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AMMAN — A specialised juvenile centre that will cater to minors with serious crimes and extremist ideologies will open its doors in September next year, Minister of Social Development Reem Abu Hassan said Tuesday.

There are around 24 minors with serious violations such as murder, forced burglaries and terrorism-related cases, according to the minister.

“The government came to the conclusion that we need to have a special centre to be able to separate them from minors with lesser felonies,” Abu Hassan told The Jordan Times.

Since the end of 2014, she explained, the government has adopted several strategies to combat “terrorist and extremist thoughts upon directives by His Majesty King Abdullah”.

“Several ministries, including my ministry, have a major role in this strategy in addition to the police and other security agencies,” Abu Hassan said.

The minister added that part of the strategy is to focus on young people, “and this is one of the main reasons why this centre will be established”.

The Centre for Social Peace (CSP), affiliated to the Public Security Department, will have a role in the projected facility, Abu Hassan said.

“The CSP has dealt with cases of extremism at our correctional and rehabilitation centres and garnered experience to combat such ideologies. Surely, their knowledge will contribute to the [projected] centre’s role and objectives,” the minister explained.

The planned centre, which is currently under construction and will be located in one of the governorates, will open in September next year, Abu Hassan said.

“There are many developments in the region, including the increase in extremist ideologies, terrorism and the Syrian crisis. This requires that we adopt new measures to handle these developments in the best manner,” Abu Hassan stressed.

AMMAN — The authorities on Tuesday announced the seizure and confiscation of 130 exotic pythons, which were found in the possession of a man in the capital’s south.

The Rangers and the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) on Monday found the pythons after they received reports that a man in Amman was in possession of the exotic species.

“All of the pythons were smuggled into the Kingdom for trade purposes. They were destined for the regional market, not to be sold locally,” Abdul Razzaq Hmoud, director of the RSCN’s conservation and hunting regulation section, told The Jordan Times.

The pythons differed in colour and size, Hmoud said, noting that their sizes ranged between 10 centimetres and one metre.

“There is a growing market for pythons regionally, and social media outlets are paving the way for smugglers, traders and buyers to communicate more easily,” he said, noting that Jordan is a passage for smugglers, rather than a market.

The conservationist underscored that all of the confiscated pythons are listed under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Endangered Species.

“Such pythons are being sold for a minimum of $250 or for thousands of dollars, depending on their colours,” Hmoud noted.

The Rangers are currently investigating the man who was found in possession of the pythons to reveal how they were smuggled into the Kingdom and whether he was part of a network for smuggling animal species.

“The pythons we found are not poisonous; however, they pose multiple threats to public health as they could be carrying diseases. In addition, they could also become an invasive species and negatively affect the country’s biological system if they escape and reproduce,” Hmoud noted.

The confiscated pythons were sent to a local animal welfare centre, he said, noting that they will be sent back to their native countries.

BALQA/AMMAN — The Salt Municipality has finished 90 per cent of its file that will be submitted for nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage List, Mayor Khaled Khushman said Tuesday.

Work on the nomination started in September 2014, he said, with the municipality involving a number of international experts in the process.

"We wanted to present the heritage value of the city, and now we have a number of Jordanian historians who are also working with us in this project," Khushman told The Jordan Times over the phone.

The mayor said there is a government commitment to preserve the heritage value of the city, which was the capital of Transjordan, adding that the municipality decided to choose 25 buildings that illustrate the "golden age" of the city between 1865 and 1920.

"The buildings are classified into five categories, including religious sites that show coexistence in the city, commercial buildings and residential venues," he added.

Khushman said the municipality has set a number of requirements for families who want to renovate their houses so that their heritage value will not be affected.

Giovanni Fontana Antonelli, who is consultant with both UNESCO and the municipality and is among the experts working on the nomination file, said the city needs to produce evidence of authentic, historical, architectural or heritage values.

"Therefore, I proposed to focus on a specific period that is known as the golden age of Salt, also referring to the yellow colour of the stone," he told The Jordan Times in a recent interview in the city.

Antonelli described the evolution of the houses as "interesting", with the homes of peasants transformed into residences and palaces of a new emerging class.

"We selected these buildings to show this evolution," he added.

Khushman said experts are expected to visit the city, some 35km northwest of Amman, to ensure the government's commitment towards preserving the heritage value of the city in the future.

Antonelli said the deadline to submit the nomination to the World Heritage List is February 1, 2016.

He added that Salt's nomination has been under consideration in Jordan for many years, with attempts to submit the file in 1994 and in 2004. 

"The two previous experiences were done through local experts. The first did not succeed and the second was not finalised and was not even submitted," Antonelli added.

Jordan’s Baptism Site was recently inscribed to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, to become the fifth site in the Kingdom included in the list after Petra, Quseir Amra, Um Al Rassas and Wadi Rum.

AMMAN — Issuance of smart ID cards for citizens will start in May 2016, Marwan Qteishat, director general of the Civil Status and Passports Department, said Tuesday.

"When issuing the smart cards, we will include the biometric data of individuals. We will start with fingerprints and later include iris scans," he said over the phone.

The smart ID cards will initially contain basic information about citizens. They will later be used to replace the driving licences, health insurance and social security cards, Qteishat said.

"This is a very important project because smart cards are very efficient and will include all the required information about citizens. This one card can replace many cards in the future," said the official.

Discussions are under way on whether the cards will be issued at no charge or not for the first time, he said, adding that smart cards are highly secure.

In November, the Cabinet approved the procedures to move forward with the smart ID card project to be implemented in two stages in 2016.

Measures will be announced soon on how to register citizens. Five million smart ID cards will be issued in 2016, according to the government.

AMMAN — Jordanians usually put on weight in winter, according to a nutritionist, who blamed it on lifestyle changes during cold days. 

In winter, people spend more time at home than any other season, leading to a lack of movement and activity, nutrition expert Reema Tayyem told The Jordan Times over the phone on Tuesday.

In addition, some popular winter snacks such as sweet potatoes and chestnuts, which contain high amounts of calories, contribute to gaining more weight, Tayyem explained. 

"Lack of activity and high-calorie food are the main reasons behind gaining weight," she noted. 

"People have to concentrate on fruits, vegetables and grains due to their health benefits and richness in vitamin C, which enhances immunity and protects the body from diseases," Tayyem advised.

She warned of unreasonable consumption of sweets and fatty food, especially since high levels of sugar in the body could lead to more weight gain.

According to a study by Johns Hopkins Weight Management Centre, cold weather can interrupt workout routines, make people more likely to seek comfort foods like takeaways and cheese, and send people on a mood that can lead to overeating.

"Although seasonal weight gain varies from person to person, there have been surveys that show an average of a two-to-three-kilogramme gain in weight in winter," according to the study. 

Being overweight or obese is defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health, according to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) website.

A somewhat simple measurement of obesity is the body mass index (BMI), a person’s weight (in kilogrammes) divided by the square of his or her height (in metres). 

A person with a BMI of 30 or more is generally considered obese, while a person with a BMI equal to or more than 25 is considered overweight, according to WHO.

The state of being overweight or obese is connected to a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. 

Once considered a problem only in high-income countries, weight problems are now dramatically on the rise in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings, WHO said.

AMMAN — Jordan Valley farmers are planning to stage a sit-in next week in front of the Prime Ministry to protest "the government's negligence" over the losses they incurred during a recent frost spell, the union said Tuesday.

Jordan Valley Farmers Union President Adnan Khaddam said that during the recent frost spell hundreds of farmers incurred loses "worth tens of millions" of dinars.

"We call on the government to compensate the farmers for the losses they incurred during the frost spell that completely damaged thousands of dunums of zucchini, tomato, potato and eggplant, among other crops," Khaddam told The Jordan Times.

During the week-long frost spell that hit the majority of the Kingdom, temperatures in the usually warm Jordan Valley dipped to a low of -5ºC.

"Over 2.8 million people in the country directly or indirectly benefit from the agriculture sector, yet the government continues to turn a blind eye to our plight," Khaddam charged.

He underscored the importance of supporting farmers, who lost over the past four years JD2 billion due to the closure of the Syrian market.

Agriculture Ministry Spokesperson Nimer Haddadin said the government is still examining the impact of the frost spell on crops in the Jordan Valley, but did not say if the government would compensate farmers or not.

"We are relying on the Agricultural Risks Fund, which the government will support annually with JD3 million. However, the fund's system and budgeting are still a work in progress," Haddadin told The Jordan Times. 

In the meantime, the ministry called on farmers to continue taking precautionary measures to protect their crops from further damage due to frost as around-zero temperatures are still expected this week.

Frost warnings are issued when clear skies are coupled with temperatures near or below zero and southeasterly winds, according to the Jordan Meteorological Department.

During frost spells, Jordan Valley farmers should warm up greenhouses during the day and close them at night to preserve the heat. When temperatures dip to around zero, they should also burn dry grass near the crops and irrigate them slightly.

AMMAN — Jordan's economy has proven resilient in the face of "insurmountable challenges" plaguing the region, former prime minister Samir Rifai said on Tuesday.

Delivering a lecture at the University of Jordan (UJ) on the economic sector, Rifai, who is now a senator, said strengthening the national economy reflects directly on the status of the middle class, "their leadership roles and levels of political participation".

Economic growth leads to combating unemployment, protecting society from extremist ideologies and creating "a positive, sustainable, and optimistic environment for the future of our youth," Rifai said at the lecture, organised by the Prince Al Hussein Bin Abdullah II School of International Studies at UJ, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

At some point it was necessary to take austerity measures due to the rise of international oil prices and the disruption of gas supplies from Egypt in addition to regional turmoil, Rifai said.

"With oil prices dropping around 55 per cent since November 2014, and the completion of the LNG [liquefied natural gas] terminal in Aqaba as well as several renewable energy projects, I recognise that the effects of the challenges I stated have begun to recede."

Therefore, he added, that "it is not suitable to simply continue down the path of austerity as if austerity in itself is our goal."

Discussing regional turmoil, Rifai stressed the need to undertake "unconventional and alternative measures" to capitalise on the fact that Jordan enjoys "unparalleled stability" amidst an unstable region.

He presented suggestions on how young people can contribute to development, calling for reinstating military conscription to instil values of discipline and nationalism.

The senator also proposed a one-time tax exemption for young men and women at the age of 22 from all fees related to purchasing their first apartment or piece of land along with a tax exemption on furniture and fixtures as well. 

"According to recent statistics, the real income of Jordanians has gone down 3-4 per cent year over year, and for this specific reason, I have opposed and will continue to oppose all new economic laws and measures that increase prices or taxes until we are able to raise the income level of Jordanians."

The former premier added that supporting the private sector is essential to support the middle class.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday sent a cable of congratulations to Japanese Emperor Akihito on the occasion of his country’s national day.

In the cable, the King extended his best wishes to Emperor Akihito and wished the people of Japan more progress and prosperity, according to a Royal Court statement.

AMMAN — The Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies (RIIFS) and Al Azhar Observatory for Foreign Languages on Monday signed a cooperation agreement in the scientific, cultural and logistic fields.

The agreement stipulates cooperation to draw up a unified strategy to raise young people’s awareness of extremist ideology and counter attempts to distort the tolerant teachings of Islam, according to a RIIFS statement.

RIIFS Director Majeda Omar said the institute, through this agreement, seeks to enhance dialogue and coexistence across the world. Osama Nabil, the observatory’s general adviser, said the agreement aims at enriching communications among different peoples.

AMMAN — The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in December granting observer status to the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), at the initiative of Jordan, UfM co-president and with the sponsorship of the union member states, according to a statement released Tuesday.

“The UfM welcomes another international recognition of its global role as a driving force for regional cooperation and integration in the Mediterranean and looks forward to actively participating in this capacity in the work of the General Assembly,” the union said in the statement. The UfM is an intergovernmental organisation bringing together 43 countries: 28 EU member states and 15 Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries. It provides a platform for political dialogue, coordination, and regional cooperation.