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AMMAN — Jordan on Sunday marks its 68th Independence Day with parades and displays of patriotism taking place across the Kingdom. 

Jordan won its full independence from the British mandate and was declared a Kingdom on May 25, 1946.

Several celebrations, at the official and grass-roots levels, are scheduled across governorates to mark the occasion.

Celebrations marking the 1916 Great Arab Revolt anniversary and Army Day, which falls on June 10, customarily kick off on Independence Day.

Sharif Hussein, the emir of Mecca and king of Hijaz, launched the Great Arab Revolt in June 1916 with the objective of establishing an independent and unified Arab state.

The Great Arab Revolt secured Arab rule over most of the Arabian Peninsula, Syria and all of modern Jordan, founded by Sharif Hussein’s son, the late King Abdullah I.

All ministries, public departments and institutions will observe a holiday on Sunday on the occasion of the Independence Day, according to a circular issued by Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour.

The anniversary is marked amid difficult circumstances related to regional conditions and economic difficulties, which are deepening due to the burden of hosting more than 600,000 Syrian refugees.

AMMAN — Two electrical engineering students have been able to develop an app that improves drawing and writing on touch screen devices using a new idea after taking part in Microsoft’s Imagine Cup 2014 Jordan.

Fourth year students at the Jordan University of Science and Technology Momen Nemrat and Tareq Domi developed the app using new technology that Microsoft described as “never used before”.

The two-student team, which was recently announced as the winner of the Imagine Cup 2014 Jordan, is representing the country at the Imagine Cup Arab Semi-finals in Qatar, slated for June 3, during which it will compete against participants from 22 Arab countries.  

Winners of the semifinals will qualify for the Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals 2014, slated to take place in July in Seattle in the US, according to Microsoft.

“Taking part in the competition has greatly enhanced my skills and those of my colleague Tareq,” Nemrat told The Jordan Times over the phone on Saturday.

“The feedback, training and mentorship my colleague and I received while taking part in the competition were priceless. We had the chance to interact with businesspeople and experts in the fields of software and applications,” he added.

“The app we developed helps engineers, designers and professional artists greatly because it enables very precise drawing. We hope that the app will be available in app stores before we head to Qatar in June,” said Nemrat.

“The competition plays an important role in exposing us students to actual market needs as through the feedback we got we were able to improve our application — ‘the Pen’.”

The Pen team, which was the overall winner of the Imagine Cup 2014 Jordan, was also the winner in the competition’s innovation category, which honours developers of applications that deliver accessible innovations and advance major platforms such as social networks, search engines, classified advertisements or online shopping, according to a statement from Microsoft Jordan. 

In 2011, Jordan ranked third in the Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals.

Launched 11 years ago, Imagine Cup is geared towards encouraging and empowering students to make a change, according to Microsoft. 

The year-long competition kicks-off with national online rounds in more than 100 countries, after which finalists qualify to compete in the Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals, which are held in a different country each year. 

Imagine Cup brings together talented students from around the world and provides them with “invaluable resources and opportunities” to innovate using the latest technologies.     

IRBID — The National Goodwill Campaign held a free medical day in Irbid, 80km north of the capital, on Saturday, in cooperation with the Society of Investors at Al Hassan Industrial City.

The campaign, led by HRH Princess Basma, who is president of the campaign’s higher committee, managed to reach more than 1,000 Jordanians during the free day, held at a boys’ school at the Irbid camp.

A dozen specialised clinics were set up to serve the campaign, where doctors carried out medical check-ups, and offered the needed treatment and medicines through a mobile pharmacy, in accordance with the campaign’s plan, carried out by the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development. 

Doctor Nayef Al Abdullat, who headed the medical team, said priority was given to Jordanians who do not have any kind of medical insurance. Cases of patients who needed surgery were recorded for follow-up. 

Surgeries are performed under the campaign’s agreements with private sector hospitals after patients complete specific lab tests. 

The campaign has signed a memorandum of understanding with several private hospitals to provide comprehensive medical care to underprivileged people from across Jordan.

Imad Nadaf, who heads the Society of Investors, lauded the campaign’s efforts, highlighting their cooperation with the society in implementing programmes geared at serving the local community.

Since Princess Basma launched the Goodwill Campaign in 1991, it has reached out to a large number of sectors, individuals and volunteers, “resulting in one of the most dynamic and effective philanthropic initiatives in the country”.

AMMAN — The Ministry of Water and Irrigation has approved a new plan for tracking private tankers selling water to the public to ensure that water is clean and safe, a government official said Saturday.

The new plan was approved ahead of summer, when demand for water increases, the ministry’s official said, noting that under the new plan authorities will carry out regular inspections on tankers and test the quality of water they sell.

“The plan will be implemented in cooperation with district governors and the Rangers across the country. Owners of violating tankers will be referred to court for legal action,” the official told The Jordan Times in a phone interview.

The ministry urged the public to be vigilant and ask drivers of the tankers to show them a document that identifies the source of the water.

“People receiving water from private wells must obtain a receipt indicating the source and cost of the water,” the official noted.

He called on the public to report water tanker owners who breach regulations.

The ministry said owners of water tankers must adhere to regulations that ensure water safety, including cleanliness of the tanker and pipes. Water tankers must be green in colour, with the words “drinking water” visibly printed.

Water tanker owners must also carry out regular maintenance and cleaning of the tanker, according to the ministry.

AMMAN — Jordan, alongside other world countries, on Monday will mark the anniversary of Israa wal Miraj, Prophet Mohammad’s nocturnal journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and his ascension to heaven according to Islamic beliefs.  

The Israa, followed by Miraj, was one of the miracles in the life of Prophet Mohammad. It happened on Rajab 27, in the seventh month of the Hijri lunar calendar, in the 10th year of Mohammad’s prophethood. 

Islamic sources say the prophet was carried from the Holy Mosque in Mecca to the Farthest Mosque (Al Aqsa Mosque) in Jerusalem on a creature called Al Buraq, and in the company of the archangel Gabriel (known in Arabic as Jibril). 

There he led a congregational prayer of the prophets of God. 

After that, Gabriel took him to the heavens where he met prophets Adam, John, Jesus, Idris, Aaron and Moses. In the seventh heaven, he met Abraham, according to Islam Online, an authoritative Islamic web portal. 

During the divine journey, Allah ordered five daily prayers for the Muslim nation. The prophet then returned to Mecca on the same night.

Marking the occasion, the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs will hold a ceremony on Monday at King Abdullah I Mosque, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Speakers will highlight the lessons learned from this miracle and the sacrifices of Prophet Mohammad.

Customs around Israa wal Miraj vary between different Islamic communities. Some Muslims spend the evening or night listening to or studying the story of the occasion in a mosque or at home.

They may also decorate their homes with candles or small electric lights and share food, particularly sweets, with each other, or prepare a communal meal. 

Muslims in some communities make a special effort to include children in the celebrations and explain the story of the prophet’s journey.

Following is the full text of His Majesty King Abdullah’s remarks on the occasion of Pope Francis’ visit to Jordan on Saturday:

In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Compassionate,

Blessings and peace be upon Prophet Mohammad, the last prophet and messenger, the truthful Arab Hashemite.

Asalam Alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu

Pax Vobis.

Your Holiness,

Welcome to Jordan, the land of peace and Muslim-Christian harmony, and home of prophets and saints. Allah says: In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Compassionate, Yet they are not all alike; some of the People of the Scripture are a community upright, who recite God’s verses in the watches of the night, prostrating themselves. They believe in God and in the Last Day, enjoining decency and forbidding indecency, vying with one another in good works; those are of the righteous. [Al Imran: 113-114] Saddaka Allahu Al Atheem

Your Holiness,

On behalf of all Jordanians, welcome! It is a special honour that your pilgrimage to the Holy Land begins here, in Jordan: land of faith, land of fellowship.

Here, fifty years ago, my late father His Majesty King Hussein welcomed Pope Paul VI — the first official papal visit to a Muslim country.

Here, fourteen years ago, I was privileged to welcome Saint John Paul the Second; and five years ago, Pope Benedict XVI.

Here, today, Muslims and Christians are building a shared future, on the common ground of mutual respect, peace and devotion to God.

Your Holiness,

Common ground is where the next steps for all humanity must begin.

In our modern era, we face vast global challenges. Not least is the terrible cost of sectarian and inter-religious conflict. 

But God has given us an invincible defence. Where ideologues spread ignorance and distrust, our joined voices can bring understanding and goodwill. Where lives have been shattered by injustice and violence, our united efforts can help bring healing and hope.

Indeed, the world is rich with people of goodwill, who seek to uphold human dignity and peaceful coexistence. Let me acknowledge, with gratitude, your leadership in this cause. 

You have committed yourself to dialogue, especially with Islam. Muslims everywhere appreciate your messages of esteem and friendship. In addition to being the successor of Saint Peter, Your Holiness, you have become a conscience for the whole world.

Since becoming Pontiff, you have reminded us, in word and in deed, that “Pontiff” means “bridge builder”. Jordanians, too, are building bridges. Our work includes concrete and tangible actions, over many years.

Ten years ago, I was honoured to issue the Amman Message, reaffirming Islam’s call for universal harmony, mercy and justice, and clearly rejecting the false claims of those who spread hatred and sow division.

Jordan is also home to the 2007 initiative, “A Common Word” — reflecting the two great commandments of Islam and Christianity alike: to love God and love one’s neighbour. The people of our two religions — more than half of humanity — are each other’s neighbours, everywhere. 

“A Common Word” has brought new dialogue between us. Two major Catholic-Muslim forums have taken place, one at the Vatican and one in Jordan. A third such Forum will take place in Rome next November, God willing.

Your Holiness,

As the 41st descendant of the Prophet Mohammad (Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him), I have sought to uphold the true spirit of Islam, the Islam of peace. My Hashemite duty extends to protecting the Holy Sites of Christians and Muslims in Jordan and in Jerusalem. As custodian, I am committed to safeguarding the Holy City, as a place of worship for all and, God willing, a safe home for all communities for all generations.

Last year, Jordan convened an historic regional conference on the challenges facing Arab Christians. Let me say, forthrightly, that Arab Christian communities are an integral part of the Middle East.

Here in Jordan, a long Christian heritage exists in harmony with our country’s Islamic heritage and identity. We treasure this inheritance. Your Holiness, we are delighted that you, like your predecessors, will perform a pilgrimage to the Baptism Site of Jesus Christ (Peace Be Upon Him), at Bethany beyond the Jordan.

Your Holiness,

World peace depends on understanding and co-existence among all people, of every belief. To that end, in 2010, we spearheaded the United Nation’s new, annual “World Interfaith Harmony Week”. In recognition, we established an annual prize, bestowed this year on youth and organisations in India, the Philippines, Uganda and Egypt.

Your Holiness,

In the days ahead, may we continue to work together to strengthen accord and meet challenges. Your humanity and wisdom can make a special contribution to easing the crisis of Syrian refugees and the burden on neighbouring host countries like Jordan. We must help Syria regain its future, end the bloodshed, and find a peaceful political solution.

Your actions and support also continue to be needed to help Palestinians and Israelis resolve their long conflict. The status quo of “justice denied” to the Palestinians; fear of the other; fear of change; these are the way to mutual ruin, not mutual respect. Together, we can help leaders on both sides take the courageous steps needed, for peace, justice and coexistence.

Your Holiness,

You begin your Holy Land pilgrimage with the warm friendship and sincere respect of all Jordanians. May your work be fruitful and bring peace, for blessed are the peacemakers.

AMMAN — Police have arrested two Israelis and a Briton suspected of involvement in fraud and counterfeiting currency, a security official said on Friday.

The men were arrested Wednesday, the official said.

“Investigations are still under way,” he added, without elaborating on the details of the suspected crimes or the identities of the men.

A spokesperson for the Israeli foreign ministry said they were aware two Israelis had been arrested.

“We are familiar with the incident; we are in contact with the families and the authorities,” Ilana Stein told AFP, without providing further details.

The British embassy was not immediately available for comment.

AMMAN — The Jordan Seismological Observatory said an earthquake was recorded on Saturday in the area of Ghor Fifa in Wadi Araba.

The observatory said the quake measured 4.7 on the Richter scale and occurred at a depth of 14 kilometres.

The quake was felt by the residents of Karak and Tafileh, extending up to the area of the Queen Alia International Airport.

NORTHERN GHOR — The government approved the establishment of an agricultural college in Northern Ghor to be affiliated with Balqa Applied University,  Minister of Higher Education Amin Mahmoud said Friday.

Mahmoud told area residents the government will establish the college as soon as possible.

Mahmoud and Education Minister Mohammad Thneibat visited a proposed location for the college in Wadi Al Rayan, where there already is a vocational school on a 250-dunum plot of land.

AMMAN — The UN World Food Programme in Jordan and Amman Jazz Festival are organising a fundraising concert by Armenian pianist Vahagn Hayrapetyan on Saturday to support Jordanian families in poverty pockets.

The concert starts at 9pm at Zara Expo, behind the Grand Hyatt Amman Hotel, according to organisers.

Tickets (sold at JD25) are available online through www.karasi.com and at the door.