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Jordan on Thursday stressed the importance of intensifying communication and coordination among member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to address mutual challenges.

In a speech delivered on his behalf by Jordan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Jamal Shamaileh, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh reaffirmed Jordan’s support for Palestine and its utter rejection of meddling in the internal affairs of other countries, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

At an extraordinary meeting for the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers in Jeddah, Judeh stressed the need to implement the two-state solution, under which an independent Palestinian state is established within the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on relevant international references and the Arab Peace Initiative.

Jordan continues to exert efforts to address the Israeli violations against Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the minister said in the speech, adding that this can be accomplished only through a joint Arab and Muslim effort, using all available means, most importantly the Hashemite custodianship over Christian and Islamic sites in Jerusalem. 

He also condemned the attacks on Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Tehran, highlighting the Jordanian response to the incident in support of the Gulf kingdom.

Commenting on Iran’s nuclear deal, Judeh voiced hope that Tehran’s agreement with the P5+1 nations will be a part of series of corrections and reviews that will eventually lead to enhancing the role of the region’s countries and people and ensuring their security.

He reaffirmed Jordan’s unchanging position, supported by Saudi Arabia, against terrorism and extremism.

Judeh said the OIC should extend a helping hand to the international community to counter terrorism and extremism, and help showcase the true peaceful image of Islam, according to Petra. 

Also speaking at the meeting, OIC Secretary General Iyad Madani said the worsening relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran are diverting attention from the “real challenges” facing Muslims, Agence France-Presse reported.

Addressing representatives of the 57-member organisation, Madani said the attacks on the Saudi embassy in Tehran “contradict diplomatic standards”, stressing that “interference in the affairs of any member state undermines our organisation’s charter”.

“It is clear that the continued deterioration of relations between some of our member states contributes to deepening rifts” among Islamic nations, he added.

Such tensions “distract us from addressing the real challenges”, including “terrorism”, AFP quoted Madani as saying.

“It is regretful that the reality of the Islamic division and differences negatively affect the performance of the OIC” and its international credibility, he added.

Madani called for “building bridges of understanding and restoring mutual trust” through dialogue.

This will prevent conflicts “that will waste energy and hinder the development of our people”, he said, according to AFP.

Iran sacked a senior security official over his failure to stop the attack on Riyadh’s embassy. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday said the attack was wrong and against Islam.

But Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir told Thursday’s meeting that Iran respects neither Islam nor the charter of the OIC, AFP reported.

“The importance of this meeting is in the fact that this aggression is not the first but only a part of a series of continuous attacks that diplomatic missions have been subjected to in Iran for 35 years,” Jubeir said.

“It is important to point out that the aggression against the kingdom’s missions comes as part of Iran’s aggressive policies and its continuous interference in the internal issues of the countries in the region.”

AMMAN — Haya Cultural Centre and the British Council on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish strategic partnerships between the centre and puppet theatres for children in the UK.

Under the memo, UK theatres will transfer their expertise to the Haya Cultural Centre theatre team to boost their skills and offer them necessary training.

During the signing ceremony, the centre's general manager, Diala Khamra, said the partnership with the British Council has been active for a long time and that previous projects related to theatre work were implemented in which experts from the UK delivered workshops to children and artists at the centre. 

She told reporters that art for children should be encouraged, thanking the council for its support.

May Abuhamdia, deputy director of the British Council in Jordan, said art supports societies and that puppet theatres are "something that will transcend generations", adding that everyone loves puppet shows.  

She called for this art to be preserved for younger generations because it is not only about entertainment, but also a means of education and expression.

"We are very happy that there are many avenues for collaboration between Haya Cultural Centre and the UK. The UK is going through the same things that Jordan and every other country is going through — how do we engage audiences, how people connect with each other and understand differences, celebrate differences," Abuhamdia said.

"This is what cultural exchange is all about — how do [we] celebrate the fact that cultures are different, and there are a lot of things that we take from our culture to another."

The official noted that the partnership between Haya Cultural Centre and the British Council is not only about reaching out to the UK for expertise, but also an opportunity for British artists to come to the Kingdom and see the "valuable cultural heritage" preserved by the centre. 

Employees of the non-profit centre, which aims to develop children's artistic and cultural skills, and the British Council toured an art shop where children were making puppets. 

The tour also included viewing the set-up of a stage at the Haya Cultural Centre's theatre, where "Tartoush", the centre's "first puppet show", will be performed this year. 

Dina Abu Hamdan, director of the theatre and of "Tartoush", said the performance will address the subject of preserving water.

AMMAN — The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) Customs Department seized two firework containers in the past two days after traders attempted to smuggle them into the Kingdom, ASEZA Customs Director Col. Sari Jaradin said on Thursday. 

Jaradin said the first container was filled with 902 cartons of fireworks, while the second one was loaded with 400 cartons. 

"These are the first two containers [of fireworks] we have seized since the beginning of this year," he told The Jordan Times over the phone.  

The ASEZA official said the goods were transferred to the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army to be destroyed, while the traders who attempted to smuggle them were referred to court. 

The import of fireworks into the Kingdom is considered dangerous to society and public safety and has been banned by the government since 2009, except these imported for public agencies.

Jaradin said the department seized nine containers in 2015. 

"We call on people not to buy from these traders and we ask the merchants to stop dealing in these items because they are dangerous," he added. 

Many Jordanians complain about the noise produced by fireworks and firecrackers, which sometimes used to spark fights between families and neighbours. 

The most serious accident in the Kingdom caused by fireworks took place at the Jordan Customs Department yards last year, where a "huge" fire erupted after two containers of fireworks exploded, killing seven people and injuring 12 others.

Traders selling fireworks and firecrackers, as well as pellet guns, face four months in prison and a fine of up to JD5,000.

AMMAN — Police on Thursday announced the arrest of a woman who allegedly killed a 75-year-old man in Irbid in a hit-and-run incident earlier in the week.

A witness came forward on Wednesday and testified “to seeing the suspect hitting the victim with her car then fleeing the scene”, a senior official source said.

“The suspect was arrested and she confessed to the incident,” the source told The Jordan Times.

Investigators collected evidence from the accident area and “the crime lab matched it to the suspect’s vehicle”, according to the source.

The victim was found by bystanders on Monday lying on the side road in Alia Suburb in Irbid. They covered him with a blanket and notified the authorities.

The victim had been reported missing by his family since Monday after he failed to return home from evening prayers.

Pathologist Ali Shotar, from the Irbid National Institute of Forensic Medicine, performed an autopsy on the victim on Tuesday and concluded that he died in a traffic accident.

The driver is currently in police custody pending further investigations into the incident, a second source said.

“The suspect will be referred to the criminal prosecutor for questioning and indictment," the second source told The Jordan Times.

AMMAN — An upcoming conference seeks to shed light on gender mainstreaming in issues related to climate change, highlighting local women's contributions in the field.

The "Climate Change from a Gender Perspective Conference", which will be held on February 1 followed by two days of workshops, will discuss how men and women adapt to the phenomenon and contribute to mitigating its effect.

Held by USAID-Takamol Gender Programme, in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Arizona State University, the conference will showcase local, regional and international examples on gender integration.

The conference seeks to expand the concept of gender and to connect it to daily life issues, said Takamol — Gender Programme Chief of Party Nermeen Murad.

"The meeting will illustrate the interconnectedness between gender concepts and climate change, and clarify the connections between them," she said.  

Environmental policy and governance expert Ruba Al-Zu'bi said the majority of the 17 new Sustainable Development Goals launched by the UN are related to climate change in one way or another.

She said gender-based discrimination in utilising resources and the lack of equal opportunities for women to participate in decision making on climate change increases its negative effects.

"Women occupy only 4 per cent of leading positions in institutions working in the energy sector around the world," Al-Zu'bi said, calling for further qualitative engagement of women in the field. 

She underscored the role of women's resource management skills in reducing the effect of climate change, highlighting their capability to raise awareness on the causes and impacts of climate change in their families and communities.

AMMAN — The magnitude of a depression and a cold polar front forecast to affect the country on Saturday will be weaker than what was announced earlier this week, meteorologists said on Thursday.

"Changing weather charts indicate that the impact of the combined weather condition will be weaker," Raed Rafed, head of the weather forecasting section at the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD), told The Jordan Times.

The JMD said on Wednesday that the depression and the cold polar front will be strong and bring accumulating snow to mountainous areas, including the capital. 

It had expected snowfall on Sunday morning in the northern mountains and by the afternoon, central and southern mountainous areas located 900m above sea level and higher would start receiving snow.

The department had also announced that by Monday night, snow would start falling on areas located 700m above sea level and higher, while areas located 600m above sea level would witness snow mixed with rain.

"New weather updates show that elevations of 1,000m above sea level and higher will witness snow on Sunday, while on Monday areas located 900m above sea level and higher will receive snow," Rafed said.

The weather forecaster underscored that snow accumulation will depend on the elevation of each area.

Arabiaweather.com Chief Meteorologist Omar Dajani confirmed the change in the expected magnitude of the depression and the polar front.

"The country is still going to be affected by the depression and, yes, it will bring rain and snow, but the strength, the timing and the expected accumulation of snow have changed," Dajani told The Jordan Times.

Dajani said snow is expected on Sunday at elevations of 900-1,000m above sea level, noting that by Sunday night and the early hours of Monday, the impact of the depression will ease off and intermittent snow is expected in areas located 1,000m above sea level and higher.

On Monday, southwesterly winds are forecast to become stronger, he added, noting that rain and snowfall will decrease.

"On the other hand, a new [weather] system is possible for Tuesday and Wednesday, which might bring more rain and snow to the Kingdom," Dajani underscored.

Both the JMD and Arabiaweather.com urged the public to follow their weather updates, highlighting that the forecast constantly changes.

The JMD expected temperatures during the depression to be between 2°C and 5°C during the day, and to drop to between -2°C and 0°C at night in Amman.

The depression will be centred over Cyprus, while the polar front will blow in from Eastern Europe, according to the JMD, which said that rain and a gradual drop in temperatures are forecast as of Saturday, when the impact of the combined weather condition will begin to prevail.

The JMD issued a group of weather-related warnings for next week, including flood formation in low-lying areas, strong winds, accumulating snow, reduced road visibility due to heavy rain and snow, slippery roads and freezing temperatures.

Authorities said they are ready to deal with the expected weather condition, urging motorists to exercise caution.

The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply said on Thursday it has provided bakeries with extra amounts of subsidised flour, covering their needs for five to seven days as of Saturday.

The Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted the ministry's spokesperson, Yanal Barmawi, as saying that the ministry will be ready to provide more amounts if necessary.

Markets have a "big reserve" of food items, enough for two to 15 months, Barmawi stressed, calling on consumers not to overstock on foodstuffs because markets have enough amounts.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday stressed the importance of intensifying regional and international efforts to combat terrorism, according to a Royal Court statement.

In a phone call with Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain, the King renewed his condemnation of Wednesday's terrorist attack at Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, which resulted in the death and injury of many innocent civilians. His Majesty also expressed his condolences to Hussain.

AMMAN — US Ambassador to Jordan Alice G. Wells on Thursday met with Zarqa Governor Raed Odwan and discussed economic conditions in the governorate.

At the meeting, held on the sidelines of the ambassador’s visit to Zarqa, Odwan presented a briefing on the industrial and investment status in the governorate, some 22km east of Amman, which is home to some 52 per cent of national industries.

Wells also met with presidents and members of the Zarqa chambers of industry and commerce, and discussed issues related to investment and increasing exports to the US, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

AMMAN — A woman was hit by a car on Thursday at the 7th Circle area, a Civil Defence Department (CDD) statement said. CDD cadres took her to Al Hussein Medical City where she was listed in critical condition. 

AMMAN — Senate President Faisal Fayez on Thursday met with Hungarian Ambassador to Jordan Csaba Czibere and discussed bilateral relations and the latest regional developments. The two sides also discussed the Syrian crisis, international counterterrorism efforts and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Fayez said resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is the key to addressing most of the region’s problems, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. On Syria, Fayez reiterated Jordan’s unaltered position, which advocates a comprehensive political solution to end the suffering of the Syrian people.