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AMMAN — Traffic police on Sunday said they will intensify their campaign against the use of mobile phones by drivers.

"We will continue to monitor this specific violation because our traffic officers in the field have noticed an increase in the number of people using their mobile phone while driving," a senior police official said.

The police official added that the Traffic Department was fining motorists in the past, but that "we felt they were still not respecting the law, so we decided to increase our surveillance and fines".

The senior official source told The Jordan Times that although "there are no specific statistics regarding traffic accidents that are caused by mobiles, the use of cell phones while driving is extremely dangerous".

"There are many traffic accidents that occur on our streets, which we suspect occurred because motorists were distracted by their cell phones, but we cannot record this since the drivers will not admit it," the source said.

The traffic official added that motorists will be notified about their violations via messages sent to their mobile numbers, which are registered at the Traffic Department.

In 2008, new provisions were introduced to the Traffic Law, entailing a JD15 fine for drivers caught holding their mobiles in their hand to make a call or use its applications.

Traffic officers in Jordan have highlighted international figures suggesting that the use of mobiles while driving is one of the main reasons for fatal traffic accidents, “which is similar to Jordan’s case since many of the accidents were the result of drivers’ being distracted while using mobiles, which resulted in several accidents due to failure to exert full safety precautions while driving, not abiding by traffic safety regulations and sudden changes in traffic lanes”. 

According to a statement issued by the Public Security Department (PSD), the Traffic Department will also increase its awareness campaigns on the dangers of using the mobile phones while driving.

“We urge people to respect the law and to help the PSD spread the culture of safe driving by avoiding dangerous traffic violations, including the use of mobile phones,” the PSD statement said.

The Royal Automobile Club of Jordan (RACJ), which took part in recent global campaigns to promote awareness among drivers, pedestrians and cyclists on the dangers of phone use while driving, noted that drivers are four times more likely to crash while on the phone, adding that accidents due to road user distraction by mobile phones are “on the rise”.

For drivers, pedestrians and cyclists, only a few seconds of distraction can mean the difference between life and death, the RACJ said.

AMMAN — The Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) 2019 kicks off on Monday under the theme “Learn the Rules; Then Win”, President of Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT) Mashhour Rifai announced on Sunday.

During a press conference at Tank incubator at the King Hussein Business Park, Rifai said that the event, held under the patronage of HRH Princess Sumaya, chairperson of PSUT’s board of trustees, is organised by the Queen Rania Centre for Entrepreneurship (QRCE) and Umniah Jordan.

Spread over 170 countries, 10 million people will be involved in the GEW’s 35,000 activities, 250 of which will be held throughout the Kingdom, mainly outside of Amman, Rifai said, noting that PSUT will host 13 activities. 

“The goal of these activities is to adopt the entrepreneurial lifestyle in Jordan, especially among youth, and utilise it to serve the community,” Rifai noted, adding that the focus will be on success stories and start-ups that aim at creating jobs. 

GEW 2019 focuses on four pillars: Education, policy, ecosystems and inclusion, according to Rifai.

PSUT has given attention to entrepreneurship since the establishment of the QRCE in 2004, and the university was among the first to offer a master’s programme in this field, in addition to an obligatory course on the topic for all students, the university president said.

For his part, QRCE Executive Director Mohammad Obaidat said that 40 partners in Jordan will oversee the 250 activities in the Kingdom, which place emphasis on villages and remote areas.

He added that this year, the week covers school and university students, training and youth centres and chambers of commerce and industry, in addition to public- and private-sector companies. 

“Many say that entrepreneurship institutes do not interact with each other, and the main goal of the GEW is to gather these institutions such as incubators or private and public sector organisations, to discuss, cooperate and coordinate together. We hope that this year, the impact will be larger and bring sustainable cooperation,” Obaidat said.

The 2019 activities will feature new faces and new ideas, Obaidat noted.

For her part, Umniah Jordan Corporate Communications Manager Nicole Shahin said that partners are going to work to help younger people “discover their strengths and natures early on”.

She said that the main purpose of entrepreneurship is to find solutions to people’s problems through innovation. 

Tank, by Umniah, is a physical incubator that supports its members directly through supplying them with the tools they need, Shahin said. 

Obaidat mentioned that this year’s theme was “inspired by the fact that people need to understand every aspect of entrepreneurship, its policies and programmes and what it entails in order to be able to venture into the field and succeed”.

The GEW is one of the largest global events to celebrate innovators and entrepreneurs, who establish start-ups to manifest their ideas and improve the economy and the quality of services provided to the public, according to the organisers. 

AMMAN — Armed with degree in mechatronics engineering, a young Jordanian put his intense passion for designing electronic devices to work when he launched a venture in 2017 with a mere capital of JD1,000.

Mohammad Wedyan was one of several entrepreneurs from around the Kingdom to meet with His Majesty King Abdullah in early November. During the meeting, His Majesty reaffirmed his keenness to support young Jordanians’ innovative projects, heard from the entrepreneurs and voiced pride in their achievements.

“The products we make are manufactured in Jordan, in the company’s specialised lab, as the idea of the start-up is utilising innovation and creativity to invest and generate income,” Wedyan, the founder of Spark Electronics Company, told The Jordan Times over the phone on Saturday.

The 26-year-old said the project provides innovative technology that addresses common everyday problems. 

One item that has attracted a wide of range customers is the phone charging cabinet, which, according to Wedyan, is a product that the company has installed at universities that consists of various compartment lockers allowing students to charge their phones safely for a fee of JD0.5. 

“The product was marketed through an interactive robot, another product we made, that roams the campus and informs students about the benefits of the charging cabinets and answers their queries,” Weydan said.

“People like our work and they morally support it,” he added, noting that the current capital of the enterprise stands at JD15,000.

The young entrepreneur also brought attention to another product: A gas-leak alarm.

The alarm can be installed in homes and kitchens to warn people of gas cylinder leaks, he said, adding that these are among many other “solutions” that the company seeks to offer to different segments of society.

“The enterprise currently provides jobs for five people and has trained at least 20 engineers free of charge, as part of its goal to innovate and create electronic products that people need at affordable prices,” Wedyan said.

He concluded that the enterprise was recently registered with the Labour Ministry’s “Inhad” initiative to expand its operations and employ more people and increase its overall productivity. 

AMMAN — On Saturday, 15 young Jordanians from across the Kingdom took part in the final talent show and award ceremony of the RISE Talent Contest 2019 at Al Hussein Cultural Centre in Amman.

In 2018, the EU in Jordan created and funded RISE Talent Contest to promote and celebrate the talent and creativity of Jordanian youth, according to the EU in Jordan’s website. This year’s event was organised by European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) Jordan.

EUNIC is a cluster of European embassies and European cultural centres in Amman, currently comprising 16 members and funded by the EU, said Tala Sayyed, current project manager of EUNIC Jordan, in an interview with The Jordan Times on Saturday.

“We work on creating cultural events in Jordan and supporting local initiatives such as the Amman Jazz Festival or Baladk street art graffiti festival, and at the same time we have our own calendar with events such as the European Film Festival,” she said.

“RISE Talent Contest is very important, as it is the only nationwide talent competition in Jordan,” Sayyed noted, adding: “It’s a great opportunity for Jordanian youth to have a platform where they can share their talents and get exposed.”

“We contacted the winner of last year’s RISE talent show for multiple events,” she added.

This year, the contest attracted over 100 applicants, 55 of whom fit the requirements for the contest.

Four competitors for each category were selected to compete as finalists at Saturday’s show, Sayyed noted.

The young people between the ages of 18 and 28 competed in four different categories: Music, singing, dancing and arts. They were assessed by a jury composed of Jehad Hadad (music), Hind Hamed (singing), Abd Al Hadi Abunahleh (dancing) and Raed Ibrahim (arts), according to the EU website.

The jury chose one winner from each category. The winners were Rama Alfarekh (arts), Jana Mahadeen (music), Mohammed  Mousa (singing), Saleem Asfour (dancing), according to EUNIC Jordan.

The winners were awarded prizes aiming to foster their talents and promote education in different ways, for example, through dance classes or art supplies, the project manager said.

“Some of the young people are college students, some have other jobs,” Sayyed said, adding: “Maybe the prizes are a way to keep their passion going.” 

AMMAN — Deputy Executive Director of UN Women Anita Bhatia visited the Oasis Centre for Women and Girls at Azraq refugee camp on Sunday to converse with Syrian refugee women and learn about the services provided by UN Women through its centres.

The centres provide incentive-based volunteer programmes, livelihoods training and services for those at risk of and surviving gender-based violence, as well as civic engagement and education opportunities.

Helweh, a Syrian refugee, told The Jordan Times that through the centre, she has been able to “support her husband and children”.

“I knew some sewing basics before, but with training from the centre, I was able to become a professional and earn money while doing it, too,” she added.

UN Women currently operates four Oasis Centres in the Zaatari and Azraq refugee camps. In 2019, it also launched eight Oasis centres within Jordan’s host communities in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development (MOSD). 

Through the 12 Oases, in both camp and non-camp settings, UN Women and the MOSD reach more than 6,000 Syrian refugee and vulnerable Jordanian women. By extension, the Oases also benefit 50,000 members of the targetted communities. Trainings range from one month to a year, depending on the programme offered.

The Oases provide childcare services, which Fatmeh, another Syrian refugee, said is “essential and very helpful to all the women taking part in the trainings”.

With six hours of work a day and MOSD-monitored hourly pay, UN Women officials said during the visit that the contracts given to the women “abide by all Jordanian Labour laws”. 

Bhatia, who is also assistant UN secretary general for resource management, sustainability and partnerships, conveyed to The Jordan Times her hopes for the programmes to “become more sustainable”.

“Integrating these women into the workforce outside the camp would be great, but given that female participation in the Jordanian workforce is already low, it would be even harder for these women,” she added.

Partnerships with the private sector are on UN Womens’ agenda, according to Bhatia. 

Earlier in the day, Bhatia also met with Minister of Social Development Basma Ishaqat to discuss joint efforts in empowering the most vulnerable women in Jordan through the Social Protection Strategy and by rolling out the Oasis model country-wide

“As UN Women, we are grateful to the Government of Jordan for continuing to provide a secure environment for all refugees. I was impressed by the stories of resilience and empowerment of the women I met today. With the support of our partners, we are proud to stand by women affected by humanitarian crises,” she said.

AMMAN — Senate President Faisal Fayez on Sunday held a meeting with Prime Minister Omar Razzaz ahead of submitting the 2020 state budget bill to the Upper House.

During the meeting, attended by members of the Permanent Bureau of the Senate, presidents of parliamentary committees and a number of ministers, Fayez stressed the importance of implementing the Royal vision towards improving the Kingdom's economic conditions and citizens' living standards, which can be accomplished through economic growth and minimising poverty and unemployment, as well as creating sustainable jobs for the country's young people, he said. 

Fayez noted that the gathering falls within the framework of Senate-government consultations on drawing up the State Budget for next year in accordance with the Jordanian Constitution, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The economic challenges facing the Kingdom call for team spirit and fostering the principle of partnership, he added, urging the government to develop economic strategic plans within set timeframes, bolster private-public sector partnership and improve the Kingdom's investment environment.

Razzaz, for his part, said that "in light of the pressing economic situations, the 2020 State Budget will not be easy", calling on all involved parties to take part in diagnosing the situation and recommending solutions.

Commenting on the expenditures, the premier said that salary structure will be reconsidered and incentives will be tied to performance, highlighting the importance of considering administrative flabbiness.

Razzaz said that this consultation will result in a number of decisions and measures, adding that under His Majesty King Abdullah's directives, the government will hold weekly meetings with the legislative authority to maintain "real partnership" in the best interests of the Kingdom.    

AMMAN — Officials on Sunday said they were questioning a husband who reportedly stabbed his wife in the hand and foot following a domestic dispute in an eastern Amman suburb a day earlier.

“We have arrested the suspect and are currently questioning him to learn more about the incident,” Police Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi said.

The police official told The Jordan Times that the victim was rushed to a nearby hospital and that her condition is stable.

Meanwhile, Jerash MP Wafa Bani Mustafa on Sunday collected the signatures of 16 deputies to call for reconsidering several clauses in the 2017 Domestic Violence Prevention Law (DVPL).

She said that a number clauses in the law “are not clear or do not protect victims of domestic violence as they should, and there is an urgent need for the government to make the necessary amendments to these clauses to stiffen the punishments and protect victims from the perpetrators in the right manner”.

Another important request is to cancel a clause that allows the victim’s family to drop charges against perpetrators and this “applies in cases of domestic violence”, she said.

“This is not a fair procedure, since perpetrators of certain offences could benefit from a reduction in penalty and return back to their families where they once practiced some form of violence against family members,” Bani Mustafa explained.

“My request will be sent to the Legal Committee of the Lower House of Parliament and if they agree to our demands, the government will be obliged to review the DVPL and consider our demands,” Bani Mustafa told The Jordan Times.   

Sisterhood is Global Institute (SIGI) issued a statement on Sunday asserting that violence against women and children in Jordan is a problem that requires immediate action. 

“Women and sometimes men are subjected to all forms of violence in society, but males usually have better alternatives to escape any form of violence they are subjected to,” the SIGI statement said.

On the other hand, the statement added, women have fewer options and means to escape any form of violence, which “puts their lives in grave danger”.

“If there was one man or one woman whose rights were violated by an act of violence, this is a major issue that needs to be addressed and handled well by the concerned authorities and government entities,” the statement said.

The statement noted that the number of female homicides committed by a family member has increased by 200 per cent since the beginning of the year in comparison with last year.

“There were seven murders in the first 10 months of 2018. This year, the number of female victims is 21,” the statement said.

There is an urgent need to “admit that the phenomenon of domestic violence is on the rise in Jordan and that the government needs to take serious steps to address the problem and find the best means of protecting its citizens”, according to the statement.

AMMAN — A training workshop on tobacco addiction treatment was held on Sunday at King Hussein Cancer Centre (KHCC) to illustrate the different degrees of damage caused by all forms of tobacco.

During the workshop, Director General of KHCC Asem Mansour said fighting the smoking pandemic is a “battle of spreading awareness” in order to halt the “death industry” in which tobacco companies continue to market their products, especially in developing countries.

Most young Jordanians start smoking between the ages of 13 and 15, leading to 30 per cent of teens becoming smokers, which necessitates decision makers intervening in all possible ways to curb tobacco usage in Jordan, which causes cancer and cardiovascular diseases, Mansour said.  

 Jordan is ranked third in the region in terms of percentage of smokers, Director of the Cancer Control Office at KHCC Feras Hawari said during the workshop, noting that 70 per cent of males and 30 per cent of the Kingdom’s females smoke.

“The main reason for meeting today is to make a distress call to all stakeholders about the dangers of nicotine, as the numbers have risen in an unprecedented way,” Hawari said.

Nicotine addiction has been causing diseases such as lung cancer, leukemia, colon cancer and bladder cancer, Hawari said.

He noted the need to enforce the 2017 Health Law, which stipulates that any person who smokes any type of tobacco in a public place will be punished with imprisonment ranging from a period one month to three months, or a fine of between JD100 and JD200, Hawari noted.

 The director also pointed to the dangers of e-cigarettes and heated tobaccos, that come with an economic and health cost. 

 Nicotine is highly addictive in all its forms, including through e-cigarette vapor, which contains chemical substances, Hawari said, stressing the importance of halting all kinds of tobacco usage. 

KHCC clinics for smoking cessation provide integrated services to help smokers quit, he added.

“It is possible to reduce the widespread use of nicotine by 12 per cent in five years if the 2017 Health Law is applied and public smoking is banned,” Hawari said.

AMMAN — There are various opportunities for joint investment with Egypt in the energy, renewable energy, contracting and tourism sectors, Jordanian Businessmen Association (JBA) President Hamdi Tabbaa said on Sunday. 

During the inauguration of the 21st Joint Jordanian-Egyptian Business Council in Cairo, Tabbaa addressed a number of pending issues pertaining to customs and special audits of the standards and specifications at the Nuweiba Port in its capacity as a point of crossing, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The JBA president shed light on the government’s recent investment incentives bundle, which stemmed from His Majesty King Abdullah’s meetings with businesspeople, pointing to the development prospects of economic relations and the importance of enhancing the volume of investments between the two countries given the distinct advantages of each nation.

He stressed the importance of following up on the implementation of memoranda  of understanding signed over the past years  to facilitate trade exchange, liberate trade and simplify non-customs conditions imposed on Jordanian exports to Egypt, most notably pharmaceuticals. 

Tabbaa noted that the volume of Jordanian investment in Egypt has reached an estimated value of $600 million shared by 1,945 companies, compared with $1 billion in Egyptian investments to Jordan shared by 499 companies. 

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army, accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, visited Al Ghamr in Wadi Araba on Saturday.

King Abdullah, who was also accompanied by HRH Prince Ghazi, His Majesty’s chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs and personal envoy, was received by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti and a number of senior army officers, according to a Royal Court statement.

During the visit, His Majesty was briefed on the historical, geographic and strategic importance of the area.

Last Monday, the King accompanied by Crown Prince Hussein, visited Baqura.

During the opening of Parliament's fourth ordinary session, last Sunday, His Majesty announced "Jordan's full sovereignty on every inch of Baqura and Al Ghamr areas" and the termination of the annexes on these areas in the 1994 Wadi Araba Peace Treaty.