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AMMAN — Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury on Tuesday discussed with the German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Muller and other senior officials means to drum up support for refugee-burdened Jordan during the upcoming London conference.

Fakhoury also met with the State Secretary of the Ministry of Finance Thomas Steffen, Foreign Policy and Security Adviser at the Federal Chancellery Christoph Heusgen and other senior officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to a ministry statement sent to The Jordan Times.

During his meetings with German officials, Fakhoury voiced the Kingdom's appreciation for Germany's support to Jordan over the years, making Germany an “important and longstanding partner to the Kingdom in the sphere of development, supporting key sectors such as water and sanitation, education, climate change, energy efficiency and solid waste”.   

He also expressed appreciation to Germany for its additional support over the past three years, directed to refugee-hosting communities in Jordan, under the Jordan Response Plan (JRP).   

Fakhoury also exchanged views with German officials on regional matters, the protracted Syrian crisis as well as the continued impact of regional situation and the Syrian refugees on Jordan. He also updated his hosts on the recent developments on the reform front, the economic outlook and critical challenges facing Jordan in light of regional circumstances, the statement said. 

The visit also came in preparation for the upcoming Syria Donors Conference that will be held in London in early February and will be co-chaired by the UK, Germany, Norway, Kuwait and the UN.

At the gathering, Jordan seeks further support from its partners to its Jordan Resilience Plan 2016-2018 to help the Kingdom alleviate the impact of the refugee crisis on vital sectors and to ensure the continuation of service delivery to Syrians and host communities.

Another purpose of the visit was to secure support for the “holistic approach” of the Jordan Economic Response for the Syrian crisis, which seeks investments that improve the quality of life in host communities and secure jobs for Jordanians and a fraction of the Syrian refugees.

For their part, the German officials commended the efforts Jordan has been undertaking on the regional and national fronts as well as in handling the refugee influx, reiterating their country’s commitment to continued support of Jordan through the JRP as well as to development priorities under the Executive Development Programme 2016-2018, the statement said. 

As a result of regional crisis and spillover on Jordan, Berlin has doubled its assistance to Jordan. In November 2015, Germany made additional commitments to Jordan in the amount of 127.9 million euros.

AMMAN — Extreme weather is forecast for next week, when a depression and a very cold polar front bringing snow will prevail, the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) said on Wednesday.

The depression and the polar front will start affecting the country on Saturday and continue until the end of the week, the JMD said.

“The combined weather condition will be strong. It will bring heavy rain, strong winds, sub-zero temperatures and accumulating snow to mountainous areas, including the capital,” JMD Director General Mohammad Samawi told The Jordan Times.

Temperatures during the depression will be between 2°C and 5°C during the day, and drop to between 0°C and -2°C at night in Amman, according to the JMD.

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 on Saturday.

Another drop in temperatures is expected for Sunday as the combined weather condition deepens, according to the JMD, which said that winds will be strong and will reach 65-75 kilometres per hour.

Heavy rain is forecast on Sunday, the JMD said, warning of possible flooding.

On Sunday morning, snow will start falling on the northern heights and by the afternoon, the central and southern mountainous areas will start receiving snow, the department said.

“On Sunday night, the country will be affected by another front, which will cause further drops in temperatures, heavier rain and heavy snowfall on areas located 900m above sea level and higher,” the department said.

Colder winds will blow towards the Kingdom on Monday, when snow will start falling on areas located 700m above sea level and higher, the department said, while areas located 600m above sea level will witness snow mixed with rain.

On Tuesday, the country will remain under the impact of the depression, with intermittent snow expected in areas located 700m above sea level and higher.

“Colder winds will prevail on Tuesday night and on Wednesday, which will cause mercury levels to further drop, in addition to rain and snow in mountainous areas as well as the eastern and southern desert,” the department said.

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.

The Electricity Distribution Company (EDCO) on Wednesday announced a state of emergency as of next Saturday to deal with the weather conditions, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted EDCO Director General Hassan Thneibat as saying. 

Thneibat said EDCO employees are not allowed to take leave during this period, noting that he has asked personnel to check on the preparedness of company vehicles to function in extreme weather. 

EDCO urged its subscribers to report power disruptions around the clock on 06/5001370 or the free line 080022288. 

Subscribers can also call emergency rooms in Karak on 03/2387219, in Tafileh on 03/2241004, Maan: 03/2132308, Wadi Musa: 03/2156050, Aqaba: 03/2012458, Jordan Valley: 05/3573111 and Azraq: 05/3835121.

Municipal Affairs Minister Walid Masri on Wednesday urged all municipalities to take the necessary precautions to deal with the expected weather conditions next week, Petra reported.

For its part, the Energy Ministry confirmed that the Kingdom's stock of oil derivatives is enough to meet public and power generating needs, according to Petra.

The agency quoted the ministry's spokesperson, Haidar Gammaz, as saying that the necessary measures to deal with the expected inclement weather have been taken, with the ministry opening an operations room to coordinate with companies working in the sector to ensure that households' fuel needs are covered.

Ministry teams are also be monitoring gas stations and warehouses to ensure their readiness for next week's snow.

Gammaz urged households to rationalise power and fuel consumption during the forecast weather conditions.

AMMAN — The EU sees Jordan as a principal ally and will continue its support to the refugee-burdened Kingdom especially during this critical conjecture, the union's ambassador to the Kingdom said on Wednesday.

EU Ambassador Andrea Matteo Fontana's remarks came during a joint press conference with the Dutch Ambassador to Jordan Paul van den IJssel to introduce the Netherlands assuming the rotating presidency of the EU.

"A strong partnership between the EU and Jordan has never been more important than now, where Jordan is at the forefront of the fight against terrorism and has shown tremendous solidarity in hosting Syrian refugees," Fontana said.

"The EU stands by Jordan and remains deeply committed to support the people and the government of Jordan in addressing the immense challenges," he added.

Expressing the EU's appreciation for Jordan's humanitarian assistance to Syrian refuges, Fontana said: "However, we do not take Jordan for granted. The EU is committed to working with Jordan on a holistic response to the Syrian refugee crisis."

The ambassador also said that the EU financial support for refugee-plagued Jordan "has been very substantial, reaching over 1 billion euro in bilateral and crisis-related support since the onset of the crisis".

Among the other key Jordan-EU priorities in 2016, according to Fontana, is to enhance cooperation in security and counter-terrorism, and strengthen political dialogue, economy, trade, development cooperation, migration/mobility, education, science and culture within the European Neighbourhood Policy.  

Finding a political solution to Syria's nearly five-year-old war is the key to solving the refugee crisis, the diplomat noted, and the EU is working with the UN and other key players for that end.  

"We have to work on reducing the intensity of war in Syria so that people there can stay in their territories," Fontana said.

"For a better, sustainable and effective solution to Syria's refugee crisis, cooperation, coordination and support to Jordan is a must," said the Dutch ambassador.

As a president of the EU, Van den IJssel said the Netherlands will work on enhancing EU partnerships and cooperation with Jordan at all levels, citing the Kingdom's pivotal regional role and its economic challenges as a result of receiving large numbers of refugees.

In handling Europe's refugee crisis, the ambassador added that the Netherlands' approach will be focused primarily on laying down the necessary base for a dignified and decent reception of refugees.

Like Fontana, the Dutch diplomat said he believes that finding a political solution to the Syrian conflict is the key to resolving the resulting refugee crisis. "And then if we continue to see refugees, it is important that wherever they go, we can offer a safe and dignified reception."

"We are fully aware of the troubles Jordanian families face every day as a result of the refugees. We want to assist Jordan if we want to solve the refugee problem," Van den IJssel said.

As a president of the EU, he said Amsterdam will focus on four major priorities: a comprehensive migration policy and international security; Europe as innovator and job creator; sound, future-proof European finances and a robust eurozone; and forward-looking policy on climate and energy.

The presidency of the Council of the EU rotates among the EU member states every 6 months.

On January 1, the Netherlands took over the presidency from Luxembourg, according to an EU statement. 

The presidency is responsible for driving forward the council's work on EU legislation, and cooperation among the EU's 28 member states, ensuring continuity of the union's agenda.

AMMAN — When Civil Defence Department (CDD) officer Othman Dheimesh was asked why he rushed on his day off to help four children who were trapped in a fire, he simply replied: "Out of my nakhwa."

Dheimesh said any Jordanian involved in helping those in need might likewise attribute his or her actions to nakhwa, which translates into "gallantry".

"This is part of our culture and it is in my blood. For me, if I hear that someone needs any help, I do not think twice and I go immediately to help," he told The Jordan Times in a phone interview on Wednesday. 

"It simply took me around three minutes to finish the whole job [save the four children]. I was so happy to help them," he recalled.

Dheimesh's action is an example of, a "positive trend" evident in Jordanian society that entails immediate willingness to help people in need, according to Salem Balawi, president of Thabet Bin Aqram Al Balawi charity society in Zarqa.

Balawi attributed this passion for aiding others to the example of the Hashemite family, pointing to a 2013 video, which went viral on the Internet, showing His Majesty King Abdullah pushing a car stuck in the snow on the capital's Gardens (Wasfi Tal) Street during a snowstorm.

"All members of the Jordanian community follow the Royal example. The Kingdom has been hosting many communities that fled the horror of war to a safe place where they found people full of nakhwa to help them," he added. 

University of Jordan sociology professor Majd Adeen Khamash said the word nakhwa expresses a balance between economic and social benefit, in which social benefit encourages citizens to finally sacrifice economic benefit for the sake of helping people. 

"We [Jordanians] are still an agricultural community that stays together, helps people and does not sacrifice common benefit to individualism — a trend that is obvious in industrial communities, in which people are forced to move to cities, stay away from their family members and follow work requirements," the professor told The Jordan Times. 

"You can feel it [nakhwa] during difficult weather conditions, when people start posting their phone numbers in case other individuals need any help," he added. 

Adel Lambaz, the spokesperson of the Jordan 4x4 Club, cited his organisation's efforts to provide transportation to stranded people during snowstorms.

The group, which now consists of 130 vehicles, "became registered as an official voluntary group for the CDD", he told The Jordan Times. 

Sanad Abu Assaf, founder of the volunteer organisation Spirit of Jordan, highlighted the prevalence of such groups doing good work in the Kingdom, but said these efforts need support from official institutions.

"You can help a poor person who needs food or clothes, but you cannot end poverty, so all the institutions, companies and sectors need to work together with volunteers to help end the hardships people face," he added. 

Balawi agreed that if nakhwa becomes more systematic and is embodied in institutions, the outcomes will be more tangible. 

Meanwhile, Warrant Officer Omar Balawneh's main concern is to keep the "positive spirit" ongoing. 

Balawneh, who rescued two Iraqi children at the Dead Sea, swimming for 12 hours to save Maryam, 13, and Maher, 11, last year, was honoured by His Majesty King Abdullah with the Order of Dedication and Sacrifice. 

"It is a beautiful feeling. This was one of many incidents I have faced and I will do my best to continue such actions." 

AMMAN — Authorities are investigating a group of poachers who allegedly shot down about a dozen of the Rhim gazelle, an internationally endangered species, in the eastern desert on the Jordanian-Syrian border, according to authorities and conservationists.

"They [the suspects] were arrested, investigated with and referred for legal action," the director of the Environment Police (Rangers), Imad Shawawrah, told The Jordan Times on Wednesday.

Public Security Department Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi said the authorities are questioning the suspects.

"We cannot unveil any more details until the investigation is over," Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

Photos of hunters from a Gulf country posing behind a line of at least a dozen killed Rhim gazelles and — in other photos —decorating their vehicles, which carried Qatari licence plates, with the bleeding shot animals were widely circulated on social media.

The photos sparked an outrage among the public and conservationists, who described the incident as "genocide".

In a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times, the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) said that based on the photos of the "crime", the gazelles were shot down near Hadalat Dam, which is close to the Jordanian-Syrian border, an off-limit border zone even to the RSCN's inspectors.

"The hunting of the gazelles is in breach of Jordanian laws," the RSCN said in the statement, calling on the government to investigate and punish those who allowed the hunters to go inside the area and hunt.

RSCN Director General Yehya Khalid said that a dozen Rhim gazelles were shot down, some of which were pregnant.

"Rhim gazelles exist in Jordan in the eastern desert in the buffer zone between the Jordan, Syria and Iraq borders. They used to be found in abundant numbers in the past, but with illegal hunting, the population dropped and they are now categorised as globally endangered," Khalid told The Jordan Times.

Under a 2008 by-law on wild birds and animals whose hunting is banned according to their protection status, the Rhim gazelle is listed under appendix one.

Meanwhile, appendix 56 of the Agriculture Law number 13 for the year 2015, which was issued in the Official Gazette in April last year, stipulates that it is illegal to hunt down wild birds and animals without obtaining a licence. 

It is also illegal to hunt in areas and times where and when hunting is not permitted. 

The same appendix also stipulates that it is illegal to kill, possess, transport, sell or display for selling wild birds and animals.

Those who violate the law and hunt animals and birds categorised under the first appendix of the 2008 by-law on wild birds and animals, including the Rhim gazelle, are jailed for four months and fined JD2,000 for every hunted wild animal or bird.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List indicates that the Rhim gazelle, also known as the slender-horned gazelle, is endangered, as the total population is estimated at 250 mature individuals, "although population data are very sparse".

The IUCN Red List indicates that the current population trend of the species is decreasing, noting that the main threat is hunting/poaching, while disturbance and degradation of natural habitats through desertification also have a negative impact.

AMMAN — Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, on Wednesday announced an agreement to develop a commercially driven utility-scale 200 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic solar plant for the Energy Ministry.

The agreement comes less than one month after Masdar and its partners inaugurated the 117MW Tafileh wind farm in the Kingdom, a statement from the company said.

The agreement was formalised during the World Future Energy Summit, part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week — an annual gathering on sustainability in the Middle East.

“Jordan is a key market for Masdar in the MENA region. With regional energy demand set to double by 2030, we believe the majority of that growth will be met from renewable energy," the statement quoted Ahmad Belhoul, CEO of Masdar, as saying.

"This growth represents a strong business case for renewables, not just in Jordan, but also across the wider MENA region,” he added.

Energy Minister Ibrahim Saif said: “This project is an investment in Jordan’s future energy security. It reflects the vision of His Majesty King Abdullah to reduce the Kingdom’s reliance on imported energy and limit our carbon footprint." 

"We believe the project will stimulate the investment climate for similar renewable energy projects in Jordan and will strengthen our status as a new and important destination for renewable energy investments in the region," the statement quoted Saif as saying.

The announced solar plant is Masdar’s second major investment in Jordan, the statement said. 

In December, it delivered the Tafileh wind farm, a joint venture between Inframed, EPGE and Masdar, that will account for almost 6.5 per cent of Jordan’s 1,800MW renewable energy target for 2020. 

The 117MW installation will create enough electricity to power 83,000 homes while reducing the country’s carbon emissions by 235,000 tonnes annually.

Both the solar project and the Tafileh wind farm are in line with Jordan’s vision to diversify its energy sources and promote greater reliance on renewable energy. 

Jordan imports around 96 per cent of its energy needs at a cost equivalent to 20 per cent of its gross domestic product.

Masdar, owned by Mubadala, has committed more than $1.7 billion to renewable energy developments, with those investments helping to deliver nearly 1 gigawatt of clean power in the United Arab Emirates and many countries across the globe, the statement said.

AMMAN — Police on Wednesday said they were investigating the death of a 75-year-old man in Irbid, whose body was found left on a side road.

The victim was found by bystanders lying on the side road in Alia Suburb in Irbid. They covered him with a blanket and notified the authorities, Public Security Department Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi said.

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

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, a senior medical source said.

“Shotar concluded that the injuries on the victim’s body indicate that he was hit by a vehicle,” the medical source told The Jordan Times.

Sartawi said that police have not officially been notified of the pathologists' report.

“Once we receive the official autopsy report, then we will intensify our investigations into the incident,” the police official said.

Sartawi added that if it is proven that it was a hit-and-run incident, “then we will start searching for the involved vehicle”.

AMMAN — Two people died and 11 others were injured in various accidents on Wednesday, according to the Civil Defence Department (CDD). A 33-year-old died and two people were injured in a two-vehicle collision on the Airport Road, a CDD statement said.

In another accident, a vehicle overturned on the Airport Road resulting in one death and one injury. Moreover, five people were injured after two vehicles collided in Zarqa, the CDD added. In Amman, three people suffered breathing difficulties after inhaling gas leaked from a heater.

CDD personnel transferred the injured to hospitals, where they were reported to be in fair condition, according to the statement.

AMMAN — Responding to a severe drop in tourist arrivals to the Kingdom since the start of conflicts in the region, young Jordanians have launched a campaign to promote “social tourism” to potential visitors, the campaign's organisers said on Wednesday.

“#StepforJordan”, a campaign created by I-Dare, which is a social organisation for sustainable development, aims at connecting local communities in several areas of Jordan with tourists worldwide through an online platform, according to I-Dare Co-Founder and Director Iyad Jaber. 

The campaign was launched earlier this week on Zoomal, the Arab platform for crowdfunding, to raise money to implement the programme.

“Our target audience is young people and their supporters. We work on improving tourism on many levels," Jaber told The Jordan Times.

He added that the campaign has started mapping sites suitable for social tourism, which can offer visitors opportunities for volunteer work and cultural exchange, starting with villages in Ajloun and Salt.

Volunteers from the campaign met with families in rural areas who might be willing to host tourists for a day or two, introducing them to the concept and the needs of tourist groups, the director explained.

“Tourists will be hosted by families living in areas not often visited by foreigners, where they would be introduced to Jordanian culture by experiencing it for themselves through trying traditional dishes and the daily life of residents,” Jaber said.

The next step after mapping is the launch of an electronic platform for tourists with a particular interest in social tourism, he explained, adding that the platform will be in the form of a travel blog to share experiences and reviews.

“Not only would the local community gain knowledge, the campaign will also provide job opportunities and an income for young people,” Jaber added.

“This is important for our society, especially for women living in rural areas, since some of them don’t go out of their houses. The experience would be their window to the world to get to know other cultures from home.”

Families in Ajloun and Salt gave positive feedback when informed about the campaign, according to Jaber. “They are accepting new ideas and respecting other cultures more.”

“Social tourism also indirectly reduces the phenomenon of xenophobia,” he said.

The campaign director noted that the murder of Jordanian air force pilot Muath Kasasbeh by the Daesh terror group last year caused some people to fear instability in the country and cancel their trips, resulting in a major hit to tourism in the Kingdom.

“We aim to make clear that we do not live in a state of war, and to end fear of the ‘other’,” he said.

The campaign also plans to “contribute to a socioeconomic improvement” of the country through responsible tourism, said Sara Centellas Portet of I-Dare.

“We encourage social tourism to promote the tourism sector, yet with a social value, by engaging the local community — to give tourists awareness of the concerns of the locals,” she told The Jordan Times.

“Members of the campaign want to give more visibility to Jordan, especially in the social media and digital fields... to be different and more competitive in promoting Jordan.”

More information on how to contribute or volunteer are available on the campaign’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/idareorg1, and the Twitter handle @Idare0. 

AMMAN — Tourism Minister Nayef Al Fayez on Wednesday met with his counterparts from Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Bulgaria on the sidelines of the 36th International Tourism Trade Fair 2016 in Spain and discussed ways to enhance cooperation.

Fayez briefed his counterparts and other sector representatives on the Kingdom’s efforts to improve tourism as well as Jordan’s tourist attractions, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.