Local

AMMAN — Jordan’s first nuclear reactor is expected to start operating in 2024 or 2025, generating 1,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity, Jordan Nuclear Power Company (JNPC) Director General Ahmad Hiasat said on Saturday.

JNPC and the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) are currently cooperating with an international institution to prepare a detailed study on the location — in the Qusayr Amra region near Azraq some 60 kilometres east of Amman — and the environmental impact of the nuclear station, Hiasat added.

He expected the total cost of the project, consisting of two reactors, to stand at around JD7 billion, with a total capacity of 2,000MW, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

In October 2013, Jordan contracted Russia’s Rosatom to build the Kingdom’s two first nuclear reactors.

Results of international studies and standards identified Amra area as the best location to carry out detailed studies and start implementing the project after receiving the necessary licences from the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission, Hiasat added.

The project will be implemented over two phases: the first one, which will last for two years, includes completing financing agreements, carrying out detailed studies on the location, studying environmental effects, insuring water provision and studying the economic cost, he said.

The phase also includes studies on the national power grid and the possibility of exporting electricity to neighbouring countries, before the government can make its decision to go ahead based on the findings, Hiasat explained.

The second phase consists of building the station, developing infrastructure, providing cooling water and fuel administration, the director general told Petra.

The government will own 50.1 per cent of the project, making the Jordanian side responsible for securing investments worth JD1 billion to own the majority share of the scheme, while Russia’s Rosatom will own 49.9 per cent of the project, he noted.

International standards stipulate that the population should not exceed 25,000 inhabitants within a span of 5km from the nuclear plant, 100,000 people within a 10km area, and 160,000 within a 32km area, the director general said.

In the Amra region, figures show there are around 700 people within a 5km radius and less than 60,000 residents within a 32km radius, according to international studies.

As for cooling the station, the facility will depend on treated water from As Samra Wastewater Treatment Plant, Hiasat said, noting that the project development agreement signed with the Russian company identified the highest needs for cooling water at 40 million cubic metres (mcm) annually for both reactors.

The Cabinet has agreed to allocate 30mcm from As Samra Plant and 15mcm from deep ground water for the plant.

AMMAN — HRH Crown Prince Hussein’s “Haqiq” (achieve) initiative has won the 2016 annual award of the San Marino-Alexander Bodini Foundation, granted to the world’s two best organisations or initiatives.

The initiative focuses on a number of priorities that promote partnership with UNICEF and other organisations for joint programmes concerned with children’s and youth’s rights.

The 2016 award underscores the importance of the initiative’s role in preparing the young generation and presents it as a model that could be adopted and applied regionally and internationally, according to a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

Jordan’s Permanent Representative at the UN Dina Kawar received the award at a ceremony held Friday evening in New York, in the presence of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and San Marino Foreign Minister Pasquale Valentini.

The Crown Prince launched “Haqiq” in 2013 to help shape young men and women from an intellectual and skill perspective.

It targets students in public and private schools across the Kingdom, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, graduating about 1,200 students annually.

The $30,000 prize will be used to further train participants in the initiative on human rights and provide them with skills in the fields of communications and volunteerism, in order to promote active citizenship, Petra reported.

AMMAN — As Mother’s Day approaches, activists and experts criticised some advertisements for “depicting stereotypical images of women” and “limiting their role to house work”.

Yusra Arafeh, a 20-year-old, said that in the days leading up to Mother’s Day, marked in Jordan on March 21, she notices more advertisements depicting women and mothers, as “housewives” and “servants”.

“Many marketing campaigns include images of women only as housewives, as if mothers are servants of the household, not family members who work and help in generating an income,” Arafeh told The Jordan Times recently.

Salma Hanahneh, an employee, added that it is “offensive” that most advertisements include the “traditional image” of women.

“Mothers can do so much more than just clean and cook... They are not servants; they deserve gifts for them and not for the house, to show respect,” she said.

Although Omar Sabbagh, a student, thinks something like a dishwasher would help mothers at home, he similarly believes that gifts on this occasion should not be limited to home appliances.

Um Saleem, a 63-year-old mother of four, said that as technological gadgets spread among people with time, the advertisements of home appliances have become more related to Mother’s Day.

“These ideas were not very widely spread before, since advertisements and social media were not so accessible… Now the image of the ‘hostess’ in connection with mothers and housewives has become the norm in those advertisements,” she told The Jordan Times.

Gender Adviser at CARE International in Jordan Dima Karadsheh said the billboards on the streets are part of a system that society as a whole has perpetuated.

“It is through our traditions that we see the mother as a servant,” she added.

Karadsheh noted that in the past, women were seen and respected as “goddesses” and partners in creating generations, yet the views on women changed with time.

“Mothers have become machines to give birth, wash the dishes, clean the house… the proof is in the advertisements promoted for Mother’s Day,” she told The Jordan Times.

“‘Spoil her’ by buying her a dishwasher. It is as if her comfort is only about exempting her from household work such as dishwashing and cooking. This belittles mothers’ roles,” the activist noted, commenting on the tagline of an advertisement.

Jamal Fariz, board member at the Amman Chamber of Commerce, said the demand on home appliances increases with the approach of Mother’s Day, resulting in the increase in advertising campaigns.

“The advertisement gives the buyer more options on similar products of high demand,” he told The Jordan Times.

Fariz added that the marketing campaigns are due to customer demand and preferred gift items.

Commenting on the criticism, he said there is a “valid point” in the argument, but maintained that buyers usually look for something to ease the mother’s work.

“As sons and daughters, we think of a gift that would help our mothers in the long run,” Fariz continued.

He described home appliances as tools to “honour” women, as they are machines that help them and not just a gift that they would use once.

AMMAN — The Civil Coalition for Monitoring the Jordanian Parliamentary Elections (Rasid) on Saturday said the Lower House has frequently lost quorum over the past week, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

In its report, Rasid said House several committee meetings failed to continue due to loss of quorum, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

AMMAN — Sunday marks the 69th birthday of HRH Prince Hassan.

Prince Hassan strongly believes in the human rights for self-respect, dignity and social justice, and these values have been at the epicentre of his work as a main priority that he has always called for, according to a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

The past year has seen the prince undertake numerous engagements and initiatives at the local, regional and international levels, which focused on regional issues, human security, water, energy, interfaith dialogue, human dignity and building bridges between peoples.

Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, Prince Hassan attended the fifth Extraordinary Islamic Summit on Palestine and Jerusalem, which was held earlier this month in the Indonesian capital Jakarta.

In an address the prince delivered on behalf of King Abdullah, he stressed Jordan’s commitment to continuing with confronting and addressing Israeli violations in occupied Jerusalem.

Regarding Jerusalem and its Palestinian identity, through the Arab Thought Forum (ATF), which the prince chairs, Prince Hassan adopted several activities that stressed the importance of protecting the holy city of Jerusalem.

At a seminar on Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian sites organised by the ATF in April 2015, Prince Hassan called for forming an international council to safeguard the holy city and its Islamic and Christian sites, calling for adopting a strategy to also support the steadfastness of Jerusalemites by taking an official Arab, Muslim, Christian and international stance on attempts to divide Al Aqsa Mosque.

Regarding the Royal discussion papers authored by King Abdullah, Prince Hassan directed the ATF to hold dialogue sessions that provide for intensive research and analysis of the papers’ content. 

These efforts culminated in the publication of a book comprising the outcome of the 17 sessions of free dialogue on the papers.

In Amman in August last year, Prince Hassan attended the launch of the “Arab Economic Charter”, an analytical study of the region’s economies that looks into possibilities of future inter-Arab partnerships

The charter paves the way for studying the situation of the development process in the Arab world and its future. It was accredited by several Arab governments.

During several meeting with young people, organised by Jordanian universities, the prince urged young Jordanians to take part in devising solutions for community challenges and to focus on scientific research.

As president of the Higher Council for Science and Technology and the West Asia–North Africa (WANA) Institute, Prince Hassan has noted in his speeches that solutions related to water, energy and food security should be based on general policies of integration and investing in Arab expertise and resources.

This is in addition to his belief in the importance of having an accurate knowledge base that helps in shaping policies and drawing up development plans.

Over the past year, Prince Hassan remained committed to bolstering understanding and dialogue between the followers of different faiths and cultures throughout the world, at a time when violence has dramatically increased and exclusion of the other has been rampant.

Last year, King Abdullah bestowed the Order of the Hashemite Star on Prince Hassan for his distinguished contributions and services to the Kingdom.

Last week, Poland President Andrzej Duda awarded the 1st class Polish Order of Merit to the prince, for his efforts in supporting and enhancing dialogue among cultures and followers of different religions, as well as enhancing bilateral relations.

Prince Hassan also continues to support self-defence sports as chair of the Higher Council for Self-Defence Sports.

Through his institutes: The Royal Scientific Society, the Royal Institute of Inter-Faith Studies, the ATF, the Higher Council for Science and Technology, the WANA Institute and El Hassan Youth Award, along with many of their umbrella organisations, Prince Hassan is working to serve Jordanians and the broader interests of the region, the statement said. 

AMMAN — Amman Mayor Aqel Biltaji on Friday arrived at Paphos, a city on the southwest coast of Cyprus, on an official visit that will witness signing the second part of a twinning agreement between Amman and Paphos.

During the visit, Biltaji is scheduled to hold talks with Paphos Mayor Phedon Phedono. 

AMMAN — The General Secretariat of the Higher Council for Science and Technology is scheduled to hold a ceremony on April 7 honouring the winners of “El Hassan Bin Talal Award for Scientific Excellence”, at the Royal Cultural Centre. 

This year, the awards were given to institutions of vocational and technical education, with the winners selected from 20 applicants representing 7 institutions of vocational and technical education.

The first award of JD7, 000 will be granted to the Jordan Applied University College of Hospitality and Tourism Education for its project “Institution Success Story”. 

The second award of JD5, 000 will be given to the Vocational Training Corporation, and the third award of JD3, 000 will be shared between Arwa Bint Abdul Muttalib Comprehensive Secondary School for Girls in Karak and Wadi Al Seer Training Centre. 

The winners will be honoured at the ceremony, which will be held under the patronage of HRH Prince Hassan, president of the Higher Council for Science and Technology, according to a statement released on Saturday.

AMMAN – Four people of Yemeni nationality died on Saturday due to apparent food poisoning after eating meals from a restaurant in south Amman, a police officer told The Jordan Times. 

The officer, from the media office of the Public Security Department, said the victims were from the same family, adding that four others fell ill after consuming food and were taken to a hospital in south Amman. 

The hospitalised patients are two Yemenis from the same family and two domestic helpers working for the family, said the source, indicating that the domestic helpers are of Asian nationality. 

The officer, who preferred to remain unnamed, said initial investigations indicate that food poisoning was behind the incident, adding that the concerned authorities and forensics are still investigating the case. 

Some media reports carried by local websites said the family and the domestic helpers were poisoned after consuming food from a famous restaurant in Amman, but the PSD officer said the source of the food is still unknown. 

Further details will be available in the coming few days as the media office will release a statement on the incident, the officer said. 

The Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted Al Hayat Hospital Director Kayed Halaiqa as saying that the deceased were two children, three and five years old, the mother and the grandfather.

Those injured from the family are eight and 13 years old, said the director of the hospital where they are receiving treatment, noting that their condition is critical, while the two others are in fair condition.

Jordan Food and Drug Administration Director Hayel Obeidat told Petra that teams from the administration and security agencies were sent to the family’s home to collect samples for lab analysis.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Saturday inaugurated the Khansaa Hospital in Marka region in the capital.

Accompanied by a ministerial team and in the presence of MPs and community leaders, Ensour toured the 40-bed hospital and listened to a briefing by the facility’s director on its divisions and services.

Hospital Director Waddah Barghouthi said there are around 150 doctors, nurses and administrators working in the facility, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

AMMAN — Deputising for HRH Crown Prince Hussein, ICT Minister Majd Shweikeh on Friday inaugurated a conference of the international committee for Internet governance at the King Hussein Business Park.

More than 30 local, regional and international Internet specialists are participating in the three-day conference to discuss a variety of issues related to Internet governance, intellectual property, child protection, freedom of expression, national security and sustainable development.

Delivering the opening address, Shweikeh said the ICT sector has undergone important progress in Jordan, underlining the importance of the sector in achieving sustainable social and economic development.