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AMMAN — Deputising for HRH Prince Hassan, HRH Princess Sumaya, president of the Royal Scientific Society, on Sunday attended a discussion session on climate change, organised by the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organisation and French Ambassador to Jordan Caroline Dumas.

Princess Sumaya said a special agenda must be drafted to address climate change through focusing on economic growth and sustainable development.

She also said that climate change effects can be combated with “creative technology”.

Dumas said Jordan is one of the first Arab countries to implement treaties related to climate change, and noted that the Kingdom will be an active partner in the Paris conference on climate change to be held this year.

AMMAN — An official report prepared by the Ministry of Public Sector Development revealed that employees at the Jordan Customs Department’s public service office treat service recipients well and answer all questions and inquiries, a ministry statement said Monday.

The report, which was recently referred to Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, was a result of unannounced visits conducted by ministry teams to the department to check on the way services are presented to citizens, the statement added.

After the first visit to the department, citizens can receive services at home or office, according to the report.

AMMAN – A police officer reportedly shot his colleague on Sunday evening by accident, killing him, Public Security Department Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi said Monday.

The police officer was killed when he was in a police vehicle with his colleague in Amman. “The investigation into the incident is still under way,” Sartawi told The Jordan Times over the phone.

In a separate incident, an 18-year-old girl was found dead, hanging from a tree in Amman’s Naour area on Monday morning. “The investigation is still ongoing to find out the details of this incident,” Sartawi added. 

AMMAN — Health Minister Ali Hiasat on Monday said having a mobile clinic in the southern region is a “quantum leap” to secure health services for those living in remote areas. Hiasat made his remarks during a meeting with representative, of the Islamic Relief Jordan organisation.

The project, which will cost $1 million, is funded by Islamic Relief USA and includes the mobile clinic that alone costs $300,000, and will include specialised medical cadres serving more than 10,000 people. 

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah receives the credentials of eight newly-appointed ambassadors to Jordan on Monday.

The ambassadors are: Enrique Rojo Stein of Mexico, Francisco Carlos Soares Luz of Brazil, Bilal Rabi Bdour of the United Arab Emirates,

Hans-Peter Lenz of Switzerland, Hendrik Van de Velde of Belgium,

Einat Shlain of Israel, Giovanni Brauzzi of Italy, and Birgitta Siefker-Eberle of Germany.

Upon arrival at the Basman Palace for the ceremony, the King reviewed the guard of honour as a military band played the national anthems of Jordan and the ambassadors' respective countries.

The diplomats laid wreaths on the tombs of King Hussein, King Abdullah I, and King Talal. Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh and acting foreign minister and Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani attended the ceremony.

AMMAN — The Kingdom will remain under the effect of a seasonal depression until Saturday, with relatively hot weather conditions forecast in Amman and hilly areas, the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) said Monday.

Other areas are expected to witness hot weather during this period, with temperatures during the day expected to range between 39ºC and 41ºC, the JMD added.

Temperatures on Tuesday will be four-to-six degrees above their annual average, resulting in hot weather conditions across the Kingdom and the formation of clouds at various altitudes, and a chance of showers in the eastern and northern regions, JMD Director General Mohammad Samawi said.

Northwesterly moderate winds are expected on Tuesday, changing into brisk in the afternoon and raising dust, especially in the badia region, resulting in low visibility, he added.

“Temperatures in Amman on Tuesday will range between a high of 37ºC during the day, and drop to a low of 26ºC at night,” the meteorologist said.

In Aqaba, it will be hot during the day, with temperatures expected to reach 41ºC, while it will be relatively hot at night with temperatures dropping to a low of 30ºC, according to the JMD.

Hot weather conditions are forecast to continue affecting the Kingdom on Wednesday.

The capital will register temperatures ranging between 37ºC in the day and 27ºC at night, Samawi said, adding that temperatures in Aqaba will range between 31ºC and 41ºC.

“Hot weather conditions are expected to continue across the country on Thursday, with the formation of high-altitude clouds,” the JMD director general noted, adding that winds in general will be northwesterly moderate to brisk.

Mercury levels are forecast to range between 27ºC and 37ºC in Amman on Thursday, while they are expected to be between 31ºC and 41ºC in Aqaba.

AMMAN — Jordan on Monday registered the fourth Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)-related death this year of a 78-year-old man, according to the Ministry of Health.

In a statement sent to The Jordan Times, Mohammad Abdullat, director of the ministry’s communicable disease control department, said the deceased, who also suffered from leukaemia, diabetes and high blood pressure, had been diagnosed with the virus earlier and admitted to a private hospital on August 27.

A total of seven cases were registered this year including this recent case; four have died, one was treated and the other two are still hospitalised.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour has directed the president of the Civil Service Bureau, in his capacity as head of the public sector's human resources central committee, to implement the outcomes of a report on matching human resources with institutional tasks at the Ministry of Culture.

The report was prepared by the Ministry of Public Sector Development's technical committee. Minister Khleef Al Khawaldeh said the Cabinet is following up on implementing the project of matching human resources with institutional tasks for its importance in improving services presented to the public, according to a ministry statement. The report included three main aspects related to organisational structure, services and human resources, the statement added.

AMMAN — The Central Traffic Department on Monday launched its annual campaign on the occasion of "back to school" to raise the awareness of students and teachers on traffic rules and road safety.

Public Security Department Assistant Director for Traffic Affairs Brig. Gen. Fawaz Maaitah said the campaign is aimed at reducing fatalities in traffic accidents that mostly threaten students when crossing roads. He said the campaign will target children under 14 years old, and police officers will be present near schools to distribute booklets to raise awareness.

AMMAN — Two planes carrying 266 Yemenis injured in the conflict arrived in Amman on Sunday to receive treatment at the Kingdom’s private hospitals, Private Hospitals Association President Fawzi Hammouri said. 

The planes came from Aden, Hammouri told The Jordan Times, adding that this is the third batch of wounded Yemenis to come to Jordan for medical attention. 

Around 180 Yemenis arrived in Amman last month for medical treatment in addition to other individual cases, he said, noting that the overall number of wounded Yemenis is currently close to 500. 

The patients, Hammouri said, were dispatched to 10 private hospitals in Amman in order to avoid causing crowding at medical facilities, adding the association may expand the number of hospitals receiving Yemenis once the need arises.

Jordan is the preferred destination for people injured in armed conflicts in the Middle East due to reputable facilities and increasing expertise in offering treatment to war patients, he said. 

The Kingdom’s private hospitals have received large numbers of war injured patients over the past years from Libya, Palestine, Iraq and Syria, Hammouri explained. 

The majority of injured people coming from Yemen usually suffer from bone injuries, burns, and wounds to the stomach and chest caused by gunfire and explosions. 

“These are complicated cases requiring special treatment that can only be offered by experienced physicians,” he said, adding that Jordan is the region’s top medical destination. 

On treatment cost, Hammouri said that the vast majority of patients are still receiving medical care and hospitals have not issued their bills yet. 

Late last month, private hospitals and the Yemeni government agreed that Yemeni authorities will commit to paying the hospital bills. 

Hammouri said the Yemeni government has paid a small amount of the medical expenses with the arrival of the first batch of patients as a down payment, adding that the government will be transferring cash payments every two weeks. 

More than 4,500 people have been killed in the Yemen conflict, including hundreds of children, according to United Nations figures cited by Agence France-Presse.

Médecins Sans Frontières warned in August that health services in impoverished Yemen were “nearing collapse”, AFP reported.

Following a visit to Yemen in August, the top United Nations aid official, Stephen O’Brien, said the “scale of human suffering is almost incomprehensible”.