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AMMAN — The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) on Monday sunk a disused commercial TriStar aircraft to Aqaba’s Underwater Military Museum Dive Site with the aim of boosting marine life.

HRH Crown Prince Hussein attended the ceremony, after participating in a tactical military exercise at the military training field, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The underwater museum had been opened for divers and snorkellers to explore military machines stationed along coral reefs imitating a tactical formation.

Comprising some 30 military relics, the formation consists of tanks, an ambulance, a military crane, a troop carrier, an anti-aircraft gun and two helicopters among others. 

Nayef Bakhit, chief commissioner of the ASEZA, said that submerging the plane is intended to promote the recovery of natural reefs as it relieves pressure on them by drawing visitors away to an alternative site, noting that the TriStar’s position is accessible to snorkellers and swimmers.  

He also said that this underwater museum promotes scuba diving in the coastal city, adding that developing the museum would increase tourists’ duration of stay.

Drawing attention to the ASEZA’s tourism development programmes, Bakhit said that the number of scuba divers increased from 6000 in 2017, to 22,000 divers in 2018, highlighting that they spend an average of $1,400 on a week-long trip. 

Aqaba’s Underwater Military Museum Dive Site is a product of the partnership between the public and private sectors as the ASEZA was responsible for the planning, preparation and sinking of equipment, while the Aqaba Port provided the mobile docks used in the process and the required human resources.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday received a phone call from Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE armed forces.

During the phone call, the King and the crown prince discussed bilateral relations and means to further expand cooperation in various areas, a Royal Court statement said.

Discussions also covered the latest regional developments, according to the statement.

AMMAN — Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Zeid Louzi on Monday accepted the credentials for new Belarusian Ambassador Yuri Sluka as an accredited and non-resident ambassador to the Kingdom.

During a meeting after the ceremony, Louzi expressed his best wishes of further progress and prosperity for Belarus, voicing keenness on further developing bilateral ties, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

AMMAN — The Amman Chamber of Industry organised an introductory meeting on the mechanisms of benefitting from grants for those wishing to study in German universities, according to a statement issued by the chamber.

Together with the German Academic Exchange Service in Jordan and the Association of German University Graduates and Institutes, the Amman Chamber of Industry organised the workshop on Saturday evening in its headquarters in Amman.

The workshop included an introduction to the university systems in Germany, the mechanisms of applying for grants and the possibility of obtaining grants from the German Academic Exchange Service.

Gabriele von Fircks, president of the German Academic Exchange Service in Jordan, and Manar Fayyad, president of the German-Jordanian University, gave a briefing on studying at German universities.

The workshop was attended by a large number of Jordanian students who wish to study in Germany, according to the statement.

DEAD SEA — Minister of State for Media Affairs and Government Spokesperson Jumana Ghunaimat on Monday said that Jordan, represented by the leadership and the government, is committed to empowering women in all fields.

"Women have been appointed in various decision-making positions in recent years because the leadership and the government strongly believe in the importance of women assuming important positions, which reflects on the legislation related to women," Ghunaimat, who was deputising for Prime Minister Omar Razzaz, said.

The minister's comments were made during a three-day conference titled "Innovative Approaches to Women's Empowerment" that is being attended by over 160 participants from countries of the region and the United States.

This meeting reflects the "true capabilities and determination of Arab women and is an important opportunity to demonstrate success stories that will inspire the future generation", Ghunaimat told the participants.

The Programme Director of the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) of the US Department of State Rita Stephan also addressed the gathering and praised the Jordanian government's commitment in empowering women.

"This is a historic meeting for women of this region, which will surely work towards strengthening women's representation in the political and economic arenas," Stephan said.

The Women as Partners in Progress (WPP) conference, which is being held at the Hilton Dead Sea Convention Centre until Wednesday, will hold panels from each partner organisation, highlighting their accomplishments and the results of their contributions to the empowerment of women in their countries.

Over 150 activists and leaders are gathering at the Dead Sea to discuss the outcome of a two-year project that focused on increasing women leaders' knowledge of gender roles and women's rights in Jordan, Morocco, and Kuwait.

The event is being organised by the Gibran Chair at the University of Maryland (GCUM) as part of the WPP initiative. It aims to identify and advance key issues that affect women's daily lives and to amplify the voices of women leaders in the three countries, according to a statement by the WPP. 

The WPP, which started in late 2017 and is a project funded by MEPI, aims to promote women's leadership and gender-inclusive policies working with partners in Morocco, Jordan and Kuwait, according to the WPP statement.

In addition to the three delegations from Jordan, Morocco, and Kuwait, representatives from six other Arab countries are also attending, including Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and the West Bank and Gaza, the WPP statement added. 

Director of the GCUM May Rihani said during the opening session that “what brought us together today is a vision and a determination. The vision of equality between women and men and the determination that each one of us will continue to contribute to this process of ensuring equal human rights”.

“When we discuss women’s rights, women’s aspirations and women’s empowerment, we are really discussing societal issues based on a vision of social justice. A vision whereby equal economic, social and cultural rights are provided for all the citizens of a nation regardless of their gender,” Rihani stressed. 

DEAD SEA — Women activists and politicians participating in a three-day conference at the Dead Sea agreed on Monday that the focus of their activism should entail providing solid arguments in order to achieve more gains in the future.

"It is very important to be able to provide evidence-based examples when advocating for our demands," said Senator Sawsan Majali.

Majali was one of several women activists and former officials who spoke during the first day of the conference titled "Innovative Approaches to Women's Empowerment".

Majali stressed that "the women's movement also needs to be united when presenting their demands or they will not succeed".

"We should work for our country and if we do not work right and are not united then we will lose our battles," Majali told over 160 participants taking part in the conference that is being held at the Hilton Dead Sea Convention Centre.

Majali also stressed the need to focus on the upbringing of children at home, adding that parents should be good role models for their youngsters.

Former minister Asma Khader agreed with Majali saying that unity within the women's movement is of extreme importance.

"The women's movement has accepted gradual changes because this has become the norm but we need to stay united because some gains that we achieved could be taken away from us at any moment," Khader warned.

Also speaking during the panel discussions was head of the Jordanian delegation Mayyada Abu Jaber, who is the CEO of World of Letters. She pointed out that Jordan's ranking in women's labour participation is still low internationally.

That is why, Abu Jaber maintained, "the two-year project focused on changing the mindset of society to further accept women's participation in the labour force and in the professions they desired without restrictions or boundaries".

Meanwhile, lawyer Rasha Laswi touched on another form of boundary that is "sometimes hindering women from joining the labour market or continuing with their jobs".

"Some women are forced to quit because they are subjected to sexual harassment at work because the laws do not protect them from such harmful practices," Laswi explained.    

Director of Information and Media Affairs at Al al-Bayt University Reem Al Zoubi said almost 70 per cent of the Jordanian population are young.

"We need to focus on this sector and encourage dialogue among this group because it is an effective means of guaranteeing a change in the mindset of the younger generations," Zoubi said.

Director General of the National Centre for Culture and Arts of King Hussein Foundation Lina Attel also spoke during the panel stressing the need to focus on the younger generation.

"We conducted several interactive plays in various parts of the country to promote women and unconventional jobs and were able to break many taboos in some conservative areas," said Attel, who is also the founder of the interactive theatre.

The feedback was positive, according to Attel, and "many approached us to conduct similar activities in the future because people there learned a lot from the art performances".

"We aim to share lessons learned from the implementation of this powerful regional project and to continue partnering with leaders from all sectors to advance just causes," Director of the GCUM May Rihani stressed.

Rihani added that the aim is also to further empower "our collective voices with the aim of advancing women's rights  and to think of the future steps to further advance women's causes in the region".

AMMAN — The Jordan Dental Association (JDA) has put forward demands for the Health Ministry to address issues mainly of retired practitioners' association membership issues, insurance scams and unemployment in the field, among others.

One of the main demands presented by the JDA focused on amendments to the incentives by-law, which were proposed by the association and a Health Ministry dentists committee. The amendments were approved by Health Minister Saad Jaber during a meeting with heads of professional associations.

The amendments include removing the word "dentist" from the incentives by-law and replacing it with "doctor", which should refer to both doctors and dentists, according to a JDA Facebook post shared on Monday.

In the post, the JDA said the sources of incentives were “determined clearly”, and the amendments removed the cap set on incentives, which the association said is "a big and just achievement", attaching images that show all the details related to the amendments. 

In regards to other issues facing the JDA, there are 150 dentists who are retired but still practice dentistry and are deprived of their rights to join in the general assembly meetings or run as candidates for association elections, JDA President Azem Qaddoumi told The Jordan Times on Monday over the phone.

If retired dentists above 60 years of age do not pay their financial dues, which include retirement fund, health insurance and profession practice fees for six months, they lose their association-related rights, according to Qaddoumi.

Qaddoumi said the association rejects this article in the JDA law and is working to amend it, "as it violates all humanitarian concepts to deprive dentists from their association rights because they did not commit to paying their fees for six months, even if they have paid them for over 30 years".

Another issue that faces dentists is the “scammers” who, according to JDA, act as door-to-door salesmen and convince individuals to subscribe to a sort of dental insurance for an annual fee, giving them a card that they can use at certain doctors and clinics to receive treatment at lower prices. 

The JDA president said that the association council has met with the industry and trade minister, forming a committee that will follow up on the issue of fake insurance and work on raising awareness about the negative effects of this phenomenon.

In cooperation with the ministries of health and industry and trade, legal measures will be taken to combat salesmen who promote fake cards and dental insurances as well as doctors who deal with them, Qaddoumi said.

As for unemployment, Qaddoumi said that after activating the retirement law, which allows all those over 60 years of age or those who completed 30 years of service in the ministry to retire, the next phase will witness a “wave of employment” to bring replacements.

The JDA general assembly currently comprises around 10,000 dentists, Qaddoumi said, noting that the number is very high compared to the overall population, "if not the highest in the world".

The association president said that the council has a vision to increase job opportunities through building a hospital for dentists, while also demanding that the concerned authorities expand the construction of dental clinics. 

The association voiced hope that there will be a hospital designated for dentistry at the Royal Medical Services or the Health Ministry, which will increase the “status of the profession” in the Kingdom and increase income for these institutions. 

AMMAN — The Jerusalem Awqaf Department (JAD) is the sole institution responsible for administrating the affairs of Al Aqsa Mosque, and is not subject to the Israeli occupation or to any of its regulations, Awqaf Minister Abdul Nasser Abul Bassal reasserted on Monday. 

Abul Bassal, in a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, also highlighted that all employees at JAD and the Jerusalem Awqaf Council and the guards of Al Aqsa Mosque are administratively affiliated with the Awqaf Ministry.

The minister warned the occupation forces against repeated attacks on Islamic affairs employees, utterly rejecting the summoning of JAD’s Jordanian Director Muhammad Azzam Tamimi for investigation.

Abul Bassal, during a phone call with Tamimi earlier that day, highlighted his utmost support for the Jerusalem Awqaf Council and its employees, including guards and imams.

He condemned the provocative practices and attacks carried out by settlers against Al Aqsa Mosque with the use of force and weapons, calling on Israel to put an end to such aggression, which provokes Muslims around the world.

Stationing large numbers of Israeli forces inside Al Aqsa Mosque is merely an attempt to change the historical and legal status quo of the holy site, Abul Bassal said.

He added that banning Awqaf guards from carrying out their duties is an attempt to terrify them and pave the way for Jewish settlers to break into the mosque, hindering the efforts of the department and its guards to protect the mosque and document all attacks. 

The minister holds Israel accountable for any construction damages to Al Aqsa Mosque, especially the Bab Al Rahma (Gate of Mercy), as a result of its continuous ban on Aqsa reconstruction department employees to renovate the historical gate, which dates back more than 1,400 years. 

AMMAN — A number of Ramtha dignitaries and representatives of “Bahara” on Monday stressed their rejection of any form of law breaking, demanding stern action against those who assault security personnel. 

Condemning the recent incidents in the northern town, the notables noted that such people do not represent the stance of Ramtha’s residents, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

“Bahara” is the Arabic term for sailors, used to describe drivers of vehicles carrying passengers to Syria, Iraq and other countries.

In a meeting on Monday, the dignitaries and representatives reiterated their stance behind the nation, its Hashemite leadership and its security authorities in combating crime, especially smuggling. 

AMMAN — The Cabinet on Monday appointed Jumana Attiyat as director general of the Housing & Urban Development Corporation, Wisam Tahtamouni as secretary general of the Ministry of Transport and Bashar Omari as director general of the Land Transport Regulatory Commission.

The appointments were made in view of the scores achieved by Attiyat, Tahtamouni and Omari, which were the highest among the candidates interviewed by the ministerial committee designated to make appointments for administrative positions, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.