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AMMAN — Private hospitals containing more than 100 beds are required to have helipads to enable helicopters to drop off patients, a ministry official said on Monday.

A new by-law published recently in the Official Gazette stipulates that private hospitals with 100 beds or more should have their own helipads. 

The amended by-law for private hospitals entails reviewing hospitals around the country and licensing those with 100 beds or more to enable them to build their own helipads for air ambulance purposes.

Hatem Azrui, the Ministry of Health’s spokesperson, said there are 104 public and private hospitals around the Kingdom.

He added that the number of hospitals in Jordan with fewer than 100 beds is low and that most newly-built hospitals have helipads. 

Private Hospitals Association Executive Director Abdullah Hindawi said of the total number of hospitals, 64 are in the private sector, noting that those equipped with helipads are only located in Amman.

 “The rule applies to new hospitals and those that have enough space to accommodate a helipad,” Hindawi told The Jordan Times in a phone interview.

He said the association will follow up on the hospitals that are set to build helipads and supervise the process.

The helipads should be away from residential areas and have the suitable ground and dimensions to safely accommodate a helicopter, according to Jordan Air Ambulance Centre CEO Rami Adwan.

“The slope measurements next to each hospital should be fit to receive helicopters on a gradual landing,” he added.

There are 35 helipads in the Kingdom, Adwan noted, adding that six of them are in the capital — four of which are in Al Hussein Medical City, one at Prince Hamzah Hospital and one at Jordan Hospital. 

The remaining helipads across the country are in different locations, with around five situated in border areas, Adwan told The Jordan Times.

AMMAN — Senate President Faisal Fayez on Monday met with Bahraini Prime Minister Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa at Al Qudaibiya Palace in Manama to discuss bilateral relations and other regional issues.

During an official visit in response to an invitation by the head of the Bahraini shura council, Fayez praised the deep rooted ties between the two countries, the Jordan News Agency, Petra reported.

Prince Khalifa stressed that regional events require more cooperation among Arab countries, citing the recent "Thunder of the North" military drill in Saudi Arabia where 20 countries, including Jordan and Bahrain, participated.

AMMAN — The Gas Stations Owners Association (GSOA) on Monday dismissed as baseless claims that integrated oil and gas company Total Jordan has committed violations when hiring employees. 

Khaled Zyoud, president of the General Trade Union of Workers in Petrochemicals, has accused Total Jordan of violating the job security of its employees as it hires them via a third party.

“By hiring employee via a third party, the role of our association becomes limited in being able to defend the employees. Total Jordan employees do not have contracts with the company directly, but they deal with a third company and abide by the conditions set by the third party without the ability to take legal action against the oil company if needed,” Zyoud charged in a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

He also called for better health insurance for the company's staff and more incentives, claiming that Total Jordan employee receives around JD220 as a monthly salary.

Dismissing the accusations as groundless, GSOA President Nahar Seidat said: “Total Jordan hires employees and deals with them in line with the Labour Law. Hiring employees via another company that signs agreements with them is legal and Total Jordan follows this practice wherever it operates around the world.”

“Total Jordan has an agreement with this company that hires the employees, and this agreement forces the company to abide by all Jordanian labour-related regulations,” he told The Jordan Times in a phone interview.

“The statement by the general trade union is meant to settle scores and it is for personal motives,” Seidat charged.

“Total Jordan is a registered Jordanian company that abides by the law and follows the rules. Making such accusations is counterproductive,” he added.

AMMAN — The number of vehicles registered in the Kingdom until the end of February is equal to 61 per cent of the total number of licensed drivers, according to Driver and Motor Vehicle Licensing Department figures. 

Until the end of February, there were around 1.43 million vehicles registered in the Kingdom, compared to approximately 2.327 million driving licences of all types, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted the department's director, Brig. Gen. Inad Rkeibat, as saying.

Since the beginning of 2016, some 17,448 new vehicles entered the records of the department for the first time, whereas 163,037 vehicle licences were renewed, at a daily rate of 3,197 licenses, according to Rkeibat. 

The technical committees at the department tested around 260,209 vehicles, he said, adding that the department issued 29,175 new driver licences over the past two months.

Figures cited by Petra also revealed that during the last two months, 55 per cent out of 35,000 applicants passed the theoretical driving licence exam, and 41 per cent out of 50,000 applicants passed the practical exam.

Rkeibat said an average of 572 first time driver licences are issued on a daily basis.

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) will start holding a number of entertainment activities in Amman next week as part of its “Ummuna Amman” (Our mother is Amman) campaign. 

The annual programme will be held for the third consecutive year as part of GAM's campaign, launched with the aim of strengthening the bond between the residents of Amman with their city  to encourage positive attitudes towards the capital and its facilities, according to GAM's Communication Executive Director Ibrahim Hashem. 

"This year's programme is unique because it is held as part of the Kingdom's celebrations of the Great Arab Revolt. The activities will be held in several parts of the capital every Thursday and Friday," he told The Jordan Times over the phone on Monday, adding that the opening ceremony will be held at the Roman Theatre on Saturday at 5pm. 

The programme will include a wide range of activities that target children, a free medical day, plays, traditional dances, international book day and Islamic songs. 

GAM also launched the initiative to promote the capital as a motherly icon in the eyes of its residents. 

AMMAN — Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani on Sunday denounced the terrorist attack in Egypt's El Arish city. 

Momani, who is also minister of state for media affairs and communications, condemned the terrorist attack that targeted a police checkpoint, leaving 15 police officers dead and several others injured. 

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, the spokesperson said a global effort is needed to confront terrorism, which poses a threat to international peace and security. 

The official stressed Jordan's solidarity and support for the Egyptian government and people in confronting attempts to undermine the country's stability and security.  

AMMAN — The Cabinet on Sunday endorsed the validating reasons for the 2016 draft crime prevention law to be sent to the Legislation and Opinion Bureau for review.

Under the law, which aims at protecting lives, public and private properties, tribal disputes are restricted to murder, sexual assaults and cases related to dishonoring mediators in tribal disputes, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The law also aims to regulate the tribal traditions applied to resolve disputes among clans, including the jalwa (forced relocation of the tribe of the murderer to avoid violent reprisals), truce and blood money, with the aim of preventing such practices to go off-limit, Petra reported.

For example, the value of blood money and other forms of financial compensation to victims or their families, will no longer be decided by the delegates representing the two sides of the disputes, but by religious authorities, particularly the Chief Islamic Justice Department.

As listed among the validating reasons, the law also aims at serving as a legal framework to deal with the consequences of tribal traditions and to make sure that any long-established procedures applied in resolving disputes are solely centred around achieving harmony and social peace, Petra said. 

AMMAN — Winter ended on Sunday with the Kingdom’s 10 major dams holding 60 per cent of their total capacity, according to an official.

The dams now hold 197 million cubic metres (mcm) of water, down by 13mcm compared to last year, Jordan Valley Authority Secretary General Saad Abu Hammour told The Jordan Times.

Last year, the 10 major dams received 65 per cent of their total capacity, recording the highest percentage in a decade.

“The wet season is not over yet. There are still chances of rain during this month and in April,” Abu Hammour noted.

Until March 17, the northern governorates received 95 per cent of their long-term annual average of rain, while the western parts of the central region received 104 per cent and the eastern parts received 112 per cent, according to the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD).

The western parts of the southern region received 83 per cent and its southern areas received 91 per cent of their long-term annual average of rainfall.

The northern region of the Jordan Valley received 78 per cent, the central region received 81 per cent and southern areas 118 per cent.

Monday witnesses the start of the spring solstice or the vernal equinox, marking the beginning of spring and the end of winter in the northern hemisphere.

The spring solstice is marked when the sun becomes vertical over the equator, which makes day and night of equal duration, according to the JMD.

A “weak” depression that started last week is expected to continue affecting the Kingdom on Monday, according to the JMD.

“It will be partially cloudy, with chances of scattered showers in the northern and central parts of the country. Weather will stabilise in the afternoon,” meteorologist Raed Rafed told The Jordan Times over the phone.

He noted that temperatures will be around their annual average of this time of the year, reaching a high of 15°C and a low of 6°C.

Warmer weather conditions are forecast on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Temperatures will increase slightly on Tuesday, reaching 17°C during the day. On Wednesday, temperatures will reach a high of 23°C, rising 4°C to 7°C above their annual average,” Rafed said.

AMMAN — A group of amateur photographers in the northern governorate of Irbid started their own initiative some 10 years ago with a mission to promote the green and inviting landscape in their areas on social media networks.

The effort came in response to what the activists perceived as “negligence” on the part of tourism authorities to pay sufficient attention to their home villages and their surroundings as tourist destinations.  

They started to take photos of some areas in the northern governorate, mainly in Koura District, some 65 kilometres north of Amman, and upload them on Facebook. 

This attracted the attention of social media users and now have now tens of thousands of followers, according to Barakat Zaza, photographer and founder of Adventurers Top Team, the name they have given to their group. 

"The main idea behind the initiative was to promote our areas among Jordanians to show them the beautiful landscape here in the spring," said Zaza, a resident of the village of Jdeita. 

The 40-year-old activist claimed that the northern part of the Kingdom is neglected by tourism authorities, with the focus in promoting Jordan usually on Petra, Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea and Aqaba.

"Jordan is not limited to these attractions, there are tens of beautiful sites across the Kingdom, particularly in the north," said Ahamd Thiabat, another team member. 

Thiabat, a resident of Kufr Rakeb village in Koura, said that when people see photos on Facebook, the majority of them do not believe or are even shocked that such spectacular places exist in Jordan. 

"Many Jordanians are not aware of the natural attractions in the north. We can see that from the comments on social media," he added.  

During their 10-year-old project, Zaza told The Jordan Times, the team of adventurers has “discovered” over 20 natural tourist sites located between Koura District and the governorate of Ajloun to the south. 

The team currently comprises 15 photographers, according to Zaza, who said that social media networks helped them expand their outreach to thousands of domestic tourists.

The efforts paid off and as residents of the region, the photographers have seen Jordanians flock, especially from Amman, to enjoy the scenery and a relaxing weekend among the green in a virgin destination. 

The activists have also walked the extra mile, offering visitors sightseeing tours around Koura and Ajloun that include climbing, rappelling and camping in forests. 

Among the popular areas in the region, Zaza said, are Wadi Al Rayyan, Bergesh Forest, Eraq Al Dubb and Jdeita. 

He indicated that the team also provides homemade food to visitors, or food prepared by their own chef, in addition to kunafa, the famous dessert, baked on wood fire. 

Zaza, a former special operations officer in the army, said he learnt photography during his service in the army.   

AMMAN — On the occasions of the commemoration of the Karameh Battle and Mother’s Day, Her Majesty Queen Rania on Sunday posted a video on her official Facebook page to mark both events.

The video shows a meeting Her Majesty held with a group of mothers, whose sons serve as Border Guards in the Jordan Armed Forces–Arab Army.

In her Facebook post, Queen Rania said “no matter how old we get, a mother’s heart remains a homeland for all her children”.

"Happy Mother’s Day to all moms, and a special one to the brave moms of our soldiers, who work tirelessly day in and day out to protect the borders of our beautiful country. I was lucky to meet some of these mothers and thank them in person for the amazing job they have done at raising these honourable men," Her Majesty said.

She added that in memory of Karameh Battle, “we celebrate the sacrifices made by our soldiers in honour of our country.”

The video is available through the link: https://www.facebook.com/QueenRania/videos/10153315969545826/

Jordan on Monday marks the 48th anniversary of the 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 last year 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.

The Royal Court on Sunday posted another video commemorating the occasion (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8wsLVLi9-8&feature=youtu.be).