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AMMAN — Jordanian women activists on Sunday mourned the passing away of veteran women’s activist and former president of the General Federation for Jordanian Women (GFJW) Anas Saket.

Saket died on Sunday after a battle with stomach cancer, it was reported. She was laid to rest on Sunday in her hometown of Salt.

Former president of the Jordanian Women’s Union Amneh Zu’bi said Saket’s death was a grave loss for the Jordanian women’s movement.

“Anas dedicated much of her life to women’s causes and voluntary work,” Zu’bi told The Jordan Times.

Zu’bi added that Saket also lobbied for amending laws that discriminate against women locally, regionally and internationally.

“She was a great friend and person who fought for what she believed in,” Zu’bi said.

Meanwhile, GFJW incumbent president and former deputy Nuha Maaytah added that Saket was also very active in areas outside the capital.

Maaytah told The Jordan Times that Saket’s work was very visible in the governorates, where she worked to empower and support women in rural areas by raising their awareness on their rights.

“Anas Saket is gone, God bless her soul,” wrote Asma Khader on her Facebook page.

“She was working quietly, thus earned respect and appreciation from every one.  Another loss for us,” added Khader, a former minster and secretary general the Jordanian National Commission for Women.

Saket served as president of the GFJW for six years and member of the National Centre for Human Rights board of trustees.

An alumnus of American University in Beirut, she had been active in voluntary work and advocating for women’s rights for over 35 years.

Saket told The Jordan Times in 2011 that “women are qualified and capable of holding the highest positions and taking a leading role in political reform. We hope to see better representation in the upcoming government so that women can be effective in society.”  

“Society’s perspective with regards to gender equality and the women’s sector is still disappointing. Any political reform measures must take this aspect into consideration and raise public awareness on women’s roles as partners… not only as housewives,” she added.

AMMAN — Chairperson of Royal Jordanian’s (RJ) board of directors Suleiman Al Hafez, on Thursday checked on RJ’s facilities at Queen Alia International Airport, which observes high traffic during Eid Al Adha.

Hafez listened to passengers for feedback on the facilities offered by the national carrier, and to make sure that operations were running smoothly, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

AMMAN — The Social Development Ministry on Friday and Saturday continued the distribution of livestock sacrifices under a Royal grant, in cooperation with the Royal Court and the Interior Ministry.

The sacrifices were distributed to 14,000 families in the central and northern areas, and on Sunday, the distribution continued to the southern areas, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

AMMAN — The Industry, Trade and Supply Ministry issued 166 tickets during Eid Al Adha in different areas of the Kingdom, mainly for vendors who did not comply with the ministry’s market regulations, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

The ministry reported they received around 20 complaints, most of them against bakeries in Amman, and “the necessary measures were taken,” the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

AMMAN – Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) teams collected a total of 4,300 tonnes of garbage on the eve of Eid Al Adha, a GAM statement sent to The Jordan Times reported.

The municipality’s executive director for environment, Yousef Dalabih, said 2,060 tonnes of garbage were also collected during the first day of Eid.  

AMMAN — The Ministry of Water headquarters has started relying on solar-energy generated electricity with a capacity of 240 kilowatts per hour, Minister Hazem Nasser said Sunday.

Nasser said that the alternative energy will save the ministry around 40 per cent of the electricity bill value. The project’s total cost did not exceed JD250,000, the minister said.

He added the ministry will begin implementing a grand solar-energy station project with a capacity of 50 megawatts per hour which is expected to save JD40 million annually from the water sector’s energy bill over the next five years.

AMMAN – Prices of oil derivatives in the domestic market are expected to increase by 3 to 4 per cent at the end of this month, according to an industry source.

The source, who requested to remain unnamed, said the expected increase in prices of main fuel products would be a reflection of the slight recovery in prices of Brent crude, the global oil benchmark. 

On Sunday, Brent crude was traded at $48.6 a barrel, according to news agencies.

The government updates fuel prices on a monthly basis in a manner that corresponds to changes in oil prices on the international market.

Prices of oil derivatives in the local market are calculated based on international oil prices, with the addition of other costs such as shipment, handling and taxes on gasoline.

In September, the government lowered the prices of fuel and oil derivatives by 9.6 to 11 per cent, due to the decline in the prices of Brent crude oil in the month before. 

“The price of the Brent crude oil increased recently by more than $2.00 a barrel and this will be reflected on fuel prices domestically,” the source told The Jordan Times Sunday.

Currently, one litre of unleaded 90-octane gasoline is sold at JD0.56, while a litre of unleaded 95-octane gasoline is priced at JD0.725.

The price of one litre of diesel and kerosene is sold at JD0.405.
The price of the 12-kilogramme gas cylinder, used for cooking and in winter for heating purposes, went down to JD7.25 from JD7.50, under the new pricing list, at a 3.3 per cent drop.

But Jamal Gammoh, the head of the Lower House’s Energy and Mineral Resources Committee, expected prices of gasoline to go up 1 per cent to 2 per cent for the upcoming month.

He told The Jordan Times that the price of the 12-kilogramme gas cylinder, used for cooking and in winter for heating purposes, may increase to JD7.40 a unit from JD7.25, under the new pricing update, slated to be announced Wednesday night. 

The new prices will be effective from October 1 until the end of the month. 

AMMAN – Music serenading pedestrians from the balcony of an old house in downtown Amman caught Hamdi Al Mahmoud’s attention on Wednesday, during a stroll with his family on the eve of Eid Al Adha. 

Mahmoud was surprised when he looked up to see a number of artists performing from the balcony of Duke Diwan, a cultural museum in Amman. 

“I had no idea what was happening, but the sound of music made me curious to approach and have a closer look at the show,” he told The Jordan Times as Arabic music drifted down from the balcony. 

Mahmoud’s surprise, and pleasure, were exactly the impact Tajalla, a newly formed cultural and artistic society, hoped to make when its founders planned their first activity in downtown Amman.  

Tajalla organised the musical performances on balconies in downtown Amman to strengthen the bond between Jordanians and the city’s architectural heritage, the society’s director Rusol Al Nasser said. 

Nasser noted that their idea, inspired by a similar concept implemented in Egypt, is to turn the balconies of the capital’s old houses into their stage and the streets their theatre and audience.

“We wanted to do musical performances at balconies in Amman without notifying people about the time of the performance so that we surprise them,” she told The Jordan Times ahead of a performance.  

Naser said they wanted to perform on the eve of Eid Al Adha to provide people shopping for the holiday or ambling with their families with an exciting and charming atmosphere.

“The art of balcony music existed during the 17th century in Europe and we wanted to do this activity to link old houses of historical and traditional significance with music,” she added. 

The Jordanian artists performed a number of Western and Arabic pieces. 

Adi Naber, one of the participating artists, said the event was important because it was different than normal musical events that are held in halls. “We wanted to send a message that music has to be an important part of people’s life,” he told The Jordan Times.  

Sahar Khalifah, Naber’s colleague, described the show as “challenging”.  

“Because this audience had no idea that a musical show was to be performed in downtown Amman, their reaction gave us a new impression while performing. There was kind of a sense of fear before performing but at the same time I was also excited,” she added. 

Nasser noted that their project, supported by the Greater Amman Municipality, will include similar activities in other neighbourhoods in Amman in the future.  

Um Hazem, a member of the public who enjoyed this unexpected show, said the good thing about the performance was that it was free of charge.

“The idea of the event is really important amidst the lack of entertaining activities in Amman,” she added.

AMMAN – His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday visited the US-based West-Ward Plant in New Jersey, US, a subsidiary of Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC and its agent in the US.

His Majesty’s stopover at the company came ahead of his arrival in New York to head the Jordanian delegation to the 70th UN General Assembly meeting.

The King met with Hikma Pharmaceuticals’ Vice Chairman Mazen  Darwazeh and board members, where he was briefed on the Jordanian company’s position in international markets and plans for development, a Royal Court statement said. 

They also discussed ways to enhance Jordan’s pharmaceutical industry and the country’s potential as a destination for investments in this field. 

Hikma is a multinational pharmaceutical group which was founded in 1978 in Jordan. Its sales worldwide constitute 7 per cent of Jordan’s total exports, and 80 per cent of its pharmaceutical exports. 

The company’s operations expand through 27 manufacturing facilities in 11 countries, including the US. It markets its products in 50 countries across the world.

In 2004, the group reported $1.489 billion in revenues, according to the Royal Court statement.  

It employs around 8,500 persons in all its facilities across the world, a third of whom are Jordanians. 

His Majesty inaugurated a new extension to the plant and toured the facility, where officials briefed him on its operations and products.

West-Ward Pharmaceuticals, which Hikma acquired in 1991, is a leading generic prescription medication provider in the US offering both oral solid and injectable pharmaceuticals to a growing number of chain stores, wholesalers, distributors, health systems and government agencies, according to the company’s website. 

Darwazeh said during the King’s visit that the facility produces 200 million injectables annually, all sold in the US. 

AMMAN — Fair autumn weather is forecast for the hilly areas, moderate in the desert and relatively hot in the Jordan Valley and Aqaba during the Monday-Wednesday period, a meteorologist said Sunday.

On Monday, temperatures in the capital are expected to range between a high of 29°C during the day, and a low of 17°C at night, with westerly to northwersterly moderate winds, said Raed Rafid, head of the Jordan Metrological Department’s forecasting division.

Mercury levels in Aqaba are forecast to mark a high of 37°C during the day and 23°C at night, with northerly moderate to brisk winds and calm seas, added the meteorologist.

“Temperatures in Amman on Tuesday are expected to drop slightly, registering a high of 28°C during the day and a low of 16°C at night,” Rafid said, noting that temperatures will be slightly below their annual average at this time of the year.

Winds will be generally moderate, changing to brisk in the afternoon, he told The Jordan Times.

In the port city of Aqaba, relatively hot weather is expected to prevail during the day, as temperatures are forecast to reach 36°C, changing to moderate at night where mercury levels are expected to stand at 22°C, with northerly moderate to brisk winds and calm seas, said the meteorologist.

Fair weather is expected to continue in the capital on Wednesday, with a drop of temperatures to 29°C during the day and 18°C at night, said Rafid.

“Compared to Tuesday, Aqaba is expected to witness a slight rise in temperatures, to stand at 37°C during the day and 23°C at night, with northerly moderate to brisk winds and calm seas,” the forecaster added.

Wednesday marked the first day of autumn, a season during which temperatures gradually drop and the country witnesses several Red Sea troughs that cause unstable weather conditions.

Although temperatures start dropping during autumn, heatwaves during this season are not unfamiliar, Samawi said, adding that, at the other extreme, autumn may also witness snowfall, especially in its last days, a phenomenon that occurred in 2013, 1992, 1980 and 1970.