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AMMAN — The Heinrich Böll Foundation on Tuesday launched the Arabic version of its Ocean Atlas, which illustrates the importance of the ocean, how to manage its resources and the threats facing the marine ecosystems.

The 50-page Ocean Atlas provides information, infographs, maps, articles and pictures, according to publishers, who indicated that the publication will be distributed for free and that it can be used for educational purposes, among others.

”It also provides basic information for people interested in understanding our marine ecosystems and the threats endangering them,” Bettina Marx, director of the Heinrich Böll Foundation office in Jordan and Palestine, said during the launching ceremony.

Marx indicated that Jordan and Palestine have coasts on the Red Sea, the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, noting that the two countries also have “more than their share of problems in the marine ecosystems”.

“Just think of the untreated wastewater polluting the sea off the Gaza Strip, think of the receding shore of the Dead Sea and consider the many dangers to the coral reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba. We decided to translate this informative publication into Arabic to make it available to our partners in the Arabic speaking world,” Marx highlighted.

The publication also investigates whether oceans are running out of fish stock and if fish farms are options for the future. It also covers the issue of garbage and plastics dumped into the ocean, the dangers of declining marine diversity and how the ocean can slow down climate change.

Minister of Environment Yaseen Khayyat described the Ocean Atlas in its Arabic version as a “distinguished contribution” to the existing data on marine environment and the threats it faces.

“Launching the Arabic version of the Ocean Atlas is a great contribution to efforts to protect marine and coastal ecosystems as it provides researchers and workers in the domain of coastal areas’ management a wealth of data and statistics,” Khayyat said at the event, speaking on behalf of HRH Princess Basma, Chairperson of the Royal Marine Conservation Society of Jordan (JREDS).

The minister cited figures showing that more than half of the earth population inhabits coastal areas, while marine ecosystems and coastal areas only constitute 10 per cent of the planet.

Khayyat highlighted that the coastal area in Jordan is strategically important as it is directly linked to the country’s socioeconomic and environmental growth.

He underlined that the coral reef ecosystems are the flagship of the Gulf of Aqaba, explaining that they are distributed along Aqaba’s 27-square-kilometre-long coastline and enjoy a unique biodiversity that necessitates cooperation to be protected.  

JREDS Executive Director Ehab Eid said that the society will hold sessions with its partners in Aqaba to make the contents of the atlas available to the public, with a focus on the issue of littering.

“Littering harms marine ecosystems..., 80 per cent of underwater waste originate from the land,” Eid said at the event.

He underscored the interlinked dimensions of protecting the ecosystems of the Gulf of Aqaba and boosting the country’s socioeconomic development.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Tuesday met members of Lower House's Justice bloc the headed by MP Mejhem Sqour, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The follow-up meeting discussed economic challenges facing the Kingdom. Sqour said that the bloc has expertise in proposing policies that will tackle various issues, adding that it will work with transparency with the plans of the government.

The prime minister said that the government aims to hold a "two-way" dialogue on the general framework of the financial and economic reform programme. He stressed that the reform programme is aimed at addressing the imbalances in public finances, while at the same time stimulating economic growth.

The prime minister pointed out that strict penalties will be imposed for tax evasion. The members of the bloc stressed their understanding of the nature of the economic challenges Jordan is facing and the importance of cooperation between Parliament and government to find solutions.

AMMAN — Under the patronage of HRH Princess Reem Ali, the Jordan Media Institute (JMI) celebrated the graduation of its eighth master’s degree batch, according to a statement from the institute on Tuesday.

During the ceremony, Dean of the Institute Bassem Tweissi thanked Princess Reem, the board of directors and members of the faculty and administrative departments for their efforts and hard work.

The princess presented certificates to the graduates, wishing them success in their future endeavours. 

AMMAN — Hundreds of business personalities on Monday gathered to discuss the future of the banking sector at the “Finance MENA Forum: The new shape of banking in the Fintech era”, organised by the Arab Advisers Group and held under the patronage of HRH Princess Sumaya.

The forum brought together C-level executives, directors of the banking industry, new emerging financial technology (Fintech) players and regulators, who shared their thoughts on potential collaboration between the different stakeholders in the financial scene and their views on the future outlook of the industry. 

In a speech delivered on her behalf, Princess Sumaya stated that it was “a great pleasure and a privilege to bring together the people who will shape the future of the finance sector”, noting how the forum was “a key step not only in the transformation of Jordan, but the whole region”.

“We must not forget that the evolution of the finance industry will happen through the transformation of other sectors such as education,” the princess continued, expressing how she “looks forward to the day when industrial leaders worldwide will see our region as an example of transformation and innovation.”

Chairman of the Arab Advisors Group Hakan Kanafani inaugurated the forum noting the “utmost importance of the digital tools for individuals as one of the vital drivers of financial inclusion”, stressing how “the sector needs to come up with solutions that democratise the financial process.”

Furthermore, Kanafani addressed the issue of the gender gap noting that “only 25 per cent of the women in the region perform account operations,” expressing that “this issue requires new and revolutionary solutions to increase the inclusion.”

Maha Bahou, executive director at the Central Bank of Jordan; Salim Sawalha, assistant general manager — head of retail at the Jordan Commercial Bank; and Fady Rafla, head of digital banking at Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, were some of the main speakers at the forum.

The forum started out with a panel addressing the current state of the financial industry, where speakers discussed the future of digital banking both at the local and international levels. 

The relationship between Fintech players and the banking sector was then addressed, followed by the banking sector’s future journey on digitisation and the challenges and opportunities which the process will bring. 

The role of the mobile sector, the infrastructure of the digital era in banking, and the implementation of electronic and mobile payments were later discussed, concluding with a talk on the mindset challenge inside and outside financial institutions. 

AMMAN — The meeting of the Senior Council of General Directors and Commanders of  the Association of the European and Mediterranean Police Forces and Gendarmeries with Military Status (FIEP) was held on Monday  in Amman to discuss the the latest security developments, according to the Gendarmerie's media office.

Gendarmerie Department Director Maj. Gen. Hussein Hawatmeh chaired the meeting, which saw the attendance of leaders, directors and heads of security bodies' delegations.

Hawatmeh said that Jordan, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah, has continuously supported refugees from the region, and that, despite the support of many countries, Jordan's capacity to deal with the situation has become limited.

"Our world is currently facing many security, political and economic issues that affect humanity's environment including its climate and natural resources," he stated, noting that "terrorism constitutes the biggest threat to the world, causing large waves of refugees."

He stressed that terrorism is a global threat that does not distinguish between races and religions.

Commander of the Turkish Gendarmerie Gen. Arif Cetin, who was recently appointed president of the FIEP for the year 2018, outlined the plans to be implemented by the Turkish government next year, adding that it will be held under the theme "Anti-terrorism in public places".

The meeting issued a number of decisions taken by the Jordanian presidency, including the need for the organisation to adopt the new name FIEP and to adjust the articles related to the merging of the world's security bodies.

The final statement stressed on the importance of regional and international cooperation between FIEP and international security organisations in the EU and the rest of the world, noting that the FIEP has been working on various international cases.

A number of projects was approved, such as the e-learning between the organisation's member security bodies, and the launch of an electronic library.

The Palestinian National Security and the Ukrainian Gendarmerie were awarded full membership in the organisation, the Brazilian Gendarmerie obtained an associate membership, and the Djibouti Gendarmerie joined as a new observer.

FIEP is an association of national gendarmeries and affiliated corps, encompassing the European and Mediterranean gendarmeries and police forces with military status, according to its website.

AMMAN — A total of 92,033 families of around 280,000 individuals receive monthly financial assistance amounting to JD8 million from the National Aid Fund (NAF), spokesperson of NAF Najeh Sawalhah said on Monday. 

Sawalhah made the remarks to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, on the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty that is annually celebrated on October 17, with this year’s theme being: “A path towards peaceful and inclusive societies”.

Social Development Ministry Spokesperson Fawwaz Ratrout said that the ministry works on addressing poverty and enhancing productivity through several programmes, such as the productive loan projects that include two sub-programmes: productive families and local credit funds.

These two programmes offer interest-free soft loans for families to enhance their productivity, said Ratrout, noting that the ministry annually finances 500 schemes.

He also noted that the ministry’ programmes include building, purchasing and rehabilitating houses of underprivileged families, adding that so far more than 7,000 families have benefited from this initiative.

Moreover, the ministry is tasked with registering associations that are relevant to poverty eradication, the spokesperson said, noting that there are around 3,700 social protection associations in the Kingdom, according to Petra.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the declaration by the UN General Assembly… October 17 as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, in its resolution 47/196 of December 22, 1992. 

This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the Call to Action by Father Joseph Wresinski — which inspired the observance of October 17 as the World Day for Overcoming Extreme Poverty — and the recognition by UN of the day as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, according to the UN website.

UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova delivered a message on the occasion saying that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development promises to leave no one behind, and calls for eradicating poverty by 2030. 

“For this, we need swift action by governments to translate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into effective policies that are supported with appropriate resources. The 2030 Agenda is ambitious — we need ambitious measures to take it forward,” Bokova was quoted as saying on the UNESCO website.

The 2030 Agenda emphasises the integration of the social, economic and environmental dimensions of poverty eradication, so “we need integrated action across different policy spheres, making the most of capabilities and resources through targeted policies designed to accelerate progress across the board,” she added.

AMMAN — HRH Princess Ghida Talal, the chairperson of the King Hussein Cancer Foundation’s board of trustees, on Monday announced the start of the unified Arab campaign on breast cancer awareness 2017, and the 9th media competition about breast cancer awareness, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Bahrain will be part of this campaign. The princess said that “the only way to stop losing our mothers, sisters and wives, is the early detection of breast cancer”, adding that the Jordan Breast Cancer Programme will launch a different campaign this year on a wider scale to reach all Arab countries.

AMMAN — The State Security Court (SSC) on Monday sentenced a man to 15 years of hard labour for planning to commit a terrorist act for Daesh by stabbing a Gendarmerie officer who was guarding the Tourism Ministry.

The court convicted the suspect, 24, who has been detained since March, with charges of conspiracy to commit terrorist acts, promoting the ideologies of Daesh and trying to join terrorist organisations and armed groups, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Also on Monday, the SSC sentenced six convicts to three years of hard labour, and a four-year hard labour against a seventh suspect for promoting ideologies of Daesh and trying to join terrorist organisations and armed groups. The court acquitted a suspect on charges related to promoting terrorist ideologies while also acquitting another over charges of hostage taking, Petra added.

AMMAN — The Amman Chamber of Industry (ACI) on Monday said that any rise in sales tax on food products manufactured locally, such as chickpeas and beans, will harm the national industry, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported quoting a press statement.

The ACI said that increasing sales tax will lead to regression in the sales of national food products due to its incompatibility with of citizens’ income. He noted that an average Jordanian family spends 38 per cent of its income on food products.

The ACI also said that the national industry, which is already suffering from high production costs due to high costs of power and fuel prizes and low demand, will not be able to compete with imported products that receive governmental support and enter Jordan without customs fees.

The food industry sector produces products worth JD150 million annually, with 2,132 facilities employing 41,000 workers and investments estimated at JD628 million, according to Petra. 

AMMAN — HRH Prince Feisal, president of the Jordan Olympic Committee, on Monday acted as patron at a ceremony to honour athletes and coaches who represented Jordan in the 5th edition of the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, hosted by Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The prince presented prizes to the winners in recognition of their achievements during the competitions.