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AMMAN — A comprehensive energy plan to provide electricity to every household in Azraq Refugee Camp, which hosts 29,000 Syrian refugees, is under way and will be ready in six months, but international aid remains key for projects, UN officials said on Monday.

“All shelters will be connected to the system, each with an allowance of 1 kilowatt-hour per day so that each household will have enough power to operate lights, a refrigerator, a television, and a fan and charge phones,” said Ali Bibi, the UNHCR liaison officer.

A solar power plant will also be installed in the camp, some 100km east of Amman and 20km west of the town of Azraq in Zarqa Governorate, in early 2016 to reduce the cost of electricity bills, Bibi told The Jordan Times, adding that “in the meantime, UNHCR has installed 472 solar street lights and distributed an average of four solar lanterns per household”.

UNHCR Representative to Jordan Andrew Harper said the UN agency is “investing in a solar farm that should be ready in six months”. 

Harper explained that installing and running the required infrastructure for electricity was delayed in order to avoid taking it from the national grid.

Bibi also stressed the importance of not using the national grid, adding that “it is the international community’s responsibility to support such infrastructure and not Jordan alone”.

The plan to provide the camp with electricity, according to Harper, costs around $8 million "but it all depends on the size".

"The challenge I have is how much to invest in Azraq when the border is basically closed. With returns to Syria, resettlement and movements to Europe, more refugees are leaving Jordan than arriving," he told The Jordan Times.

Bibi noted that only 47 per cent was received out of the $23.2 million requested in 2015 for Azraq camp alone.

The camp was opened in April 2014, as the second-largest camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan, after the Zaatari camp in Mafraq, which hosts more than 80,000 refugees.

Currently, Azraq camp can host up to 50,000 people, rising to 100,000 under an expansion plan.

“Azraq camp now has the capability of receiving more refugees… with the current infrastructure, UNHCR and donor support,” Bibi noted.

As for water and sanitation services, Bibi said there is 1 new borehole in the camp with a capacity of 50 cubic metres (m3) per hour, which ensures good water quality and quantity control as well as better cost efficiency. The average water supply is 650m3 per day. 

Water is distributed through a network to 26 tap stands. UNICEF, in coordination with the Water Authority of Jordan, is in the process of implementing a wastewater treatment plant in the camp that will soon be operational, according to the UNHCR.

Concerning education, the UNHCR said a complex in the camp hosts primary and secondary schools that operates two shifts, one for girls in the morning and one for boys in the afternoon, giving a total capacity for 5,000 students. 

Currently, 3,083 children are enrolled in the school. In addition, there is one kindergarten with a capacity for 400 children. 

Informal education is also available to boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 18 years, and for adults. 

Furthermore, there are four child-friendly spaces with playgrounds and four adolescent-friendly spaces in the camp providing additional services.

AMMAN — Jihad Ali, a nurse at a local hospital, cannot get through the day without having at least six cups of Turkish coffee.

Ali said he needs coffee to "stay awake" and because he is "used to having it".

"I can't not drink coffee while I'm working. It's more of a habit... I have to concentrate all the time. I know it has its disadvantages but I can't stop myself from drinking six to seven cups daily," he told The Jordan Times.

But the Turkish coffee preferred by Ali and many other Jordanians, with its high concentration of caffeine, can contribute to diseases and disorders such as heart, bladder or kidney problems, health specialists agree.

Caffeine in coffee has negative effects such as temporary insomnia, stomach issues, rapid heartbeat, muscle instability, restlessness and nervousness, according to the Mayo Clinic website.

However, those who stop consuming caffeine may experience symptoms including fatigue, headache, depression and concentration difficulty.

Mamoun Zibdeh, a senior consultant, urologist and renal transplant surgeon, said a normal amount of caffeine intake amounts to 200-300 ml per day, equivalent to no more than three cups of coffee or three to four cups of tea.

“Coffee raises blood pressure. This is not good for patients with heart problems, who should refrain from having large amounts of coffee on a daily basis,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone this week.

“Those who suffer from kidney and heart diseases will get affected easily by caffeine, unlike people who have better health conditions," Zibdeh continued.

Coffee also causes “over-active” bladder activity, according to the health specialist.

“Coffee drinkers in general suffer from the inability to control their urination; they should try to stay away from taking caffeine to avoid more bladder activity," he added.

Ali Amayreh, a urologist, said caffeine in general is “bad for the body” and “can harm the human brain”, as well as causing people to age "more rapidly".

He said there are multiple side effects of drinking coffee, including stomach diseases from the introduction of acidic elements into the body, disorders in the adrenal gland, and constipation.

“The acidity in coffee can create an ulcer in the stomach. This phenomenon can be seen when coffee left in a container for a while eats away the container,” he told The Jordan Times.

However, Amayreh said coffee also has beneficial effects in some cases, noting that it activates the nervous system and the heart muscle, which provides the body with more energy to perform.

“An advice to those who practise sports is to drink one to two cups of coffee before their workouts, as it reduces muscle pain,” he added.

Nutritionist Rand Aldisi said coffee's positive health effects include helping in the process of overall fat burning, increasing the rate of metabolism and activating blood circulation.

She added that normal and instant coffee types are better than Turkish coffee, since the latter is made using hydrogenated oils, which increase harmful LDL cholesterol and reduce “HDL good cholesterol”.

Coffee can also affect the oral cavity and prevents the body from losing weight and fat in areas around the stomach, Aldisi said.

 “It is difficult to advise the public not to have Turkish coffee as it is widespread in our community, yet moderation is key… Up to three cups of Turkish coffee per day is acceptable with one teaspoon in each cup," she indicated.

Jordanians consume around 17 million kilogrammes of coffee per year, according to Khalil Haj Tawfiq, president of the General Association for Foodstuff Merchants.

Aldisi said pregnant women's coffee intake should not exceed one cup per day, offset by a 30-minute walk.

“Caffeine gives the embryo energy and doesn’t allow the mother to sleep at night. Thus, pregnant women cannot function properly,” she noted.

Aldisi added that a high coffee intake can be replaced by one cup of Turkish coffee and two glasses of milk, noting that for each cup of coffee, one should drink a 350ml glass of water to balance it.

AMMAN — A five-year-old girl, who was reportedly shot by her father who committed suicide late Sunday night, died at dawn on Monday, official sources said.

The child, her mother and two siblings, aged 13 and 8, were reportedly shot by their 42-year-old father while at his in-laws' home in Rujm Al Shami area in south Amman.

The 32-year-old mother died in the shooting incident, while her two children were listed in critical condition, a senior official source said.

“The couple was going through marital problems, and the woman returned to her family’s home and wanted a divorce,” a senior judicial source close to the investigations said.

On Sunday night, the source maintained, the husband went to his in-laws house “claiming that he wanted to grant his wife a divorce and wanted her to give him the family book”.

“The husband took the family book from his wife then grabbed a gun and shot her once in the chest because she insisted on the divorce,” the judicial source told The Jordan Times.

The husband then reportedly chased his children and “shot them at close range in the head and face then placed the gun in his mouth and shot himself,” the judicial source maintained.

Criminal Court Prosecutor Issam Haddidi, who inspected the scene, ordered that blood, tissue and other samples be sent to the crime lab for further testing, the judicial source said.

“Foul play is ruled out based on initial questioning of the in-laws that were in the house. A crime lab report will help Haddidi in the case,” the judicial source added.

Sunday’s shooting incident occurred almost 12 hours after a 63-year-old man reportedly shot his 57-year-old wife, who had cancer, and then turned the gun on himself in the capital’s Hai Nazzal suburb. 

Police found a note next to the couple “believed to be written by the husband, addressed to his son and daughter, in which he said he committed this act of his own free will and asked them not to hold an aza [mourning ceremony]”.

In their initial testimony to Haddidi, the victims’ relatives said the woman “had been treated for cancer for the past few years and had a few months to live”.

The husband, “was suffering from mental problems and there was a record of him being treated at hospitals for epilepsy”, according to the relatives.

“Everyone testified that the couple, who were cousins, enjoyed a good marital relationship and that the husband was taking care of his sick wife, who was almost paralysed.”

AMMAN — There is a huge potential for more projects and investments in energy efficiency in various areas in the Kingdom, Energy Minister Ibrahim Saif said on Monday.

Jordan, which imports some 97 per cent of its energy needs at a cost of around 18 per cent of the gross domestic product, is working on several initiatives to ration the use of energy, educate citizens and industries on the importance of this issue and exempt energy-saving devices from taxes and fees, the minister said.

He made the remarks at a gathering in Amman on the EU and European Bank for Reconstruction Development (EBRD) 2016-2019 energy efficiency plans for Jordan, organised by EDAMA Association.

Saif noted that Jordan is classified as an energy-intensive country as its energy consumption is high even when compared to industrial countries, adding that the EU’s assistance is fundamental to supporting the Kingdom’s energy sector.

Jordan, which currently exports electricity to the West Bank and exchanges electricity with Egypt, is well-positioned to export more electricity to the region, the minister said.

He added that improved connectivity and finding partners is key to this issue, especially since Jordan is implementing several projects to generate electricity, including renewable energy projects with a total capacity of 1,000 megawatts that are under construction and in the pipeline.

Heike Harmgart, head of EBRD Jordan, said the bank will continue to support the Kingdom in this area.

“We are also ready to support the private sector in adopting projects to ration the use of energy,” she said.

Also speaking at the event, EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea Matteo Fontana said energy efficiency in Jordan needs more investments.

“Much more of the wasted energy can be saved in Jordan and reduce pressure,” Fontana said.

At the meeting, funded by the EU and the EBRD, EDAMA CEO Yara Abdel Samad said the EU and the EBRD have invested heavily in Jordan’s energy sector through projects that promote the integration of energy efficiency measures and the development of new sources of renewable energy.

EDAMA is a business association founded in 2010 that seeks innovative solutions for energy and water independence, according to its EDAMA website.

AMMAN — A 17-year-old was charged on Monday with the murder of a gas station employee in Jerash earlier in the day, official sources said.

The suspect was with three adults who parked their vehicle at a gas station in the northern governorate after midnight to refuel, a senior judicial source said.

“It seems the radio was loud in the car, and one passenger or more were smoking; the employee asked them to put out the cigarettes and turn down the music,” the judicial source added.

A heated argument ensued and it turned into a scuffle and “the employee was stabbed with a knife by the minor”, the source told The Jordan Times.

“The stab was fatal and the employee died before reaching hospital,” a second official source said.

The suspects sped away and were later arrested by police, the second source added.

The minor was ordered detained by a juvenile prosecutor at a juvenile correctional facility pending further investigations, the judicial source said.

Meanwhile, the remaining three suspects will stand before a Criminal Court prosecutor because they are adults and are expected to be charged with complicity in murder, the judicial source added.

AMMAN — The Public Sector Development Ministry on Monday referred its second annual report, which included 26 international indicators related to the public sector, to Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour.

The indicators are related to the public sector’s economic, investment, administrative, social, political and legal aspects, according to a ministry statement, which added that the report also listed the international institutions that issued the indicators and Jordan’s status according to each of them.

Public Sector Development Minister Khleef Al Khawaldeh was quoted as saying that the ministry is committed to issuing the report in the first quarter of each year for ministries and public institutions to use it as a guide and for decision makers to be aware of the positive and negative findings.

The report would also help stakeholders identify mechanisms that can contribute to improving the Kingdom’s ranking in these indicators and overcoming any weaknesses, Khawaldeh said in the statement.

He highlighted the importance of these indicators in drawing up public policies and in decision making.

The Kingdom has achieved progress in many indicators, becoming comparable with top countries in terms of living standards, good governance, literacy, economic freedom and e-government, among other fields, said Khawaldeh in the statement.

He noted that Jordan regressed in other indicators, such as talent competitiveness, education, media freedom, unemployment and globalisation, according to the statement.

The minister added in the statement that regional conditions, population growth as a result of receiving Syrian refugees and high numbers of guest workers, and rising demand on services and infrastructure has had a negative impact on Jordan’s ranking in many indicators.

AMMAN — Representatives of public, private and civil sectors on Monday discussed how to capitalise on the recently adopted Paris Agreement and the financing opportunities it presents.

During a workshop on the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference held in December in Paris, stakeholders were briefed on the outcomes of the meeting, and the technical and institutional challenges that will face the Kingdom in implementing the agreement's provisions.

Envoys from 195 nations approved the climate accord, which pushes world nations towards reaching zero greenhouse gas emissions by the second half of this century. 

It provides a pathway forward to limit temperature rise to well below 2ºC and to strive for 1.5ºC if possible, according to a document distributed by the UNDP and the Ministry of Environment.

Environment Minister Taher Shakhshir said during the Monday event that the Paris Agreement is important for the Kingdom, underscoring that much work and effort is ahead to implement the agreement.

"Changing the way Jordan plans and implements its programmes is a vital element in combating climate change," Shakhshir said.

Highlighting that the Kingdom is already suffering from the impact of climate change on its natural resources, the minister noted that regional turmoil is adding further strains on these resources as the population increased by 20 per cent over the past three years.

Although Jordan is a minor contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, which are responsible for warming up the planet, it is among the developing countries that are most in danger of being affected by climate change, according to officials and experts.

In his speech at the opening of the High Level Segment meeting at the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference, Shakhshir noted that Jordan was the first country in the region to produce a National Climate Change Policy, under which it can reduce its greenhouse emissions by 14 per cent, if international funding is provided to enable the Kingdom to reduce 12.5 per cent of that total percentage.

Jordan will commit to covering the cost of reducing emissions by 1.5 per cent, he added at the conference.

The Kingdom will cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5 per cent by implementing 70 projects, mainly in the energy and transportation sectors, if the required funds are available.

The cost of the 70 projects is $5.5 billion, Shakhshir told The Jordan Times in previous remarks.

Speaking at Monday's event, UNDP Regional Director Zena Ali-Ahmad stressed that plans and programmes should not only focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but also boost the capabilities of developing countries and help them in adapting to climate change.

She expressed the UNDP's readiness to assist Jordan in keeping up with its commitments towards the new global agreement, noting that the UN agency is willing to provide and facilitate funding as well as technical and technological assistance to integrate climate change in the Kingdom's priorities and policies.

The 2013-2020 Jordan Climate Change Policy suggested that the country will witness a 1-4°C increase in temperatures and a 15-60 per cent decrease in precipitation, which will in turn have serious potential impacts on its natural ecosystems, river basins, watersheds and biodiversity.

Meanwhile, a recent study issued by the Water Ministry indicated that climate change over the past two decades has caused a drastic drop in rainfall and prolonged dry spells in the Kingdom.

The study, carried out by Stanford University in cooperation with the ministry, indicated that the country received below average rain in 13 out of 19 years (between 1995 and 2013), while longer periods of drought were witnessed during the same period.

AMMAN — The multiplicity of players in the regional arena complicates its political outlook, with the tug-of-war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and the spread of sub-state actors contributing to instability, analysts said on Monday.

Speaking at a joint workshop held by the Middle East Studies Centre (MESC) and the Turkish Middle East Strategic Research Centre (ORSAM), political analysts, academics and researchers said the “conflicting” interests of regional players prolong the reconciliation process in conflict-hit countries.

MESC Director Jawad Hamad said the “chaotic” political scene in several Arab countries as well as international interests in the region make democratic transformation a far-fetched possibility.

He added that political Islam movements, which believe and practice political participation including elections, are far different from those organisations that believe in and practise violence and terror even if they claim to be Islamic.

Commenting on Turkey’s role in the region, he pointed out “deep challenges” that contribute to the public seeing its policy as “reluctant”, especially after the Arab Spring, and it is often depicted as being “unclear” in Syria and “absent” in Libya.

Saban Kardas, president of ORSAM, said the erosion of nation-states and the decrease in the efficiency of regimes in a number of countries in the region have allowed sub-state actors and groups with sectarian identities to gain influence.

He added that territorial borders are “questioned daily and are losing meaning” as some states are not capable of controlling their borders efficiently.

A regional security framework or a collective security mechanism, with the membership of countries like Turkey and Saudi Arabia, could work to address and contain security issues arising in the region, Kardas noted.

The polarisation between Saudi Arabia and Iran is partially responsible for the region’s instability, according to Bayram Sinkaya, a Turkish academic and an ORSAM adviser.

Despite his country’s efforts to amplify economic cooperation with Iran, which is valued at $15 billion, Sinkaya said Turkey sees in Iran’s recent policies in the region and agenda of sectarianism and a pursuit of hegemonic power. This has prompted Ankara to lean towards the side of Riyadh.

Retired Lt. Gen. Qased Mahmoud agreed, adding that Russian presence in Syria and the changes in Turkey’s role in the region have pushed the latter country towards siding with Saudi Arabia.

He said it is unlikely for Iran’s political role in the region to expand further due to regional problems as well as American and Western challenges to any possible expansion.

For her part, researcher Neven Bondokji cited the gap between the cost of hosting refugees and the international aid provided for this purpose as a major cause of refugees and nationals joining extremist groups.

The problem does not stop there, she said, but extends to include those who leave these groups and return home and their need to undergo comprehensive rehabilitation programmes, which sometimes fail.

Bondokji cited the example on fighters in Afghanistan who later took part in other armed conflicts in the region.

AMMAN — A supply convoy for the Jordanian field hospital in Gaza arrived in the coastal enclave on Monday, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Gaza 40 Commander Col. Ibrahim Masaafeh said the convoy is made up of seven trucks laden with medical supplies required to sustain the hospital’s work.

In addition, some trucks brought food parcels from the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation to be distributed to underprivileged families in the strip, according to Masaafeh. 

AMMAN — The State Security Court on Monday resumed hearings in the trial of a defendant charged with joining Daesh in Syria and teaching the children of members of the terrorist organisation, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The defendant managed to move to Syria and joined the Free Syrian Army in Aleppo, fighting against the regime before defecting to Al Nusra Front, which is affiliated with Al Qaeda.

He then swore allegiance to Daesh’s leader and was chosen to teach the ideology of the group to children of its members, Petra said.

While with Daesh, the defendant was badly injured in an air strike and left unable to see or hear, before being transferred to Turkey to receive treatment. He then returned to Jordan where he was arrested, Petra reported.