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AMMAN — Saudi authorities have made a decision to ease the passage of Jordanian goods and passengers to and from Arab Gulf countries through Saudi territory, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday. 

The ministry's spokesperson, Sufian Qudah, said that the ministries of foreign affairs and transport followed up during the past few days on complaints of truck drivers, who said they were not able to obtain multiple-entry visas from Saudi Arabia, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra. 

Qudah said that the Foreign Ministry conducted “intensive calls” to follow up with officials in Saudi Arabia, which resulted in an announcement by Jordan’s Ambassador in Riyadh Ali Kayed that Saudi authorities have agreed to exempt Jordanian truck drivers from newly issued instructions, reverting to prior regulations. 

These stipulations granted truck and bus drivers six-month multiple entry visas, Petra reported. 

The new Saudi regulations were placed on several nationalities besides Jordanians, Qudah noted, thanking the Saudi authorities for their decision and citing its direct positive impact on a vital sector in the Jordanian economy, which he said “strengthens and deepens relations between the peoples and leaderships of both countries,” Petra added. 

AMMAN — Zantac, a medicine used as an anti-acid and to treat ulcers, has recently been withdrawn from pharmacies, according to the Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA).

The JFDA withdrew the drug, prescribed in tablet form and as an injection, in response to a circulation by global health institutions about small quantities of the contaminant N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), detected in the medicine, according to a JFDA statement made available to The Jordan Times.

Zantac, also known as Ranitidine and registered in other companies under various commercial names, was officially withdrawn from the market in September, the statement said.

NDMA is a contaminant that exists in water and different foods, the statement said, adding that lab testing has shown that it may be carcinogenic. 

The JFDA noted that it has also suspended the registration of other similar medicines “until a proper investigation is made into the matter”, according to the statement. 

The Zantac tablet drug has not been imported to Jordan since 2015, the statement said. The JFDA will also work on withdrawing any remaining quantities that could possibly be in the market. 

In a circulation the JFDA issued to several involved medical institutions, a copy of which was shared with The Jordan Times, the administration held up the registration of the following: Nadine tablet, Ranidine tablet and syrup, Peptac tablet, Peptacid effervescent tablet, Rolan injection, Ranacid tablet, Zantac tablet and injection, Zidan injection, Epadoren injection and syrup and Ranitidine injection.

The JFDA urged the public to report any side effects of medicines and drugs either through www.jfda.jo or the Jordan FDA application, under the "side effects" tab. 

AMMAN — Finnish President Sauli Niinistö on Friday received Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, who conveyed a message from His Majesty King Abdullah that focused on developing bilateral relations and enhancing Amman-Helsinki ties under the framework of partnership with the EU, which is currently being chaired by Finland.  

The Finnish president voiced his country’s keenness to bolster relations with the Kingdom, praising His Majesty’s pivotal role in efforts exerted to solve regional crises, realise peace and stability and enhance the culture of dialogue, moderation and respect among different civilisations, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. 

Meanwhile, Safadi and his Finnish counterpart Pekka Haavisto reviewed means to boost cooperation in the economic, tourist and educational fields between the two countries, which opened diplomatic relations in 1959. 

Both ministers agreed to “institutionalise” political consultation and assign action teams from both ministries to identify available cooperation sectors with technical ministries to consider steps that should be taken to increase commercial exchange and investment, tourist and educational cooperation.

They also reviewed the latest regional developments, mainly those pertaining to the Palestinian issue, the Syrian crisis and joint efforts in the war against terror, the statement said.

In this regard, Safadi commended Finland’s stance that affirms the two-state solution as well as Helsinki’s support to UNRWA.

The minister referred to the “dangerous” illegitimate, unilateral Israeli procedures that violate international law and undermine the two-state solution that guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the pre-1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

For his part, Haavisto praised Amman’s role and efforts in realising security and stability in the region, stressing the readiness of his country to enhance ties, cooperation and coordination on regional issues.

The Finnish minister also expressed his country’s appreciation for the Kingdom’s hosting of Syrian refugees, according to the statement.

Also while in Helsinki, Safadi met with a delegation of Finnish businesspeople and acquainted them with economic and investment opportunities in Jordan, noting that the Kingdom’s qualified human resources, stable environment and free trade agreements make it a suitable investment destination for the Finnish business sector. 

The minister reviewed opportunities in the energy, digital technology, water, tourism and other sectors, while the businesspeople voiced their interest in working in the Jordanian market.

Safadi also met with First Deputy Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Tuula Haatainen, who commended the level of legislative cooperation and coordination, the statement said.

Participating in the Helsinki Policy Forum as a main speaker, Safadi spoke about Jordan's stances on regional developments, mainly the Palestinian cause, the Syrian crisis and joint efforts in combatting terror.  

AMMAN — Jordan ranked 40th internationally in the domestic competition indicator of the 2019 Global Competitiveness Report issued by the World Economic Forum, Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Tareq Hammouri said on Saturday. 

In the evaluation, which included 141 countries, Jordan advanced six ranks when compared to the 2018 report, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, said, citing a ministry statement.

Hammouri said that the indicator comprises three sub-categories, in which the Kingdom saw a remarkable increase when compared to the previous year, when it ranked 33rd in the extent of market dominance category, up by 11 positions from the previous report.

The minister added that Jordan’s ranking went up eight ranks in the distortive effect of taxes and subsidies on competition category, standing at 68th, and advanced five ranks in the completion in services category to 31st. 

He defined the competitiveness indicators of the report as subjective indicators which evaluate the success of countries in abiding by the competition laws and policies in their markets. 

Hammouri said that Jordan’s experience is characterised by “seriousness and success” in implementation, according to several international comparative studies.   

According to the www.weforum.org website, Jordan ranked 70th in the overall report, which measures national competitiveness. 

AMMAN — Aiming at unifying navigational patterns for people who are blind or have a visual impairment, the Greater Amman Municipality’s (GAM) project to install tactile pavements in the Jabal Hussein neighbourhood will be completed in two weeks, according to an official.

GAM is giving special attention to raising awareness about accessibility of public spaces, Manager of Constructions and Supervision Department at GAM Sawsan Haddad told The Jordan Times on Saturday.

“Tactile pavements are guiding tiles that people who are blind and walking with white canes can use to assess their surroundings,” Haddad said.

GAM is completing the first phase of the project in Jabal Hussein, extending from Sukaina School to Firas intersection, according to the official, who added that that area was chosen due to the presence of public service buildings, medical clinics, banks, schools and frequent gatherings of all ages, 

“GAM also reorganised traffic lanes towards Jamal Abdul Nasser Square in both directions, rebuilt the sidewalks and put in effort to make it an aesthetically pleasing environment,” she said.

Rama Idris, a Foreign Languages student at the University of Jordan (UJ), said that the UJ is the “perfect” institution for students who have a visual impairment, as it offers various accessibility features, such as detectable tiles.

“A friend of mine who is blind taught me that there are two kinds of patterns in the tiles, also known as detectable warnings: The raised oblong lines show the person what direction to take and the round raised dots indicate that greater attention must be paid,” Idris told The Jordan Times on Saturday. 

AMMAN — On Friday night, Jordanian singer and pianist Aziz Maraka played a double concert with the Lebanese band Adonis at the Roman Theatre in Amman.

Maraka was born in Tunis and moved to Jordan as a teenager. He is known for a musical style called “Razz”, an Arab Rock-Jazz fusion that has garnered regional attention.

His first hit song was titled “Bent El Nas” (girl of the people) distributed as part of his debut album in 2008. His next official radio release in 2009 was “Najeh” (successful), which became hugely popular among teenagers in the region.

Maraka sings in the Jordanian dialect.

The artist is also known for launching Band Across Borders (BAB) in 2011 with his company Maestro Entertainment. BAB was a concert and comedy platform in Jordan featuring local artists annually until 2016.

Adonis, a four-person Lebanese pop band, took the stage before the Jordanian’s performance. Formed in 2011, Adonis launched its debut single “Stouh Adonis” in 2012. This year, Adonis launched its fourth album titled “12 Saa”. The band also performed a few songs with the Jordanian singer.

AMMAN — The Kingdom is expected to witness unstable weather conditions on Monday, according to the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD).

The weather department said that unstable weather conditions are expected to bring rainfall during the evening and at night in the northern, central, southern and eastern parts of the Kingdom. 

A slight decrease in temperature is forecast for Tuesday, with cloudy weather and rainfall expected around the Kingdom, according to the JMD. 

The weather on Sunday is forecast to be moderate around the Kingdom and cool in mountainous areas. 

Temperatures in Amman on Sunday and Monday are expected to range between 26°C during the day and 15°C at night. On Tuesday, temperatures are predicted to fall between 25°C and 14°C, according to the JMD.

In Aqaba, Sunday temperatures are expected to range between 32°C and 22°C, while on Monday and Tuesday they are forecast to hover between 32°C and 22°C, the JMD said. 

AMMAN — Peaceful relations between the Arab world and Europe go back to the period of antiquities, according to a German professor. 

Speaking during a lecture titled “Gerasa, the Eastern Roman Baths” held at the German Protestant Institute of Archaeology in Amman on Wednesday, Thomas Weber-Karyotakis said that his work mainly centres on Greco-Roman sites.

Reflecting on the question of how relations emerged between the Greco-Roman world and south Arabia, the professor said that the key connection was the Roman province known as Arabia (established in 106 AD), which was a former Nabataen kingdom that had commercial and cultural ties with Arabian kingdoms due to incense trade.

He added that marble was not naturally available in the Middle East, so it had to be brought from, Turkey, Greece, Italy and northern Africa through three main land corridors: Orontes Valley, the Plain of Homs and Jezreel Valley.

Sculpture analysis, Weber-Karyotakis said, gives additional information to researchers about “deep relations between Arabia and the Greco-Roman world”.

In 1985, Weber-Karyotakis arrived to Jerash to work on the Eastern Roman Baths, and during seasons 1986/1987, the team excavated part of the bath, which was a pillared hall, containing many findings.

“In the hall they uncovered a number of fragments of statues and inscribed statue bases,” the scholar said, noting the “immense” challenge of finding remains of statues and connecting them with the bases.

The archaeological team resumed excavations at the remaining sections of the Eastern Roman Baths that were “entirely obscured”, and under the second layer of rubble they found marble pieces that belonged to statues, but “all of them were missing the head and arms”, Weber-Karyotakis highlighted, noting that this suggested that these statues were broken by humans, not the earthquake of 749 AD. 

“In the hall, other sculptures of Roman officials were found wearing togas [ancient Roman robe] that were only reserved for the Roman citizens,” the professor said.

The baths themselves were connected by a system of channels and pools containing thermal water, he said.

The statues of goddesses were taller than statues of male deities, and Weber-Karyotakis said that a statue of Aphrodite, which was 208 cm tall, was “clearly” donated by the local priest Dimitrios.

The Aphrodite probably served as a cultic statue, as the team discovered near the sculpture a hearth where animals were likely slaughtered and meat would be roasted and served to the community, he said.

A sculpture of Dionysus (a god of fertility and cultivation) discovered at the site will be assembled in the future, Weber-Karyotakis said, adding that a statue of Magna Mater or Cybele (a mother goddess) seated on a throne will also be restored and displayed to the public.

AMMAN — Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg on Saturday arrived in Amman as part of a two-day official visit. Prime Minister Omar Razzaz is scheduled to hold talks with Solberg on ways of enhancing bilateral relations in various fields.

Upon her arrival at the Marka Military Airport, Solberg was received by Minister of State for Prime Ministry Affairs Sami Daoud, the head of the accompanying honourary delegation, the Norwegian ambassador to Jordan and the Jordanian Ambassador to Norway, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra. 

AMMAN — Seven foreigners on Saturday infiltrated the Jordanian border into Israel with the aim of finding jobs, and were arrested by Israeli authorities, according to Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Sufian Qudah.

None of the infiltrators hold Jordanian nationalities, Qudah stressed, adding that relevant Jordanian authorities have been following up on the issue, according to a ministry statement.