign investors to contact the unit in case of fraud or blackmailing attempts. 

On January 7, Prime Minister Hani Mulki formed a ministerial committee tasked with protecting investors against assaults and violations.

The committee comprises the interior, labour, investment affairs and industry ministers, and is responsible for taking the legal and administrative measures against any person that would commit such acts or any violations against guest investors.

Labour Minister Ali Ghezawi briefed Mulki on a recent incident in which a factory manager was beaten by a group of “outlaws”.

AMMAN — President of the Truck Owners Association Mohammad Dawoud on Monday said that the syndicate was in talks with stakeholders for the entry of Jordanian trucks into Iraq, especially that security conditions have recently improved in the neighbouring country.

Dawoud told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that the recent re-opening of borders with Iraq allowed some 1,000 trucks to resume their activities, which contributes to restoring the momentum in the sector, although on a small scale in the current phase.

He noted that some 100 trucks arrived in an exchange zone near the borders and unload their cargo to Iraqi trucks that deliver shipments to Iraqi cities, adding that shipments mainly contain fruits, vegetables, groceries, wood and iron.

AMMAN — The number of tourists who stayed at Aqaba hotels reached 640,000 in 2017 compared to 567,000 the year before, marking a 13 per cent increase, an official said.

In Wadi Rum, the number jumped from 82,000 in 2016 to 162,000 last year, recording a hike of 97 per cent, Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) Chief Commissioner Nasser Shraideh told The Jordan Times on Monday.

The hotel occupancy also increased from 48.8 to 60.1 per cent, with a length of stay going from 2.2 to 3.94 nights, Shraideh said, adding that the number of occupied hotel rooms went from 4,000 in 2016 to 4,600 in 2017.

The chief commissioner said that the increase in tourists' numbers came after a series of promotional measures taken by ASEZA in cooperation with partners in the tourism field. 

As part of its strategy to host 1 million tourists until 2020, ASEZA has floated a tender for travel agencies to attract tourists from untraditional markets, Shraideh said, noting that the authority also floated another tender for airlines to operate regular bi-weekly flights from Aqaba to several countries.

He said that the third Aqaba Carnival is scheduled to kick off on February 1, featuring several events and attractive discounts over one month at 157 hospitality, tourism, and entertainment facilities.

In recent remarks to The Jordan Times, spokesperson of the state-run Aqaba Development Corporation Khalil Farrayeh said that the carnival is a winter promotional campaign that includes shows, activities and discounts at most of Aqaba's facilities.

During the one-month-long carnival, the two-way plane ticket from Amman to Aqaba will be JD10 on the Royal Jordanian Airlines, for those who provide a hotel booking confirmation, according to the spokesperson. 

AMMAN — Work on Jordan's sixth national report on biodiversity began on Monday with the aim of tracking the Kingdom’s progress on the implementation of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD).

Issued every three years, the report evaluates the efficiency of programmes in the conservation of biological diversity, biologists and environment experts said at the report's inception workshop.

Jordan submitted the first national report to the UN on biodiversity in 2001, as part of its commitment to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which the Kingdom ratified in 1993.

HRH Princess Basma, president of the National Committee on Biological Diversity, said that, although preparation of national reports on biological diversity is a requirement under the CBD, the reports are an opportunity to evaluate the status of biological diversity in Jordan.

"We can benefit from the national reports to build an environmentally sound and safe future for Jordan," she said at the event.

Princess Basma noted that the reports are also a tool to assess what has been achieved in the field of biodiversity conservation over the past years and the way forward.

On its website, the CBD indicated that the sixth national report should provide a final review of progress in the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 based on information concerning the implementation of national biodiversity strategies and action plans and to implement the convention.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will prepare the sixth report, while the Ministry of Environment will oversee the preparation process, according to Nidal Awran, UNDP's Environment and Climate Change Programme Director.

Awran highlighted that the Global Environment Fund is financing the preparation of the sixth report, highlighting that the deadline for submitting it is December 31, 2018.

"We will focus our efforts with all stakeholders to have it ready by October, when it will also be shared with stakeholders for further validation. We also plan to have it reviewed in the next conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change," Awran said.

In its first report, Jordan indicated that the CBD is the first global convention that relates to all aspects of biological diversity, including genetic resources, species and ecosystems.

By joining the convention, states obligate themselves to preserve the biological diversity of their countries. In addition, the provisions of the convention have ramifications on the world market and on Jordan in terms of international agreements on trade and bio-technologies, access to genetic resources and gene banks, development of agricultural products, use of natural resources and rehabilitation of ecological systems, according to Jordan's first national report.

The country's fifth national report in biodiversity, submitted in 2015, indicated that "the status of biodiversity in Jordan remains unsatisfactory and facing numerous challenges and constraints".

AMMAN — The Talaqi Youth Initiative on Sunday held its closing ceremony at the Royal Cultural Centre where youth from six governorates showcased musical and theatrical performances under the motto “Enhancing Resilience to Extremism”.

The initiative, which is sponsored by the European Union, was launched by the Ministry of Culture in November 2017 under the title “Technical Assistance to Support the Efforts of the Government of Jordan to Prevent Violent Extremism”, with the aim of addressing radicalisation trends and disengagement among citizens by encouraging music, fine arts, theatre and social media. 

Workshops and activities were conducted in local cultural centres in Irbid, Maan, Mafraq, Zarqa, Karak and Salt, with a total of 800 participants between the ages of 13 and 22 years old. 

Talaqi’s head of Cultural Direction in Maan, Youssef Saeed Shamri, told The Jordan Times about the introduction of theatre, fine arts and music in his governorate:

“In Maan, we live in a closed society and these initiatives could have caused a negative reaction, but we were able to convey that the purpose of this initiative is to live together in peace and to improve the students’ capabilities”. 

He noted that some of the parents who were first reluctant to let their children join later “regretted that decision” after they found out that the programme "cultivates  positive energy, acceptance and communication with others”.

The closing ceremony constituted the “final act” of the students and mentors who worked on their piece weekly for the past three months. 

“I was shocked to see the performances today, so much improvement can be seen in the students who have so many success stories,” said Iman Hassan, a member of Talaqi’s organising team. 

The performances ranged from beatboxing and singing to theatrical play in a venue packed with parents, fellow students, Culture Minister Nabih Shuqum, and EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea Matteo Fontana. 

“The European Union is pleased to integrate this initiative in its support to the Jordanian Government against violent radicalisation.  Youth is today’s hope for the future of Jordan. Culture encourages social inclusion, promotes intercultural dialogue, mutual understanding and helps fighting and preventing radicalisation, prejudice, fanatic and xenophobic behaviours,” Fontana said in a statement. 

Talaqi also launched a media contest where students were encouraged to produce short films, public services announcements, documentaries, or animations with a positive impact.

Natali Soumbouloglou, a senior at the SAE Institute in Amman, received first place for her short film “Belle” which conveyed the message of “accepting oneself".

“When you accept yourself, you can accept everyone else,” said 20-year-old Soumbouloglou.

“Now that I’ve won, I’ll do anything in my ability to support people who are afraid to join competitions because I too was afraid at first, telling myself I’ll never win. But I want people to go out there and try their luck and see what happens,” she concluded.

Students from Petra University, Yarmouk University and Middle East University took part in the contest. 

AMMAN — At a time when most of the national attention is focused on the impact of formal education on children's development, no one really considers the role of parents in providing quality educational tools for their kids, a young Jordanian entrepreneur said.

Qusai Abu Shanap recalled noticing the loss of confidence of parents around him who kept asking themselves "What can I do with my kids?", noting that children tend to be stuck between school and home without the opportunity to "explore the world out there".

"We wanted to find a way to help parents reconnect with their children by spending more quality time with them through educational and fun activities," Abu Shanap told The Jordan Times at his office in King Hussein Business Park, stressing that "it is very important for children to learn outside the school in order to be prepared for the real life".

Along with Elaf Al Araj, Hana’a Alfaqeer and Abdullah Abu Mafouth, he developed SDEQ, a mobile app that aims to engage and support parents in doing entertaining age-based activities with their kids anytime, anywhere. 

"Our motto at SDEQ [or 'friend' in Arabic] is 'Be a friend with your kids', as we believe that, while parents should be as important as teachers in educating their child, they can also do this in a fun way," Araj said.

On the SDEQ online platform, creative educators — whether parents or professionals — design customised activities based on parents' engagement, children's feedback and the latest scientific studies, which are then assessed by the SDEQ team who decides how viable the activity is.

"We make sure that any activity posted on the app has been reviewed by an expert, tested by trusted parents and abides by existing child protection policies," Araj explained, noting that "anyone is welcome to submit proposals for activities and become our partner in this journey towards better education".

"The point of these activities is that they are doable anywhere by anyone. They do not require complicated or expensive material, and they are suited for any environment," Abu Shanap said, noting that the app displays games to be played in the living room, the garden, or at the mall, among other common places.

Once they log into the SDEQ app, parents select the best suited activity for them and their child by answering a few questions that help in identifying their needs.

"First, we ask for the age of the kid, as each stage of childhood has different needs and learning methods. Then, we ask them how much time they have to spend with their child. Whether it is a whole day or just 15 minutes, we believe it is important for parents to invest in daily quality time with their children. No matter how little time or how simple the activity is, it is always better to do something than nothing," Araj stressed. 

Each activity is displayed in several steps, which are illustrated through simple, user-friendly videos. 

"We look at activities on the basis of four main goals: supporting formal education, acquiring 21st century adapted skills, providing a social and emotional learning and offering developmentally appropriate practices," Araj stated, noting that all users are encouraged to provide feedback on their experience to help improve the app.

The app, which seeks to improve children's educational experience while strengthening familial ties through over 1,000 activities, also aims to help educators involved in the app progressively earn an additional income.

In 2017, Qusai was awarded the Youth for change award and received the BADIR fellowship to help him further develop the SDEQ project.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday received Commander of the United States Central Command Gen. Joseph Votel and discussed bilateral ties especially in the military field, according to a Royal Court statement.

During the meeting, which was attended by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat at Al Husseiniya Palace, His Majesty and Votel went over the latest regional developments, and regional and international efforts in the war against terrorism within a holistic strategy.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Monday conducted a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart Sherif Ismail, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During the call, the premiers discussed means to boost bilateral relations between Jordan and Egypt in all fields. They stressed the importance of cooperation among Arab countries. Mulki and Ismail commended the continued coordination on issues of common interest.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Monday attended the launch of several projects implemented by the Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA), the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The projects, worth $9 million, aim to improve the administration's work and enhance its role in ensuring the safety and quality of food and drugs in the Kingdom.

The new projects include establishing laboratories and drugs departments financed by a Saudi Arabian grant. The plan also includes a renewable energy project to reduce JFDA's spending.