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AMMAN — Five Jordanian women participating in the TechWomen 17, the biggest gathering for women in technology in the world, held in the US, have won the first prize for the best technological project, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Tuesday.

Participants said that the winning project was among 20 that were presented to a jury inclusive of Microsoft and other major companies in the Silicon Valley.

Medical engineer and medical marketing expert Thilal Sharman said that it is the first time that a Jordanian and an Arab project wins the award.

Ala Agha Karss, founder and CTO of Superiors ICT, said that the project is called “Orphans in Jordan” and focuses on the low percentage of orphans going to university as a result of  psychological and financial problems.

Karss said that the project offered a way to address the problem through an electronic platform with the participation of Jordanian entrepreneurs and intensive workshops.

Aseel Musa, founder of six entrepreneur companies and CEO of business incubator Adamtech, said the project aimed at effecting dramatic change in the mentality of orphans through changing their perception of themselves and their view that they will not succeed.

She added that the project can also target others, not just orphans, to help them change the “impossible” into “possible” by connecting them with institutions that can support them financially.

Hiba Shabrouq, telecommunication engineer and product marketing expert at Orange Jo, said that they presented the project on Friday and the results were announced on Tuesday.

Business entrepreneur Nour Tubassi said that team members have received little financial support for the project and that five of them are affiliated with companies that can support the project.

TechWomen is an initiative of the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The mission of TechWomen is to empower, connect and support the next generation of female leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics by providing them with access and opportunity to advance their careers, pursue their dreams, and become role models for other women and girls in their communities, according to the organisation’s website. 

AMMAN — The Official Gazette has published a decision by the Cabinet to grant insurance companies various exemptions if  they merge, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Tuesday. The exemptions include income tax and annual fees imposed under the Insurance Regulatory Law for a period of three years, also exempting companies from ownership transfer fees and raising capital.

The decision was based on the recommendation of the Investment Council to enable insurance companies establish larger insurance entities that can compete and provide advanced insurance products and to handle the downturns that have hit the sector in the past years.

AMMAN — Water Minister Hazem El Nasser and EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea M. Fontana on Tuesday opened several sewage projects in Irbid, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Tuesday.  The project, at a cost of JD9 million, was funded by the European Union.

El Nasser said that the Water Ministry will continue improving water and sanitation services in the northern regions, especially in host communities for Syrian refugees.

The minister pointed out that these projects came within the framework of a European financing package worth 12 million euros to serve the densely populated communities in the areas of Beit Ras and other areas in Irbid.

He added that these projects serve around 17,000 residents in Beit Ras. The minister praised the efforts of the EU in supporting the water sector over the past years. For his part, Fontana said that the EU appreciates Jordan’s leadership, government and people and makes every effort to enable the Kingdom cope with the “exceptional circumstances” it is enduring.

AMMAN — The Income and Sales Tax Department has urged taxpayers to create a username and a password in order to file their tax returns electronically by 2018, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Tuesday.

The department said in a statement that an icon on their official e-services website allows taxpayers to file their returns and make use of other e-services. The department also said that it will continue to hold oreintation workshops for institutes and employees. 

It also mentioned that various department directorates will continue issuing usernames and passwords to taxpayers without the need to visit official premises, starting next year.

AMMAN — The Tafileh Security Department on Tuesday organised a mock exercise at the Rashadiah Cement Factory.

The drill, co-implanted with the Gendarmerie and Civil Defence departments at the governorate with the participation of the Electricity Distribution Company (EDCO), included a simulated attack by a terrorist group on the main electric inverter of the factory, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The exercise included ways of dealing with terrorists through negotiation, applying a plan for terrorist threats and maintaining the safety of employees. Southern Region Security Commander Brig. Gen. Ziad Bakir said that the Public Security Department has “always given priority to field work” and adopted practical training on various tasks.  

AMMAN — The national strategy for solid waste management, which the government had adopted as a development plan continuing till 2024, includes reducing the number of waste landfills to nine and replacing them with 21 transformational stations nationwide.

Under the strategy, municipalities will have eight landfills and the Greater Amman Municipality will have one landfill, and the plan execution will commence from the beginning of next year after establishing the stations with a cost of JD40 million, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

AMMAN — Jordan ranked third in the Arab world for its number of enterprises in financial technology, accounting for 14 per cent of the market with 15 companies, according to a joint study by Beaufort Associates and Wamda Platform.

The UAE topped the list with 30 companies and was followed by Egypt with 17, while Lebanon ranked fourth with 15 companies, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Bashar Hawamdeh, chairman of the ICT Association of Jordan (int@j), said that Jordan has managed to achieve a lot on e-payment systems, especially that e-FAWATEERcom and other companies have boosted financial efficiency of citizens.

AMMAN — Food safety inspectors at the Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) have shut down 2,100 food facilities in a nationwide crackdown on violations of health standards, which began in January this year.

JFDA teams had carried out 35,260 inspections across the Kingdom seizing and destroying 2,344 tonness of foodstuff that were unfit for human consumption or did not meet standards, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The administration said that Amman topped the list with 57 per cent of the closures, followed by Zarqa and Irbid, with 21 per cent each, adding that 676 food stores had been referred to the prosecutor general and that 22,000 warnings were issued to other facilities.

AMMAN — The 12th money and investment conference titled “Digital coins [bitcoins] and their influence on the economy”, started on Tuesday in Amman with the participation of Arab and foreign experts and international companies. 

Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) Chairman of the Board of Directors Jawad Anani noted that bitcoins first emerged in 2009 and are protected through an e-security system that is structured in a “special language that makes it very difficult to penetrate”, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Bitcoins are divided into two kinds: electronic ones that enjoy high levels of protection due to its encryption, and coins whose values  are estimated at $42 million globally, Anani said. 

AMMAN — HRH Crown Prince Hussein on Tuesday attended the signing of a partnership agreement between the Crown Prince Foundation (CPF) and Airbus, under which the latter provides training opportunities for students of Jordanian universities.

The Crown Prince, during a meeting with CPF officials and Airbus President for Africa and the Middle East region Mikail Houari, expressed his satisfaction over the partnership that would support creativity at CPF and contribute to developing technical skills and knowledge among the students involved.

The Crown Prince said he was looking forward to meeting the students after the internships to brief him on their Airbus experience, which will last for five months, a Royal Court statement said. 

Under the agreement, 15 to 20 engineering students at the MSc and PhD degrees will receive training at the company’s headquarters in Toulouse, France over the next three years through engaging them in advanced training programmes under the supervision of specialised experts.  

The agreement stipulates that CPF contacts universities to nominate students according to standards set by Airbus, providing that the final selection be made upon approval between CPF and the aircraft maker. So far, three students have been selected as interns. 

CPF Acting CEO Nour Abul Ragheb and Houari signed the agreement.

The agreement reflects Prince Hussein’s keenness to provide special opportunities for Jordanian students to benefit from the expertise of international companies and utilise them in serving the Kingdom.

Abul Ragheb highlighted the importance of the agreement in providing “unique” opportunities for the Jordanian youth, underlining the role of CPF as a platform that helps them acquire and improve the skills necessary to increase their competitiveness locally and regionally.

Houari expressed hope that the agreement will help Jordanian young people through providing them with necessary skills in the aviation field, noting that the aviation sector in the Middle East is among the fastest growing in the world. 

Abdullah Rawashdeh, a Hashemite University student chosen to receive the internship, expressed his appreciation for the Crown Prince for providing such an opportunity , which, he said,will have a great impact on the development of his professional and personal skills.

Student Mohammad Qura of the American University in Madaba expressed his eagerness to start the training to benefit from expertise of international companies.

Muna Awjan, a student at the Princess Sumaya University for Technology, expressed appreciation for Prince Hussein’s role in empowering young people and providing training in such a “prestigious” company.