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AMMAN — The Kingdom is witnessing fair autumn weather this month, with stable temperatures reaching around 32°C in Amman on Saturday, the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) said.

Temperatures in Amman are forecast to range between 19°C and 31°C for the next three days, with relatively high temperatures in Aqaba and the Dead Sea, reaching 35°C, according to the JMD.

JMD Director General Mohammad Samawi told The Jordan Times that the high temperatures registered this month are normal and in line with the annual average although they tend to decrease during autumn.

According to a JMD statement, the highest temperature recorded in October in Jordan was 46°C in Wadi Rayan in 1976, where 12,000 people reside mostly relying on agriculture.

The lowest temperature registered during October was in Shobak, some 180km south of Amman, at -2.4°C in 1977, Samawi said.

Ten heatwaves were recorded in Jordan in October over the past 44 years, according to a JMD statement.

The longest heatwave in October lasted for around a week in 2009, with a maximum temperature of 40°C — 7.4 degrees above the annual average.

Autumn usually brings between 20-25 per cent of the total annual rainfall average in the Kingdom, a JMD official told The Jordan Times in previous remarks.

AMMAN — Police on Saturday announced the death of a man suspected of killing an Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) agent in an ambush last month.

Corporal Mohammad Atta Salaymeh of AND died of wounds he sustained in a shoot-out with suspected drug dealers while on duty in an area in Maan’s Rashediyeh area, some 220km south of Amman, on September 19.

On Saturday, the Public Security Department (PSD) quoted an Interior Ministry official as saying that one of the suspects in Salaymeh’s slaying was shot in the south, during a pursuit that led to a heavy exchange of gunfire.

“A special team followed up on the suspects who reportedly shot and killed our martyr on duty and located them in a rough area in Wadi Rum,” a PSD statement said.

When one of the units approached the suspects to arrest them, the statement added, “they responded with heavy fire from automatic rifles.”

“The units responded and engaged with the suspects, who fled in vehicles and could not be pursued further because it was rough and dark,” according to the PSD statement.

 Two hours later, the statement added, police received a call that “one of the vehicles dropped one of its passengers near a health centre,” where he was pronounced dead.

“The deceased passenger was one of the main suspects in the case of Salaymeh,” the statement noted.

No police were injured during the pursuit and “measures are being taken to arrest everyone involved in the death of Salaymeh,” the statement said.

AMMAN — Experts and industry insiders on Saturday highlighted Jordan’s potential as a regional hub for the digital gaming industry whose global revenues are expected to reach $65 billion by 2016.

At the fifth Jordan Gaming Summit 2015, the experts said Jordan enjoys the necessary human resources for the advancement of the industry, which they said is one of the fastest-growing industries internationally.

The summit, held by the King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD) under the theme “How to Grow”, attracted more than 500 developers, programmers, industry stakeholders, experts, and school and university students. 

At the opening of the summit, KAFD Director Saeb Al Hassan said the fund, under Royal directives, pays special attention to empowering youths and providing them with new opportunities through partnerships with the private sector in several areas, especially when it comes to ICT, which is the largest growing sector in the national economy.

Hassan emphasised that the summit provides young people with an opportunity to exchange ideas, expertise and experiences, and explore opportunities to turn their ideas into income-generating projects in one of the fastest-growing industries globally in terms of revenues and technological development.

He added that holding the Jordan Gaming Summit annually provides young people with an opportunity to come together to build a Jordanian digital gaming sector that penetrates international markets and makes Jordan a hub for this promising industry, especially since the Kingdom boasts talented, innovative and capable human resources.

The KAFD director noted that a true testimony to the fund’s commitment in this regard is the Jordan Gaming Lab, which is one of the fund’s programmes.

The lab provided more than 4,000 young Jordanians, aged eight years and above, with an opportunity to learn the basics of designing and developing digital games, he said.

Nour Khrais, chairman of the Jordan Gaming Taskforce which is one of KAFD’s programmes, said revenues of digital games are expected to reach $65 billion by 2016, which is three times higher than the volume in 2011.

Khrais attributed the rise to the increase in smartphone and Internet penetration, the opening of new markets in Africa and Asia, and the establishment of a large number of small-sized companies in the industry.

“In spite of the limited resources in Jordan, the Kingdom is rich in innovative and talented human resources whom we trust of being able to make Jordan a regional hub for gaming development in the Middle East,” said Khrais.

In a session at the summit, Marian Stukoff, head of PlayStation First at Sony, said the Middle East is one of the largest consumer markets in terms of console games.

She said developers in Jordan have the chance to enhance their skills and receive training and assistance from Sony by applying to www.sce.dev.net to become registered PlayStation developers.

Stukoff stressed that Sony is keen on supporting Jordanian developers and providing them with the necessary tools in this regard.

On the sidelines of the summit, which concludes Sunday, an exhibition is showcasing Jordanian digital gaming start-ups and indie developers.

AMMAN — In a bid to further spread and institutionalise the culture of volunteerism across the country, the UN Volunteer programme (UNV) on Saturday launched the Caravan of Volunteerism.

The caravan, which is touring all governorates from October 17 to 28 to carry out voluntary activities, is implemented within the regional “Arab Youth Volunteering for a Better Future” project.

The regional project — which is also carried out in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Yemen — aims to facilitate the involvement of young people in humanitarian development through volunteerism. 

It also provides young people with a platform for self-expression and it helps boost their social involvement, according to organisers.

Volunteerism is a “useful bridge” between education and the labour market, as it develops volunteers’ practical skills, according to
UNFPA Jordan Country Director Dan Baker, who spoke on behalf of UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Jordan Edward Kallon.

“The goal of the Caravan of Volunteerism is to reach all 12 governorates and to reach out to over 25,000 young people,” he said, adding that the move is also an opportunity to recognise the young volunteers across the country who are already making a difference in their communities.

During the journey that the caravan will undertake, it will meet with volunteer and civil society organisations and will spread the message of volunteerism to those who are not yet familiar with it, Baker said at a ceremony to launch the caravan.

For his part, Sattam Awad, Higher Youth Council secretary general, cited volunteerism as the “highest form of service” one can help others with, adding that it also entails giving back to the country and its institutions.

He added that the council, through its 170 offices, seeks to enhance the spirit of volunteerism among the younger generation through programmes and activities that “systemise” voluntary work in Jordan, in partnership with local communities.

“There is a need to further invest in the potential of young Jordanians and to break the isolation that modern technologies may inflect on them,” Awad said at the launch event, held at the Amman Youth Hostel at Al Hussein Youth City.

The caravan campaign seeks to examine volunteerism environments across the country and aims at identifying challenges facing volunteers, in order to find solutions to improve their experience, said National Youth Development Specialist Sanad Nawar.

He added that the campaign gives “equal opportunities for volunteers to document their initiatives”, noting that the a local database will be developed to list these initiatives.

Meanwhile, UNV Programme Officer Ilaria Simeone described volunteerism as “the act of giving out of love and compassion”, citing the capability of voluntary work to transform lives, including that of the volunteer.

“When you act to enrich the lives of others, you will enrich [your own] life,” she noted.

The caravan initiative is held in partnership with other UN agencies, universities, community organisations and youth initiatives across the Kingdom.

Participants and volunteers will be sharing their experiences and photos via social media outlets using the hashtag #UNVJO_Caravan. 

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Saturday denounced the terrorist blasts that targeted a mosque at Maiduguri, a city in northeastern Nigeria, and killed and injured several civilians, a Royal Court statement said.

In a cable to Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, the King expressed his condolences and sympathies for the victims of the “cowardly attack”. His Majesty wished the injured a speedy recovery. 

AMMAN — The Lower House Legal Committee on Saturday discussed the 2015 draft elections law in Maan during a meeting with representatives from the social and economic sectors.

At the meeting, attended by Maan Governor Ghaleb Shamayleh, MP Mustafa Amawi, head of the committee, reviewed the most important articles of the draft law, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The committee listened to recommendations of the attendees.

AMMAN — Industry, Trade and Supply Minister Maha Ali on Thursday stressed the importance of intensifying efforts by Arab countries to increase intra-regional trade.

Ali made her remarks in a speech at the Arab Trade Ministers Meeting in Riyadh, held in preparation for the 10th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to be held in Nairobi, Kenya at the end of 2015, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. Eighteen Arab countries participated in the meeting.

AMMAN — A man in his fifties was shot in Maan on Saturday by an unknown assailant, according to Maan Hospital Director Walid Ruwad.

The man’s condition is critical and he was referred to Al Istiqlal Hospital to resume treatment, Ruwad added.

Security bodies initiated an investigation into the shooting, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted a source from Maan police as saying.

AMMAN — HH Princess Dina Mired, director of the King Hussein Cancer Foundation (KHCF), on Friday attended the inauguration ceremony of “Think Pink” festival at Al Hussein Park. The festival, organised by the Jordan Breast Cancer Programme (JBCP) with the support of KHCF, included a charitable bazaar, awareness activities and bicycle riding, among others.

Princess Dina, the honorary president of JBCP, praised the initiative and expressed her appreciation to those who participated in organising it, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. She also said that early detection of breast cancer contributes to increasing recovery rate by up to 90 per cent, referring to the role of family, especially children, in encouraging mothers to undergo screening.

AMMAN — Industry, Trade and Supply Minister Maha Ali on Thursday discussed with her Saudi counterpart Tawfiq Al Rabiah economic relations and ways to enhance them.

At the meeting, held on the sidelines of the Arab Trade Ministers Meeting in Riyadh, Ali confirmed a mutual interest in increasing commercial exchange and welcomed Saudi investments in Jordan, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The two officials stressed the importance of following up on the work of the joint economic Jordanian-Saudi committee and increasing private sector meetings. Ali also met with World Trade Organisation Director General Roberto Azevêdo and discussed with him issues of interest to Jordan.