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AMMAN — Ambassador of France to Jordan Véronique Vouland-Aneini on Wednesday launched the “Micro-Folie” cultural project at the French Institute of Jordan. 

The “Micro-Folie” project is a digital museum hosted by the French Institute that offers a dematerialised access to masterpieces displayed in major French cultural institutions, an embassy statement said. 

“Micro-Folie” also offers a cultural programme and workshops throughout the year. This virtual cultural space, which promotes art, creativity and innovation, is funded by the French Ministry of Culture and coordinated by La Villette, a renowned Parisian Institution, according to the statement. 

The French Institute of Jordan is one of the first three Institutes in the Middle East to host a digital museum. It will operate in Amman from October 2019 to June 2020 with the financial and technical support of Orange Jordan and SGBJ, read the statement.

The “Micro-Folie” project is a virtual art gallery where visitors can discover in High Definition more than 500 art pieces from 12 French cultural Institutions: Château de Versailles, Centre Pompidou, Le Louvre, Le musée national Picasso, le musée du Quai Branly, la Philharmonie de Paris, Universcience, la Réunion des Musées Nationaux, le Grand Palais (RMN – Grand Palais), le festival d’Avignon, l’Opéra de Paris and le musée d’Orsay, the statement said. 

Displayed on a screen, the masterpieces can be further explored on the synchronised tablets which also provide additional content and activities in several languages including French, English and Arabic. 

In addition to the museum, the “Micro-Folie” project will offer artistic workshops and an original cultural programme related to art all year long. 

 “Access to culture is key in order to understand other civilisations and to widen horizons. The virtual museum of the French Institute will facilitate this access by allowing Jordanians to discover major paintings and other world famous masterpieces displayed in French museums such as the Louvre.  I hope that Jordanian schools and pupils in particular will benefit from this project by visiting our digital museum,” the ambassador was quoted as saying during the launch ceremony.

The public opening will take place on Saturday at “Markaz Theatre” of the French Institute from 3pm to 5pm. Children and their parents are welcome for activities that will follow at 6pm.   

The museum will be open for free.  Group reservations can be made on the French Institute’s website, www.ifjordan.com, the statement said.

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania visited Amman Design Week’s (ADW) Ras Al Ain Hangar exhibition in downtown Amman on Wednesday to view the displays and installations created by participating designers.  

Accompanied by ADW Director Rana Beiruti, and curator of the Hangar exhibition, Nora Al Sayeh-Holtrop, Her Majesty viewed the Hangar’s indoor installations and designs produced by over 75 local and regional participants working in architecture, fashion design, product design, furniture design and graphic design.  

The Queen also stopped by the student exhibition, which hosts work created by 33 students from 14 local schools and universities during a six-month mentorship programme, according to a statement from Her Majesty’s office. 

At the Minor Paradises outdoor installation, meant to reimagine the traditional notion of an Arab garden, Her Majesty took a look at a collection of waterless public gardens that require minimal water consumption to grow. 

Designed by architecture firm Civil Architecture and Studiolibani, an agency of landscape architects, urban strategists and designers, these gardens consist of plants from across Jordan and represent a sample of the diverse Levantine ecosystem. The gardens’ three major components are gravel pits, sand mounds, and benches representing different courtyard typologies. 

Her Majesty also visited a number of pop-up shops that sell the works of Jordanian designers and creatives at the Hangar. The shops include those set up by Design Institute Amman, a multidisciplinary design education and training centre in Jabal Amman, Takween, a programme that aims to support designers and creative entrepreneurs in Jordan, and Dezain, a platform supporting product and fashion designers in Jordan.

Under the theme of “Possibilities”, ADW’s third edition is running until October 12 across the three districts of Ras Al Ain, Jabal Amman, and Jabal Luweibdeh. ADW features more than 100 events in 55 participating spaces, and showcases the works of more than 250 creators, designers, and artisans from 13 countries. 

Launched in 2016 with the support of Her Majesty, ADW aims to highlight the designs and talents of local, regional and international designers, and establish Amman as a regional hub for innovation, expression and experimentation. It also empowers designers and craftspeople year-round through learning programmes, direct mentorship and personalised guidance, the statement said.

This year’s ADW is being held in partnership with the Greater Amman Municipality, sponsored by Zain Jordan, Investbank, Aramex, the Jordan Tourism Board, Uber, JOTUN Arabia and Art Media, according to the statement

AMMAN  — The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday condemned continued Israeli violations against Al Aqsa/Al Haram Al Sharif, the most recent of which was Israeli forces’ facilitation of wide-scope break-ins by extremists during the Jewish holiday season.

The violations also include badgering worshippers. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Sufian Qudah expressed the Kingdom’s “utter rejection” of these “irresponsible and absurd practices” that breach Israel’s commitment to international law, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. 

Qudah urged Israeli authorities to halt these measures and respect the sanctity of Al Aqsa Mosque as a place of worship for Muslims, and the historical and legal status of Al Haram Al Sharif.

AMMAN — HRH Prince Mired, president of the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (HCD), on Wednesday highlighted that the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project should be accessible for people with disabilities in accordance with construction standards.

Prince Mired made the remarks during a meeting with the executive assistant for the BRT project in the Greater Amman Municipality, Riyadh Kharabsheh, and contractors, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Muhannad Azzeh, HCD secretary general, said the Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities stipulates securing suitable conditions for people with disabilities. 

AMMAN — The Labour Ministry’s inspection committees on Tuesday night arrested 136 illegal guest workers during several crackdowns across the Kingdom, Labour Minister Nidal Bataineh said on Wednesday.

More than two weeks have passed since the beginning of the new grace period for illegal guest workers to rectify their statuses.

To regulate the job market, Bataineh, during a meeting with a number of inspection teams, said the ministry has adopted a comprehensive plan to check on the commitment of workers and employers to the Labour Law, specifically Article 12 which disallows the recruitment of non-Jordanian workers without proper work permits, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

AMMAN — Established and rising entrepreneurs on Monday gathered at INJAZ’s mySTARTUP business incubator in Amman to highlight their work and innovations at an event titled “The role of Media in Empowering the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem”. 

INJAZ CEO Deema Bibi said the business incubator started with only a few young people and has branched out to schools, universities, colleges, youth centres and vocational training centres.

“Our aim is very clear; to connect young people, enable and motivate them to be active and productive members of the labour market and contribute to the national economy, which we do through our various programmes and activities conducted at all our locations,” Bibi said. 

In the past six years, two global companies conducted an impact study on INJAZ’s work. The results revealed that 90 per cent of INJAZ graduates were employed within a few months of graduation. 

Citing the Department of Statistics, Bibi said 70 per cent of young Jordanian graduates spend over a year searching for a job, a period of time  during which they are neither part of the education system nor the economy.

Injaz works to enable youth by teaching them necessary skills for employment and entrepreneurship. 

“They should know that it is okay to try more than once in order to succeed,” Bibi noted.

The incubator’s CEO shed light on the disparity between the high demand and low supply of jobs in the Kingdom, noting that employment is the most important reason behind entrepreneurship, along with training youth on methods to realise their business ideas. 

Bibi said that the process of teaching new entrepreneurs tackles community building, collaboration and advocacy, the role of women-led businesses and inclusivity, as well as social and environmental responsibility. 

Bibi said INJAZ focuses on women’s entrepreneurship starting in schools and universities. The incubator also seeks entrepreneurs from areas outside of Amman to promote inclusivity, she added.

The incubators aims to have 40 per cent of its start-ups from outside the capital city, focusing on marginalised and people with disabilities, among others. 

Haya Bustami, community outreach manager at INJAZ, said in September and October of last year that the incubator hosted 70 start-ups, of which 55 will graduate in November, 23 are women-led, 11 are social enterprises and four work on environmental solutions. 

INJAZ targets youth between the ages of 20 and 35, Bustami said, noting that the incubator has held over 70 training sessions, 60 consultation hours and over 100 mentoring sessions.

Bustami highlighted the role of media as a tool that advocates for entrepreneurship to accelerating the national economy, creating an entrepreneurial mindset among youth and policy-makers, and attracting local and foreign investments. 

Murad Awad, research and development director at INJAZ, hosted a panel discussion on the role of media in boosting the work of four start-ups. 

On the sidelines of the event, Ahmad Abualfeilat, co-founder of LessGo,  told The Jordan Times that the start-up serves as a platform to connect passengers with public transportation options for the sake of social collaboration and environmental protection. 

“The platform is expanding, and our main concern is maintaining the safety of our users, especially as we are currently focusing on university students,” Abualfeilat said, noting that the project will start with the German Jordanian University and expand from there. 

He underlined that the start-up aims at enhancing the thought of social collaboration. 

Fadi Aljawabira, founder of Rewayte, a part of the INJAZ MyStartup Incubator, said that his enterprise supports young writers by connecting them with Arabic proofreaders and editors as well as designers. 

Rewayte, funded by the Dutch embassy and the Sharakah programme, also helps readers exchange hard-copy novels in Arabic and English, according to Aljawabira, who added that academic books will be part of the initiative as well. 

“We are here at the event to introduce our idea and reach the public through the media, as we believe in the media’s important role in boosting the entrepreneurial scene in Jordan,” he added.

AMMAN — The Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD) and the Arab Planning Institute on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation, in the presence of HRH Princess Basma, the chairperson of JOHUD’s Board of Trustees.

“JOHUD looks forward to benefitting from the Arab Planning Institute’s expertise towards developing its programmes,” Princess Basma said during the signing.

Under the MoU, the institute will conduct a study to measure the developmental impact of JOHUD’s various programmes to be utilised for planning in the future.  The agreement was signed by administrative and financial manager at the fund, Mohammed Hiyari, and director general of the institute, Bader Othman Malallah, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

AMMAN — The Royal Scientific Society (RSS)  and the EDAMA Association on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation in the fields of energy, water and environment.

The MoU was signed by HRH Princess Sumaya on behalf of the RSS and Chairman of EDAMA’s Board of Directors Dureid Mahasneh, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

Under the agreement, the RSS and EDAMA will hold training courses and workshops and work towards enhancing scientific research and “green entrepreneurship”.

The MoU also stipulates cooperation to establish and manage a unit for the training and empowerment of women in the fields of energy, water and the environment. 

AMMAN — Syrian authorities on Tuesday released a 16-year-old Jordanian to a family member in Damascus, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Sufian Qudah said on Wednesday.

The Jordanian embassy in Damascus is working on preparing the return of the minor to the Kingdom, Qudah said in a Foreign Ministry statement. The spokesperson expressed appreciation for the Syrian authorities’ cooperation. 

AMMAN — The Labour Ministry on Wednesday began the process of interviewing to employ 200 Jordanian jobseekers in the health sector at the Hamad Hospital in Qatar.

The central employment director of the ministry, Najah Bureiqi, said members of the interview committee in Qatar, in cooperation with a local recruitment company, are currently in Jordan to arrange final interviews for placement, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Meanwhile, Bureiqi called on jobseekers to register at the national platform for employment to connect with the local, regional and international private sectors via www.sajjil.gov.jo.