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AMMAN — The fear of catching H1N1 (swine) flu has prompted residents of Mafraq’s Sama Sarhan Municipality to avoid sending their children to school, after a few cases were recently diagnosed in the area.

Um Abdullah, a resident of Sama Sarhan, some 80km northeast of Amman, said she has not sent her fourth and seventh grade sons to school since Sunday, fearing they would mingle with classmates who contracted the flu but have not been diagnosed.

“Health and education authorities are constantly denying the cases, although residents know about them,” she claimed, adding that residents are afraid after news circulated about the death of a man who reportedly had H1N1 flu.

“Schools are empty and people are avoiding direct contact with each other,” Um Abdullah told The Jordan Times over the phone on Tuesday.

Another area resident, Khaled Sarhan, also did not send his three children to school, and he feels authorities are not addressing public fears.

“If one of my family members caught the virus, I wouldn’t know how to deal with the situation,” he said in a phone interview, adding that even those who live far from the infected family are scared. 

A family of six was admitted to Mafraq Public Hospital over the weekend after being diagnosed with the virus, but  all of them have been discharged in fair condition, according to Bashir Qaseer, head of the Health Ministry’s primary health directorate. 

Qaseer noted that the patient who died was pronounced dead on arrival at the Sama Sarhan Medical Centre, four days before the family was admitted to hospital.

“The initial forensic report showed that the patient suffered from pneumonia,” he said, adding that samples are still under study to determine whether or not he had the H1N1 virus.  

No official data is available on the number of H1N1 patients in the Kingdom, according to Qaseer, but mortality rates among patients globally are up to 3 per cent of diagnosed cases.

Commenting on the issue, Jordan Teachers Association (JTA) Spokesperson Ayman Okour said the lack of “clear” information led to the spread of “correct or incorrect thoughts and actions”.

However, the JTA will contact the Health Ministry to inquire about the number of H1N1 cases and their locations, in order to get a better picture of the situation in Sama Sarhan.

Okour suggested that the Health Ministry send medical teams to schools in affected areas, calling on the Education Ministry to instruct schools to monitor the health of students and report any symptoms of the virus.

In a related development, a 42-year-old diabetic patient who was diagnosed with the H1N1 virus died on Tuesday at a private hospital in Zarqa Governorate, according to a Health Ministry statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

The World Health Organisation has been dealing with H1N1 as a type of “seasonal virus” since 2010, Health Ministry Spokesperson, Hatem Azrui said, adding that several H1N1 cases have been registered in the Kingdom, and the number is expected to increase over the next few months.

The H1N1 virus first emerged in Jordan in June 2009 with 3,049 cases and 16 related fatalities registered in the country that year.

The strain re-emerged in December 2010, causing 289 illnesses and 17 related deaths.

But the virus has since become seasonal, with fewer diagnosed cases and rare cases of death.

The Health Ministry has said that since the first outbreak of the disease in the country, all H1N1-related deaths in Jordan occurred among patients in high-risk groups such as the elderly, children, pregnant women and those with respiratory diseases.

AMMAN — Orange Jordan will commercially launch fourth generation services before the end of June after it signed an agreement Tuesday with China’s Huawei to build its 4G network.

The telecom company will first introduce the service in Amman and other areas, and the coverage will expand a few months later to include the entire Kingdom, Orange Jordan CEO Jean-Francois Thomas told The Jordan Times prior to signing the agreement with Huawei.

“We will start gradually with introduction of the service but the rollout will be fast and all Jordanians will have the chance to use the service soon,” Thomas said.

Under the agreement, Huawei will also upgrade the company’s second and third generation networks to further improve services, he added.

Orange Jordan had issued a tender for a solutions provider to develop its 4G network, following its acquisition of a licence for frequencies in the (10+10) MHz range of the 1800 MHz spectrum, Thomas noted.

He added that the company’s total investments to provide 4G services, including the volume of the tender, frequency fees and other technical issues, stand at JD250 million.

With the launch of its 4G network, Orange Jordan will provide wireless broadband speeds of up to 75 megabits per second delivered at minimal latency, Thomas said at the signing.

“The launch of 4G services will boost data traffic and app usage,” the CEO added, stressing the role 4G plays in developing the ICT industry.

In an address at the event, China’s Ambassador to Jordan Gao Yusheng stressed the importance of the agreement in boosting ties between the two countries.

“This is an important agreement as Huawei is one of the largest Chinese companies. This cooperation will further strengthen during the upcoming period,” the ambassador said.

“I am confident the Chinese company will provide high quality services in Jordan,” he added.

Xu Yong, vice president of marketing and solutions for North Africa at Huawei Technologies, reviewed the company’s efforts that focus on innovation and investment in the latest technologies.

He said Huawei’s investment in research and development over the past 10 years stood at more than $27 billion. In 2014 alone, it invested $6.5 billion in research and innovation.

AMMAN — The Education Ministry’s recent list of instructions to teachers is “improper in style and content”, the Jordan Teachers Association (JTA) charged on Tuesday.

The recently released regulations ban teachers and administrative staff from smoking or drinking coffee and tea in classrooms and hallways, and require students and teachers to hand their cell phones to the principal’s office before classes start.

“The ministry did not choose the words and the ideas wisely,” JTA Spokesperson Ayman Okour said, adding that the rules regarding smoking and drinking coffee “are not new”.

Okour’s major disagreement was with the article on mobile phones.

He said the language used in addressing educators should be “more tactful”, suggesting that teachers be asked to switch their phones off instead of handing them over.

The regulations also state that students must commit to wearing their school uniform and that principals and their assistants at schools where no student passed the General Secondary Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) will not be allowed to monitor or correct the exams.

In addition, the instructions state that the ministry will hold unified exams for ninth graders in the English and Arabic languages as well as maths, in addition to exams in the two languages, maths and science for sixth graders, and that the results of the exams will be official.

Moreover, the ministry will hold exams for Tawjihi students at the education directorate level in the English and Arabic languages as well as in chemistry, physics and maths, the results of which will be officially counted.

“Some of the instructions are difficult to apply practically, and should be issued at the very beginning of the semester, including those on examinations and uniforms,” Okour told The Jordan Times over the phone.

The JTA supports procedures to regulate and develop the educational process, he said, reiterating that it is the right of students to benefit from classes.

“All employees at public departments should receive similar directions that encourage them to commit to their jobs,” Okour added, noting that singling out teachers could be understood as disrespectful.

Education Ministry Spokesperson Walid Jallad could not be reached for comment.

AMMAN — The Syrian crisis has placed, and continues to place, an overwhelming burden on Jordan, and the Kingdom cannot meet this challenge without the strong engagement and continued generosity of partners, Planning Minister Imad Fakhoury said on Monday.

Fakhoury said this crisis is not only a refugee problem, “rather, it is impacting Jordanians, the economy at large, as well as the quality of our services, in addition to threatening the stability of the country”.

At a meeting with donors and international agencies in Amman ahead of the Kuwait III donor conference, Fakhoury said addressing the crisis will not be for the short term, stressing that the ministry is preparing a three-year plan for that purpose.

“We must also begin to look beyond the short-term horizon and, as I indicated last week, [the ministry] is preparing for development of a three-year rolling plan from 2016,” he said.

The minister added that the formal planning process will be based on a comprehensive vulnerability and needs assessment for both refugees and host communities, and "we will need your strong engagement through the Sectoral Task Force mechanism".

Fakhoury explained that the use of a three-year time frame will simplify the planning cycle, and will be coherent with Jordan's 2025 vision and its Executive Development Programme. 

"The new plan also aims to further break down development and humanitarian silos to meet identified needs. We will count on full support in this endeavour, and I would welcome your views on how we might facilitate this,” he said.

The minister noted that the Kingdom is concerned about funding mobilisation. 

Last year, only 37 per cent of the $2.3 billion requested for humanitarian and resilience needs in Jordan was received. Almost one quarter through 2015, the Jordan Response Plan (JRP) remains only 5.5 per cent funded, the minister noted. 

The Kingdom this year announced that it needs around $2.9 billion for the current year to provide services for Syrian refugees and host communities through projects detailed in the JRP.

“The government highly recognises the extreme generosity that the international community has shown the Kingdom to date. Yet, accelerating resource mobilisation for JRP is highly needed in order for JRP to succeed in meeting the urgent needs of refugees and host communities, and to help us sustain the delivery of basic services in key sectors,” Fakhoury said.

He explained that the country’s plan includes a flexible funding structure through which support could be extended under different modalities, ranging from direct budget support, as well as budget support for specific projects, development partners, UN agencies and NGOs. 

In addition, he noted that the Jordan Resilience Fund that will be signed in the coming few days is another important mechanism to channel donor contributions.

“Kuwait III is approaching and offers a great opportunity to address this very concerning shortfall. We will not only call on your further support, but also for your proposals and advocacy on behalf of Jordan with funding sources we have not yet succeeded in tapping,” Fakhoury said.

In his remarks at the meeting, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Edward Kallon said the effect of the Syria crisis on Jordan is unprecedented, and the JRP represents a groundbreaking shift in approach under national leadership.  

“Success will be measured by whether it facilitates efficient flow of humanitarian and development aid in a single framework; whether it responds to priorities and improves coordination through enhanced transparency and financial tracking; and whether it lays the foundation for a new assistance architecture for the future,” Kallon said.

He added that the international community must commit to JRP as the single framework for contributions mitigating the effects of the Syria crisis. 

“We must engage proactively with the government in the management architecture and mobilise significant additional resources to complement already existing and generous donor contributions,” the UN official said, adding that he will seek to ensure the United Nations system works together to support the government in this endeavour.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday received Chairman of Kazakh Senate Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who conveyed an invitation from President Nursultan Nazarbayev to the King to attend the 5th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. 

The event will take place in Astana in June, under the theme of “dialogue of political and religious leaders in the name of development and peace”.

During his meeting with Tokayev at Al Husseiniya Palace, the King asserted Jordan’s commitment to strengthening its cooperation and boosting its ties with Kazakhstan in various fields, according to a Royal Court statement. 

He highlighted the need to build on the accomplishments of his visit to Kazakhstan last year and his “constructive” talks with the Kazakh president.  

Reviewing current regional and international issues, the two sides stressed the importance of coordination and consultations among countries to achieve peace and boost regional security and stability. 

King Abdullah reaffirmed Jordan’s position, calling for dealing with the threat of terrorism and radical groups under a comprehensive strategy.

The two sides emphasised the importance of clarifying the true image of Islam and underscored the role of religious conferences in highlighting the moderation of Islam. 

The meeting was attended by Senate President Abdur-Ra’uf S. Rawabdeh, Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh and King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan. 

Also on Monday, Rawabdeh met with his Kazakh counterpart and discussed ways to boost cooperation, especially in parliamentary areas. 

The Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions has been regularly held for over 10 years. Throughout this time, participants have shown the importance of dialogue, respect and understanding as a powerful force to ensure peaceful coexistence and prosperity of people belonging to different religions and cultures, according to reports. 

AMMAN — Jordan along with other countries in the region are in the process of providing training for Syrian “people and tribes” in the areas dominated by terrorist groups, including Daesh, a senior government official said on Monday.

Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani, who is also government spokesperson, said members of the coalition to fight terrorism continue to discuss how to help the Syrian people and tribes in the areas controlled by Daesh or other terrorist organisations, including through training them to defend themselves and to defeat terrorists “who have been killing their sons and daughters and occupying their land”.

“Jordan is part of that and it is a continuous effort to help Syrian people and tribes fight terrorism,” Momani said at a press conference on Monday.

He added that providing training for Syrian people does not mean that the Kingdom is changing its policy towards Syria. 

“We still stand by our position that we are supporting a political process and a political solution to the Syrian crisis based on Geneva I and we still believe that the solution for this crisis is by bringing all factions together to discuss the stability of their country and the future of their country,” said Momani.

However, the minister declined to comment on when or where the training of Syrians will take place.

“At this point, we are talking about policy, and the details about the location and actual operation of the training will be announced at the appropriate time and place,” he noted, adding that if the training becomes operational, “we will announce it then”.

In response to a question about forming a coalition of Arab forces to fight Daesh and other terrorist groups, the minister said there have been talks about this issue by Egyptian officials, and it is also being discussed among other Arab countries. However, “the issue is to be discussed in the upcoming Arab Summit [in Sharm El Sheikh in the coming weekend]… We have to wait until Arab leaders decide in this regard”, and Jordan will be a supporter for any effort that seeks to achieve the interests of the region.

As for taking part in ground military operations against Daesh, Momani said the Kingdom’s role is to support the Iraqi army and the peshmerga forces in Kurdistan in their war against this terrorist group, through providing them with the training they need.

He added that Jordan has trained more than 60,000 Iraqi policemen and hundreds of army officers and the Kingdom is still ready to train more Iraqi soldiers whenever a request is made.  In addition, the official noted that Jordanian military factories supply equipment to Iraq.

As for the Kingdom’s ties with Iran that recently witnessed some openness, Momani only said that Jordan has always been open to countries of the region to realise benefits to all concerned parties.

Asked on Jordan’s stance regarding the win of Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party in the recent Israeli elections, the minister said Jordan insists on a peace deal on the basis of the two-state solution and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, leading to a sovereign and independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. 

AMMAN – His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday called for supporting the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) in performing its duties and addressing challenges facing it this year. 

In a visit to GAM headquarters, the King underlined the need to develop the municipality's comprehensive plans and programmes to improve the quality of services it provides to the level people aspire, according to a Royal Court statement.

He also called for increasing cooperation between GAM and public and private institutions to empower the municipality, not only as a service facility, but also as an institution that is concerned with the heritage, tourism and identity of Amman.

At a meeting with Amman Mayor Aqel Biltaji and members of the GAM council, King Abdullah noted that the tourism high season will soon start, which requires intensified efforts to develop the tourism product in the capital. 

He reiterated the need to preserve aesthetic aspects of Amman and strike a balance between modernisation and preserving the city’s identity.

The Monarch also stressed the need to focus on attracting local and foreign investments by highlighting the benefits of tourism-related investment in Amman, especially in the eastern parts of the capital. 

Meanwhile, the King directed GAM to draw up an action plan in cooperation with the concerned bodies to address hardships facing citizens when applying to receive the municipality's services.

The action plan should also adopt a clear manual for procedures that are required by applicants to obtain licences, and other approvals and documents. 

"Jordan's political situation has always been strong and the priority is given to develop the economy through fighting poverty and unemployment and providing best services to citizens," the King said. 

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour underscored the government's commitment to supporting GAM and making sure that the bridges of communication and coordination are open between government agencies and the municipality. 

Highlighting that the municipality is not only concerned with providing services, he noted that it is a facet of Jordan’s culture, tourism, history and civilisation.

For his part, Biltaji cited the main schemes implemented or planned by GAM, including the Bus Rapid Transit project, which will be a "quantum leap" in the field of public transportation. 

On the other hand, he presented a briefing on the main challenges facing the municipality, such as the issues of sustainable development, waste management, traffic congestion, planning, population growth and societal advancement. 

"We will work with our utmost effort for Amman to be a first-class tourism destination through activating the conference tourism and hosting sports championships… we will also work to develop and modernise the transport sector to be equipped to serve citizens," the mayor said. 

Biltaji also noted that GAM is directing the urban extension towards the east of Amman.

President of the GAM financial committee, Bisher Jardaneh, said the panel focuses on rationalising consumption, maximising revenues and improving money collection mechanisms, while increasing capital investment and planning for GAM's financial sustainability in the long-run.

"The municipality's budget will stand at JD410 million in 2015, up from JD300 million in the previous year," he noted.   

AMMAN — The State Security Court on Monday sentenced a defendant to five years in prison for joining Daesh.

Also on Monday, the SSC began its hearings in the trial of 16 defendants, of whom four are still at large, in what is known as the “Hamas case”, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

According to the charge sheet, the defendants are accused of making explosives with the intent of using them for illegal purposes, and for acts that disrupt public order and jeopardise the safety of the community.

They are also charged with recruiting persons to join armed groups and for joining armed groups.

The court session was adjourned until March 30 upon a plea by the defence that requested more time to prepare its argument.

During the hearing, the Jordan Engineers Association (JEA) and the parents of the defendants, who are JEA members, organised a demonstration near the court’s premises, a JEA statement said.

AMMAN — Public Security Department (PSD) Director Gen. Tawfiq Tawalbeh on Monday met with Tunisian Ambassador to Jordan Afifah Mallah and discussed ways to enhance cooperation, especially in the field of specialised police training.

Tawalbeh said the PSD is always working on developing its performance, welcoming the participation of Tunisian police cadres in its training courses, according to a PSD statement.

Mallah commended PSD’s role in raising awareness against extremist ideologies.

AMMAN — Samsung on Monday renewed its regional partnership with Generations For Peace (GFP) for an eighth year, according to a GFP statement.

The partnership support is part of the “Hope For Children” programme, Samsung’s corporate social responsibility programme.

“As our longest-serving partner, Samsung’s support is a wonderful example of an Olympic TOP Partner supporting our work at a regional level,” the statement quoted HRH Prince Feisal, the founder and chairman of GFP, as saying.