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AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah will inaugurate the 17th Parliament's third ordinary session on Sunday with a Speech from the Throne.

Following his speech, the King, according to protocol, will receive deputies and senators in addition to members of the Cabinet.

After their meeting with His Majesty, the senators will constitutionally hold their first meeting, presided over by newly appointed Senate President Faisal Fayez, to form a committee to draft their response to the Speech from the Throne in accordance with the Upper House’s bylaws.

Following the Senate meeting, the 149 MPs, one member shy after a heart attack claimed Deputy Eteiwi Majali's life, will meet in a separate session to elect the Lower House speaker as well as members of the permanent office, including deputy speakers.

Before the Lower House bylaws were amended, the first meeting used to be chaired by the eldest deputy. Now the MP with the longest membership will preside over the first meeting.

After the elections, the MPs will form a committee to respond to the Speech from the Throne, before electing members of the Lower House committees.

A Royal Decree was issued in September proroguing Parliament's extraordinary session.

A second Royal Decree was issued delaying the summoning of Parliament to convene in an ordinary session until November 15.

Constitutionally, the ordinary session begins on October 1 or two months after.

The laws discussed during the extraordinary session were the draft law on the ratification of the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage, the integrity and anti-corruption bill, the 2002 temporary law of the national committee for international and humanitarian law, and draft amendments to the (judicial) Execution Law.

Lawmakers also discussed the municipalities and the decentralisation bills.

AMMAN — HRH Crown Prince Hussein on Saturday posted a video on his website that was shared on the Royal Court's pages on social media outlets marking the 80th anniversary of the birth of His Majesty the late King Hussein.

In the video, Prince Hussein said: "I am Al Hussein Bin Abdullah Bin Al Hussein. This day 80 years ago, November 14, my grandfather was born," according to a Royal Court statement.

The Crown Prince went on to describe the late king by saying: "He assumed the Throne, built Jordan and instilled the values of citizenship deep in the hearts of Jordanians — the values of generosity, coexistence, sacrifice and chivalry — to be passed down from grandfathers to fathers and from fathers to sons."

“He left a legacy of fortitude and peace, which remains in the hearts of all Jordanians and beyond in the hearts of Arabs and the entire world,” Crown Prince Hussein added.

He said: “My grandfather died when I was a child; the world has changed and so have the characteristics of our Arab surroundings. So many tragic incidents occurred with negative repercussions, but in Jordan, thank God, we did not fall and we did not change.” 

“I wish my grandfather were here to see us, to take pride in Jordan and in our King and leader Abdullah, whose leadership always guides the country to safety despite the surrounding storms, to take pride in his wisdom and balanced vision towards a prosperous, developed and secure future,” the Crown Prince said.

“Jordan is for all Arabs. Its principles remain unchanged — as they were the day of its establishment, hosting refugees, aiding the grieved, keeping its promises and carrying the message of peace.”

“This is my grandfather’s message of peace, a message that he believed in, and my father King Abdullah carried it and relentlessly seeks to achieve it,” the Crown Prince added.

He concluded by saying: “My grandfather and the grandfather of all Jordanians loved peace, so may his soul rest in peace. Let your soul be assured that Jordan is well.”

AMMAN — Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania on Saturday visited the tomb of His Majesty King Hussein on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of his birth. 

Their Majesties laid wreaths on the tomb and recited verses from the Koran, according to a Royal Court statement. 

Their Royal Highnesses Prince Hashem and Princess Salma accompanied King Abdullah and Queen Rania on the visit. 

Several members of the Royal family also visited the tomb on Saturday and laid wreaths on King Hussein's tomb.

AMMAN — Amman Mayor Aqel Biltaji on Friday participated in a walk in the Jabal Amman area to launch the initiative “A day without cars” to alleviate pollution caused by vehicle emissions and to encourage walking.

Biltaji said climate change is a global issue that should be addressed by reducing carbon dioxide emissions and safeguarding the environment in Amman, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

At the end of the event, a document was signed to support the initiative, launched by student Ayham Fakhoury in cooperation with the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, and promote the culture of walking, according to Petra.

AMMAN — Popular and partisan movements organised a march after Friday prayer from Al Husseini Mosque to Nakheel Square in downtown Amman, calling for reform, fighting corruption and providing protection for media outlets.

Participants highlighted the importance of comprehensive reform to achieve citizens’ aspirations, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. They also called for compensating citizens whose properties were damaged in the recent floods in Amman, Petra added.

AMMAN — The Civil Defence Department (CDD) on Saturday said it has dealt with 110 accidents during the past 24 hours. In one accident, four people were injured when their vehicle overturned in Balqa’s Rawdah area, a CDD statement said.

Balqa CDD personnel administered first aid to the injured and transferred them to Southern Shuneh Hospital where they were reported to be in fair condition.

In another accident, three people were injured in a two-vehicle collision in Irbid’s Taibeh area, where Irbid CDD personnel administered first aid and took them to Prince Rashid Military Hospital. They were listed in fair condition.

AQABA — Officials and stakeholders on Thursday inaugurated Phase 2 of the Aqaba Logistics Village (ALV), which costs JD6.2 million, with the total cost of the scheme’s first two phases amounting to JD17 million.

On November 12, 2009, His Majesty King Abdullah inaugurated Phase 1 of the ALV project aimed at making Aqaba a regional logistics hub that contributes to supporting the national economy, said Rudain Kawar, chairman of the Kawar Group, a partner in the consortium of private companies managing the project.

The Aqaba Development Company (ADC) floated a tender to develop the ALV, with the consortium of Kawar Group and Kuwaiti Agility Company winning the bid to establish the facility, Kawar told attendees at the launch ceremony, who included Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour and other senior officials.

APM Terminals (APMT), an affiliate of AP Moller-Maersk Group, later replaced the Agility Company in the consortium, the chairman noted.

“ADC, the public sector partner in the project, provided a total plot of land of 470,000 square metres to establish the ALV over three phases to provide logistics solutions to all local and international manufacturing and distributing companies,” Kawar said.

ALV General Manager Hakam Abul Feilat said the village was built to provide multiple logistic services in one place, noting that ALV provides storage services on racks in warehouses, ground storage, and storage in covered yards and open yards.

Within a few years, the facility has become an “important centre” for collecting small merchandise for export in what is known as less than a container load, he noted, adding that the service was not provided before the inauguration of ALV.

“This service helped many traders and manufacturers who want to export small amounts of their products without having to pay high costs for renting full containers,” Abul Feilat noted.

ALV also contributes to employing important sectors in the Kingdom, including some 500 light and medium transportation vehicles that carry around 15,000 shipments annually, he said, adding that the facility also receives some 3,800 shared containers in a year representing a total of 200,000 individual shipments.

“The village also contributed to securing jobs for 67 employees, most of whom are Jordanians from Aqaba, who receive enough incentives to secure them a decent living,” the general manager added.

In an interview with The Jordan Times, Abul Feilat said Phase 2 provides a warehouse for commercial purposes, ground storage and large open yards that can handle heavy equipment.

“Phase 1 of the ALV included a deconsolidation service which means receiving one container that includes products for up to 15 customers, where ALV deconsolidates the cargo on its racks and delivers it to each customer individually,” he noted.

ALV is the only company in the region that has 16 mobile ramps to offload and load trucks and containers, Abul Feilat added.

“The project is a very good example of partnership between the private and public sectors, based on a concession agreement between ADC and ALV on a build, operate and transfer basis that lasts to 25 years, starting from 2009, where the property will return to the ADC,” he said.

Phase 1 of the project covers a total area of 140,000 square metres and Phase 2, completed in August 2015, covers 120,000 square metres including a multi-purpose warehouse for cross-docking, storage and distribution, according to an ALV statement.

Phase 3 is expected to start in 2018 to provide further storage and cargo handling for logistic services of all kinds, the statement added.

AMMAN — US Secretary of State John Kerry said supporting the stability of Jordan and Lebanon and working with Turkey is part of the US strategy against the Daesh terror group, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported Friday. 

Speaking in an interview with CNN, Kerry said US President Barack Obama has outlined Washington’s goals in weakening and then defeating Daesh.

As part of its strategy regarding Syria, the US will support the stability of neighbouring countries such as Jordan and Lebanon and work with Turkey as part of efforts towards a political solution.

The strategy is useful to a certain extent, and although its speed has not been as planned, it is achieving important gains, such as securing 75 per cent of the border between Syria and Turkey, Kerry said.

He added that the strategy includes conducting operations in partnership with Turkey to secure the rest of the border and putting pressure on Daesh’s stronghold in Raqqa, Syria, according to Petra.  

Areas controlled by Daesh in Iraq and Syria decreased by 17,000 square kilometres, testifying to the huge pressure put on the group , the secretary of state said.

As for the operations conducted by the Kurds in Sinjar, Kerry said a large group of peshmerga forces are heading to confront Daesh militants based there.

He said the US’ role is to conduct air raids in support of these offensives.

Kerry added that he is sure Sinjar will be freed just as Tikrit was and that Iraqi forces are currently marching towards Ramadi.

AMMAN — A cold air mass is forecast to start affecting the country on Sunday, causing heavy rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning, the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) said Saturday.

Temperatures are expected to drop on Sunday evening, with dust in the early morning hours followed by heavy rain at night, starting from the southern region and later spreading to the central and northern areas, JMD forecaster Raed Rafed said.

Temperatures in Amman on Sunday will range between a maximum of 24°C and a minimum of 13°C, while the badia will witness a maximum of 24°C and Aqaba and the Dead Sea a maximum of 30°C, according to the JMD.

Rafed noted that the rainfall is forecast to continue on Monday. “On Monday, heavy rain, as well as thunder and lightning, will be witnessed in different areas in Jordan, where floods are expected to occur,” he told The Jordan Times.

The maximum temperature in the capital and the badia is expected to reach 21°C on Monday, compared with 27°C in the Dead Sea and 29°C in Aqaba. 

Rafed said the impact of the depression is forecast to continue until Tuesday, with maximum temperatures of 18°C in Amman, 21°C in the badia, and around 28°C in Aqaba and the Dead Sea.

The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) has cleaned the drainage system and prepared several rescue teams to respond to emergency calls during the unstable weather, a GAM official said.

Izz Eddin Shammout, the municipality’s deputy director for administrative affairs, told The Jordan Times that GAM is prepared to deal with any emergencies caused by the depression.

“The municipality is all set for the upcoming weather conditions, especially after the rainfall two weeks ago,” he said.

The heavy downpour caused flash floods in Amman that led to the death of four people, including two children.

According to Shammout, municipality workers built concrete barriers around empty plots of land to prevent the formation of streams that flooded the capital and surrounding areas.

 “Police patrols will be deployed near tunnels in the capital and other governorates to monitor the level of water in the underpasses and take the necessary measures in case of flooding,” he added.

Shammout said in case of emergencies and severe weather conditions, schools and universities can help by either delaying classes or suspending them as a way of “warning” people and avoiding traffic jams and accidents.

Lt. Raed Abboushi from the Civil Defence Department’s (CDD) media office said the department is equipped to respond immediately to emergency cases.

CDD Media Director Brig. Gen. Farid Sharaa told The Jordan Times the siren system will be used in case of extreme emergencies.

GAM and CDD urged the public to call their centres in case of an emergency on 5359970, 5359971, 0798166789 and 911.

AMMAN — Jordan on Saturday marked the 80th anniversary of the birth of His Majesty the late King Hussein.

On the occasion, His Majesty King Abdullah received cables from senior officials and officers.

HRH Crown Prince Hussein also received similar cables on the occasion, the statement added.

The officials paid tribute to King Hussein and his dedication to Jordanians and to building the country’s national institutions which made it a model in the region and the world.

King Hussein died at the age of 63 on February 7, 1999 following a battle with cancer.

At the time of his death, King Hussein was the longest serving executive head of state in the world.

A direct descendant of Prophet Mohammad, King Hussein was born on November 14, 1935 as the eldest son of King Talal and Queen Zein Al Sharaf.

He studied at the Islamic Scientific College and then enrolled at Victoria College in Alexandria. In 1951, he entered Harrow College in England before receiving his military education at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England, from which he graduated in 1953.

Hussein was proclaimed King of Jordan on August 11, 1952 and a Regency Council was appointed until his formal accession to the Throne on May 2, 1953, when he assumed his constitutional powers after reaching the age of 18, according to the Islamic lunar calendar.

Throughout his five-decade rule, he worked to raise the living standards of his people, and during his reign, the literacy rate rose dramatically.

He also sought throughout his reign to promote peace in the Middle East.

Enhancing joint Arab coordination was a priority for King Hussein, who believed that resolving outstanding issues and conflicts between Arab countries should be done through upholding the higher Arab interest and believing in the common destiny of the Arab nation.