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AMMAN — Succeeding in putting Jordan on the world map through establishing a prime position in the global fertiliser market, the Arab Potash Company (APC) has commenced production of the necessary raw materials to meet the developments in protected agriculture technologies, APC’s Chairman of the Board of Directors Jamal  Sarayrah said on Wednesday.

Sarayrah said that the APC's new production approach will contribute immensely to ensuring sustainable sourcing of global agricultural raw materials and coping with the changes in food consumption patterns.

Opening the APC's "Specialty Fertiliser Day", Sarayrah explained that Jordan's leading mining company is always updating its methods and diversifying its products to meet the latest global fertiliser production trends. 

Keeping pace with the latest technologies in fertiliser production and in response to modern agricultural practices, the chairman explained that the APC will apply new feasible methods to achieve three objectives: Diversifying the company's products and increasing its revenues, providing high quality inputs for local and regional small- and medium-sized industries and contributing to environmental sustainability and resource efficiency.

For his part, APC President and CEO Maen Nsour said that the company always seeks excellence not only in its contributions to the national economy but also in its diversified products and continuous search for new advancements and technologies.

Nsour added that the APC and its affiliated companies (the Jordan-Bromine Company and KEMAPCO) have achieved record-breaking sales and production volumes unprecedented in the history of the company.

He noted that the APC's net profits during the first six months of 2019 increased by 48 per cent with a 113-per cent growth in operating profits while the net profits of its affiliated companies have also increased by 135 per cent during the same period.

The CEO also said that the company has set the budget for the feasibility studies on the best utilisation of the "treasures" of the Dead Sea.

The APC has announced that its net profit after taxes, provisions and royalties amounted to JD78.2 million during the first six months of 2019, recording an increase of 48 per cent from the JD52.7 million profits achieved during the same period last year.

The company also said that it has produced a historical record of 1.28 million tonnes of potash during the first half of 2019 compared with 1.21 million tonnes produced during the same period in 2018, while sales during this period also reached a record high of 1.24 million tonnes — an increase of 3.6 per cent over the same period last year.

Moderating the international conference, which saw the participation of scientists and experts in fertilisers from Jordan, China, France, Belgium and Pakistan, professor Sultan Abu Orabi, from Yarmouk University, said: "The Dead Sea is alive and is abounding with minerals that are gold for Jordan and that need to be fully utilised."

AMMAN — Around 35,000 patients of restricted nationalities visited Jordan in the first eight months of this year, President of the Private Hospitals Association Fawzi Hammouri said on Tuesday. 

The total number of foreign patients who visited the Kingdom, including restricted and non-restricted nationalities, stands at around 160,000 patients, Hammouri told The Jordan Times, referring to the relaxation of restrictions since May to encourage medical tourism in Jordan.

The amended regulations governing the issuance of medical treatment visas were published in the Official Gazette and came into force in mid-May, in accordance with the provisions of Article 9 of the Residency and Foreigners Affairs Law No. 3 of 1997 and its amendments. 

The amendments also apply to those of restricted nationalities who seek treatment in Jordan.

Under the decision, approved by the Cabinet, patients of restricted nationalities can apply for visas through the websites of the Interior Ministry, diplomatic missions, airlines, accredited transport operators or licensed travel and tourism companies.

Hammouri said that these amendments have “revitalised” the medical and health sectors, increasing the Kingdom’s medical tourism revenues. 

He also urged the concerned authorities to promote all kinds of tourism, especially medical tourism, such as the Jordan Tourism Board’s specialised unit designated to promote and develop the medical tourism sector. 

“We have the Dead Sea and Maeen hot springs among many areas that tourists can visit for medical purposes,” Hammouri added.

AMMAN — Even in ancient times, people already had an effect on the environment by cutting wood for fires and by letting goats and sheep graze around the villages, which caused erosion of the landscape, said an archaeologist specialising in the topic.

The episodes of increased aridity during the Neolithic period were partly due to natural processes caused by earth warming and ice melting, said Pascal Flohr from Oxford University.

Regarding the southern Levant, including Jordan, the climate during the Neolithic period was favourable in general, the archaeologist continued.

“It was more stable than in the preceding Palaeolithic and Epipalaeolithic periods, and seems to have been warmer and wetter than before,” she said, adding that the weather conditions probably helped the introduction of cultivation and herding.

The most striking climatic period in these times was the so-called 8.2 ka event, the scholar noted.

“This is called like this because it happened around 8200 years ago, so around 6250 BC, lasting about 200 years to around 6000 BC,” the archaeologist explained, adding that the event caused melting glaciers and aridification, which happened so fast that people would have certainly noticed the change.

In the Mediterranean, the effect was probably smaller and nearer to the melt water, but still noticeable.

“We don’t know the effect in Jordan, but it is likely that rainfall decreased, which would have affected early agriculture. Harvests might have been smaller or even failed completely and animals might have had less to eat,” the scholar said, noting that some researchers believe that societies collapsed in these times, “for example with people dying of starvation and/or migrating to better areas”.

Flohr is interested in studying possible social effects of climate on societies in the Middle East, including Jordan, for which she is in need of reliable dating.

“For example, if a social change occurs 100 years before the climate change, the climate change cannot possibly have caused it – but in prehistoric archaeology, 100 years more or less is often treated as ‘around the same time’,” the scholar said, adding that she and her team therefore focused on radiocarbon evidence to date archaeological evidence.

Flohr and her team believe there was no large-scale collapse. “It seems people continued with their lives and did not migrate to other places, at least not on a large scale,” the archaeologist said.

During that time in the area of today’s Jordan, pastoralism was increasingly important and people were more and more present in the steppe and desert areas, according to the scholar. It is possible that this helped people cope with the changing climate, the archaeologist noted.

AMMAN — The EuroMed Women for Dialogue Forum 2019, organised by the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation, kicked off in Amman on Wednesday in the presence of HRH Princess Rym, president of the Jordan Media Institute (JMI). 

During the inauguration ceremony for the two-day event, which is held in cooperation with UNESCO, UN Women and the European Commission, Princess Rym highlighted the important role of the foundation in supporting women and enhancing their roles in society, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

In this regard, the Princess noted that many women have proven ability to run leading positions, referring to the role of the media in perpetuating this concept and overcoming misconceptions against women. 

She added that the JMI seeks to enhance women’s participation in the media and journalism field, noting that the number of female journalists who graduated from the institute outweighs the number of male graduates. 

Elisabeth Guigou, president of the foundation, expressed her institution’s commitment to supporting women and programmes that defend gender equality. 

Guigou noted that the foundation’s plan for the next stage includes providing training for 100,000 young men and women who represent various cultures in the Mediterranean region, on women’s empowerment and means to enhance their role in society. 

The meeting aims at encouraging women’s role as agents for the promotion of intercultural dialogue in the Euro-Mediterranean region, as well as discussing the prevailing gender stereotypes that prevent women from full participation in their societies, according to www.euneighbours.eu.

The forum will take the Final Declaration of the Union for Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Strengthening the Role of Women in Society (Cairo, 2017) and the progress report following the Union for the Mediterranean Regional Dialogue on Women Empowerment (Barcelona, 2017) as starting points for the conversation, the website added.

AMMAN — More children in the south of Jordan are receiving quality, inclusive early childhood education with the opening of a new kindergarten in Tafileh, as part of UNICEF’s support to the government to increase enrolment and attendance throughout the country,  a statement from the UN body said on Wednesday. 

The newly launched kindergarten (KG), managed as a community-based centre by ICCS (Islamic Charity Centre Society), has four refurbished and fully equipped classrooms able to accommodate 200 children across a double shift through UNICEF support. It is one of five new centres opened since last year, providing 750 children with the best start to their education. 

In addition, UNICEF is identifying new sites through public-private partnerships to increase access to early education, particularly in the areas with the lowest levels of enrolment, as well as reviewing by-laws and standards for existing nurseries and KGs to improve efficiency and increase teacher training in inclusive education, so that all children can realise their right to an education, read the statement.

“Quality and inclusive kindergartens increase children’s cognitive and social skills, which are critical for their future learning,” Tanya Chapuisat,  UNICEF Jordan representative, was quoted in the statement as saying.

“UNICEF is working closely with the Government so that every child can have the best start to their education,” Chapuisat added.

The Government of Jordan has made an ambitious commitment to universalise KG-2 to provide every child with access to early education. As part of this effort, UNICEF is supporting the opening of KG classrooms in community-based centres, like the one inaugurated in Tafileh, as well as supporting the Ministry of Education to expand access in the public system, the statement said.

In addition to the increase in the number of places available, UNICEF is implementing an innovative cash-transfer programme for families in the most vulnerable districts to enable them to enroll their children in KG2.

Evidence from a diverse range of countries is conclusive that investing in early childhood development is an extremely effective and cost-efficient way of accelerating progress for children, their communities and societies more generally, according to the statement.

UNICEF’s support for quality and inclusive education is generously supported by the governments of Australia, Canada, Germany through KfW and Ireland,as well as the UK Department for International Development and US State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, the statement concluded.

AMMAN — The Public Security Department’s (PSD) personnel have arrested 956 people for allegedly possessing a total of 1,125 firearms since the launch of the department’s campaign on June 27 to curb festive firing and the ownership of unlicensed firearms.

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, the PSD said that 71 people, in possession of 81 guns, were arrested during the 11th week of the campaign, including two minors and seven non-Jordanian Arab nationals.

The PSD noted that the campaign will continue its crackdown and thanked the citizens who contributed to combatting the phenomenon, according to Petra.   

AMMAN — HH Prince Mired on Wednesday inaugurated an international conference on helping the victims of anti-personnel landmines and explosives, as well as the rights of people with disabilities.

Prince Mired, during the ceremony, said that Jordan has managed to clear its territory of anti-personnel landmines, highlighting the Kingdom's commitment to fulfiling the needs of landmine victims. 

 The Amman-based conference was held by the National Committee for Demining and Rehabilitation in cooperation with a support unit for the implementation of the Ottawa Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty and the European Union. Participants  focused on the government’s role in presenting the best practices in assisting the victims of landmines through their integration into society, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

AMMAN — Interior Minister Salameh Hammad on Wednesday met Iraqi Ambassador to Jordan Safia Talib Al Suhail ahead of ending her tenure in the Kingdom.

Hammad, during the meeting, highlighted the importance of Jordanian-Iraqi partnership, expressing the government's readiness to ease obstacles hindering Iraqis’ entrance and residence in the Kingdom.

The ambassador expressed her country’s appreciation for the Kingdom’s cooperation in various fields, mainly issues related to the Iraqi community in Jordan. Also on Wednesday, Hammad met German Ambassador to Jordan Birgitta Siefker-Eberle over means of enhancing joint cooperation, mainly in the political, economic and security fields, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Hammad presented the Kingdom's challenges resulting from regional unrest that have affected the country's economic situation, as well as security. The German envoy expressed her country's understanding of Jordan's need for more aid to address the ramifications of the Syrian crisis.

AMMAN — HRH Crown Prince Hussein on Tuesday visited the Ministry of Labour to follow up on the implementation of His Majesty King Abdullah’s directives concerning the ministry's plans for job creation and youth empowerment.

During the visit, the Crown Prince emphasised that Jordanian youth exemplify ambition and creativity, and must be given the right opportunities, which require public and private partnerships, a Royal Court statement said.

His Royal Highness said His Majesty’s directives focus on the need for citizens to see the tangible results of employment plans.

After listening to Minister of Labour Nidal Batayneh’s briefing on employment and job creation plans, which will be implemented by the ministry under the National Employment Charter set to be launched next week, the Crown Prince stressed the importance of speeding up the implementation of the charter, according to the statement.

Batayneh said the government is working to implement His Majesty’s directives in partnership with the private sector, to create job opportunities within an integrated national project to reduce unemployment.

He added that the ministry is implementing employment plans with measurable indicators and timeframes, based on policies and procedures aimed at creating job opportunities, and equipping young people with the skills and experience that meet labour market needs, according to the statement.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Omar Razzaz on Tuesday hinted at possible legal measures that could be taken if teachers persisted with their open strike, which was set to enter its fourth day Wednesday with no agreement in sight.

"There is a legal aspect to the strike; we believe in a strong state that is ruled by the law, and strong society and institutions that abide by it. In the event the [Jordan Teachers Association (JTA)] insists on continuing with the strike, every action will have its consequence," Razzaz said in a televised interview in his first public remarks since the announcement of the strike.

A three-hour meeting between the government and the JTA Monday failed to arrive at an agreement regarding the teachers' demand for a 50-per cent pay raise.

In the interview with Jordan Television, held to address the government’s stance on the teachers’ strike, the premier said that it had reached a “comprehensive agreement” with the JTA's previous council on all issues, with living conditions at the forefront, stressing that the government is adamant on that agreement.

“We were waiting to resume dialogue with the JTA’s current council where we had left off with the previous one, rather than start over,” the premier noted. 

The former agreement allowed for the value of teachers’ incentives to reach up to 250 per cent of their basic salary as opposed to the 50 per cent currently being demanded, Razzaz said. 

He explained that the prospects of a 250-per cent raise were tied to performance indicators, noting that incentives should positively impact the academic achievement of students and the development of the educational process.

“We had hoped that the JTA would hold talks with the government with regards to reviewing the agreement’s clauses as opposed to protesting and striking,” he added.

The JTA says that the 50-per cent raise was agreed with the government five years ago but failed to materialise, and has held a sit-in in Amman on Thursday to demand it be implemented, but the protest escalated into an open strike as the teachers’ were dissatisfied with the government’s response.

The sit-in was called for by the association’s former president, Ahmad Hajaya, who died in a car accident a week before the scheduled protest.

The prime minister, during the interview, referred to the government’s various meetings with Hajaya, during which he “strongly and reasonably pursued the rights of teachers”, stressing that the government would not delay dialogue with the teachers. 

Razzaz stressed that students must not be used as means to pressure the government into fulfilling demands. 

The government is aware of the importance of improving the living conditions of teachers, “in accordance with their performance”, the premier said, adding that the teachers “utterly refused to discuss the matter”. 

“The government is aware that living and financial conditions pose a challenge before teachers, which hinders their ability to perform to their full potential,” Razzaz reiterated, adding that upgrading these elements should be tied to performance indicators that reward “distinguished teachers”. 

“We are aware that the majority of teachers arrive early to school to ensure a proper start to the students’ day and stay after school to ensure that all the students have left campus, as part of their commitment to the message of education. However, there is a minority that does not believe in the entirety of the process and we cannot reward both sides,” the premier underscored.

Razzaz noted that the government is currently working on a “comprehensive project”, parts of which would be implemented soon, that aims to improve living conditions and boost the productivity and efficiency of human resources. 

The premier stressed the government’s belief in freedom of expression, as mandated by the constitution, noting that the constitution also guarantees the right to education.