Local

AMMAN — Four people were injured on Sunday in a two-vehicle collision in Irbid, a Civil Defence Department (CDD) statement said. CDD cadres took the injured to Princess Basma Educational Hospital where they were listed in fair condition.

Also on Sunday, four people were injured in a two-vehicle collision in Zarqa and CDD cadres took them to Zarqa Public Hospital, where they were listed in fair condition.

AMMAN — Public Security Department (PSD) Director Maj. Gen. Atef Saudi on Sunday met with British Ambassador to Jordan Edward Oakden.

Discussions covered police and security cooperation, a PSD statement said.

AMMAN — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has called on the family of Raed Ahmad Harini to check with the consular affairs department or its operations centre for an important matter, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Sunday.

AMMAN — The Senate Media and National Guidance Committee on Sunday held a meeting to discuss issues related to the press.

Senate President Faisal Fayez called for establishing a code of ethics for media institutions to generally enhance the professionalism and credibility of the profession, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Fayez criticised some politicians for using electronic media to advance personal agendas. The committee’s chairman, Senator Saleh Qallab, voiced the Senate’s interest in developing media through cooperation with the Jordan Press Association and other institutions.

AMMAN — The State Security Court (SSC) on December 7 sentenced a Jordanian professor to a two-year imprisonment for criticisms posted on social media, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Sunday in a statement.

The SSC convicted Iyad Qunaibi, a 39-year-old Islamist activist, of a terrorism charge based solely on a Facebook post in which he criticised what he perceived as un-Islamic developments in Jordan, HRW said, adding that the post did not advocate violence.

“Jordan’s claims that it respects free expression aren’t credible when an innocuous Facebook post can land someone in jail for two years,” the statement quoted HRW Middle East Director Sarah Leah Whitson as saying. “Jordanian authorities should halt prosecutions for peaceful speech and ensure that the country does not backslide on basic rights,” she added. 

AMMAN — Ajloun Civil Defence cadres on Sunday extinguished a fire that erupted in a house in Kufranjeh without registering injuries or deaths, according to Ajloun Civil Defence Department Director (CDD) Col. Hani Smadi.

In a CDD statement, he said the fire was caused by an electric fault, noting that it damaged house furniture.

AMMAN — HRH Crown Prince Hussein on Sunday inaugurated the initial stage of a project to install central heating in 50 public schools, located in "extremely cold areas", using alternative energy. 

The initiative, which was launched by His Majesty King Abdullah, was inaugurated at a public school in Ajloun, 70km north of Amman.

Launched in February, the Royal initiative is a “reflection of His Majesty the King's keenness on supporting the education sector and improving school environment for students of all ages and in all areas”, according to a Royal Court statement. 

In the first phase of the project, central heating will be installed based on priority, while the government will undertake the implementation of the project’s following phases to cover all public schools and help students overcome harsh cold weather conditions.

At the Ajloun-based Ebein Secondary Comprehensive School for Girls, the Crown Prince was briefed on the central heating system and its controls during a tour of the school’s facilities. He also checked on children in their classrooms. 

The school’s principal, Manal Momani, highlighted the positive results of installing a heating system in the classrooms under the project implemented by the Royal Court. 

The Education Ministry has listed a total of 50 schools in cold areas known for low temperatures in winter, including Shobak, Petra, Southern Badia, Southern Mazar, Bseira, Jerash, Ajloun and northern Mazar. 

At these schools, around 15,000 students will benefit from the project, which, the Royal Court said, reflects the King’s commitment to developing the education sector and his relentless efforts towards that goal, “not to mention the positive impact the project will have on students’ health and class management”. 

Around 1,000 students study at the Ebein coeducational school, in two shifts, with 650 Jordanians attending the first shift and 350 Syrian refugee children attending the afternoon shift.  

Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Mohammad Thneibat underscored the Royal initiative, noting that Ajloun’s share, under the current phase, involves seven schools, with 3,100 students and 280 teachers. 

AMMAN — HRH Crown Prince Hussein on Sunday inaugurated the Royal Academy for Nature Conservation in Ajloun Forest Reserve.

The academy is “the first centre in the Arab world” specialised in offering training on nature conservation, according to a Royal Court statement.

His Majesty King Abdullah laid the cornerstone of the academy in 2010, and it was established as an expansion of regional training programmes offered by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), which is an NGO. 

The academy extends over an area of 3,000 square metres, with the aim of preserving bio-diversity in the Kingdom and enhancing nature protection in Jordan and neighbouring countries.

Crown Prince Hussein toured the facility and was briefed by RSCN Chairman Khaled Irani on the programmes implemented in the fields of training and entertainment, in addition to future plans to serve the environment and boost environmental awareness among Jordanians. 

During the tour, the Crown Prince observed workshops held at the academy for experts and school students, and visited the “Nature Shop” that showcases handicrafts and natural products produced from materials available in the Ajloun reserve by members of the local community. 

The academy also includes training rooms, a “search and rescue” facility for training in handling tourism emergencies, a medical clinic, a small conference hall, a library and resources room, management offices and staff rooms, storage and service rooms, a restaurant and staff accommodation, according to the RSCN website.

The academy plans to launch several economic projects to generate income for local community members and decrease their dependency on unsustainable forest resources.

It also implements mid-term and long-term training programmes and other entertainment activities for families and visitors. 

The academy is partnered with several international institutions, including the University of Montana in the US, and it will work with them to develop training programmes on organising guided tours of natural areas.

In remarks to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Irani said the academy offers training workshops not only for local community members but at a regional level.

It also seeks to promote “educational tourism” alongside “environmental tourism”, constituting with the Ajloun Forest Reserve a local and regional tourist attraction.

He said the academy’s building was constructed over an abandoned quarry that to pose an environmental problem but it is now an example of an environment-friendly venue.

AMMAN — Jordan on Sunday signed an agreement to build a $128 million solar-run power plant with a total capacity of 100 megawatts.

The plant, which will be located in Al Qweira in the south of the country, will be owned by the government and financed by a grant from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Ibrahim Saif said at a press conference Sunday.

Spain’s TSK and UAE’s Enviromena Power Systems were awarded the contract to build the project.

The scheme responds to goals set in the national energy strategy seeking to increase the contribution of renewable energy resources to the overall energy mix to 10 per cent by 2020, said the minister, noting that the plant will create several jobs for the local community.

Qweira, 50km north of Aqaba, is one of the country’s “poverty pockets” and has been target to public and private development plans over the past years. 

“This is a strategic agreement for Jordan and we are on the right track in this field. We will witness the launch of several projects in the field of solar and wind energy in Jordan in 2016 as well,” announced the minister.

According to the minister, renewable energy projects with a total capacity of 1,000 megawatts will be connected to the grid by the end of 2018.

Sami Khoreibi, CEO of Enviromena Power Systems, told The Jordan Times Sunday construction on the project is expected to start in the first quarter of 2016 and be completed and connected to the grid by the end of 2017.

“Jordan is a very strategic hub for renewable energy investments as it enjoys abundance of sunshine and such projects provide electricity at a very low cost, relying on local resources,” Khoreibi added.

The Kingdom sees more than 300 sunny days a year, according to experts, while wind speed in the northern region reaches as high as 7.5 metres per second and 11.5 metres per second in the eastern part of the country.

 Jordan imports about 97 per cent of its energy needs annually at about 18 per cent of the gross domestic product.

AMMAN — The exact date of conducting the parliamentary elections is something solely decided by the King under the Constitution, a senior official said on Saturday.

Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs Khaled Kalaldeh said that the date of the elections is something related to the Lower House’s completing, or not completing, its four-year term or not.

"If the current House completes its four-year term, which ends on January 29, 2017, the elections are to be held four months before that or a maximum of two years following it as per the constitutional authorities granted to the King," Kalaldeh told The Jordan Times, citing Article 68 of the Constitution.

Paragraph A of the said article reads: “The term of office of the Chamber of Deputies shall be four calendar years commencing from the date of the announcement of the results of the general elections in the Official Gazette. The King may, by a Royal Decree, prolong the term of the Chamber for a period of not less than one year and not more than two years.”

According to Paragraph B: “A general election shall take place during the four months preceding the end of the term of the Chamber. If the election has not taken place by the end of the term of the Chamber or if such election is delayed for any reason, the Chamber shall remain in office until the election of a new Chamber.”

The King has previously said that the parliamentary elections are to be held on time, Kalaldeh said, adding, “but when exactly is something exclusively decided by His Majesty”.

Kalaldeh’s remarks came to clarify remarks he made to The Jordan Times in a recent interview during which he said that the next parliamentary elections are to be held on January 29, 2017 unless “new developments emerge”.