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AMMAN – Culture Minister Lana Mamkegh on Saturday noted that the ministry seeks to support quality sustainable schemes through the 2015 Cultural City of Jerash project.

At a meeting with Jerash Governor Farouq Qadi and Mayor Ali Qoqazeh, Mamkegh added that cultural ventures will raise the productivity of residents and promote the city.

Qadi underlined the need for the ministry, governorate, and public and private sectors to cooperate to serve development and cultural projects in Jerash.

AMMAN – The Social Development Ministry said Saturday that it provides care to 9,335 people with disabilities through its 27 centres and supports 245 disability development societies.

In a speech delivered on her behalf by her adviser for policies and development, Fawaz Ratrout, Social Development Minister Reem Abu Hassan said the National Aid Fund provides services to around 12,098 persons with disabilities, while the ministry holds more than 150 workshops a year to raise awareness on their rights.

The main challenge facing facilities concerned with people with disabilities is the growing demand for their services due to the “poor” role of families in taking care of them, especially those with severe and multiple mental disorders, Abu Hassan said at a conference organised by the Yasmin Society for Children with Down Syndrome.

AMMAN – Two children drowned in an agricultural pond in Ain Al Basha on Friday.

Civil Defence Department personnel took the two siblings, 7 and 12, to the Prince Hussein Hospital, where they were pronounced dead upon arrival.

The number of children who drowned in agricultural ponds is on the rise in Jordan, particularly in the Jordan Valley, where such ponds are “arbitrarily” spread and lack the minimum safety standards, according to farmers.

They noted that these pools are not properly fenced and children play near them unattended.

DEIR ABI SAEED — An elderly died and three other people, including a child, were injured in a two-vehicle collision on Friday on the Kura-Irbid road, near the town of Tibneh.

Civil Defence Department personnel rushed to the scene of the accident, administered first aid to the injured and transferred them to a nearby hospital.

The man, who was in his seventies and was critically injured, died due to the severity of his wounds.

AMMAN – HH Princess Dina Mired has underlined that tobacco and argileh will be responsible for the death of 1 billion people in the 21st century if no radical action is taken in this regard.

The princess, who is director general of the King Hussein Cancer Foundation (KHCF), made the remark at the World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Abu Dhabi.

She added that tobacco companies are intensifying their activities in developing countries by employing innovative marketing strategies to attract young people and children.

She called for enforcing laws that ban smoking in public areas and halting the multibillion dollar tobacco industry.

Government officials, lawmakers and young people took part in the conference, which seeks to discuss the direct association between tobacco and noncommunicable diseases.

AMMAN — The H1N1 (swine) flu is no longer a pandemic and has become a seasonal influenza that does not require reporting, a health official said on Saturday.

Bashir Qaseer, head of the Health Ministry’s primary health directorate, said risk groups — the elderly, pregnant women and children, in addition to those who live with respiratory diseases — are advised to take the seasonal flu vaccine to avoid flu complications in general, and not just H1N1.

Qaseer told The Jordan Times that six members of the same family were admitted to Mafraq Public Hospital over the weekend after being diagnosed with H1N1.

“Although their condition is stable, they were admitted as a preventive measure,” the health official said, noting that the public need not worry or panic about the disease or reports of these cases.

Qaseer explained that if a patient is not one of those who are classified in risk groups, there likely will be no complications.

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 — Police on Friday announced the arrest of an accountant who allegedly set fire to the office he worked in to steal JD100,000.

The suspect, who was not identified by police, was reportedly arrested after investigation linked him to embezzlement in the office, according to a statement released by the Public Security Department (PSD).

“Initial investigation indicated that the office was set ablaze by an unidentified individual but after thorough investigation and collecting evidence at the scene, investigators concluded that the suspect was the perpetrator,” the statement said.

The investigation led police to conclude that the person who set the office on fire was attempting to cover up the embezzlement, the statement added. 

Based on evidence provided by the crime lab and witnesses, police concluded that the “accountant was the main suspect”.

“Upon confronting him with evidence, the accountant confessed to setting the office ablaze to cover up the disappearance of JD100,000 he withdrew from the office accounts,” the PSD statement said.

PSD Spokesperson Maj. Amer Sartawi declined to elaborate on the date of the incident or the area where it happened.

“I cannot reveal any further information other than the statement that we issued,” Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

Police are still investigating the incident, according to the PSD statement.

DEAD SEA – Eiman, a 15-year-old Omani student, believes robots are becoming an important part of people’s lives.   

“We live in a modern age full of technological advancements used to provide services such as health, education and assisted living,” she told The Jordan Times. 

Eiman, who only gave her first name, is taking part the eighth Arab Open Robotics Championship, held at the Dead Sea. 

She presented a robot that is able to throw a ball, open a door and hold bags. 

The Omani student is among 500 students from several Arab countries taking part in the two-day robotics competition, hosted by the Jubilee Centre for Excellence in Education (JCEE). 

The competition, held at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre, is organised in collaboration with the Arab Robotics Association and is sponsored by King Abdullah II Fund for Development, King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau and Booz Allen Hamilton.

HRH Prince Hamzah attended the opening ceremony and had a look at some of the projects designed by the students.

JCEE Director Ismail Hasan said the contest, which opened on Saturday, focuses on the science of robotics and presents it to students in an entertaining way. 

“The teams compete with each other for two days in designing and programming robots that are capable of performing specific tasks in accordance with criteria set by the Arab Robotics Association (ARA),” added Hasan, who is also the head of the ARA. 

A total of 91 teams from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen and Oman are taking part in the event. 

“The contest helps hone students’ skills that can benefit their future. Our students consume technology in a great way and these events help them learn how some of that technology operates,” Hasan noted.

Sixteen teams from Jordan, comprising 160 students between the ages of 9 and 25, are taking part in the contest. 

The JCEE director said the science of robotics has become part of every home and factory, and Jordan needs people who not only watch or implement this kind of technology, but can also invent it. 

Jordanian student Yahia Obeido spent six months designing his robot, working daily and even during holidays.

“Our robot has to perform several tasks in two minutes during the contest, and the more it does, the more points I receive. His tasks include pushing items and moving other items from one point to another,” the 14-year-old added.

He said students like him who are interested in this kind of technology can benefit greatly from taking part in this competition and coming up with useful projects. 

“Science is the basis of building civilisations and there are many countries that are much better because they hugely depend on science. We have smart and talented people.”  

Nabih Maroun, senior vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton, said such contests are important for young people in the Middle East amidst the instability the region is experiencing.  

“Such competitions give hope for a better and brighter future and put the Middle East on the global stage. We have so many examples of children doing teamwork and showing leadership skills... so any of these teams can do well on the global stage,” he added. 

Eiman said such competitions can boost the use of science in daily life and push students to be smarter and more creative.

“I like the world of robotics and I hope that I will be a surgeon when I grow up, with a robot by my side helping me operate on patients,” she said with a smile. 

AMMAN — Jordan on Saturday marked the 47th anniversary of Karameh Battle. 

On March 21, 1968, Jordanian soldiers repelled an Israeli attack on the small town in the Jordan Valley, whose name means “dignity”. 

Eighty-six Jordanian soldiers lost their lives in the battle and 108 were wounded, according to a video posted on the Royal Court’s YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/watch?v=liih-1wC4ow&feature=youtu.be). 

The Israeli raid was repelled with heavy losses as the Jordanian army launched an artillery barrage against Israeli tanks.

A total of 250 Israeli soldiers were killed and 450 were wounded.

His Majesty King Abdullah on Saturday received several cables of congratulations from senior officials and officers on the occasion, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

HRH Crown Prince Hussein received similar cables on the occasion.

In a post on the Royal Court’s Facebook page, in which he shared the YouTube video on the battle, the Crown Prince paid tribute to the martyrs and the soldiers who “achieved the greatest victory” and restored the nation’s dignity and confidence.

Also on Saturday, the Ministry of Education marked the battle’s anniversary, Petra reported.

During a celebration in Southern Shuneh, attended by boy scouts and girl guides, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Mohammad Thneibat said “living nations” are those that always remember their martyrs and build on their efforts.

The minister noted that some 600 palm trees will be planted to mark the occasion.

The Water Ministry also celebrated the anniversary of Karameh Battle and Mother’s Day on Saturday.

AMMAN — The Jordan Valley’s tomatoes and Ajloun’s olive oil were among local ingredients incorporated into French dishes served as part of an international activity celebrating French gastronomy.

An initiative of French chef Alain Ducasse, Goût de France (Taste of France), was celebrated on March 19 across the globe, featuring over 1,000 chefs who served dinners made with local products.

The activity aims to promote French cuisine’s capacity for innovation and spread the joy of sharing food, according to the initiative’s website.

Five restaurants in Jordan took part in the event — Top Restaurant at the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts (RACA), the Atrium at the Intercontinental Hotel, the Grill at Mövenpick Resort & Spa Dead Sea, the Codes at Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea and Trader Vic’s at the Regency Hotel. 

Commenting on his participation, Chef Jacques Rossel said the event is about sharing moments and flavours of sustainable Jordanian products served in a French style of cooking and presentation, which boosts cultural understanding. 

“The understanding of each other in terms of food definitely helps nations be together, and I think if people were sharing a little bit more of a meal maybe we would be living in a better world,” he told The Jordan Times in a recent interview.

Rossel said there is pleasure in cooking and sharing food, citing mansaf, Jordan’s traditional dish of rice, lamb, pine nuts and “jameed”— a yoghurt-based sauce, as a “beautiful” means of sharing as it is served on a single platter.

“I find this fantastic,” he said, noting that the French cheese fondue is a traditional dish also served in a communal pot.

Rossel, who has worked in the hotel industry for 36 years, including 25 years in the Middle East, said Ducasse has set the basic guidelines of what had to be offered in meals marking Goût de France.

“It had to be a set French-style six-course menu; it must have a certain level of proteins — a fish dish, a poultry dish, cheese and a chocolate-based dessert,” he said. The menu in Jordan included quail, red snapper from the Gulf of Aqaba, olive oil, local lamb and mastic.

The RACA culinary instructor noted that around 20 students took part in preparing the food and serving it under the supervision of instructors, as part of their learning experience.

Expressing his “joy” in participating in the activity, Chef Maher Daoud said French food is one of “the oldest and most authentic” cuisines in the world, from which cuisines of several other countries have developed.

Daoud noted that the gastronomy activity sought to promote French cuisine in the Kingdom, especially since it is different from typical Jordanian food.

“A French-style dinner includes a longer menu that reaches up to seven courses. It has a variety of items and includes light, yet valuable, food items,” he told The Jordan Times last Thursday, adding that his Goût de France menu seeks to “assimilate the two cultures” by featuring local ingredients like avocado, figs and lamb in French dishes.

Daoud noted that the event brings back the value of healthy meals, as the community is largely depending on fast food, which lacks nutritional value.     

Five per cent of the activity’s revenues are going to a local charity.