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AMMAN — Jordan on Tuesday registered the fifth Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-related death this year of a man in his fifties.

Mohammad Abdullat, director of the Health Ministry’s communicable disease control department, said the deceased, who also suffered from diabetes, heart problems and high blood pressure, had been admitted to a private hospital.

A total of eight cases were registered this year including this recent case; five have died.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Tuesday directed all ministries and public departments to provide all those who request information with the application from required to be filled in for this purpose, in accordance with the Access to Information Law.

The form includes the required information, the applicant's name, and the purpose for asking for the information.

An application should be either accepted or turned down within 30 days, starting from the next day of its submission. If an application is turned down, a reason should be given, in accordance with the law. 

AMMAN — The Lower House on Tuesday passed the 2002 law governing the National Committee for the International humanitarian law (IHL).

Under the law, a financially- and administratively-independent national committee will be established tasked with assisting and guiding the government in enforcing the IHL.

As put in its validating reasons, the law was written to complete the requirements of Jordan’s subscription to the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention and its Additional Protocols, the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, the 1997 Mine-Ban Convention, also known as the “Ottawa Treaty”, and the 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. 

AMMAN — The Arab Beverages Conference and Exhibition 2015 started on Tuesday with the participation of 250 people representing public departments and Arab and international institutions specialised in the beverage industry.

Water Minister Hazem Nasser, deputising for Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, said the food and beverage industry is an important sector in Jordan, whose exports in 2014 reached around JD508 million.

Sharif Munthir Harithi, head of the conference and president of the Arab Beverage Association, said the two-day event aims at developing the beverage industry, exchanging expertise, establishing partnerships among stakeholders and employing available potentials of raw material and workforce.

AMMAN — Border Guards received 103 Syrian refugees during the past 48 hours and sent them to shelters and camps that have been set up to receive them, a source said Tuesday.

Royal Medical Services cadres provided healthcare and needed medications for the sick and injured.

AMMAN — HRH Princess Basma on Tuesday chaired the first meeting of the board of trustees of the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD).

During the meeting, Farah Daghistani, the fund’s executive director, presented a briefing on the activities of JOHUD, saying that it has been working, for 38 years, on contributing to the sustainable development of local communities.

She also said that the fund works through 51 Princess Basma Centres across the country on meeting the development needs of the Jordanian community.

AMMAN — The Foreign Ministry on Tuesday sent a committee to the Higher Education Ministry to attest certificates in order to facilitate the procedure. The committee continues it work in the ministry until September 24.

AMMAN – His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday commenced his working visit to Beijing with meeting Guo Ping, CEO of China’s Huwaei, a leading international ICT company.

During the meeting, His Majesty outlined the opportunities and investment incentives available in the ICT industry in Jordan, which intertwines with vital sectors in the Kingdom and constitutes a main source of income for the national economy, according to a Royal Court statement. 

The two sides also discussed ways by which Jordan can benefit from the advanced technologies provided by the world-renowned Huwaei, which can help enhance the Kingdom’s capacity in the field of technology and communications and provide quality training for local cadres, who are the cornerstone of this industry. 

During the Royal visit to China, the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology is due to sign a memorandum of understanding with Huwaei, under which the Chinese firm will set up a training centre for ICT workers, in addition to a strategic planning centre in the Kingdom, and assist the government in drawing up its strategic plans to develop the ICT industry.  

The two sides also reviewed Huwaei’s achievements since it launched its services in Jordan in 2005 and its contributions in building and enhancing the capacity of the ICT sector in the country through partnerships with communications and Internet providers.

The company, whose staff grew from 100 to 300 after the King’s 2013 visit, seeks to recognise the Kingdom as a centre of excellence for qualification of personnel at the regional level. 

King Abdullah stressed that Jordan relies heavily on the ICT sector and companies working in the field due to their contributions to economic revival in the Kingdom.

He noted that Jordan, due to its competitive, safe and attractive investment climate, qualified work force and exceptional geographical location, aspires to become a regional gateway in the ICT and technical solutions field. 

He voiced Jordan’s appreciation of the role Huwaei is playing in its wide sphere of business and the efforts it exerts in training and rehabilitating Jordanian youth, including the scholarships and jobs it offers to them. 

For his part, Guo outlined the projects his company has implemented in Jordan and those in the pipeline, in partnership with local companies and institutions in the ICT and technical solutions industry, noting that such projects have helped enhance broadcasting and coverage capabilities in Jordan. 

He thanked His Majesty for his relentless efforts and personal interest in this vital sector and the incentives Jordan offers to companies working in the field.

The meeting was attended by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh and Director of the King’s Office Jafar Hassan.

AMMAN — The effect of the sandstorm that hit the Kingdom on Tuesday will start dissipating on Wednesday while a rise in temperatures is forecast in the coming days, according to a meteorologist.

The sandstorm affected first the eastern part of the country on Tuesday, coming from the south of Syria and north of Iraq, Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) forecaster Abdul Munem Qaralleh told The Jordan Times. 

At least 210 people were taken by Civil Defence Department staff to hospitals for suffering breathing difficulties due to the dusty weather, according to a source from the department.

The source said the department is urging the public to avoid very dusty roads and be extra careful when driving.

No flights were delayed, however.

Corporate Communications Director at the Queen Alia International Airport Zahiah Naasan said operations at the airport went as normal on Tuesday and no delays or diversions were recorded.

“We do not think the operations will be affected from now on as the weather forecasters say it will ease as of tonight,” she told The Jordan Times.

In a related development, the Education Ministry on Tuesday delegated directors of education departments across the Kingdom to decide whether to suspend classes in schools depending on the prevailing weather conditions.

On Tuesday, Public Security Department (PSD) personnel distributed water and protective masks to motorists and pedestrians in order to protect them from the effect of the dust in Amman, according to PSD Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi. 

“We gave masks and water in several parts of the capital and we will keep doing that as long as the dust is affecting the country,” he told The Jordan Times. 

Qaralleh noted that the effect of the sandstorm will end on Thursday. 

Temperatures, he said, are forecast to increase in the coming two days due to the effect of a seasonal depression originating from the Indian subcontinent. 

Temperatures in Amman will range between 38ºC and 26ºC on Wednesday while they will range between 38ºC and 25ºC on Thursday. 

Qaralleh said people are advised to remain hydrated while motorists should not leave their children in unventilated cars.

Many motorists, pedestrians and children were seen in the capital wearing masks for protection from the dust.

AMMAN — Award–winning Jordanian feature narrative “Theeb”, by director Naji Abu Nowar, is Jordan’s official submission for the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 88th Academy Awards, the Royal Film Commission (RFC) said Tuesday.

The selection was made by a committee of Jordanian artists and craftspeople involved in the local art scene. The RFC of Jordan organised the process as the country’s official submitting body for the Oscar.

Telling a Bedouin story of brotherhood and betrayal set in Wadi Rum in 1916, “Theeb” fits the special rules of eligibility for the Foreign Language Film Award category, the commission said in a statement. 

It has been released commercially in Amman for six weeks. “Theeb” has also been commercially released in over 20 countries around the world and has participated in over 50 film festivals internationally.

Following the film's successful world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in 2014, Abu Nowar's directorial debut has been highly acclaimed by different audiences and critics around the world. 

It has won 13 prestigious international film awards, including: Best Director Award in Venice festival's Orizzonti (New Horizons) competition and the New Horizons’ Best Film from the Arab World Award and the FIPRESCI Award for Best Narrative Film at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.

"Theeb" has also received a certificate of appreciation within the Prospects of Arab Cinema section at Cairo International Film Festival and Best Directorial Debut Award at the Directors’ Debuts Competition within the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography (CAMERIMAGE) in Poland.

Commenting on the nomination of the film, the selection committee's chairman, Adnan Awamleh, founder of Arab Telemedia, said: “'Theeb' has remarkable elements, be it the storyline or the cinematography or the direction. Its high standard brings Jordanian cinema to the world. And we wish the film all the success it deserves.”

The committee also included director Mohammad Azzizieh, actress Nadera Omran, actor and comedian Nabil Sawalha, Munir Nassar (former tourism minister and executive board member on the Jordan Inbound Tour Operators Association), film critic and journalist Najeh Hasan, actress and casting director Lara Atalla, and Samar Dudin (regional director and head of programmes for Ruwwad Al Tanmeya).

In previous years, Jordan submitted “Captain Abu Raed” by Amin Matalqa and “Cherkess” by Mohyeddin Quandour for the same category. A Jordanian short film — “Baheya and Mahmoud” by Zaid Abu Hamdan — qualified for the Oscar nomination back in 2012.

Since its international debut in September 2014, “Theeb” has gained acclaim by critics and audiences all over the world and won 13 prestigious film festival awards, MAD Solutions, the film’s distributor, said in a statement released recently.

Variety magazine also named Abu Nowar, who co-wrote the feature with Bassel Ghandour, as Arab Filmmaker of the Year in 2014. 

“Theeb” has been commercially released in countries such as Iraq, the UK, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Palestine, Egypt and Switzerland.

Filmed entirely in the Kingdom’s Southern Badia region, the feature “revolves around Theeb and his brother Hussein who abandon their tribe to go on a perilous journey during the beginning of the Great Arab Revolt”.

The cast included only one professional actor — Jack Fox of the UK as the British officer — while the other actors were from the local tribesmen of bedouin communities after they were given acting workshops during the eight months prior to principal photography.