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AMMAN —The Public Security Department cybercrime combating unit on Thursday warned against the theft of social media accounts.

Potential account thieves could send a message to social media users using a friend’s account that includes a link requiring the re-input of the username and password, exposing the account to hacking, according to the cybercrime combating unit, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

AMMAN — Border Guards received 102 Syrian refugees during the past 48 hours, a military source said Thursday.

The Border Guards transferred the refugees to shelters and camps, the source added. Royal Medical Services cadres treated the ill and wounded, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

AMMAN — Two women, aged 45 and 18 years, died and four members of their family suffered smoke inhalation in a fire that erupted on Thursday in a two-storey building in the capital’s Sahab District, according to a Civil Defence Department (CDD) statement. The women died of third-degree burns.

Firefighters contained the blaze and the injured were taken to Tutanji Hospital, where they were listed in fair condition.

An investigation committee was formed to identify the cause of the fire, according to the statement.

AMMAN — Royal Jordanian (RJ) on Thursday asked its passengers travelling via Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) to be present at the terminal three hours prior to their flight departure as of January 5.

“This request is addressed to Economy Class passengers travelling to all international destinations in light of new procedures related to baggage inspection before arrival at the check-in counters,” RJ said in a statement.

“The move will help RJ avoid congestion,” the airline added. The request does not include RJ’s Crown Class passengers, who have to arrive at the airport two hours prior to their departure, as usual. RJ travellers to Aqaba have to be at the airport one hour before their flight. 

AMMAN — Interpol’s office in Amman this week arrested five wanted suspects, according to a Public Security Department (PSD) statement. Two suspects were arrested while attempting to enter the Kingdom. One of them is an Iraqi required to appear before the Amman prosecutor general for writing a $4.4 million fake cheque, and the other is a Jordanian required to appear before the West Amman prosecutor general for writing a JD260,000 fake cheque.

The other suspects are an Iraqi wanted by the Iraqi authorities for abuse of office and theft of public funds; a Palestinian wanted by the Saudi authorities for reportedly smuggling narcotics; and a Jordanian wanted by the Romanian judicial authorities for money laundering and fraud, the PSD said. The three suspects were referred to local judicial authorities to process the requests to transfer them to other countries.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday expressed pride in meeting with the people of Zarqa Governorate, recalling his memories of his earlier days when he joined the army and expressing his understanding of the governorate's problems.    

At a meeting with dignitaries and representatives of Zarqa Governorate at the Royal Court, the King said it was in Zarqa "where I had many memories since my early days with the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army and where I have made  friendships with many of Zarqa's people during my military service." 

"I am aware of the challenges facing the governorate, especially regarding the environment, services and the population density problem," the King told the governorate representatives, according to a statement by the Royal Court.  

At the meeting, which came in line with the King’s commitment to keep in contact with all Jordanians throughout the Kingdom, the King re-asserted that “combating poverty and unemployment is a priority for us”. 

“For years, I have been highlighting the importance of focusing on the economy,” he said.

As for the country’s security and stability, the King assured Jordanians that they remain intact. 

This year, the Jordanian people will celebrate the centennial of the Great Arab Revolt and the 70th anniversary of the Kingdom’s independence, he noted, pointing out that “there is a lot of work ahead to achieve the aspired progress”. 

The King expressed his confidence in the Jordan Armed Forces and security bodies, noting that they are capable of protecting Jordan, emphasising that his main concern is to improve the Jordanian people’s standards of living.

“I am not worried about the political, security and military situation.  The Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army and the security bodies are capable of protecting Jordan,” he said.

“Our duty today is to improve Jordanians’ standards of living, as a main goal for all of us.”

He noted that a main challenge facing Jordan is that it imports a large part of its energy needs from abroad, in addition to fact that it is now hosting a large number of Syrian refugees, “which have affected the state budget”.

The King voiced appreciation for countries assisting Jordan to shoulder the burdens of the current refugee crisis, noting that over the past year some 25 per cent of the state budget was used to deal with the Syrian refugee crisis, “not only for camps, but also for services in the health, education and energy sectors”.

Expressing his pride in the Jordanian people, he said countries from around the world help Jordan due to their respect of the Jordanian people and their historic role in enduring the regional problems. The King thanked the Jordanian people for their patience and endurance.

“Wherever we go, we find love and appreciation from the world for the Jordanian people and for Jordan’s historic role in handling regional problems”.

Despite regional and global pressures, “I draw my strength from my people”, the King said.

King Abdullah highlighted this year’s opportunities for improving economic conditions, noting that an important conference will be held in Britain at the beginning of next month with the participation of a large number of Western countries. The gathering, His Majesty said, will focus on ways to deal with the issue of Syrian refugees, worldwide, in general, and in Jordan, in particular. 

These countries will discuss ways to assist the government of Jordan and the budget, to alleviate domestic and external debt, in a manner that helps complete the implementation of development projects across the Kingdom from the north to the south. 

“The most important part for us is how to combat poverty and unemployment,” the King said, adding that this would be achieved through increasing investments across the Kingdom and providing job opportunities for Jordanians and a fraction of Syrian refugees. 

“Several opportunities have been wasted in the past due to regional problems but we hope that during this year, we will not waste the golden opportunity that Jordan has at the conference, as there is a chance to rectify conditions and to draw more support and assistance,” King Abdullah told the gathering. 

“We have exerted a lot of efforts over the past six months, as part of coordination with different countries to assist us,” he added, noting that the government, ministers and officials should cooperate and coordinate because drawing assistance is an urgent matter. 

There is no place for personal agendas at work, he said, pointing out that Jordan’s success in drawing assistance will reflect positively on the country in the coming years. 

Pointing out that citizens are the only ones who suffer at the end of the day due to hindrances and delays, the King stressed the importance of collective efforts, reiterating that this year holds a great deal of opportunities, and “it is up to us to prove our ability and flexibility, in the government and at the Parliament, to benefit from them”. 

The King said the opportunities ahead are enough to make us work so that the New Year, the Centennial of the Great Arab Revolt, will be a landmark on the road of progress and achievement.  

Speaking at the meeting, Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh said His Majesty has directed the concerned authorities at the Royal Court to see to the implementation of a number of Royal initiatives to improve services in Zarqa, some 22km east of Amman.

The initiatives include building 45 housing units for underprivileged families in coordination with the Social Development Ministry and constructing a new building for the King Abdullah II School for Excellence in the governorate.

Moreover, a factory to manufacture containers will be established to provide 20 job opportunities for residents and to provide the municipality with garbage dumpsters, Tarawneh said.

The King also issued directives to support cooperatives and charity societies, Tarawneh noted, to enable them to implement small income-generating projects to support underprivileged families.

Tarawneh added that the Royal initiatives also include revamping five public parks in the governorate and constructing or rehabilitating four mini pitches in several areas.

Those present at the meeting voiced their pride in getting the opportunity to meet the King, stressing the strong ties that unite Jordanians with their leadership.

They called for improving healthcare, educational and municipal services in the governorate.

The Zarqa representatives also commended the King’s initiatives in education and his efforts to defend Islamic and Christian sites in Jerusalem and urge the world to resolve the Palestinian issue.

Moreover, they lauded the His Majesty’s work to defend Islam and counter attempts by the “khawarej” (the outlaws of Islam) to distort its image.

Sheikh Deifallah Qallab said every Jordanian is proud of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army and security services for their efforts to defend the country, calling for more support to servicemen.

Khaled Zyoud, president of the General Trade Union of Workers in Petrochemicals, called for establishing investment projects in Zarqa to alleviate poverty and unemployment.

Former MP Salameh Ghweiri, who vowed support for the country’s anti-extremism drive and support for Jerusalem, called for supporting infrastructure projects in Zarqa.

For his part, former senator Mustafa Fayyad noted that some parties attempt to tarnish Jordan’s efforts to support Palestine and the holy places, stressing that Jordanians of all origins and backgrounds back their leadership as it endeavours to help the Palestinians achieve self-determination through establishing their independent state.

Zarqa Mayor Imad Momani emphasised that all government agencies in Zarqa are keen on the best municipal services, noting the need to implement some vital projects such as a household products exhibition, a “culture street” to encourage cultural activities and the rapid transit bus.

A women’s activist, Nuwara Zyoud, praised women empowerment efforts in the governorate, while former MP Mohammad Arsalan called for conducting a study that highlights promising economic sectors that are likely to generate jobs and the establishment of an industrial zone to streamline the “distorted” industrial environment in the district. 

Representing Azraq area in the east desert, Shakeeb Shomary urged support for entrepreneurs through the Governorates Fund. 

Other community leaders and public figures took turns to speak, with all voicing support for the Hashemite leadership and underlining the needs of Zarqa. 

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday reviewed in separate telephone calls with Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz regional developments, according to a Royal Court statement.

In the two telephone calls, talks focused on Saturday’s assaults on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, which the statement described as “a blatant violation of international conventions”.

His Majesty renewed Jordan’s full support for Saudi Arabia in its efforts to combat terrorism and extremism and to protect its security and stability.

His Majesty strongly condemned the attacks on the Saudi embassy in Tehran, the statement said.

For their part, the Saudi monarch and deputy crown prince thanked Jordan for its stand and support, the Royal Court added. 

AMMAN — The World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Wednesday that it has sufficient funding to provide food assistance to 526,000 vulnerable Syrian refugees in Jordan for the first five months of the current year.

“This is the first time since December 2013 when we managed to receive enough funding to secure assistance over the next five months,” Shaza Moghraby, the WFP's spokesperson in Jordan, told The Jordan Times in an e-mail interview.

Moghraby said the funding was made available through new “generous” contributions from various donors, adding that predictable sources of funding are extremely important, as “hunger can push people to take desperate measures”. 

“This was so clear in a rapid assessment conducted by WFP in October 2015 that measured the impact of food assistance cuts last September on vulnerable Syrian families in Jordan,” she noted.

 Moghraby said the assessment showed that after the WFP food assistance was cut, almost half of the families interviewed said they would consider leaving Jordan, either for Europe (20 per cent) or back to Syria (26 per cent), if they did not receive further aid.

In addition, the assessment found that 75 per cent of families engaged in more severe coping strategies to pay for their basic food needs, including withdrawing their children from school, sending underage children to work, and borrowing money or begging.

According to the current funding levels, WFP will be providing JD15 per person per month to almost 210,000 refugees living outside camps classified as extremely vulnerable and JD10 per person per month to 226,000 refugees living outside camps classified as vulnerable until the end of May. 

All refugees living in camps will continue to receive the full value of JD20 per person per month to meet their food needs, according to Moghraby.

Highlighting the food assistance programme's impact on the local economy, the WFP official noted that “since the start of voucher operations, WFP has injected over $428 million into the Jordanian retail economy”.

Share the meal

In November 2015, the WFP launched the “Share the Meal” initiative, which is an application enabling people to donate using smartphones and to "share their meals" with children in need.

“We are currently raising funds to feed children who have fled the conflict in Syria to Jordan. This is the fifth year away from home for many Syrian children and their families, who are in dire need,” Moghraby said, adding that “our current goal is to provide school snacks to 20,000 Syrian children in refugee camps in Jordan for a full year”.

She noted that following the global launch of the “ShareTheMeal” app, “250,000 people have downloaded the app and donated more than 3.6 million meals”.

According to the initiative's website (sharethemeal.org), it costs $0.5 for the WFP to feed one child for a day: “This is the global average cost, which may vary depending on the region and situation. If actual costs are lower than $0.5 per child and day, monies are, of course, used to feed additional children."

“Food assistance in developing countries is usually significantly less expensive than in high-income countries,” the website added.

AMMAN — The northern town of Ramtha has been witnessing "unprecedented" traffic jams due to its growing population, which includes a large number of Syrian refugees, its mayor said Wednesday. 

Ramtha Mayor Ibrahim Saqqar said the border town's infrastructure is struggling to accommodate the rising number of cars carrying Syrian licence plates.

Eighty per cent of municipality's budget, Saqqar added, is allocated for rehabilitating the infrastructure of Ramtha, some 90km north of Amman.

The town's population has gone up from 80,000 four years ago to over 150,000, the mayor said in previous remarks to The Jordan Times.

Saqqar did not have figures on how many cars there were in the city, but noted that the influx of the Syrian refugees has doubled the number of vehicles. 

"We can clearly see Syrian cars on the streets, but as Jordanians it is our duty to sympathise with them," he added.

The mayor said Ramtha used to be a destination for merchants before the Syrian crisis, with many of them driving across the border into Syria to buy goods. 

"However, we did not have problems with traffic jams — at least not to the extent we are experiencing these days".

To alleviate road congestion, the Ramtha Police Department, in cooperation with the Traffic Department, has launched an initiative to regulate traffic by facilitating the movement of cars, shoppers and pedestrians, an official source told The Jordan Times in a phone interview.

"We started implementing the initiative in Banks' Street, which always witnesses traffic jams. We discussed the issue with the directors of the banks and they all praised the initiative and promised to cooperate with us," Saqqar said.

Six banks are located on the vital street, which witnesses frequent traffic jams, according to the mayor. 

AMMAN — The Foreign Ministry plans to relocate its affiliated office for attesting certificates again since the building in Shmeisani, rented just a year ago, lacks parking lots and due to complaints by area residents. 

In early 2015, the Foreign Ministry moved the office for attesting certificates from the 1st Circle in Jabal Amman to the current premises on Salem Hindawi Street in the capital’s Shmeisani area, as the old one was found no longer suitable to serve the public.

Mowafaq Smeirat, head of the office, told The Jordan Times on Wednesday that the ministry is currently looking for another building, as residents of the relatively narrow street have complained of traffic jams caused by the lack of parking spaces.

The two-storey villa was rented for JD35,000 a year, according to a letter Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh sent to Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on November 13, 2014, requesting his approval to rent the premises.

On Wednesday morning, only one employee was serving a long queue of people at the office, although there were eight windows for this purpose. 

Khaled Kawthar, who was waiting to be served, said he was unhappy about standing in a queue for nearly 15 minutes because there was only one employee at the service desk. 

Smeirat said the office needs to be staffed with more employees, but insisted that the waiting time is still reasonable. 

But Tawfiq Abdullah, who wanted to have some documents attested, noted that clients would only have to wait for a few minutes if there were two more employees at the service windows.