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AMMAN — The Ministry of Culture on Thursday selected four Jordanian novels by the late Ghalib Halasa, the late Munis Razzaz, Samiha Khreis and Ahmad Tarawneh to be translated into English, in cooperation with the University of Michigan Press, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The translation of national novels into other languages aims to introduce Jordanian literature and its writers to the rest of the world, the ministry said in a press release. He added that translation is a means of spreading culture to reduce “the gap between people and nations”. 

AMMAN — Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, Minister of State for Investment Affairs Muhannad Shehadeh on Thursday inaugurated the 2nd Gulf-Jordanian Economic Forum in Amman. 

The event, organised by the Jordan Chamber of Commerce (JCC), in cooperation with the Federation of Chambers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), was held under the title “Enhancing the scopes of Gulf-Jordanian cooperation for a better growth and integration”, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The meeting aims at further boosting trade, economic and investment ties, as well as forging new partnerships between Jordan and the Arab Gulf states.

Sessions will discuss means to achieve economic integration between the two sides, reconstruction, role of business entrepreneurs, as well as investment opportunities in Jordan and the Gulf countries.

The forum will also include two workshops on investment opportunities, with the first set to address investment in the knowledge sector and digital economy for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), learning and training in preparation for the fourth industrial revolution. 

The second workshop will focus on investment opportunities for SMEs in the industrial field. 

Jordan’s exports to Arab Gulf states stood at JD1.32 billion in 2016, while imports amounted to JD2.53 billion.

Jordan’s exports to GCC countries stood at JD455 million in the first five months of this year, while imports amounted to JD1.11 billion.

In his opening remarks, Shehadeh referred to His Majesty King Abdullah’s efforts to attract investments, noting that political security and stability has enabled Jordan to be a centre for international investments, as well as a regional hub to support administrative and technical operations of multinational companies in addition to being a gateway for reconstruction projects in Iraq and Syria.

Chairman of the Jordan Chamber of Commerce (JCC), Senator Nael Kabariti, expressed hope that the forum would come up with a new vision on the future of Arab economic relations, which constitutes a “model” for a pan-Arab economic integration that Arab people aspire for.

Kabariti added that Jordan’s economic strengths are supported by its security, stability and safety, in addition to a geographical location that qualifies it to be a regional hub for trade and services.

Abdulrahman Oteishan, deputy chairman of the Federation of Chambers of the GCC, said it was time to search for all means to enhance Jordanian-Gulf relations, calling for activating the role of the private sectors in Jordan and the GCC.

Khalifa Ibri, assistant secretary general for economic and development affairs at the GCC secretariat general, said that the “deep-rooted” relations between both sides constitute a solid foundation that can be utilised to reap more benefits for Jordan and all GCC countries. 

AMMAN — The volume of Jordan’s sheep exports during the first nine months of this year increased by 14 per cent compared to last year, officials at the Ministry of Agriculture said on Thursday.

This year, the Kingdom exported a total of 387,700 head of sheep, Salah Tarawneh, the Agriculture Ministry’s assistant secretary general for marketing and information, said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times.

“In the month of September alone, the country exported over 36,000 head of sheep to the Arab Gulf market, which is a 75 per cent increase compared to the previous month, when 20,640 head of sheep were exported,” Tarawneh said.

Ministry’s Spokesperson Nimer Haddadin said that the increase in the country’s exports of sheep is due to a rising demand from the Gulf countries.

“In addition, the ministry has been working hard this past year to increase the exports of live sheep to support cattle breeders,” Haddadin told The Jordan Times.

He noted that exports to the Gulf countries are improving after a low demand in 2016.

The ministry announced earlier this year that the Kingdom’s exports to the Arab Gulf market were expected to increase with the addition of Kuwait as a new destination for sheep exports.

In 2016, the Kingdom exported some 450,000 head of sheep, over 70 per cent of which were destined for Saudi Arabia.

The country’s exports of live sheep in 2016 dropped by 26.4 per cent compared to 2015, according to the ministry, which was mainly due a decrease in demand from Gulf countries.

Results of a livestock census conducted by the Department of Statistics (DoS) in 2016 indicated that the number of sheep and goats in Jordan rose by 13.8 per cent compared to 2015.

The number of sheep increased from 2.846 million to 3.261 million, while the number of goats rose from 939,000 to 1.044 million, according to the DoS. 

AMMAN — The Ministry of Education launched on Tuesday the new “Nashatati” (our activities) programme, in cooperation with UNICEF and Generations for Peace. 

Starting out with 100 public schools across all governorates in the Kingdom, the initiative aims to “provide children with additional opportunities to interact through after-school activities that foster tolerance, acceptance, social cohesion and an active lifestyle”, according to a press release by UNICEF Jordan. 

The sessions, starting at October 1, will run for an hour-and-half each day of the week from Sunday to Wednesday, starting with trainings on social cohesion to later move on to physical activities that will further develop the concepts learned. 

Furthermore, schools will also open on Saturdays for students and community members to “attend and engage with activities in a safe environment”, Education Specialist at UNICEF Rana Kawar told The Jordan Times on Thursday. 

“Our purpose is to encourage children to engage in physical activities not for the sake of sport, but to impact the quality of their lives, improve their education and offer them an opportunity to engage with other children,” said Kawar, noting that the students will be introduced to “concepts such as teamwork, self-confidence, identity and integration”. 

“Nashatati” is expecting to reach 10,000 students through daily sessions in schools, and 60,000 children during Saturday activities, and the programme will be progressively scaled-up over the next three years with the aim of reaching all public schools in the Kingdom by 2019. 

For this purpose, the ministry trained a total of 400 teachers and volunteer youth leaders who will direct the daily sessions in schools over the first year of the programme, and Generations for Peace will carry out outreach campaigns across every governorate to spread awareness and encourage communities to participate. 

During the official launch on Tuesday, Education Minister Omar Razzaz said that “what is important about the Nashatati programme is that it creates a sense of social responsibility, encompassing both teachers and students to ensure that tolerance and acceptance are integrated into the everyday lives of their surrounding communities”, noting that the ministry wanted to “focus on creating a safe and fun space for children to take part in after school activities to enhance their life skills”.

UNICEF Country Representative Robert Jenkins stressed that the organisation “believes that the Nashatati programme, with the commitment and leadership of the Ministry of Education and the partnership with Generations for Peace, will bring about a positive transformation in the lives of school students and their families across Jordan”, adding that “the role of teachers, and the engagement of community members is key in ensuring that every child in school is able to participate and reap the benefits of the programme.”

AMMAN — By the end of the last Ice Age, hunter-gatherers in southwest Asia who belonged to the Natufian culture (12,500 to 9,500BC), established the first sedentary communities, according to a scholar from the University of Copenhagen 

Due to the wet and warm climate in the Levant, hunter-gatherers enjoyed abundant plant and animal resources. They were known as some of the first hunter-gatherers in the world who settled in semi-permanent settlements, scholar Lisa Yeomans explained.

“Archaeologists are still debating the reason for the shift to agriculture. This is one of the reasons we are trying to better understand the impact of climate on the landscape and resource availability,” Yeomans told The Jordan Times in an e-mail interview.

Yeomans, who received her PhD from University College London in 2006 and worked on excavations in Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar  has joined the Shubayqa Project (in Black Desert, northeastern Jordan) directed by Tobias Richter from the University of Copenhagen. 

The team of experts has been analysing faunal remains, she said, noting that “the animal bone was collected by the careful sieving of  archaeological sediments and exported to Copenhagen where comparison with the reference collections at the Zoological Museum allowed identification”.

Initial results from the analysis of the animal bone at Shubaqya 1 showed that, in the Early and Late Natufian periods, there was extensive hunting of wintering and migratory wetland birds, indicating the presence of a seasonal if not a year-round lake close to the site, she said.

Additionally, hunting of gazelle was common as the environment was capable of sustaining a large population of animals, Yeomans explained, noting that wild sheep, hare, fox and onager were also hunted. 

“There is evidence that the environment was becoming drier and impacting the resources available in the later part of the sequence, but the hunter-foragers were able to amend their hunting focus, enabling continued occupation,” the archaeologist underlined.

The team of scientists also tried to determine when the climate change occurred. “Climatic fluctuations were pronounced at the end of the Pleistocene Epoch [ending around 11,700 years ago] but the influence on the environment is hard to document,” Yeomans stressed, adding “we are working to better understand the effects of the climate change on the landscape in this period before the prevailing warm climatic conditions of the Holocene Epoch [started approximately 11,700 years ago].”

“The team is also studying, among other artefacts, the Natufian assemblages of ground stone, lithics, botanical and human remains from the site,” the scholar noted.

In the upcoming period, the University of Copenhagen plans to continue its research in the Black Desert. “We are now working at the nearby site of Shubayqa 6 dated to the PPNA and early PPNB periods,” Yeomans stated.

The ongoing work of the archaeological team aims to offer an “unprecedented insight” into the last hunter-gatherers and the first farmers in the desert zone of eastern Jordan, and to gain a better understanding of the economic, environmental and social factors that contributed to the transition to agriculture, the expert concluded. 

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Thursday received the ministers and heads of delegations who are participating in the Arab-African Economic Forum taking place in Amman, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The forum, held under the title “Partnership Roadmap and Financing Mechanisms”, is attended by more than 500 participants from 54 Arab, African and foreign countries, in addition to Jordan.

It aims to boost the economic, trade and investment ties among Arab and African countries.

At the meeting, also attended by State Minister for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani, and President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Issa Murad, the premier stressed that Jordan will support any joint project, as well as the implementation of all measures agreed on during the forum.

Mulki noted that the amount of economic interaction between the Arab and African countries is still below the expected level, stressing that there are opportunities to increase it through trade investment, in light of the availability of raw materials in both regions.

He said that the situation in Iraq and Syria is now heading towards more stability, which will open opportunities for investment in services, reconstruction, and information technologies.

The premier noted that Aqaba and the Suez Canal could play an important role in activating Asian-African trade and investment and expressed the government’s eagerness in supporting partnerships between the private sectors in Jordan and the African countries.

For their part, participants from Africa expressed their appreciation for His Majesty King Abdullah’s support for the forum and stressed that Africa, with its natural resources, could complement the Arab countries and their human resources.

They called on the governments to facilitate trade measures and support the logistic sectors. 

AMMAN — Officials on Thursday said that an additional 12 inmates from Swaqa Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre (SCRC) have been referred to the State Security Court (SSC) on terror related charges in connection with the alleged riots and arson that occurred last week.

“The committee assigned to investigate the incidents at the correctional facility referred 12 more inmates who are now being questioned by the SSC prosecutor,” Police Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi said.

Video clips purportedly showing riots and inmates harming themselves with sharp objects at SCRC circulated on social media last Friday, causing outrage among Jordanians.

“The committee is still examining the incident and the investigations are ongoing,” Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

Meanwhile, over 90 police officers from various correctional facilities were relocated to serve in other Public Security Department (PSD) offices, Government Coordinator for Human Rights Basel Tarawneh said.

“The PSD decided to rotate many of the officers that were serving in various correctional facilities in Jordan because of the incidents that occurred at SCRC last week,” Tarawneh told The Jordan Times.

A group of government and civil society human rights activists on Sunday visited the prison to get a firsthand account of the situation, including the procedures implemented, the extent of damages done to the dormitories, and the weapons reportedly seized from the inmates. 

They also met with members of the investigation committee who informed them about the latest developments.

Following the delegation’s visit, images were released to the media showing two dormitories entirely destroyed by fire as well as pictures of dozens of sharp objects, iron bars, ropes and other light objects, that were reportedly found with some inmates.

A total of 15 inmates were referred to the SSC prosecution last week, and 13 police officers working at SCRC were referred to the police prosecutor for questioning on charges of violating their duties in addition to alleged charges of smuggling illegal substances to the inmates, Tarawneh told The Jordan Times in a recent interview.

The SCRC also decided to send 151 inmates, whom the administration deemed as “troublemakers” to various correctional and rehabilitation centres across the Kingdom.

The alleged riots reportedly started on Friday, two days after a decision by the prison administration to move a few inmates to different dormitories and to conduct inspection campaigns. This move resulted in the alleged seizure of illegal substances and sharp objects.

The prisoners had previously complained during meetings with representatives from human rights organisations of “overcrowding, bad food quality and refusals to their demands to move to different dormitories”.

AMMAN — The German embassy on Wednesday organised a workshop to discuss the ways in which the Kingdom could benefit from Germany’s energy transition, encouraging officials to take further steps towards establishing renewable energies. 

Louy Qoaider, professor at the German Jordanian University, introduced Germany’s energy transition (Energiewende) to the attendees, on behalf of the Renewable Energies Academy (Renac) in Berlin.

The professor explained that the Energiewende started 27 years ago, driven by public demand, initiating a transition to a renewable energy system guided by three core principles: affordability, reliability and care for the environment. 

After outlining the progress that Germany has experienced following the application of the Energiewende, Qoaider remarked that “the energy sector is a substantial supply for the economy of both Jordan and Germany,” adding that renewable energies are “not only environmentally competitive, but also economically successful”.

In this regard, the professor highlighted how the Energiewende resulted in the creation of 300,000 new jobs by 2016, 14.2 billion euros in energy investments last year, and a reduction of 8.8 billion euros in costs of energy imports in 2015.

Furthermore, Qoaider pointed out that renewable energies are domestically produced, “increasing the country’s independence by reducing the ties with energy supply countries”.

The workshop continued with the intervention of Iyad Al Sartawi, director of the Energy Services Centre in Amman, who stated that Jordan “needs to transfer to renewable energies by learning from the German experience”, pointing out that “the strategy would need to be adapted to our local economy”.

Sartawi highlighted the 2010-2020 Energy Strategy, noting that the main goals are “to use mixed energy resources, to increase the share of local resources in the energy mix, to reduce the dependence on imported oil, and to enhance environmental protection”.

To reach these goals, Sartawi referred to the maximisation of domestic resources, the development of more renewable energy projects, the provision of a financial framework to support energy efficiency programmes, annual budget allocations and foreign donations. 

The director also cited the Green Corridor project, which he described as a
“multicomponent programme to reinforce Jordan’s high voltage electricity backbone network for the integration of more renewable generation capacity”.

The investments are reinforcing the network in the central Jordan desert area, where the circumstances for renewable energies are more favourable. 

The workshop was wrapped up by Royal Scientific Society representative, Mohieddin Tawalbeh, who outlined the different energy efficiency laws in the Kingdom and the legal framework for the development of renewable energies. 

AMMAN — The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has held a graduation ceremony for participants in the recently concluded programme “Skills Exchange Between Jordanians and Syrian Refugees”, which was implemented in partnership with Migrate in Greater Mafraq Municipality, Bala’maa, and Zaatari, a UNDP statement said.

Representatives from the Ministry of Interior’s Local Development Unit and the mayors of the participating municipalities attended the ceremony, in addition to representatives from supporting partners such as Regional Development & Protection Programme (RDPP), World Food Programme and National Microfinance Bank, according to the statement.

The graduation ceremony included an exhibition for products for 60 “successfully established” medium to small enterprises (SMEs) and the 88 Syrian mentors who participated in the UNDP led skills exchange project between Jordanians and Syrian refugees.

The mayors of the three municipalities congratulated the entrepreneurs on their newly established businesses, describing them as “cornerstones” for strengthening the economy at the community level.

They also highlighted that the young entrepreneurs are now role models who will inspire others to start their own businesses, the statement said.

The project was initiated in July 2016 with the purpose of exchanging technical and hands on skills and experience between 210 young Jordanian and 100 Syrian refugees in the targeted host communities. 

The programme sought to provide income support for Syrian refugees with previous technical industry experience who can also be mentors to Jordanian entrepreneurs, as well as to support vulnerable Jordanians with improved employability and entrepreneurship skills while strengthening their social cohesion through personal and professional interactions, said the statement. 

Over eight months, Jordanian entrepreneurs and Syrian mentors worked together to develop a business plan for a microbusiness, establish it, generate revenues and maintain clients. 

The entrepreneurs and mentors represented more than six industries including food processing, construction, sewing and tailoring, beauty and hair dressing, carpentry, and agriculture, the statement read.

A total of 60 SMEs are now operational, with many showing positive indications of client and revenue growth while expressing optimism about the future. 

One entrepreneur, Walaa Abu Qdeiri, who operates a home-based bakery, said that the programme has enabled her to support her family financially while working at home and to become a role model for other women in soceity, the statement concluded.

AMMAN — The State Security Court on Thursday sentenced five defendants to hard labour varying from five to 15 years  for smuggling narcotics, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The five defendants, consisting of four Saudi nationals and one Jordanian, were convicted of possessing narcotic substances and smuggling 130,000 narcotic pills, with the intention of selling them, according to Petra. The court sentenced the Jordanian defendant to 15 years hard labour and a fine of JD20,000, and one Saudi national to seven years of hard labour and a fine of JD10,000.

The court reduced the penalty of three other Saudi nationals to five years hard labour and a fine of JD7,000 each, after considering “mitigating circumstances”. The five defendants were caught as they planned to smuggle the pills in wrapped gift boxes hidden in their luggage, Petra added.