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AMMAN — Five people, who suffered from smoke inhalation during a fire that claimed the lives of two children in a house in Zarqa on Friday, were discharged from hospital on Saturday, official sources said.

The five people and two children, all from the same family, were sitting in a room in their two-storey house in the Bireen area in Zarqa Governorate, a senior official Civil Defence Department (CDD) official said.

“Our investigation showed that there was a leak from a gas heater in the room which caused the fire,” the CDD official added.

The two children, both under the age of 10, suffered third degree burns and died instantly, he told The Jordan Times.

The five other family members suffered from smoke inhalation and were rushed to Prince Hashem Military Hospital, according to the source.

The official added that firefighters managed to control the blaze and prevented it from spreading to other parts of the house.

In late December, three people, including a woman with a disability, were killed in two separate incidents related to gas heaters in Irbid, some 80km north of Amman.

A 65-year-old woman with a disability was burned to death by a gas heater in her room in the basement of a building, with an initial investigation indicating that the victim was attempting to move the heater but could not because of her medical condition, and it overturned, causing a fire.

In the second incident in Irbid, an 85-year-old man and his 75-year-old wife died of carbon monoxide poisoning due to insufficient air circulation in their room where they had a gas heater on.

CDD officials have repeatedly warned that insufficient ventilation, leaving gas and kerosene heaters on overnight and filling heaters with kerosene while they are on are some of the major causes of accidents, in addition to failure to follow proper safety procedures.

AMMAN — The National Library Department (NLD) confiscated more than 183,000 pirated DVDs, CDs and books in 2013, a 10 per cent increase compared with 2012, according to NLD Director General Mohammad Abbadi.

The number of Intellectual Property Rights violators the department referred to court also increased from 467 in 2012 to more than 480 in 2013, Abbadi said in a recent interview with The Jordan Times.

“The majority of the cases we referred to court are repeat offenders. In 2013, we succeeded in arresting owners of stores that produce pirated CDs and DVDs. We had major operations that helped us seize more pirated items,” he added.

More than 60 per cent of the pirated items are video games, Abbadi said, adding that they also included movie DVDs and CDs.

“We witnessed a huge drop in the number of pirated movie and music CDs and DVDs in 2013 because many people get these online nowadays.”

Amman continued to account for the lion’s share of trading in pirated content in 2013, followed by Irbid and Zarqa, according to the NLD director general.

“Trading in pirated software in general dropped significantly because smuggling from Syria was halted completely. The majority of pirated software came from Syria in the past, but not a single CD is entering Jordan from Syria into now because of the situation there.”

Monitoring at the borders has also been intensified after customs personnel were trained on the Copyright Law and how to identify pirated items, Abbadi noted.

The Jordanian Copyright Law stipulates that it is a crime to download software, music or movies that are protected under the legislation.

Offenders face a prison sentence of between three months and three years and a fine ranging from JD1,000 to JD6,000. The government loses about JD5 million annually in revenues, as traders of pirated items do not pay taxes or fees.

BAPTISM SITE — Thousands of pilgrims from across the world prayed for peace and stability in the region during the Epiphany celebration at the Baptism Site on Friday.

Epiphany marks the revelation of Jesus Christ as the Messiah and the second person of the Holy Trinity — along with God and the Holy Spirit — which Christians believe took place at the time of his baptism by John the Baptist.

Epiphany is celebrated in Western churches, while Eastern churches observe a similar feast known as Theophany.

Pilgrims from Jordan, Iraq, Syria, the Philippines and Europe flocked to the site, where Jesus Christ was baptised by John the Baptist according to Christian belief, to celebrate the occasion and visit the area.

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal led the Epiphany mass at the Church of the Baptism of Jesus Christ.

“We pay tribute to the Kingdom for receiving the arrivals who we do not call refugees, but rather human brothers, friends and fraternal Arabs,” he said.

“We pray for peace in their country and for ending the whirlpool of violence and destruction,” the Latin Patriarch told the congregation during the mass at the church, which is still under construction.

Twal also called for the release of religious figures such as archbishops, priestsandnuns who were kidnapped in Syria.

Rifaat Bader, spokesperson of the Catholic Church in Jordan, told The Jordan Times that this year’s celebration is unique because it commemorates the visit of Pope Paul VI to Jordan 50 years ago.

“Pope Francis also will visit Jordan and the Church of the Baptism of Jesus Christ, where the mass was held,” added Bader, who is also director of the Catholic Centre for Studies and Media.

The Baptism Site Commission and various church representatives in the Kingdom began organising Epiphany celebrations at the site in 2000.

Saaida Habeeb, who came from Iraq with her family, said she attended the mass to pray for peace and stability in the region.

“I hope that God will listen to our prayers and make our wishes come true.”

Azar Qusai, Habeeb’s husband, said visiting the Baptism Site in the Jordan Valley was the main reason that drew him to the Kingdom.

“I hope that peace will prevail in my country,” he told The Jordan Times.

Iraqi pilgrim Thamer Bolos prayed for peace in Syria, which has been witnessing violence for more than two years.

“I hope that the region will be as peaceful as it used to be in the past,” he said as he took video footage of the site, also known as Bethany Beyond the Jordan.

Ayoub Al Lamaa, who came from the northern city of Irbid, prayed for his family’s well-being.

“One of my relatives is a Tawjihi [General Secondary Certificate Examination] student and I wish him all the best,” he said.

Meanwhile, the pilgrims commended the Baptism Site’s services, which develop and improve every year.

Adham Asem, a 23-year-old Jordanian who visited the site for the third time on Friday, said reaching churches and places of worship within the Baptism Site has become easier compared to the past.

“It is now really easy to walk around the site,” he noted.

His friend, Lamaa, agreed, explaining that they walked long distances in the past, but can use buses now.

“Transportation to the site is really easy and accessible for everyone,” he added.

Elisa Flores, a visitor from the Philippines, said she has been to the site several times, but was attending the Epiphany ceremony for the first time.

“It is a really nice event and well-organised,” she added.

Shammas Steifan, a visitor from Iraq, said what impressed him most was how secure the site and the event were.

“You can feel the security in Jordan amidst the instability in the region these days.”