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AMMAN — President of the Amman Chamber of Industry and Jordan Chamber of Industry Fathi Jaghbir on Wednesday hailed the Arab Potash Company’s (APC) cooperation with Jordanian factories by providing them with the needed raw materials, as well as its role in supporting local communities.

Jaghbir’s remarks were made during a meeting between representatives of Jordanian fertiliser factories, APC Chairman of the Board of Directors Jamal Sarayrah and CEOs of APC-affiliated companies.

Sarayrah pledged to “alleviate the various challenges facing Jordanian fertiliser companies” by providing the raw materials needed for their production at preferential prices to boost their competitiveness locally and in foreign markets, according to an APC statement. 

AMMAN — HRH Prince Hassan on Wednesday met Pope Francis in the Vatican as part of an official visit that will also include Rome and Florence. 

The meeting addressed methods of managing holy places in cities as spaces of shared values, not divisions, with Prince Hassan calling for “the enhancement of these sites’ role as platforms of dialogue, consolidating the status of intellect and promoting shared humanitarian and moral values towards unity rather than division”, according to a statement from the prince’s office. 

The prince called for the adoption of a debate graph to address key policy choices using physical, social and economic factors to identify patterns of vulnerability and to show historical trends of food security, natural shocks and land degradation as well as resilience building and social protection to assist in moving from a status-based approach to a vulnerability-based approach, the statement said.

According to the prince, this method could also be used to face challenges and foster economic and social growth to progress towards an approach that would lead to the integration of all stakeholders without discrimination. 

Pope Francis and Prince Hassan discussed His Holiness' initiative to "Reinvent the Global Educational Alliance” scheduled for May 14 next year, according to the statement. 

Prince Hassan stressed the importance of awareness of the anthropological aspect of education.

For his part, Pope Francis emphasised the necessity of entrenching the “humanitarian perspective” and promoting citizenship through the value of human solidarity.

During his visit, Prince Hassan also met with Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, during which the prince underlined the importance of cultivating a culture of intercultural connectivity through multilateralism that is founded on mutual respect and understanding, the statement said. 

The prince pointed to the conference organised recently by the Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies as an open dialogue space to discuss, explore, analyse and understand the multifold aspects of “Islam in the West”. 

The conference attempted to bridge the gap between Muslim and Western positions and enable policy-makers to build better influential and productive policies to address it, according to the statement.

Cardinal Ravasi shed light on the importance of archaeological Christian sites and the need to promote visits to these sites from Italy. 

Prince Hassan also met Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, during which talks covered cooperation in various fields, especially with regards to dialogue between followers of religion and boosting ideals of citizenship, multilateralism and human solidarity, the statement read. 

AMMAN — Micro and small enterprises with up to 19 employees represent 98 per cent of all businesses in Jordan and account for half of the country’s employment in the private sector, according to a statement by the Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO).

Micro and small enterprises (SMEs) are important drivers of job creation and economic development in Jordan, the statement said, noting that they lack “concerted and coordinated support” from the government and businesses, hindering them from achieving their “full economic potential”.

The Kingdom can increase the contribution of SMEs to its economy and society through policies that encourage the entry of new start-ups, and boost performance and growth of existing SMEs, the statement continued. 

"Our aim at JEDCO is to provide excellent and transparent services to enhance the competitiveness of Jordanian SMEs,” JEDCO CEO Bashar Al Zu'bi was quoted in the statement as saying. 

“The Jordan SME User Guides, which are the main outputs of our fruitful cooperation with the OECD, will facilitate opening up new partnerships between the public and private sectors, and will enhance the quality of information and indicators shaping our SMEs policy reforms aimed at creating a better environment for SME growth," he added.

Carlos Conde, head of the Middle East and Africa Division of the OECD, said: “The partnership between JEDCO and the OECD shows the Kingdom’s commitment and capacity to address critical policy issues in light of the best international practices,” according to the statement. 

“We are working together to provide government and business with action oriented tools that will make a difference for Jordanian SMEs and entrepreneurs. Indeed, an enabling environment for entrepreneurs created through better SME policies is a condition for more and better jobs,” Conde added.

Since 2016, the OECD and JEDCO have partnered to address issues in Jordan’s existing support for SMEs and start-ups, compiling three “how to” guides to enhance SME performance in the Kingdom, according to the statement. 

The SME User Guides offer concrete steps that Jordan, as well as other countries, can take to lay the foundations for solid SME development, it said.

For the Kingdom specifically, the statement advises taking advantage of untapped resources and new opportunities, as “there are many Jordanian actors (both public and private) that can cooperate to better support SMEs and give direction on how to create a stronger economy”.

Other suggestions that the statement offers to Jordan include measuring SME performance with “better data”, evaluating current SME policy impact, and providing a diagnosis in order to move forward. 

JEDCO is a governmental organisation dedicated to supporting the development of emerging businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises in Jordan, according to their website.

OECD, according to the statement, is a global policy forum that works with over 100 countries to promote policies to improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. 

The project was funded by the MENA Transition Fund and was implemented jointly by the Global Relations Secretariat, the Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities and the Statistics and Data Directorate of the OECD, the statement said. 

AMMAN — Royal Court Chief Yousef Issawi, head of the follow-up committee for the implementation of Royal initiatives, opened a number of projects in Irbid, Ajloun and Mafraq, funded by the Arab Potash Company (APC) on Thursday. 

Funding the project fulfils His Majesty King Abdullah’s vision to improve living conditions and achieve sustainable growth across the Kingdom and the APC’s social responsibility initiatives, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra. 

The inauguration ceremonies were attended by APC’s Chairman of the Board of Directors Jamal Sarayrah.

The projects seek to “embody the APC’s positive social interaction through cooperation with public and civil institutions to bolster its contributions in developing local communities and improving the quality of services”, according to Petra. 

In Irbid, Issawi inaugurated the “main amphitheatre” at Yarmouk University, which can host up to 500 people and has been equipped with “state-of-the-art” sound systems and digital screens during ongoing renovations, Petra said. 

Yarmouk University President Zeidan Kafafi expressed his gratitude to the APC for implementing the project, in cooperation with the Royal Court, noting that it will enhance the educational process at the university. 

Issawi also opened a football pitch in Irbid covering an area of two dunums “to enable the youth to play sports in a healthy environment that fosters their abilities”. 

Also in the northern governorate, the Royal court chief inaugurated a multi-purpose hall that includes lecture halls and two rooms for training courses.  

In Mafraq, Issawi opened the Mugayyir as-Sirhan Women’s Association, which comprises a sewing workshop, cosmetics workshop, four classrooms and an administrative room, as well as a bus to transport students, according to Petra. 

The association aims to support and develop civil society institutions that cater to women and children, fostering the enhancement of their capabilities as well as aiding their projects to improve their living conditions. 

In Ajloun, Issawi opened a preschool with four classrooms and an administrative room, as well as a bus to transport students.

AMMAN — Following its efforts to review medicine prices in response to Royal directives, the government on Thursday announced a price reduction of 6 to 69 per cent for 117 medicines.

The government also announced reductions of between 50 and 70 per cent for 49 types of medicine for heart conditions, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The majority of the reductions were applied to medicines commonly used for blood pressure, diabetes, heart conditions, nerves and respiratory diseases. The costs of these medicines tends to range between JD5 to JD55, Petra quoted Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) Director General Hayel Obeidat as saying.

This will reduce burdens on citizens, he said. 

The committee that Health Minister Saad Jaber has formed to review medicine prices recommended referring to new countries’ price indexes in order to set the value of medicine more accurately, taking into account the economic situation of the Kingdom, as well as the national income, Obeidat said.

He added that the committee is studying alternative medicines with a view to reduce their prices as well, affirming that the regular review of prices will ensure citizens receive better offers, according to Petra. 

So far this year, the prices of 1,093 medicines, in addition to other medical necessities, have been reduced. 

The JFDA will continue to review medicine prices for further reductions, he noted.

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a December Criminal Court ruling which sentenced a man to 15 years in prison for the murder of a man in Tafileh in September 2015.

The Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of complicity in murder and attempted murder on September 8. The defendant was given the maximum sentence.

The court also ordered the defendant to pay JD35,650 in compensation to the victim’s family.

Court papers said the defendant’s friend, who was also sentenced in the same case but did not appeal his verdict, had a heated argument with the victim and took revenge. 

"The defendant’s friend asked him and another man to help him shoot and kill the victim and they agreed," court documents said.

Court documents show that on the day of the incident, the three men “armed themselves with handguns and headed to the victim’s house, where they shot the victim with dozens of bullets before fleeing. They hid in a nearby farm before being arrested by police". 

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital and died two days later as a result of the bullet wounds he sustained to his lungs, the court papers added.

The defendant contested the verdict, through his lawyer, arguing that he “was not the person responsible for the death of the victim”.

“My client and the two other defendants all fired at the victim but the fatal bullet was not fired from his weapon,” the defence argued.

The Criminal Court’s attorney general asked the higher court to uphold the 15-year sentence.

The higher court ruled that the Criminal Court proceedings were accurate and that the defendant was given the appropriate punishment.

“The evidence against the defendant is very strong and he failed to provide any evidence that proves his innocence,” the Court of Cassation ruled.

The Cassation Court bench comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Bassim Mubeidin, Majid Azab, Yassin Abdullat and Naji Zu’bi.

AMMAN  — The real estate market is seeing significant improvement, as trade in the sector increased by 11 per cent in September compared to the same period last year, Finance Minister Ezzeddine Kanakrieh said on Thursday.

Daily trade witnessed a growing increase recently in light of a government decision to reduce the price of building foundations by 20 per cent and to exempt exit and moving fees, the minister said, according to a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra. 

Trade increase in the real estate sector is expected to continue in light of the implementation of the 2019 Real Estate Ownership Law, which facilitates certain measures that will be tangible for citizens, and resolves problems of multi-owned estates and neighbour disputes regarding estate boundaries, among many others.

Prime Minister Omar Razzaz in July described the law, which went into effect on September 16, as a piece of "exemplary and modern" legislation that tackles many of the challenges facing the sector.

The new legislation builds on global examples and follows up on the real estate sector's developments, making it a “unique” law with a “different” formulation methodology, the prime minister said at the time, Petra stated. 

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a March Criminal Court ruling sentencing a nightclub employee in Aqaba to 20 years in prison after convicting him of bludgeoning a man to death over a minor traffic incident in November 2015.

The Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of striking the victim repeatedly on his head with a blunt object on November 13, leading to his death three days later. The defendant was given the maximum sentence.

Court papers from the day of the incident said the victim was in a vehicle with two of his friends when they approached the nightclub the defendant worked at around dawn. 

“The vehicle hit another parked car near the nightclub, prompting the defendant and two other men to attack the victim and his friends following a heated argument,” court documents said. 

Court documents added that “the defendant struck the victim with a wooden stick twice on his head, and he fell down”. 

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where he died a few days later as a result of the wounds to his head, according to court transcripts.

The defendant contested the verdict through his lawyer, arguing that he “was not the person responsible for the death of the victim”  and that the prosecution failed to review the surveillance tapes that were in the area, court documents read.

“The Criminal Court relied on a witness’ testimony which was contradictory and weak,” the defence argued.

The Criminal Court’s attorney general asked the higher court to uphold the 20-year sentence.

The higher court ruled that the Criminal Court proceedings were accurate and that the defendant was given the appropriate punishment.

The Cassation Court bench comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Hamad Ghzawi, Majid Azab, Yassin Abdullat and Naji Zu’bi.

AMMAN — The Supreme Administrative Court on Wednesday said that the judicial ruling that has been issued recently ordering the suspension of teachers' nationwide strike must be immediately executed.

The Administrative Court issued a ruling on Sunday, ordering an "immediate" suspension of teachers' nationwide strike following a lawsuit filed by parents.

The court ordered that the teachers’ strike be suspended temporarily until a final ruling is issued on the lawsuit filed by parents.

The Jordan Teachers Association (JTA) has insisted that the strike, which began on September 8, is legal and that the Administrative Court's ruling is not abiding, as it can be challenged.

However, the Supreme Administrative Court noted that contesting the verdict on the strike does not require stopping its implementation unless the court orders otherwise, the Jordan news agency, Petra, reported.

The higher court also noted that the verdict was ordered to protect students’ constitutional right to education, adding that the JTA was officially notified of its verdict on Wednesday. 

Meanwhile, JTA Vice President Nasser Nawasreh reiterated on Wednesday that the strike is legal and constitutional, saying that the syndicate’s council will meet on Thursday to “make important decisions”.

Asked whether the strike would continue on Thursday, Nawasreh did not say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ but only said, “no change”.

AMMAN — Chargé d'Affaires at the Damascus Embassy urged Syrian refugees in Jordan to return home, assuring them that all measures were taken to ensure safe and facilitated homecoming. 

During a meeting with a delegation of Syrian tribal leaders, Chargé d’Affaires Shafiq Dayoub said that the general pardon law Damascus issued in September last year "opened the door to the return of all refugees, regardless of their conditions and the circumstances surrounding their departure from Syria".

The delegation comprised notables from Daraa, Raqqa and Aleppo, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra. 

Dayoub said that the Syrian Embassy in Amman is open to all Syrians and provides all consulate services and documents needed to enable the return of refugees. 

Citing the UNHCR figures, the diplomat said that a total of 155,000 Syrians in the Kingdom have returned home since the re-opening of the Nasib/Jaber border crossing between the two countries in October last year, 32,000 of which are registered as refugees.

The embassy is in contact with the Jordanian government and the UNHCR’s Amman office to facilitate and support the return of the refugees, Dayoub said, noting that this would alleviate the burdens on Jordan's economy, according to Petra.

The Kingdom has always voiced its commitment to the principle of voluntary return of Syrian refugees and has taken the necessary measures to facilitate their departure should they choose it.

A recent UNHCR survey showed that 75.2 per cent of Syrian refugees in regional countries expressed their wish for voluntary repatriation.