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AMMAN — The Near East Council of Churches Committee for Refugee Work issued an aid appeal to churches in the Act Alliance organisation, to donate JD1.325 million in order to continue the project to serve Syrian and Iraqi refugees in Jordan in 2016, an Act Alliance statement said Tuesday.

In 2015, Act Alliance’s relief efforts benefitted 77,730 refugees in Irbid, Amman, Madaba, Balqa, Aqaba, Jerash, Zarqa and Karak.

AMMAN — Building codes, ways to renew them and ensure they are adhered to were the highlight of a meeting held on Tuesday.

Although barriers to implement sustainable, environment and disability-friendly building codes still in place, whether in terms of resources or legislation, stakeholders said they are committed to ensuring optimal compliance with national building codes.

The meeting, attended by Royal Scientific Society (RSS) President HRH Princess Sumaya, was held to point out shortcomings related to building codes and ways to address them.

Representatives from the Jordan National Building Council, the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, the RSS, the Greater Amman Municipality, and associations of engineers and contractors took part in the gathering.

The codes for using cranes, fire prevention and thermal insulation were discussed along with ways to take stiffer penalties against violators.

Public Works Minister Sami Halaseh noted that the Jordanian National Building Law stipulates that all construction and renovation works in the Kingdom should be implemented according to studies conducted by engineering firms and accredited by the Jordan Engineers Association.

They should also be executed by a Jordanian contractor, added the minister.

“The Jordan National Building Council checks mega-projects in terms of the safety of the buildings,” Halaseh highlighted.

AMMAN — Members of Jordanian indie band Zaed Naes, one of the groups contributing to a boom in the Jordanian alternative music scene over the past decade, are seeing a change in regional audiences’ taste in music from commercial radio fare to a wider range of styles.

“We already feel the cry for change towards less commercially repeated ideas. It shows in the increasing number of fans following not only Zaed Naes, but a lot of other Jordanian artists as well,” Basel Naouri, who plays the trumpet and keyboard, told The Jordan Times in a recent interview.

Founded in 2008, the group, whose name means “Plus Minus” in Arabic, has had increasing success on the regional music scene, according to Naouri.

“We had a number of shows this year, two of which were out of Jordan. We performed in Beirut and Cairo, which was one of the best experiences for us so far. We collaborated with Maii Waleed from Egypt on a number of tracks.” he said.

Naouri explained that while the group’s three members — the others are Ammar Urabi  on drums and Amjad Shahrour on bass, guitar and vocals — were involved in projects as diverse as a jazz group and an Arabic rock band prior to Zaed Naes’ beginnings, their sound did not begin to gel until two years later, when they completed studies abroad.

“It was as if we got introduced to music all over again, experimenting with sound and going crazy with our instruments, as if we wanted to reach a certain sound that we all visualise but can’t really define,” recalled the musician.

Electronic music was “the major game changer”, he said, and the group was inspired by the idea of achieving an electronically produced sound while still playing with the same set of instruments they had  in hand.

With the band’s overall sound as the main goal — not just songs or melodies — daily practice over about a year and a half led to new styles, ideas and — eventually — tracks, Naouri said.

The band members felt freed when those constraints imposed by styles or genres disappeared, he explained.

“The idea of having one style, or a genre to fit in was not what we looked for...we tried to match sounds and frequencies that best suit each other. In other words we started the music production process parallel to the composition process, which makes this project not just another band,” Naouri stressed.

“We collaborate with singers, other musicians, video artists and visual artists to try and create a clear idea of what Zaed Naes’ sound represents,” he added.

The musician observed that perception of music and art as “a hobby, not a real job” in Jordanian society is a major obstacle faced by young people aspiring to those professions.

 “Art in Jordan is not on the same page as medicine, engineering or any other ‘decent job’, “ he said. “We have to try to cope with this idea, as it seems to dominate the minds of the majority around us!”

 Nevertheless, Jordanian audiences are increasingly recognising the significance of culture in society, Naouri argued.

 “People around us are more aware of the importance of art and music in particular in transforming ideas into experiences and new grounds to build on.”

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has upheld an April Criminal Court ruling sentencing two men to prison terms ranging from 25 to 13 years for the murder and sodomy of a man in the Jordan Valley in March 2012.

The Criminal Court declared the main defendant, a repeat criminal offender, guilty of murder and sodomy and handed him 25 years in prison.

“The sentence for such offences is usually 20 years, but because the defendant is a repeat offender, the tribunal decided to increase the prison term by five years,” the Criminal Court ruled.

The second defendant received a 13-year-and-four-month prison term for complicity in murder.    

The Criminal Court said the defendants and the victim met in prison and remained friends afterwards.

A few days before the incident, the court transcripts said, one of the main defendant’s friends informed him that the victim claimed that they both engaged in sexual activities, which angered the defendant.

On February 29, the two defendants headed to the victim’s house to investigate his claims.

“The victim denied the claims, but the defendants did not believe him. They pinned him to the ground and the main defendant sexually assaulted him then stabbed him in the waist,” the Criminal Court said.

The defendants took the victim in their car, dumped him in front of his family’s home and fled, according to the court.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died on March 3, the court added.

The defendants contested the verdict, claiming that their intention was only “to harm the defendant to scare him, not kill him; therefore, they deserve a lower sentence”, the court said. 

However, the Cassation Court, which issued its ruling recently, ruled that the Criminal Court followed the proper procedures and the punishment was appropriate.

The Cassation Court tribunal comprised judges Mahmoud Ababneh, Basel Abu Anzeh, Yassin Abdullat, Mohammad Tarawneh and Bassem Mubeidin.

AMMAN — A polar front is expected to affect the Kingdom on Thursday, bringing heavy rain and snow and causing temperatures to dip well below their annual average, the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) said on Tuesday.

The impact of the polar front is expected to deepen on Friday, JMD meteorologist Raed Rafed said, noting that the weather will start to gradually stabilise as of Saturday night.

“The polar front will cause temperatures to drop nine degrees below their annual average of 13ºC during this time of the year and will also bring snow to areas 1,000 metres above sea level and higher on Friday,” Rafed told The Jordan Times.

On Wednesday, a slight drop in temperatures is expected and the weather will be cold and cloudy with scattered showers in the western and southwestern regions.

Winds will be westerly moderate to brisk at times and temperatures will range between a high of 12ºC and a low of 5ºC at night in Amman, raising dust in the desert, the JMD said.

Another drop in mercury levels is forecast for Thursday, when the “very cold” polar front will take effect, Rafed said.

The weather will be cold and cloudy with rain forecast in the northern and central regions, he added, noting that by night time, rainfall will become heavier and will be accompanied by thunderstorms.

Winds will be westerly brisk and gusty and temperatures will be 9ºC during the day, dropping to 4ºC at night in Amman, the forecaster said.

“The impact of the polar front is expected to deepen on Friday, when a tangible drop in temperatures is forecast. The weather will be very cold and rainy with thunderstorms and snow also expected,” Rafed said.

Daytime temperatures will be 4ºC, dropping to -1ºC in Amman at night, he added.

“The weather on Saturday will remain very cold and cloudy with scattered showers forecast, and snowfall over mountainous areas. But by night time, the impact of the polar front will start to ease off,” Rafed said.   

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday sent a cable of condolences to Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz over the death of Prince Saud Bin Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz.

In the cable, His Majesty expressed his sympathies to the Saudi king and people, a Royal Court statement said.

AMMAN — Border Guards received 43 Syrian refugees during the past 24 hours and sent them to shelters and camps, a military source told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, on Tuesday. Royal Medical Services cadres provided healthcare services to the ill and injured.

AMMAN — Sixteen families in the Northern Mazar District on Tuesday received keys for their new homes, built as part of a Royal initiative to provide housing for underprivileged citizens across the Kingdom.

At the ceremony, Royal Court Secretary General Yousef Issawi presented the families with the keys, in the presence of Social Development Minister Reem Abu Hassan and representatives of different entities in the district.

His Majesty King Abdullah was acquainted with the conditions of these families during field visits to check on the conditions of several families, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

AMMAN — With around 4,900 people diagnosed with cancer every year in Jordan, many items used every day can increase the possibility of contracting the disease, according to specialists.

Cancerous material is found in items used on a daily basis, such as water bottles, plastic bags, cups and plates, according to Sana Sukhun, consultant in medical oncology and haematology and president of the Jordanian Oncology Society. 

In remarks in March, Asem Mansour, the director of the King Hussein Cancer Centre, said cancer is the second most common cause of death in the Kingdom after cardiovascular diseases.

“Plastic water bottles include a carcinogen, a substance that can cause cancer in living tissue,” Sukhun told The Jordan Times recently.  

If water bottles are exposed to extreme temperatures — either high or low — using them increases the possibility of causing cancer, Sukhun added.

Mohammad Dweiri, an oncologist, said plastic has elements that raise the risk of developing cancer. 

“When using plastic bags, plates and cups and heating them, high temperatures can also add more chemicals to the container,” he said, noting that although microwaving is a convenient way to heat food, it might lead to cancer when using certain types of containers. 

“Plastic water bottles as well are not safe to use… those that we reuse multiple times or leave in our cars in the sun for days are dangerous,” Dweiri told The Jordan Times. 

Smoking can also cause cancer, according to Sukhun.

“We always hear the saying that ‘so many people smoke and don’t get cancer’, yet, 90 per cent of lung cancer patients are smokers,” she noted, emphasising that electronic cigarettes can cause the activation of carcinogen. 

The expert added that excessive drinking, too, is a habit associated with gastrointestinal cancer.

“One third of the cancer cases we see are due to smoking and one third of the cases are caused by bad diets and habits,” she said. 

Sukhun added that red or processed meat can cause colon and breast cancer. “Include meat in your diet only once or twice a week; do not avoid it completely, but try to limit its consumption,” she advised, calling for moderation in everything.

Excessive consumption of sugar, Sukhun explained, leads to obesity, which can cause several types of cancer such as breast, prostate, colon and endometrial cancer. 

“None of the most popular junk foods has been directly associated with cancer; however, none of them was linked to the prevention of it or enhancing the immune system,” she said.

Sukhun emphasised the importance of including vegetables and fruits in daily meals as “they help in fighting the disease”. 

“The Mediterranean diet is so much healthier than we think. It has a lower risk of cancer. Olive oil, for example, according to a recent study, is safer than corn oil for frying,” Sukhun said.

“We encourage a healthy, active lifestyle. Try to walk every half an hour. Brisk walk two to three times a week; avoid direct sun exposure from 10am to 4pm and limit exposure to ultraviolet rays to 30 minutes.”

AMMAN — The state-owned National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) is scheduled to float several tenders in 2016 to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments, Abdel Fattah Daradkeh, the company’s director general, said Monday.

Shell provides Jordan with about 80 per cent of its energy needs at present and the company will float a tender to buy the remaining 20 per cent of its LNG needs from international markets, Daradkeh said in a phone interview.

According to the official, Jordan generates about 80 per cent of its energy needs via LNG after the opening of an LNG terminal in Aqaba in mid this year, which has enabled the Kingdom to start importing LNG for power generation and gradually reduce dependence on heavy fuel and diesel.

NEPCO suffered heavy losses over the past five years due to disruption in natural gas supplies from Egypt and relying on expensive heavy fuel for power generation. 

The return to relying on LNG for electricity production in mid 2015 is a step that the government considers vital to reduce the national power bill and promises a brighter energy future for the country.

After incurring “huge” losses in past years following the halt of imports of natural gas from Egypt due to a series of explosions targeting the pipeline that used to supply the Kingdom, the energy bill used to constitute 20 per cent of the gross domestic product, according to official figures. 

NEPCO losses were estimated at around JD5 billion between 2011 and 2015. 

Some 350 million cubic feet of LNG are now pumped every day and used to generate electricity, according to NEPCO. 

The government reached an agreement with Shell under which the company provides Jordan with 150 million cubic feet of supply every day for the next five years.

Daradkeh said NEPCO has awarded a tender to two international companies to supply Jordan with two LNG shipments.

Under the tender, Switzerland’s Gunvor will provide Jordan with a shipment of LNG of about 3-3.5 trillion British thermal units on March 24.

Spain’s Gas Natural will also provide Jordan with a 3-3.5 trillion British thermal units of LNG on February 13, said Daradkeh.