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AMMAN — When Jordanian barber Muath Qtaishat noticed that many boys in his southern village of Qadisiah could not afford a haircut, he decided to launch an ongoing initiative to help meet their needs. 

For four years now, Qtaishat has been visiting public schools in Tafileh Governorate’s Qadisiah village and cutting students' hair on his day off. 

He explained that while his usual price for a child’s haircut is JD1, many boys in his village who went to his shop could only pay him 100 fils, which was their daily pocket money. 

"Perhaps JD1 is seen by many as cheap, but for many residents of this village, it is really a big deal," he told The Jordan Times over the phone on Thursday. 

"Monday is the day off for barbers in Jordan, and I take advantage of this day to cut students' hair. I start working at 9am and finish at 2:30pm," the barber added.

Qtaishat, who has been working in this profession for 19 years, first goes to the principal of each school and notifies him about the initiative. 

"I let them choose a specific class and I cut the hair of all the students in that class. I don't differentiate between poor or rich boys, I do that for all students and I want to make them happy. Each class has between 50 and 60 students," the 43-year-old said.  

He noted that there are only seven barbers working in his village, and all of them are Egyptians except him. 

"Fifteen young Jordanians I used to train at these schools have graduated from my shop," he added.

Jordanian social media users commended Qtaishat’s generosity on Facebook. 

Khaled Ahmad said the barber’s initiative was an example of patriotism. 

“People ask about the true meaning of loyalty to one’s country, this is true loyalty, not all the nonsense usually talked about,” he commented. 

Bara Awd also commended the charitable step taken by Qtaishat.

“Mashallah! Simple work that has great impact and brings joy to children,” she posted. 

Qtaishat said he will keep working on his initiative and try to expand it further. 

“I will keep teaching more young Jordanians to let them help me at the schools, so that we can cover more classes. Such ventures are greatly needed in Jordan at this time”.

AMMAN — Jordan was among the first countries to draft an international arbitration law, which contributes to attracting and protecting investments, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said Thursday.

Speaking at a conference in Aqaba on international arbitration, co-organised by the Ministry of Justice and UNDP, Ensour, who was deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, stressed that Jordan drafted an independent and advanced international arbitration law in 1953 that matches similar laws in major economic powers. 

He said Jordan enjoys a distinguished judiciary system capable of dealing with all challenges and disputes that may arise between individuals and companies, citing the importance of this aspect in facilitating the work of investors in Jordan and protecting their rights, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Despite previous and current challenges, Ensour said Jordan has succeeded in safeguarding its political, economic and legal stability which has had an immense impact on transforming the Kingdom into an investment attraction.

“We realised early on that improving and boosting investments requires drafting certain laws to settle disputes using alternative methods, including primarily arbitration laws,” the premier said.

He added that a set of laws were drafted in 2014, including the Public-Private Partnership Law and the Investment Law, which contain provisions granting investors the right to resort to arbitration and alternative dispute resolutions to resolve their cases. 

Minister of Justice Bassam Talhouni described arbitration and alternative dispute resolution as a “necessity” these days to meet the requirements of modern businesses that courts are unable to address individually.

During a separate session, Talhouni said his ministry has drafted a new arbitration law that is in line with the latest developments in the field and boosts confidence in Jordan’s legal system. 

Also speaking at the conference, UNDP Country Director in Jordan Zena Ali Ahmad said the agency believes in supporting Jordan, which is one of the few countries in the region that has managed to safeguard its stability, noting that the legal system is the pillar in maintaining stability and ensuring justice.

AMMAN — The government on Thursday urged all embassies in the Kingdom to call on their nationals who reside in Jordan to cooperate with researchers conducting the national population and housing census, to be launched at the end of November and run for ten days.

Department of Statistics (DoS) Director Qasem Zu’bi told The Jordan Times that the data-collecting stage will start on November 31 and conclude on December 10.

He said Jordanians and foreigners residing in the country are requested to “cooperate with us” to have accurate results.

“We want to assure them that the data collected in this census will be treated confidentially, and no other institution will receive personal data related to any individual included in the census,” Zu’bi noted.

In addition to having figures about the Kingdom’s population, the purpose of this national census, he explained, is to gauge services provided to citizens across the country and provide these details to the concerned authorities to improve services accordingly.

Census statistics provide a detailed snapshot of the population and its characteristics and underpin funding allocations to provide public services, Zu’bi added.

In addition, he noted that — for the first time — the census will include information about health insurance coverage and the number of persons with disabilities based on the concerned authorities’ request.

The last census, which was conducted in 2004, put the Kingdom’s population at 5.1 million.

Currently, according to estimates, Jordan’s population — counting guests and refugees — exceeds 11 million.

To ensure smooth progress of the census, data will be collected and registered electronically, according to DoS.

“Once a researcher gathers information and saves it on a tablet computer, the data will be saved on the DoS system and be deleted immediately from the researcher’s tablet,” Zu’bi explained.

In addition to including details about Jordanians in the country and any other national who is in the Kingdom during the period in which the census is conducted, data will be collected about Jordanian expatriates, he said.

The official added that the preliminary results will be ready two weeks after finishing data collection, while the final report will be launched in February 2016.

AMMAN – A rise in temperatures is forecast in the next few days, with stable weather prevailing in the country over the weekend, according to the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD). 

Temperatures will remain around their annual average, ranging between a high of 21°C during the day and a low of 9°C at night in Amman, meteorologist Amer Khalil said.

During the weekend, it will be fair during the day in Aqaba and relatively cold at night, with the maximum temperature reaching 28°C and dropping to a minimum of 16°C, according to the JMD.

On Sunday night, unstable weather conditions are expected to start affecting the Kingdom, bringing rain to the southern region, Khalil added.

“The unstable weather conditions will deepen on Monday and last for a couple of days. Heavy rain accompanied by lightning and thunder is expected in several parts of Jordan,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone. 

AMMAN — Jordan and Cyprus on Thursday stressed the need to follow up on the talks held earlier this week between His Majesty King Abdullah and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades.  

During meetings with Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides, Senate President Faisal Fayez, Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh expressed Jordan’s commitment to enhance cooperation with Cyprus.

Anastasiades left Amman on Thursday at the conclusion of his official visit to the Kingdom.

During his meeting with the Cypriot official, Fayez commended bilateral relations, especially in the parliamentary field, thanking Cyprus for its supportive stances on Jordan through its membership in the European Union, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Kasoulides said strengthening ties with Jordan is one of the Cypriot government’s top priorities, calling for enhancing bilateral cooperation in various fields, especially energy, and activating agreements signed between both countries. 

In a separate meeting, Tarawneh reviewed available opportunities for economic cooperation, highlighting Jordan’s “favourable” investment climate.

The House speaker called for increasing tourism cooperation and facilitating the entry of tourist groups to both countries.

Judeh and his Cypriot counterpart reviewed cooperation in the tourist and economic sectors, stressing the importance of taking advantage of available opportunities.

In remarks after the meeting, Judeh said the new Jordanian embassy in Nicosia, which will open by 2016, is a major step to enhance relations.

Turning to the Syrian crisis, the foreign minister voiced Jordan’s position, which calls for a political solution to end the unrest, adding that he will take part in the Vienna meeting on Saturday to discuss the issue.

Judeh highlighted the burdens Jordan bears as a result of hosting many Syrian refugees, who now constitute 20 per cent of the Kingdom’s population.

In addition, Judeh said the absence of negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis leads to violence, stressing the importance of reviving peace talks to arrive at the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital within the June 4, 1967 lines.

Kasoulides said Jordan is hosting Syrian refugees on behalf of the world and should be assisted urgently to be able to continue this humanitarian role.

AMMAN — Entrepreneurs, university students and those with ideas for space-based technologies and applications are encouraged to apply to benefit from the Arab world’s “first fund” to support space-based ideas and ventures in Jordan. 

The Jordan Space Ventures Fund, a joint initiative between Oasis500, the King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Space Agency, will be launched in the first quarter of 2016.

Those with ideas for projects involving space-based technologies can apply to the fund at www.oasis500.space, and their ideas will be assessed before the fund’s official launch.

At a press conference Thursday, Oasis500 CEO Yousef Hamidaddin said the fund is the first of its kind in the Arab world and will support innovation in the field of space-based technologies and applications.

More than 140 space-based technology projects already operational in Europe will be posted on the fund’s website for applicants to gain inspiration from and determine which they can build on before they apply, he said.

The existing projects deploy space-based technologies in tourism, education, media, transportation, security, environment and resource management, food and agriculture, logistics, maritime, health and other fields.

Those with ideas accepted by the fund will receive seed investment of 50,000-250,000 euros and mentorship, and training for up to six months.

The fund will be officially launched after the first closing of total investments of 7.8 million euros.

Imad Fakhoury, chairman of the KAFD board of trustees, which is an anchor investor in the fund, said it will play a key role in transforming scientific inventions in space technology into products that meet local and regional market needs.

“We at KAFD are keen on supporting innovation and we believe that the fund will provide Jordanians with opportunities to excel and innovate in the field of space-based technologies and applications for the benefit of society,” Fakhoury said at the press conference, noting that the fund is in line with Royal directives to empower young people.

“By empowering Jordanians in this field, we will help create jobs and use these technologies for realising socioeconomic advancement. The fund will help make Jordan a regional hub in this regard,” he added.

Jesper Persson, head of EIB’s private equity unit, said the project “aims to unlock dimensions of enterprise creation and entrepreneurship by fostering the establishment of an efficient knowledge transfer mechanism between the European space industry and Jordanian start-ups”.

By learning how to develop products and services using space technology, Jordanian entrepreneurs can find innovative solutions in sectors of particular relevance for southern Mediterranean countries, he added, noting that the use of satellite-based technologies will allow services to reach remote areas in the region.

AMMAN — The Jordan Medical Association (JMA) on Thursday voiced its full support for a Cabinet decision that entails stiffening penalties in cases of assaults on medical personnel, a move it has been requesting for a long time.

“The decision is proof of the righteousness of the demands that we have been voicing for a long time. It is also proof of the positive things that can happen when the government cooperates with professional associations,” JMA President Hashem Abu Hassan told The Jordan Times.

He commended a particular provision of the new draft amendments to the Penal Code that stipulate no less than one-year imprisonment for those who assault doctors or nurses.

“There has always been social pressure disguised as goodwill to fix the situation in cases of assaults. This is a huge imbalance that the new amendments have managed to address. No assailant can escape at least one year in prison,” said Abu Hassan, who is also a senator.

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved the mandating reasons for these draft amendments and referred them to the Legislation and Opinion Bureau for examination.

Abu Hassan pointed out that applying the law in the past couple of years has significantly reduced the number of attacks on doctors.

In 2013, 89 assaults on doctors were registered.

“However, measures taken by the Health Ministry in the last few years to protect doctors, such as having liaison officers in hot spots and taking legal action against assailants, have improved the situation,” the JMA president said, noting that 29 cases were recorded in 2014 and 20 since the start of this year.

He said citizens have the right to file complaints against medical personnel at the Health Ministry, adding that this entrenches the rule of law.

“People should know that they can go through legal channels to report malpractice and any other harm caused by doctors.”

The Jordan Nurses and Midwives Association (JNMA) also praised the decision, saying that it will “definitely reduce the number of attacks on nurses”.

“The decision will also help restore respect for professions like nursing and teaching and how unacceptable it is to attack them,” JNMA President Mohammad Hatamleh told The Jordan Times.

The amended law stipulates no less than one-year imprisonment for those who assault teachers, faculty members at colleges and universities, nurses and doctors while they are on duty.

The punishment also applies if the educators or healthcare workers are attacked for an action or decision they have taken in their professional capacity.

AMMAN — The Jordan Teachers Association (JTA) on Thursday welcomed a Cabinet decision approving the mandating reasons for draft amendments to the Penal Code that stiffen penalties against assailants of educators and medical personnel.

JTA Spokesperson Ayman Okour said the association has been calling for these amendments. 

“We have recorded hundreds of assaults against female and male teachers and we welcome these amendments,” Okour told The Jordan Times over the phone.

The amended law, which was referred to the Legislation and Opinion Bureau, stipulates no less than one-year imprisonment for those who assault teachers, faculty members at colleges and universities, nurses and doctors while they are on duty.

The punishment also applies if the educators or healthcare workers are attacked for an action or decision they have taken in their professional capacity.

The JTA official said jailing assailants is not the only step that the authorities can take to overcome this “dangerous trend”. 

“There is an urgent need to raise the awareness of families on these assaults. We also need to boost the relationship between the families and teachers,” he added. 

A JTA statement released Thursday quoted the syndicate’s president, Hussam Masheh, as saying that over 80 assaults on educators have been recorded so far this year, in addition to tens of unverified cases. 

Basam Shawaqfeh, executive director of the Western Badia education directorate, said these penalties — if applied — will have a significant impact on the education sector.

In the Western Badia, a student’s parent reportedly hit a teacher at Musharafeh Secondary School for Boys this week.

Teachers at the school observed a strike on Wednesday in protest against the attack, a JTA statement said.

“This will boost the morale of the teachers, give them confidence and make them feel protected,” Shawaqfeh added.

Also on Thursday, Education Ministry Spokesperson Walid Jallad said the ministry has filed 60 lawsuits against teachers’ assailants, noting that the minister has tasked the legal division with following up on all assaults.

The Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted Jallad as saying that the ministry will not drop charges against the assailants even if the targeted educators decide to do so.

In previous remarks to The Jordan Times, Okour said the vast majority of cases of assaults on educators do not reach court due to the pressure teachers face when deciding to press charges.

AMMAN — The government on Thursday condemned the “heinous Israeli crime” of raiding Al Ahli Hospital in Hebron, kidnapping the wounded Azzam Shalaldeh and killing his cousin Abdullah, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani said the kidnapping is a flagrant violation of international laws. Momani, who is also minster of state for media affairs and communications, called on the international community to move immediately and offer necessary protection to the Palestinians. 

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) said Thursday it will hold a ceremony on Saturday to commemorate the birthday of His Majesty the late King Hussein, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The ceremony will be at 10am at Al Hussein Park. King Hussein was born on November 14, 1935. He died at the age of 63 on February 7, 1999 following a battle with cancer.