Shoman Foundation Organizes Exhibition for Little Innovators in Jordan

Jordan's Minister of Information and Communications Technology and Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation CEO at the exhibition.
Jordan's Minister of Information and Communications Technology and Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation CEO at the exhibition.
TT

Shoman Foundation Organizes Exhibition for Little Innovators in Jordan

Jordan's Minister of Information and Communications Technology and Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation CEO at the exhibition.
Jordan's Minister of Information and Communications Technology and Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation CEO at the exhibition.

The Department of Education and Science at Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation organized the Young Innovators Exhibition Thursday to enhance thinking skills among children and adolescents.

In its third edition, the exhibition, introduced a distinguished presentation of scientific projects made by children, who attended scientific and practical workshops including experiments and projects aimed at developing their research and analytical capacities.

The exhibition was organized at the Islamic Educational College, under the patronage of Jordan's Minister of Information and Communications Technology Muthanna Al-Gharaybeh, who expressed pride in the innovative projects, and highlighted the great role given by the Shoman Foundation to the scientific and cultural fields.

The age of participants ranged between 10 and 13. They developed 11 scientific projects.

Speaking at the event, Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation CEO Valentina Qussisiya said: "We are meeting today for the third consecutive year to celebrate the Young Innovators Lab program aiming at boosting the children's critical thinking and growing an innovative and creative generation."

"The Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation, established 40 years ago by the Arab Bank, is fully aware of the importance of cultivating culture and science in children and adults. Therefore, the Foundation selected 41 out of 500 applicants to undergo a critical thinking test."

The CEO pointed out that the Foundation has been focusing on programs and activities targeting science and education, as well as reading and knowledge, indicating that the Foundation has been keen for three years, to focus on training children practically, mentally and intellectually.

"Innovation here means focusing on many skills that are being transformed through education from feeding learning to learning critical thinking skills that help a child analyze, think, and implement projects in innovative ways," she said.

According to Qussisiya, these projects will undoubtedly address many problems.

The acquisition of critical thinking and learning in light of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, along with turning ideas into practical products, will provide Jordan with many jobs and opportunities in the near future, she said.

The 11 participating groups presented their projects to the audience, talked about the problems they encountered, how they overcame them, and the alternative solutions they chose to get the final form of the project.



Study Says African Penguins Starved En Masse Off South Africa

Yellow-eyed penguins fights in their colony in Katiki Point, on the southern end of the Moeraki Peninsula in New Zealand's South Island, about 80 kilometers north of Dunedin on November 12, 2025. (Photo by Sanka VIDANAGAMA / AFP)
Yellow-eyed penguins fights in their colony in Katiki Point, on the southern end of the Moeraki Peninsula in New Zealand's South Island, about 80 kilometers north of Dunedin on November 12, 2025. (Photo by Sanka VIDANAGAMA / AFP)
TT

Study Says African Penguins Starved En Masse Off South Africa

Yellow-eyed penguins fights in their colony in Katiki Point, on the southern end of the Moeraki Peninsula in New Zealand's South Island, about 80 kilometers north of Dunedin on November 12, 2025. (Photo by Sanka VIDANAGAMA / AFP)
Yellow-eyed penguins fights in their colony in Katiki Point, on the southern end of the Moeraki Peninsula in New Zealand's South Island, about 80 kilometers north of Dunedin on November 12, 2025. (Photo by Sanka VIDANAGAMA / AFP)

Endangered penguins living off South Africa's coast have likely starved en masse due to food shortages, a study said Friday, with some populations dropping by 95 percent in just eight years.

Fewer than 10,000 breeding pairs of the small, black and white African Penguin are left globally, according to scientists, and the species was listed as critically endangered last year by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Two of the most important breeding colonies near Cape Town had collapsed between 2004 and 2011, with some 62,000 birds estimated to have died, the study by the UK's University of Exeter and the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment said.

In those eight years, sardine populations in South African waters -- a main food source for penguins -- were consistently below 25 percent of their peak abundance, Agence France Presse quoted co-author and biologist Richard Sherley as saying.

This drop in sardine stocks was due to fishing practices combined with environmental causes such as changes in water temperatures and salinity.

This "appears to have caused severe food shortage for African penguins, leading to an estimated loss of about 62,000 breeding individuals", Sherley said.

The global population of the species had declined by nearly 80 percent in the past 30 years, the scientists said.

Conservationists say that at the current rate of population decrease, the bird could be extinct in the wild by 2035.

For 10 years, authorities have imposed a commercial fishing ban around six penguin colonies, including Robben and Dassen islands, the two sites observed in the study.

Other initiatives underway include artificial nests and creating new colonies.

The birds are a strong attraction for tourists to South Africa, with thousands of people visiting colonies each year.

But the pressure from tourism also disturbs the birds and causes enhanced stress.


Saudi Post Issues Stamp Marking Int’l Day of Persons with Disabilities

Saudi Post (SPL) issued a set of commemorative stamps to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Saudi Post (SPL) issued a set of commemorative stamps to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
TT

Saudi Post Issues Stamp Marking Int’l Day of Persons with Disabilities

Saudi Post (SPL) issued a set of commemorative stamps to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Saudi Post (SPL) issued a set of commemorative stamps to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Saudi Post (SPL), the Kingdom's national postal and logistics provider, has issued a set of commemorative stamps valued at SAR3 to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, observed annually on December 3.

The day is celebrated worldwide, including in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to reinforce care for persons with disabilities, empower them to achieve their aspirations, enhance their quality of life, ensure their rights, and include them in all activities and events by highlighting their talents and diverse abilities, said the Saudi Press Agency on Thursday.

The launch took place during a ceremony organized by the Authority for the Care of People with Disabilities (APD).

The event included the unveiling of a campaign titled “Say It Right,” which promotes the correct and officially adopted terminology for persons with disabilities.

The stamp features several individuals with disabilities who participated in the campaign.

APD continues to work collaboratively with various sectors to enhance service quality and raise awareness of the rights of persons with disabilities.


Police 'Recover' Faberge Egg Swallowed by Thief

This handout photo release by New Zealand Police on December 5, 2025 shows an officer displaying a recovered diamond-encrusted green Fabergé egg in Auckland after keeping a six-day watch over the thief accused of swallowing it. (Photo by Handout / NEW ZEALAND POLICE / AFP)
This handout photo release by New Zealand Police on December 5, 2025 shows an officer displaying a recovered diamond-encrusted green Fabergé egg in Auckland after keeping a six-day watch over the thief accused of swallowing it. (Photo by Handout / NEW ZEALAND POLICE / AFP)
TT

Police 'Recover' Faberge Egg Swallowed by Thief

This handout photo release by New Zealand Police on December 5, 2025 shows an officer displaying a recovered diamond-encrusted green Fabergé egg in Auckland after keeping a six-day watch over the thief accused of swallowing it. (Photo by Handout / NEW ZEALAND POLICE / AFP)
This handout photo release by New Zealand Police on December 5, 2025 shows an officer displaying a recovered diamond-encrusted green Fabergé egg in Auckland after keeping a six-day watch over the thief accused of swallowing it. (Photo by Handout / NEW ZEALAND POLICE / AFP)

New Zealand police have recovered a diamond-encrusted green Faberge egg after keeping a six-day watch over the thief accused of swallowing it.

The 32-year-old allegedly gulped down the egg late last week from a store in the country's largest city, Auckland, but was arrested before he could flee.

"Police can confirm the pendant was recovered," they said in a statement Friday.

Police had assigned an officer to watch over the man while waiting for nature to deliver the trinket -- valued at around US$20,000, AFP reported.

The special edition locket was inspired by the James Bond film "Octopussy", which revolves around a plot to steal a rare Faberge egg.

"The exterior of the egg closely follows the design of the Faberge egg featured in the film Octopussy, with a beautiful 18k gold lattice framework which is delicately set with blue sapphires and white diamonds in a floral-like design," reads an online description.

A small golden octopus is nestled inside.

Russia's House of Faberge gained international fame in the late 19th century by designing opulent Easter eggs decorated with gold and precious gems.