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AMMAN — HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein on Tuesday opened a new artificial football pitch in the Zaatari Refugee Camp, some 80km northeast of Amman, according to a PepsiCo statement.

The new facility, a full-size pitch made with artificial turf, was established by the UEFA Foundation for Children and the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP) in partnership with Lay’s. It will provide thousands of football-loving Zaatari residents the opportunity to train, and watch their favourite game, the statement said. 

Prince Ali, the AFDP founder and chairman, was joined by UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and PepsiCo Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Vice President for Snacks Mustafa Shamseldin during a ceremony that saw the attendance of community members and local qualified football coaches. 

Representatives from the Jordan Football Association and the Norway Football Federation also attended the ceremony, to show their continued support to the refugees and host communities over the last four years, the statement said. 

More than 200 girls and boys living in the camp, aged between 10 and 13 years old, tried out the pitch and tested their skills with a variety of football activities led by their coaches and UEFA ambassadors, Christian Karembeu and Lara Dickermann.

The new football pitch will help thousands of football-loving children, as well as adults, to enjoy their favourite sport in a safe environment with facilities of the highest quality. It complements the “House of Sports”, a centre for sports and socio-educational activities, which was opened in September 2016 by the UEFA Foundation for Children and AFDP, the statement read.

“Powerful mediums  such as sport and education have the ability to plant seeds of hope and potentiality even under the most difficult circumstances,” Prince Ali was quoted in the statement as saying. 

He commended Ceferin and the UEFA Foundation’s support to  the Asian Football Development Project’s initiatives and for providing refugees with a “healthy, quality space that they can use not only to train, but also to build friendships and learn skills that are beneficial on and off the pitch”. 

Shamseldin said: “We hope that this joint effort will help the community here live out their passion for football. Football is known for bringing people together to enjoy a sport they love, whether it is playing or watching, and we hope many residents here can benefit from this new pitch for many years to come.”

Ceferin said: “Football has the ability to inspire, unite and also teach children important life skills and values, such as teamwork and respect. It is genuinely a humbling experience to be able to interact with children from this camp.” 

Since 2013, AFDP and UEFA Foundation for Children have been organising regular football training sessions and workshops at the camp for those displaced by the conflict in Syria, particularly for children, who are the most vulnerable victims of war, according to the statement. 

Football continues to play a pivotal role in helping refugees respond to the challenges posed by their displacement and the impact the conflict has had on their lives, by giving them a fun and healthy team-work based outlet, where they can build friendships and regain a sense of normalcy and hope, the statement read.

The UEFA Foundation for Children-AFDP collaboration has also trained 250 refugees, of whom 163 are men and 87 are women, to become coaches for over 4,480 Syrian kids to date, comprising 3,185 boys and 1,295 girls. The coaches, in turn, have initiated their own football league within the camp and hope to establish a football club in the near future, the statement added.

AMMAN — Over 50 app developers, designers and innovators will gather in Amman to build digital solutions for the public transportation sector in the first Public Transportation Hackathon, which is to be held at the Zain Innovation Campus — King Hussein Business Park on September 14-16. 

The event is organised by the public transportation advocacy group Maan Nasel, in partnership with the Centre for the Study of the Built Environment (CSBE). 

In a recent interview with The Jordan Times, research and coordination manager at CSBE, Ali Attari, said that the organisation aims to improve the public transportation user’s experience through digital solutions that facilitate the process. 

“Given our position as an NGO, we can’t just go ahead and put more buses on the road, so we have decided to support the public transportation sector indirectly through the digital realm,” he explaining, adding that the event seeks to address issues such as the “incomplete transportation data, non-set bus stops and non-existent schedules”. 

Attari therefore echoes the motivations of Hackathon participants such as Ramzi Jiryes, a young app developer who subscribed to the event because “anyone with enough talent should join the hackathon and contribute to a better transportation system in Jordan”. 

“I think it’s very easy to get lost for someone who is not well versed in the situation of public transportation here,” the participant said, explaining that his objective is to develop a solution that lets commuters find buses available around their location, “just like they can do right now with taxi and private-car-based apps”. 

Participants will build on Maan Nasel’s previous efforts on creating the database used in the Khutoutna app, known as the first public transportation trip planning app in Amman. 

Founding member of Maan Nasel Hazem Zureiqat told The Jordan Times that the data will be available for participants to explore and use, providing software developers with the engine that drives the main functionalities of the app. 

“The principle behind holding this hackathon is that we believe public transportation data should be open to the public,” said Zureiqat, complaining that the open data approach is “unfortunately not shared by local regulatory authorities”. 

The hackathon will kick off on Thursday evening with presentations about public transportation in Jordan, the Khutoutna app and the available data and resources. 

Participants will then start building solutions until Saturday evening, when the different projects will be presented to the judges. 

From all the submitted ideas, the judges will choose three winning projects, which will be awarded with JD800, JD400 and JD200 respectively to help on their implementation. 

AMMAN — With less than 10 per cent of wheelchair users in Jordan “actually” using their chairs to move around, rehabilitation professionals on Tuesday called for adequate training for personnel involved in wheelchair service delivery.

Providing the “wrong” wheelchair can cause physical and psychological problems to people with disabilities, the health experts said, indicating that it also incurs the country additional medical expenses.

To this end, Al Hussein Society — Jordan Centre for Training and Inclusion on Tuesday announced the launch of a training programme that targets health and rehabilitation professionals to ensure they provide people with disabilities with adapted quality wheelchairs.

Annie Abu Hannah, the society’s executive director, said that the training programme entails participants from Jordan, Lebanon, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

“Unfortunately, the process of providing a wheelchair is underestimated at a regional level… It is a process of provision rather than distribution; meaning that every person must receive the wheelchair that suits him/her,” Abu Hannah said at a presser held at the society, which was selected as a certified centre for provision of wheelchairs.

Saddam Kanaan from the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at the Jordan University for Science and Technology cited figures indicating that percentage of people with disabilities in Jordan ranges between 11.5-15 per cent of the population, highlighting the importance of training health and rehabilitation personnel to help elevate the living conditions of people with disabilities.

Kanaan underscored that providing people with disabilities with wheelchairs grants them independence and mobility, underlining that supplying the wrong wheelchair can cause physical injuries and psychological problems if wheelchairs users were unable to achieve social integration.

Meanwhile, head of the Jordanian Physical Therapy Association, Alia Ghwairi, said that while training providers of wheelchairs is vital, it is also fundamental to train users of wheelchairs.

“Providers must be trained on which chair best suits a person and users of wheelchairs should also receive habilitation sessions on how to use the chair to ensure its sustainability,” Ghwairi said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that there are more than 70 million people worldwide who require wheelchairs, yet only 5-15 per cent of people have access to them. 

People in developing countries often depend on the donation of wheelchairs, which are frequently of poor quality and not suitable for the users or their environment, according to the WHO website.

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has upheld a May 2017 Criminal Court ruling sentencing a 54-year-old “witch doctor” to 10 years in prison after convicting him of murdering a woman in Irbid in August 2015.

The court first handed the defendant a 20-year prison term after convicting him of killing a 42-year-old woman, mother of four, while in the process of extracting “evil spirits from her in his house on August 5”.

However, the court decided to reduce the sentence by half because the victim’s mother dropped charges against him.

 Court papers said that the defendant claimed to be a witch doctor who “was able to extract evil spirits using all sorts of sorcery for the purpose of financial gains”.

The victim, who was working at his house, was mentally affected by the loss of her son in an accident a few years before, the court added.

“The defendant convinced the victim that there was a demon inside of her and that he could extract it,” according to court documents.

The defendant wrapped the victim’s own scarf around her neck “and squeezed it tightly claiming to want to kill the demon. Instead, the woman suffocated and fainted”, court transcripts added. 

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was declared dead on arrival, the court added.

The defendant had contested his ruling stating that “he did not intend to kill the woman and that he was only trying to cure her, therefore, he deserved a lesser sentence”, the court documents said.

 The higher court, however, ruled late last month that the Criminal Court’s proceedings were accurate and correct and the defendant received the appropriate punishment.

“The defendant knew that there was a big possibility that the woman could die of suffocation as a result of wrapping the scarf around her neck to extract the demons. So he should not benefit from any reduction,” the higher court ruled.

 The Cassation Court comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Yassin Abdullat, Mohammad Tarawneh, Naji Zubi, and Bassem Mubeidin.

AMMAN — The Royal Film Commission (RFC) has extended its deadline for applications to its upcoming “Film & Television Careers Connection [FTCC]” event until September 20, upon the high demand from multiple entities across the region, George David, managing director of the RFC told The Jordan Times. 

Held from September 22 to 24, the event’s third edition aims to “enhance efforts in the film and TV employment sector by bringing together organisations, freelancers, film students and companies”, David said.

“Cinema is an art but also an industry. It creates jobs, at a difficult economic time. It brings in money to the country,” he stressed, noting that the FTCC serves as a platform to raise awareness of the filmmaking industry, which has generated some JD150 million and created over 5000 jobs in Jordan in the past 10 years.

Jordan has witnessed a spectacular growth on the film production map in recent years, with many well-known movies shot in the Kingdom, including Lawrence of Arabia, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Martian, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

The FTCC seeks to build upon those achievements by helping key local and regional players in the audiovisual sector to network and connect directly with film professionals from all over the world. 

This year’s edition will witness the participation of representatives of major American production companies — such as HBO, Netflix, Weinstein, and Warner Brothers, according to a RFC statement.

 “Hosting filmmakers and high-profile media persons and agencies from different countries will be a great opportunity for them to answer our audience’s questions, support them in starting a new experience in the industry, and also create opportunities for future cooperation among them,” David noted. 

“This is a kind of ‘speed dating’ networking event for film professionals and companies, where aspiring filmmakers can pitch their ideas and exchange knowledge with their peers, to build networks for future cooperations,” the RFC managing director said 

In addition to sessions tackling employment-related issues in the sector, training workshops in filmmaking will be held on the sidelines of FTCC.

Launched in 2015, the showcase has attracted thousands of visitors every year, who participated in a variety of panels, seminars, workshops, and networking events, the RFC statement concluded. 

The three-day event will take place at the RFC Film House premises in Jabal Amman.

AMMAN — The Royal Court on Tuesday flew the Jordanian flag at its main entrance at half-mast from early morning until 6pm in tribute to the victims of terror attacks in Egypt on Monday, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The government on Monday denounced the “cowardly” terror attack that targeted a police convoy in Sinai’s Arish city, which resulted in the death of 18 Egyptian policemen, including four officers, and several injuries. 

Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani voiced Jordan’s solidarity with Egypt in facing terrorism that targets its security and stability.

Momani, who is also the government spokesperson, renewed the Kingdom’s call for unifying international efforts to uproot terrorism. He also expressed the government’s condolences to Egypt and the victims’ families, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

AMMAN — Jordan on Tuesday condemned an Israeli court decision to close one of Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif gates called "Al Rahma Gate", the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

State Minister for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani stressed that Israeli judiciary has no jurisdiction over East Jerusalem's holy places including Al Aqsa Mosque as the old city is labelled as an occupied land under the international law.

Momani, who is also the government spokesperson, said that Israel, the occupying force, must respect international conventions.

He added that Jordan rejects the illegal Israeli attempts to impose its laws on the mosque, which is a blatant violation to relevant international laws and part of the Israeli policies that aim to change the historical status quo of the holy shrine.

The minister said that the plea that the Israeli forces presented to an Israeli magistrate court on the basis of the Israeli anti-terrorism law would have serious consequences as it targets the mosque and the Awqaf Department of Jerusalem.

Momani demanded Israel to reverse the “provocative decision, respect its commitments to the international law and the jurisdiction of the Jerusalem Awqaf Department, which is the only authorised entity to administer the affairs of Al Aqsa Mosque”.   

His Majesty King Abdullah is the custodian of the holy sites in East Jerusalem and the Awqaf Department is affiliated with Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, which appoints its staff.  

AMMAN — Jordan has designated 198 schools across the Kingdom to implement a 10-month, night-school programme for Syrian refugees.  

The coordinator of the project at the Ministry of Education Hussein Kilani said that the make-up programme, funded by specialised international institutions, aims to integrate Syrian refugee students in all schools of the Kingdom's governorates.

He added that the admission of refugees in schools does not require the submission of any documents or previous school certificates upon registration, and that students with special needs can enrol in schools near their places of residence.

The rehabilitation programme targets Syrian students that have not enrolled in schools for up to three years to enable them to catch up with their peers through intensive Arabic, science, English and mathematics classes.

He pointed out that the programme will allow students to finish the study materials of the first year in the first semester, the second in the second semester and in the summer vacation the students will finish the third year's studies to join their peers the next academic year.

AMMAN — HRH Prince Ali, director of the National Centre for Security and Crisis Management, on Monday attended the concluding ceremony of the "2017 Fortified Fortress" drill that saw the participation of security apparatuses and several state institutions.

Prime Minister Hani Mulki, who is also chairman of the board of directors of the centre, attended the drill, designed as an experiment to evaluate mechanisms of responding to crises and the coordination capabilities of concerned institutions, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Tuesday.

The exercise included various phases to assess the effectiveness of strategic and executive plans prepared to deal with all forms of crises, in addition to drills that simulated expected real-life scenarios.

All participating institutions showed "an advanced level" in dealing with various forms of crises, were "able to adapt" to emergencies, and exhibited agility and swiftness in their reactions to the simulated situations, along with a high degree of coordination, cooperation and exchanging information with other agencies, according to Petra.

At the closing ceremony, Brig. Gen. Adnan Abbadi, deputy director of the centre, presented a briefing on the outcome of the drill.

His Majesty King Abdullah in January, 2008, entrusted Prince Ali with the establishment of the centre.

In a letter to the Prince, the King said the centre, which he described as a “national necessity”, should function within a national framework to coordinate and unify efforts and capabilities to confront and manage any form of crisis the Kingdom might face, in addition to undertaking necessary crisis planning.

His Majesty, along with HRH Crown Prince Hussein, was at the centre to follow up firsthand on a successful operation to neutralise terrorists in a village near Karak in December.

AMMAN — Tourism Minister Lina Annab on Tuesday said the ministry has decided to ban the use of loudspeakers and DJ outside tourist facilities, a ministry statement said. The decision comes in line with the regulations related to preventing noise pollution based on the Environment Law of 2016.

The ministry will be the authority to monitor the commitment to the new decision at tourist facilities across the Kingdom, she added. The minister warned against violating the law, which will be subject to legal measures implemented by the Tourism Police Department.