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AQABA – Deputising for HRH Princess Basma, Executive Director of the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD) Farah Daghistani on Friday attended a celebration to honour 30 women working in the local women’s committees affiliated with the fund in Aqaba.

At the ceremony, held by the Ayla Oasis, Daghistani and the managing director of Ayla Oasis Development Company, Sahl Dudin, signed an agreement to support a handicrafts workshop at the Princess Basma Centre for Human Development in Aqaba.

Under the agreement, which will support the training of 15 women to start their own projects, Ayla will cover the required financial needs for the training, while the centre will supervise its implementation.

HANOI — Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh on Saturday briefed the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s (IPU) Middle East Affairs Committee on the region’s issues as well as Jordan’s reform process and its efforts to achieve regional peace and stability.

Participating in the IPU’s second assembly meeting, which opened in Vietnam’s capital on Saturday, Tarawneh told members of the committee that resolving the long-running Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which entails the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, is the key to all the region’s problems.

He also explained that Islam is innocent of the deviant ideologies of terrorist organisations, adding that Muslim countries are in a relentless war against radical groups attempting to hijack Islam.

AMMAN — The Joint Jordanian Turkish Committee on Land Transport on Saturday discussed the possibility of using transit passages for exporting Jordanian goods to Turkey and to Europe via Turkey, due to the current conditions in neighbouring countries.

A statement released by the Transport Ministry said the committee meetings were held to boost cooperation and to facilitate the transport of goods and passengers between the two countries.

The two sides agreed to hold periodic meetings to ensure cooperation.

AMMAN — Traffic police on Saturday said they have seized 70 vehicles over the weekend on charges of driving recklessly in the capital.

The drivers of the vehicles, including one woman, were each fined JD100 and their cars impounded for 48 hours, said Maj. Jalal Rahahleh, director of public relations at the Central Traffic Department.

“Every year during summertime we face the same problem of young people driving their vehicles recklessly, endangering their lives and the lives of others,” Rahahleh told The Jordan Times.

The traffic official added that the vehicles are impounded for 48 hours as a “disciplinary action against violating motorists”.

“Most of the violations on Thursday and Friday occurred in the Abdoun neighbourhood and Wadi Seer area,” Rahahleh explained.

Traffic Investigation Department Director Lt. Col. Basem Kharabsheh said the drivers will be referred to the administrative governor.

“The administrative governor has the authority to impose the fine and/or sentence these drivers to prison terms ranging from one week to one month,” Kharabsheh told The Jordan Times.

On its Facebook page, the Public Security Department urged the public to “support the efforts of traffic officials to end this dangerous phenomenon by calling 911 to report reckless driving”.

“Our campaigns against such violators will continue as long as these violations exist. Our aim is to end dangerous and improper driving,” Rahahleh said.

AMMAN — Around 4,200 passengers are expected to benefit from the Amman-Zarqa Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) during peak hours when the project is completed, Transport Minister Lina Shbeeb said on Saturday. 

Shbeeb said the tender for the project is expected to be floated by the end of this year, adding that the scheme is expected to take at least three years until completion. 

“The project will be implemented by several parties as a number of contractors will work on it; this is why it will take three years,” she told The Jordan Times over the phone. 

Shbeeb noted that the buses are expected to take up to 120,000 passengers daily, adding that around 100,000 people travel from Amman to Zarqa, 22km east of the capital, and vice versa on weekdays.

The JD110-million project will provide passengers with a bus every 70 seconds during peak hours and each trip will take 23 minutes, according to the minister. 

“We have not decided on the bus fare but we will definitely set an affordable fee for Jordanians,” the minister added, highlighting the project’s benefits.

“It will ensure public safety and protect the environment. Additionally, energy consumption will drop and there will be fewer traffic jams,” she added. 

Shbeeb said Jordanians will need time to get used to the new service and stop using their own vehicles. 

The project will link the Mahatta area in Amman and the inner bus complex in Zarqa.  

AMMAN — The mass media should move towards an agenda that is more in tune with national interests, rather than serve as “government mouthpieces”, experts said on Saturday.

Media practitioners, politicians and lawmakers took the podium during the Media Reform in Jordan Forum, engaging in heated debates on aspects dominating the current media scene, starting with legislation.

The one-day forum was organised by the Centre for Defending the Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ) with the support of USAID as part of the NGO FHI 360 project to support civil society organisations’ initiatives.

While some of the participants blamed the “unethical” behaviour of certain media outlets, especially news websites, as the reason behind imposing stricter provisions in the Press and Publications Law, others criticised the law as being “biased” against journalists.

“The entire legislation system in Jordan is chaotic. On top of that, there is no clear national policy towards the media and that is evident by the number of amendments introduced to the Press and Publications Law over the last decade,” said Mohammad Qteishat, a lawyer specialised in media issues.

He called for “reducing the scope of punishment” of media practitioners, otherwise, “the current laws criminalising journalists will only exhaust the media and the prosecution.”

Former media minister Marwan Muasher said journalists should not be arrested for publishing information or opinion pieces, noting that he supports “organising the media rather than monitoring it”.

“The path towards media freedom in Jordan is a very long one,” he indicated, adding that 70 per cent of local journalists have been subjected to attempts to contain them or know of colleagues who have.

“Furthermore, Jordan ranked 155 out of 200 in Freedom House’s media freedom index,” Muasher said.

For his part, Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani stressed the need to bring some changes to a number of laws governing the media, but also said more efforts should be geared towards enhancing media professionalism.

“We only closed down some news websites because they have resorted to the dirtiest forms of blackmail. We support media independence but are against those who cause harm to the country,” Momani, also government spokesperson, added.

CDFJ President Nidal Mansour recommended establishing an independent complaint centre that deals with media-related issues, citing the experience of several “democratic” countries in this field.

“This would ease tension between the state and media,” Mansour said, citing a recent study conducted by CDFJ that showed that the government deals with new media tools as “newborns” in need of constant guardianship and supervision.

According to the study, journalists can be referred to court based on laws in addition the Press and Publication Law, such as the state security and anti-terrorism laws, making all workers in the field susceptible to legal action.

National Centre for Human Rights Chief Commissioner Mousa Burayzat noted that “one of the major issues affecting freedom of expression is the policies of the State Security Court”, arguing that the ban on tackling religious issues is among the main restraint on media freedoms in Jordan.

However, MP Zakariya Sheikh underlined the need to “face the truth about corruption in the media field”.

The CDFJ study criticised the way the state indentifies journalists by limiting them to those who are members of the Jordan Press Association.

“This goes against the law, which bans mandatory membership in associations,” said Mansour.

Moreover, the study noted that the media profession is not women-friendly at several levels, whether in having them in senior jobs or providing a suitable atmosphere for working mothers. In addition, there are no persons with disabilities working in the media field in Jordan.

The forum also included a session to discuss the recommendations of the Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review.

Mansour said that an observatory commission will be established soon to gauge the government’s progress in implementing the recommendations.

AMMAN — HRH Prince Hamzah celebrates his 35th birthday on Sunday.

Born in Amman on March 29, 1980, Prince Hamzah received his elementary education in the capital before completing his secondary studies at Harrow School in England.

He then enrolled at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, graduating as a commissioned officer on December 10, 1999 with several prizes including the Sandhurst Overseas Sword, granted to the best overseas cadet and the Prince Saud Abdullah Prize, presented to the cadet with the best aggregate mark in academic subjects.

His Majesty King Abdullah officially named him as crown prince on February 7, 1999 until November 28, 2004.

Serving as an officer in the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army’s 40th Armoured Brigade, Prince Hamzah attended several military courses and attachments in Jordan, the UK, Poland, Germany and the US.

Currently holding the rank of colonel, he served with the Jordan-United Arab Emirates force operating in the former Yugoslavia under the umbrella of international peacekeepers.

The prince graduated from Harvard University in 2006. He obtained his master’s degree in defence studies from King’s College, London, in July 2011.

He was sworn in as Regent on numerous occasions and deputised for King Abdullah on a number of missions in the Kingdom and abroad.

Prince Hamzah headed the Royal Advisory Committee on the Energy Sector and was also honorary president of the Jordan Basketball Federation.

The recipient of several decorations from Jordan and other countries including Bahrain, Italy and the Netherlands, the prince is also chairman of the board of trustees of the Royal Automobile Museum, president of the Royal Aero Sports Club of Jordan and president of Al Shajarah (Tree) Protection Society. He is also the honorary president of the Arab Robotics Association.

The prince’s daughter HRH Princess Haya was born on April 18, 2007.

He married Princess Basmah on January 12, 2012, and on November 3, 2012, they welcomed a baby girl, named HRH Princess Zein. On July 5, 2014, they had another baby girl, HRH Princess Noor. 

The prince is a qualified rotor and fixed-wing aircraft pilot, and enjoys other sports such as free-fall diving, target shooting and horseback riding.

IRBID — Farmers in Irbid are optimistic about the 2015 harvest thanks to a good rain season. 

In interviews with The Jordan Times, several farmers said the Kingdom's northern region has received a higher rainfall average than last year, expecting an increase in wheat and barley crops in addition to a better bearing season for olive. 

"It has been a good rainy season this year," said Hussein Al Mashhour, from the village of Hubras in Irbid Governorate, some 80km north of Amman. 

Mashhour said he plans to start harvesting his 30 dunums of wheat and 20 dunums of barley by the beginning of June, adding that he expects crops to be double last year's yield.

Last year, the agricultural sector was hit badly because the wet season did not last long enough, said Farouq Obeidat, a farmer from the village of Al Rafid, noting that farmers in the village see this year as very promising for their crops.

Ahmad Zu'bi is also optimistic about this year's yield, as he expects olive trees to produce double the quantities of last year.

"Olive trees are well irrigated and we are upbeat about this year when cultivation starts in October," Zu'bi added, adding that cattle and sheep breeders are happy as the good rain amounts resulted in lush grass cover across the northern region.

The optimism of farmers echoes the positive forecast of a better year by authorities. 

Agriculture Ministry Spokesperson Nimer Haddadin told The Jordan Times last week that wheat production is expected to double this year compared to the crop’s yield in 2014 due to abundant rain during the winter.

The country produced 12,000 tonnes of wheat last year, he said, adding that excellent rain during the wet season is forecast to increase wheat production this year to between 20,000 and 25,000 tonnes.

A total of 600,000 dunums of lands are planted with wheat every year, according to the spokesperson. 

The Jordan Meteorological Department said the the majority of governorates surpassed their long-term annual average of rainfall during the wet season.

The northern governorates received 99 per cent of their long-term annual average of rainfall. 

Irbid produces around one-third of the Kingdom's olive oil production. 

Annual production of olive oil ranges between 20,000 tonnes to 25,000 tonnes. 

There are around 17 million olive trees in the country, with nearly half of them in the northern region, according to official estimates.

AMMAN — The switch to summertime was a hot topic on social media networks this past weekend, with some Jordanians expressing enthusiasm over the coming of summer and others saying they have problems adjusting to the clock change.

Jordan switched to summertime at midnight Thursday with clocks set forward by 60 minutes, making the Kingdom three hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.

The Arabic hashtag #summertime was trending locally on Twitter during the weekend. 

Mosab Natsha
(@mos3ab93) said he feels more energetic during summer, expressing optimism over the switch to summertime.

Baha Amro (@DrBaha) was also excited to welcome summer.

"Goodbye winter, hello summer," he tweeted.

But Rafal™
(@Rafoosh95) said she is unable to sleep well because of the switch to summertime. 

 "It's 1 AM in Amman, Jordan. I lost an hour of sleep. I am physically mad at the world!" she tweeted. 

Amer Sarari
(‏@AmerSarari) said he was also unable to sleep properly due to the summertime switch.

Another Twitter user, Omar Qudah
(@3injanna) said summertime has mixed up prayer times, adding that he needs time to get used to the new hours.

Saber Abu Kass
(@saber_kass), however, wrote that summertime gives him extra hours.

"I love #summertime; it gives me extra time for more accomplishments and more tasks ... is this the case with you?" he tweeted.

Other social media users like Bilal Gaith Kiswani (‏@pressbilal) shared links to pages explaining the health impacts of using daylight saving time.

AMMAN — Authorities late last week discovered three major violations on water resources, under which a zoo and two nurseries in south Amman were stealing thousands of cubic metres every day, an official at the Water Ministry said on Saturday.

A team from the Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ) and the Jordan Water Company (Miyahuna) discovered that the zoo, located in the Yadoodeh area in the capital's south, was diverting water around-the-clock from a main to a 200-cubic-metre well inside the zoo, said the official, who preferred anonymity.

“The stolen water was being used to cover the entire zoo's water needs and irrigate its green areas, and some of the nearby shops even benefited from the stolen water,” the official told The Jordan Times.

The violator was identified and referred to the water illegal usage committee for estimating the amount and price of the stolen water, the official said, highlighting that the zoo has been stealing water for a long time now.

Also in Yadoodeh, while carrying out a regular survey, authorities discovered that a nursery has been diverting water from a main via a 2.54cm illegal pipe to irrigate 10 dunums and 25 greenhouses around-the-olock.

“The same committee estimated that thousands of cubic metres of water have been stolen and estimated the price of the stolen water at JD40,000. The violator has been referred for legal action,” the official noted.

In the third violation, the owner of another nursery, located in Safout in the south of Amman, was found to be diverting water from a pipeline to a large pond inside the nursery.

The stolen water was being used for the irrigation of two dunums and several greenhouses, the official said, highlighting that violators were referred for legal action after the amount and price of the stolen water was estimated.

Under amendments introduced to the WAJ Law, those who abuse water carriers and mains, wastewater, pumping, purification or desalination stations, or cause the pollution of water resources, pipes or stations used for drinking water, or are involved in the digging of wells without obtaining a licence will be jailed for up to five years and fined up to JD7,000.

In addition, violators of WAJ water and wastewater projects will be jailed for up to three years and fined up to JD5,000.

All penalties stipulated under the law will be doubled in the case of repeat offenders. Article 31 of the legislation classifies water conveyance schemes and pipes as “strategic, vital projects”.

Water theft and illegal uses constitute around 70 per cent of water loss in Jordan, with 1 million cubic metres of water lost for each 1 per cent, according to the Water Ministry. 

Water loss costs the country around $1 million, the ministry said, adding that such practices also affect groundwater.