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AMMAN — President of the Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT) Mashhoor Al Refai on Thursday announced the introduction of the first robot to serve in the university, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The Japanese-made robot “Pepper” was delivered to the university as a result of friendy relations between Jordan and Japan and efforts made by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at PSUT HRH Princess Sumaya, he said.

The robot is the “first of its kind” in Jordan and is considered the first “intelligent robot in human form”, Rifai said during a ceremony on Thursday. He added that PSUT students, under the supervision of their professors, managed  to programme “Pepper” and its languages. 

Rifai pointed out that “Pepper” was “appointed as an employee at the university”, and became “part of the university family”.

“The robot is an active member in scientific research and in the training of students on its manufacturing and development,” he said. 

PSUT students will develop an Arabic version of the robot’s programming to be presented to Jordanian students with the aim of encouraging them to enter this scientific specialty, Petra reported.  

Pepper is the world’s “first robot designed to live with humans”, it can recognise faces and objects around it, according to Petra. It is also “the first robot capable of recognising and distinguishing the emotions of humans, and thus changing its behaviour and interactions”, Petra said.

For his part, Sanad Bushnaq, who attended the ceremony, stressed that “Jordanian talents can match the Japanese, if the right environment is offered and the existence of this robot in Jordan is a proof”.

AMMAN — Prompted by people’s unawareness about their rights on basic legal matters, seven female lawyers created a Facebook page to raise people’s knowledge of their legal rights and duties.

Under the “Know Your Legal Right” initiative, the lawyers simplify legal texts under Jordanian laws and regulations in videos they post on their Facebook page “Know Your Legal Right”, the founder of the initiative, Amani Jaabari, said on Thursday.

“We post videos on our Facebook page that handle each time one of the laws. A specialised lawyer explains the law to the people in the video in a simple language,” Jaabari told The Jordan Times.

The initiative seeks to explain laws and regulations to people on all matters, she said, noting that most frequently asked questions are about laws pertaining to labour, tax, insurance, divorce, marriage and social security among other topics.

“I started the Facebook page when I discovered that there’s wide ignorance amongst people on the simplest laws and legal matters… during my time at work, I get stopped by many people every day asking for advice on very simply legal procedures,” Jaabari said.

She started up the page last year, the lawyer said, noting that there are now over 70,000 followers.

“Know Your Legal Right initiative is not-for-profit. Any lawyer who wishes to volunteer and seeks to raise the awareness of people on their rights and duties guaranteed by the laws and regulations of the country is welcome,” Jaabari said.

AMMAN — Mohammad Al Qasim expressed his rejection of US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by painting a mural in Salt. 

The outpouring of anger triggered by the decision prompted him to join protesters using what he is good at: Art. 

“In the beginning, I was thinking of doing a small painting on paper but I wanted to make a bigger impact so I came up with this graffiti work,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone on Thursday. 

Initially, he was thinking about executing this project in his area, Sibahi, near Salt, but due to the lack of “proper canvas” for such a work he decided to carry it out in Salt. 

“After I saw how big the wall is, I knew that I needed help, so I shared a Facebook post seeking help,” he added. 

Qasim noted that the Salt municipality financed his project, adding that eight art students joined in the venture to help him. 

“It was very cold at the time but we were determined to go on until we wrap it up. We knew that there was no way back,” he added. 

Qasim said it took them three days to finish the paining, working from 8am until 7pm daily. 

He described art as a “very important tool” in spreading positive energy and conveying messages to the public. 

“Art is hope! I wanted to show hope in this issue: Jerusalem.”

AMMAN — Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Hani Mulki and Dutch Minister of Defence Ank Bijleveld on Thursday discussed Jordanian-Dutch ties and means to boost cooperation, especially in the military field. 

Mulki and Bijleveld also went over political and security conditions in the Middle East, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Mulki said that regional conflicts have necessitated that the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army stay fully prepared to secure the Kingdom's borders against threats of terrorist organisations.

He highlighted the importance of fighting the roots of terrorism and extremism, stressing that reaching a just solution to the Palestinian issue, achieving economic and social development, and enhancing democracy and the rule of law are the guarantors to the stability of the region that prevent the emergence of new terror groups.

The premier reiterated that Jerusalem is a core regional cause of not only the Arabs, but also Muslims and Christians across the world, noting that the future of the holy city can only be determined through the final-status negotiations.

In this regard, Mulki said that the US decision recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is a grave development that contradicts the international law, threatens regional stability and security and undermines efforts aimed at resuming the Middle East peace process.

For her part, Bijleveld expressed her country’s appreciation of the important role of Jordan in supporting endeavours aimed at realising regional peace and security.

She also voiced her country’s appreciation for Jordan’s role in handling the repercussions of the Syrian crisis and receiving refugees. She pointed out the assistance The Netherlands has extended to the Kingdom to help it shoulder the burdens of the refugee crisis and support host communities.

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Thursday wished Tawjihi (the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination) students the best of luck via Twitter. “I wish Tawjihi students in Jordan luck in their exams, God will not waste your efforts, and in God’s will you will make your parents happy,” the Queen tweeted. 

AMMAN — Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Kayed has said that Jordanian citizen Khalid Hihi who was arrested by the Israeli authorities “a while ago” was to be released on Thursday, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Thursday. 

Kayed pointed out that the Jordanian embassy in Tel Aviv has been following up on the arrest. Hihi is expected to arrive to the Kingdom “soon”, Kayed added.  

AMMAN — The Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) personnel arrested 25 suspects in 24 drug cases over the past week and seized several amounts of narcotics, the Public Security Department (PSD) announced on Thursday.

One case included a raid on a suspect’s house in southern Amman, where AND personnel reportedly found 10 palm-sized sheets of hashish, 3,000 drug pills and synthetic hashish, according to a PSD statement.

Another raid was carried out in Irbid resulting in the arrest of two suspects reportedly in possession of synthetic hashish and powder. Security personnel also carried out a raid on a house in Ajloun and arrested a suspect who reportedly mixed dangerous chemicals to produce synthetic hashish.

AMMAN — Security personnel in Karak on Wednesday detained seven people for allegedly threatening the security of the Desert Highway, Karak Governor Sami Habarneh said on Thursday.

Habarneh said that four of the detainees allegedly stopped container trucks from Aqaba to Amman, on the pretext those drivers did not join a strike by their peers in Aqaba.

The suspects took the licences of a driver and the truck he was driving, the governor was quoted as saying by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

The other three suspects were arrested for allegedly attacking workers at the Desert Highway revamping project and for attempts to blackmail the company responsible for constructions, he added.

AMMAN — Jordanian travel agencies have expressed rejection of the establishment of a travel company by the Hajj Fund affiliated with Awqaf Ministry. 

The company is a “blatant encroachment” on the Jordanian Hajj and Umrah agencies, the Jordan Society of Tourism and Travel Agents (JSTA) Mohammad Samih said on Thursday.

JSTA, which include 709 travel agencies, of which 235 are specialised in organising Hajj (the greater Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca) trips, has protested against licensing the company, met with MPs and will file a case against the fund, which belongs to the Awqaf Ministry, Samih told The Jordan Times.

 “The Tourism Ministry had refused to license the company for a while, then it suddenly did license it without the approval of the Tourism Committee,” the president said.

Regarding the reasons of protest against the company, Samih said that private travel agencies, which employ “hundreds” of Jordanians, will not be able to compete with a government-owned company that have a much larger capital collected by the fund from pilgrims.

As the company is owned by the ministry, which is an executive and monitoring authority, there will be no avenue for clients to complain about services, said Samih.

The ministry’s job has to be organising and monitoring the performance of private companies to ensure better services and prices for clients rather than being an investor, according to the president.

He noted that the company is specialised in Hajj trips, but was licensed as a regular travel agency that is allowed to organise all sorts of trips.

Despite several attempts by The Jordan Times Awqaf Ministry and the Hajj Fund were not available to comment. 

An official from the fund, however, has said that the company is legal and will create balance in the prices of Hajj and Umrah (lesser pilgrimage to Mecca) trips, according to a recent report by Al Rai Arabic daily.

The company came to “spare” citizens from overrated prices and to be an investment for the fund, which is the investment arm of the ministry.  

AMMAN — The Civil Defence Department (CDD) on Thursday called on citizens to exercise caution and vigilance during the weather conditions forecast for the weekend. 

On Friday, the Kingdom is expected to be affected by a cold air mass accompanied by depression centred over the east of Cyprus with temperatures in the capital expected to reach 8ºC during the day and 5ºC at night, according to the Jordan Meteorological Department. 

In a statement to The Jordan Times, the CDD’s media department urged the public to stay away from valleys and places that may witness floods and move from low-altitude areas to higher places.

The CDD called on constructions companies to use warning signs to notify people of any holes that may turn into “traps”.

The public are also advised to provide adequate ventilation to houses while using heaters, and not to keep them on while sleeping, the CDD said, calling on citizens to be careful not to overload electric plugs to avoid fires. 

Also on Thursday, the Public Security Department (PSD) called on citizens to take precautionary measures while driving, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The department highlighted the importance of checking on the level of preparedness of vehicles before using them in rainy conditions, especially wipers and lights.

The PSD also said it can be reached on 911 in case of emergency.

The Water Ministry on Thursday said it was prepared to deal with the weather conditions and the heavy rain, according to Ministry Spokesperson Omar Salameh.

Salameh said that the ministry’s teams are at the “highest level” of preparedness, calling on citizens not to connect rain gutters to sewage networks, Petra reported.

He also called on citizens to protect water gauges against frost, noting that people will incur any costs for causing any damage to the gauges resulting from weather conditions. 

The Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) on Thursday announced it was ready to deal with the weather conditions.

In case of emergency, PDTRA announced that its service department can be reached on: 0799724823 and 032155096, southern neighbourhood on: 032150012 and 0799031999, while its archaeological park can be reached on: 077226183, Petra reported.