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AMMAN — The Jordan Media Institute (JMI) has concluded a training programme for 440 youth from across the Kingdom within the "Building the capabilities of youth in dealing with media" project, which was supported by the EU, a JMI statement said on Saturday.

The project, implemented in cooperation with the Youth Ministry and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), included 22 training programmes by eight specialised teams in 22 Youth Ministry centres across the Kingdom.

The project targeted young people between the ages of 16 and 25 and offered training on communication, modern media, news illiteracy and digital illiteracy. 

AMMAN —Public Security Department (PSD) personnel on Saturday arrested a number of persons who allegedly assaulted traffic police officers, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The assault incident has been circulated in a video on social media showing a number of person purportedly attacking officers after a traffic accident.

On Friday, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) personnel arrested four suspects, among them one who is classified as "dangerous", has a criminal record in 90 cases and is wanted for 15 other cases. In a separate operation, PSD personnel arrested two persons who attempted to rob an ATM.

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) has fined 60 entities for violations related to online promoting of cigarettes and hookah as part of its campaign to fight the electronic promotion of tobacco products, according to a GAM official.

“We are targeting the online promotions because their impact is more powerful and reaches out to a wider audience compared to the on-location promotions,” Mervat Al Mhirat, city deputy manager for health and agricultural affairs at GAM told The Jordan Times on Saturday.

The campaign, which is implemented in cooperation with the CID cyber crimes unit, government institutions and civil society organisations, imposes fines ranging between JD500 and JD1000 on violators, according to Mhirat.

She said that promoters are violating two laws: the Public Health Law which prohibits marketing of tobacco products on one hand, and the Cyber Crimes Law which criminalises using the Internet to commit any offence that violates an existing law on the other.

“Selling tobacco products or offering Shisha in shops and cafes must be licensed and in line with the municipality’s regulations which include putting products out of display or reach, as well as not offering them to individuals under the age of 18,” the GAM official said, stressing that “children and teenagers can easily become victims of online sellers”. 

She noted that all the violations detected and fined so far were committed by businesses, not individuals, although individuals “should be held accountable too”, in accordance with the Cyber Crime Law.

“We could monitor the violating websites, but it is more difficult to monitor the posts on social media, which are of even greater influence,” Mhirat highlighted.  

According to a report issued by the Department of Statistics (DoS) in 2010, 61 per cent of Jordanian families include cigarette smoking members.

Another DoS report issued in 2016 showed that the total spending on tobacco in 2016 amounted to JD602 million, with an average of JD480 per family.

“Smoking cigarettes and hookah puts people at risk of a shorter life as the average life expectancy of regular smokers is five years less than non-smokers,” Health Specialist Othman Abbadi told The Jordan Times, adding that “it is not only about the number of years lived but also about their quality, as smoking increases the risks of several diseases and various types of cancers, not only heart and lungs as generally thought”.

Abbadi also warned of “passive smoking” where second-hand smokers are risk from one-fifth to one-third of the effects suffered by regular smokers.

Hookah, which he described as “a phenomenon”, is equally harmful as cigarettes, if not more. “People are inhaling coal and carbon dioxide when they smoke hookah, which is hurtful for their bodies,” the specialist pointed out.

For Um Ahmad, a mother of six, “in addition to the online promotions of tobacco products on social media, our children see people smoking almost everywhere, which is also a form of promotion.”

“We are trying to protect our children from this poison by raising their awareness on the risks of cigarettes since their childhood, as smoking is becoming a society culture, not just an individual practice,” she added.

Mhirat also announced that GAM has received a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies to implement a project for transforming Amman into “a healthy city” that is smoking-free.

AMMAN — Hundreds of Syrians living in Jordan’s refugee camps will soon be given the chance to receive university education and vocational training in the fields of computer science, mobile engineering and logistics management, as part of a new project launched recently by Swiss NGO University for Refugees (UniRef).

Voicing her pride over this new imitative, co-founder and President of UniRef Yvelyne Wood said: “Every student who will obtain a university degree or benefit from a vocational training, will get a job and will not be any more part of a lost generation.” 

"When they graduate, UniRef students will integrate into the labour market and support their families. A refugee who becomes financially independent leads with him/her five other people who are dependent on him/ her," she told The Jordan Times, stressing: "The UniRef graduates will be able to work in the camps, in the host country and, in the long term, will be able to contribute to the reconstruction of their own country."

Scheduled to begin at the start of 2019, the courses, which were designed by Jordan Red Crescent, will last for 12 months and be delivered by faculty members from Isra University, according to UniRef project manager Malsore Biba. 

"The courses will be officially recognised by the Ministry of Higher Education," Biba told The Jordan Times, noting that UniRef will offer two levels of courses for the young victims of war living in the refugee camp. 

Each student will be provided with a computer and a USB memory device and undergo an intensive English course in addition to their academic course, she explained, noting that the project is set to reach 300 students over a three-year period.

“We fled the war with my sister, I was a student then,” recalled a young Syrian refugee quoted by UniRef, adding that “restarting my studies here gives me a hope for a better future”.

Meanwhile, the vocational training sector will offer programmes in health workers assistance and advanced first aid for a duration of 18 months, the project manager continued, noting that these training courses will also be recognised by the ministries of labour and health.

Some 450 students are expected to take part in the vocational training between 2019 and 2022.

Founded in 2013, Geneva-based UniRef works in providing university education and vocational training to refugees placed under the protection of UNHCR and the Red Crescent, according to its website. 

“UniRef is a humanitarian, educational and development initiative that offers young refugees the opportunity to be less dependent on humanitarian aid and take ownership of their own future," Wood said, stressing that "all the beneficiaries of UniRef are refugees who for the most part stay between seven and 15 years in fragile conditions, with less than 1 per cent of them having access to university education”.

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a January 2017 Criminal Court ruling sentencing a man to five years in prison after convicting him of attempting to murder his aunt’s Sudanese husband in Maan in March 2016.

The court declared the defendant guilty of shooting the victim on March 15 “because his wife wanted to get rid of him” and handed him a ten-year prison term.

However, the ruling was immediately reduced to half because the victim dropped the charges against the defendant.

The victim’s wife received a three year and four month prison sentence for complicity in attempted premeditated murder.

Court documents said the victim would constantly fight with his wife and “she decided to get rid of him and notified the defendant who agreed to help her”.

On the day of the incident, the defendant hid behind a vehicle “waiting for the victim to arrive home”, the court said, adding that “the minute he saw him, he jumped from behind the car and fired six rounds at him striking him in the head and chest”.

The victim’s wife, the second defendant, rushed to check on her husband and called for medical assistance, the court maintained.

The defendant contested the ruling arguing that “he did not intend to kill the victim, but only to harm him”.  

However, the higher court ruled that the Criminal Court followed the proper proceedings when sentencing the defendant deserves the verdict he received.

The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Naji Zubi, Yassin Abdullat, Majid Azab, and Hamad Ghzawi.

AMMAN — The Hashemite Scientific Councils held in Maan and Irbid during the holy month of Ramadan discussed the stature and importance of Jerusalem and the role of the Hashemites in protecting Jerusalem and preserving its Arab and Islamic identity, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Maan Governorate Awqaf Director Bilal Bahri said on Saturday that the councils reviewed the role of the Hashemites in the protection of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and stressed that Jerusalem is an integral part of the Arabic and Islamic nation.

In Irbid, the councils on Friday discussed the close connection of Muslims to the holy city, which is constituted in their faith and ideology as it is the site from which Prophet Mohammad ascended to heaven in Al Israa. 

AMMAN — HRH Princess Muna, patron for Nursing and Midwifery in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and president of the Jordanian Nursing Council officially has recently opened the 8th biennial Global Forum for Government Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers (GCNMOs) and the 7th Triad meeting on Nursing and Midwifery in Geneva, Switzerland.

The high level meetings, which were held earlier this month, are the ultimate platform for  government chief nursing and midwifery officers, leaders and representatives of national nursing and midwifery associations and regulators from more than 90 countries, a statement from the princess’ office said.

Other participants included the International Council of Nurses (ICN), the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) , which joined the gathering to discuss and decide on practical solutions for the fundamental issues facing their  professions as well as  to seek their input into the proceedings of the World Health Assembly.

Princess Muna, who was the keynote speaker at the event, highlighted in her remarks the importance of investing in nursing and midwifery to improve health outcomes and economic development. 

She added that nurses and midwives have a dynamic role in leading and realising the WHO’s 13th General Programme of Work which “constructs a great road map to achieve the health goals”, the statement said. 

She added that all health resolutions and interventions to achieve sustainable development goals including the global health agenda “cannot be implemented well without the active engagement of nurses and midwives, real investment in the nursing and midwifery workforce, giving them equal footing in shaping and evaluating health policy, as well as strengthening their leadership and empowered roles”.

HRH emphasised that “business as usual’ is no longer an option and called for creating the evidence to position nursing as an added value for the health industry and economy.

Last month, the statement added, Princess Muna held separate talks and meetings with high level officials; from the WHO, the ICN, the ICM, Nursing Now Campaign and the USA National Council of State Boards of Nursing, which focused on the strategic partnership among theaw organisations and Jordan, progress on the Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health, the recommendations and action plan of the UN High-level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth, Nursing Now Campaign, the World Health Organisation Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery 2016-2020 and the way forward in investing  in the health workforce and maximising their contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals including the global health agenda and Universal health coverage.

The 2018 Triad statement was released outlining the participants’ commitment to 11 actions and a powerful following message: “Investments in nursing and midwifery workforces are a key driver of effective health systems, thriving populations, improving health outcomes and prosperous economies.”

HRH had previously launched the WHO Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery, in May 2016, in Geneva and has championed the report recommendations and action plan of the UN High-level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth (September 2016) as well as the launching of the “Nursing Now” campaign at the global and national levels (February and April 2018).

AMMAN — The Kingdom on Sunday and Monday will be slightly affected by the tropical cyclone Mekunu, which is battering the desert and eastern mountains along the Arabian Sea, a Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) source said.

The cyclone, which was downgraded to a tropical storm on Saturday, lashed the southern coast of Oman on Friday, leaving two people dead, while it killed seven people in Yemen on Thursday, according to news agencies.

The cyclone has battered the coast and inland areas in Yemen and Oman, causing torrential rains, strong winds and massive waves. Yemen’s Socotra Island was then declared a disaster zone.

On Saturday, Mekunu started heading towards southern Saudi Arabia and was expected to hit parts of the Empty Quarter (the Rub' Al Khali desert located at the south of the Arabian Peninsula) late Saturday.

“Jordan will not be directly affected by the tropical storm; however, a state of unstable weather condition will prevail on Sunday and Monday as the storm unsettles the region’s weather conditions,” head of the weather forecasting department at JMD Raed Rafed told The Jordan Times on Saturday.

The storm will affect Jordan with slight showers, unlike Yemen and Oman, where floods were reported, he added, noting "cyclones such as Mekunu are recurrent over the Arabian Sea during this time of year because of the rising temperature of the sea surface."

Unstable weather conditions will start on Sunday noon and intensify on Monday, when rain showers and thunderstorms are forecast.

Temperatures on Sunday will range between a high of 33oC and a low of 21oC, according to the JMD, which said that clouds will start building by noon.

“Scattered showers on Sunday night are expected, especially in the southern and eastern parts of the country, while winds will be southwesterly moderate turning to northerly, brisk at times,” according to the weather forecaster.

Impact of the unstable weather conditions is expected to prevail on Monday, when a drop in temperatures is forecast.

Daytime temperatures will be 30oC, dropping to 19oC at nighttime in Amman, according to the JMD, which said that winds will be southwesterly moderate to brisk, turning to northwesterly.

“The weather on Monday will be cloudy and rain showers are expected as well as thunderstorms in most parts of the country,” Rafed said.

The state of unstable weather condition will dissipate on Tuesday, when the weather will be sunny and moderate, according to the JMD. 

AMMAN — In three years’ time, a total of 20 per cent of electricity consumed by the water sector will be generated with renewable energy, under the Water and Irrigation Ministry’s new “self-reliance” approach, government officials said.

The ministry is currently implementing five mega renewable energy projects to reach this goal, Minister of Water and Irrigation Ali Ghezawi said, indicating that the ministry is exploring Jordan’s “abundant solar and wind resources”.

“The projects are under way; they are designed to generate 328 megawatts per year and are being implemented at a cost of JD225 million. Once completed, the wind and solar projects will save the ministry JD32.6 million per year in energy costs,” Ghezawi highlighted.

The minister underlined that the water sector pays 50 per cent of its energy operation costs, which is saddling its budget.

“The coming phase is the phase of self-reliance; we are planning to boost the sector’s operation capacity, explore renewable energy and put an end to water loss,” he noted.

According to the 2013 Annual Report of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, power requirements for water pumping alone in 2013 amounted to about 14 per cent of the country’s total power production, with a total amount of 1,424 gigawatts per hour.

Given that the water sector is highly subsidised, the total energy bill paid by the Water Ministry in 2013 amounted to JD100 million, according to the report.

Assuming that current operational patterns are sustained, real power costs for water pumping are estimated to amount to JD640 million by the year 2025, the report said.

Meanwhile, ministry’s spokesperson, Omar Salameh, told The Jordan Times that the five renewable energy projects are among the several projects aimed at expanding the water sector’s shift to renewable energy, adding that, in 2015, the ministry announced its Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Policy for the Jordanian Water Sector.

“In addition to the mega renewable energy projects, the ministry is operating several of its pumping stations and well generation systems via solar power, especially in remote areas. The ultimate goal is to reduce reliance on conventional energy sources, reduce pollution and also achieve self-reliance,” Salameh highlighted.

AMMAN — Two years ago, young Syrian refugees Iman, Raghda, Sabah and Rawan had never picked up a squash racquet, let alone knew what the elite racquet sport was. Now, they train nearly every day at Jordan Squash Federation’s courts at Sports City and are on their way to becoming internationally competitive players.

These girls were “the original four” who were recruited into the non-profit organisation Squash Dreamers founded in 2016 by an American squash player.

Squash Dreamers aims to train Syrian refugee girls in squash to empower them to pursue promising athletic and academic careers, according to its mission statement.

Because the professional squash circuit is small, squash players who start at a young age have a higher chance of achieving success than if they trained in popular sports like football or basketball, founder of Squash Dreamers Clayton Keir said. 

Prestigious schools in Jordan such as King’s Academy and Amman Baccalaureate School have expressed interest in enrolling these girls as they reach high school age so they may develop squash programmes there, according to Becca Cooper, Squash Dreamers' country director. 

Academically-renowned universities in the United States also recruit squash players from all around the world, providing them scholarships and visas to the country, she added. 

By training Syrian girls in the niche sport, Squash Dreamers is capitalising on the many opportunities that the squash world extends.

The directors of the programme have partnered with Reclaim Childhood, another non-profit which trains Syrian girls in sports through after-school programmes and camps, to find girls who demonstrate potential and interest in squash. 

Thanks to the support of the Jordan Squash Federation, 14 girls currently receive two to three hours of training a day three to four times a week from member of Jordan’s national squash team Hamza Al Zubaidy.

“They have improved so much,” Zubaidy said, stressing that “for their age group, they are really good”.

The girls have progressed so much that the programme started registering them for international tournaments. In late July, the “original four” plan to travel to China to participate in the Hong Kong Junior Open 2018. 

Cooper says that they are also trying to send the girls to Egypt, where squash is more popular, for additional training and camps.

Squash Dreamers not only offers squash lessons to the girls, but also provides one to two hours of English language instruction after practice. The organisation is working on developing a robust language programme to supplement the girls’ limited education and enable them to enroll in schools that require English proficiency. 

After having instilled confidence in the 14 girls in the programme, Squash Dreamers now hopes to expand its services to reach as many Syrian girls as possible, according to the organisation's mission statement. 

When asked what she wants to do for work when she gets older, 10-year-old Sabah grinned and said "I want to become a professional squash player."