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TAFILEH — Tens of unemployed residents of Tafileh Governorate organised a sit-in on Tuesday near the governor’s headquarters.

Protesters demanded that they be appointed at the Jordan Phosphate Mines Company (JPMC) at Hassa after they finished training at the Vocational Training Centre.

The protesters said around 207 trainees signed agreements with the Labour Ministry and the JPMC under which they were promised jobs after the training period, but are yet to be appointed.

Tafileh Governor Ahmad Jaradat met with the protesters and conveyed their demands to Interior Minister Hussein Majali.

He voiced hope that a solution will be reached.

KARAK — Karak Antiquities Director Khaled Tarawneh on Tuesday said the antiquities museum in the Karak Castle square is currently closed to visitors due to maintenance work.

Tarawneh said some cracks appeared in the museum and renovation is being led by an Italian expert.

AMMAN — Amman Mayor Aqel Biltaji and Astana Mayor Imangali Tasmagambetov on Tuesday attended a ceremony marking the naming a street in the capital of Kazakhstan after His Majesty the late King Hussein.

Bilitaji said the occasion comes just a few days ahead of the Kingdom’s independence and army day celebrations.

AMMAN — Jordan needs to work on enhancing its business climate amidst fierce competition in the region, German Ambassador Ralph Tarraf said Monday.

Speaking at an event held by the Young Entrepreneurs Association in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty, Tarraf said the potential remains huge for cooperation between Jordan and Germany in different fields, namely, renewable energy, medical services, education, ICT and tourism.

Highlighting the renewable energy sector, the envoy said his country has vast experience in green energy projects and is ready to share it with Jordan.

However, bureaucracy is hampering going ahead with cooperation in certain fields, Tarraf noted.

“I have been here for almost three years as an ambassador. During this time, four energy ministers were changed and whenever I seek a meeting with a minister it takes two months, and by the time I ask for another meeting there is a new energy minister,” he said.

“There are good intentions, but no progress.”

“Relations with Jordan are solid. However, the trade balance... is largely in favour of Germany and there is a huge opportunity for increased cooperation in different areas,” Tarraf told an audience of business people, academics, lawmakers and media representatives.

Also speaking at the event, Jordanian German Business Council Chairman Khaldoun Abu Hassan highlighted vocational training as one of the fields for cooperation between the two countries.

He stressed the importance for Jordan’s economy to integrate into other economies to realise continued growth.

Participants at the event highlighted the key role small- and-medium-sized enterprises play in driving economic growth, calling for supporting these projects.

IRBID — Reproductive health and healthy nutrition top young people's health-related concerns, students interviewed by The Jordan Times said on Tuesday.

“I have a family of 11 members, and this is the result of a lack of awareness of family planning tools and its importance,” noted Mohammad Halbaki, a second-year pharmacology student at the Jordan University of  Science and Technology (JUST).

Halbaki said reproductive health issues are not tackled as they should be in his country, Yemen, and he is willing to start an initiative to educate his community.

“The minimum number of family members in my country is eight. This is a lot and affects women’s health,” the 20-year-old said, adding that whenever there is a class or training programme on this issue at the university, he is the first to register.

His compatriot Adham Akhali, who studies engineering at JUST, shared his views.

“There should be awareness in my country on the impact of having big families versus having small ones,” Akhali said, adding that there is no such education about family planning in Yemen.

“But I want to be part of an initiative to launch such an education campaign when I am in Yemen,” he noted. 

School and university students, he stressed, should be targeted with this education, as they are going to have families in the future.

“I have the energy to learn and will focus on learning about this issue [reproductive health],” Akhali said.

Halbaki and Akhali were among a group of JUST students that took part in an awareness programme held this semester to educate students on several health-related issues.

Shababna (Youth for Health) is a pilot project organised by the UNFPA and the Royal Health Awareness Society (RHAS) to raise awareness amongst students on reproductive health issues by incorporating reproductive health and gender-based violence topics within the already RHAS-developed university community materials and courses, according to Zeina Horani, communication officer at UNFPA.

“We were not encouraged to discuss reproductive health issues with the students at this age because we were afraid they would not accept such discussions due to cultural reasons,” said Nahla Al Ali, from the university’s adult health department.

However, “when we opened the registration for lectures, we were surprised that the number of registered students was higher that the seats we have,” Ali told The Jordan Times on Tuesday at a festival organised by the students who took part in the programme.

She explained that students were eager to learn about the subject.

The fact that the programme was in Arabic was another incentive that encouraged some students to attend, according to Nadeen Khazaaleh.

“Our courses are taught in English, but it is important to study them in Arabic as well,” said Khazaaleh, a nursing student.

“If I want to educate women about the issue, I need to use Arabic for this purpose, and this was one of the positive aspects of the programme,” she added.

Another point of interest about the programme is the way information was conveyed to students, according to pharmacology student Razan Bani Hani.

“Trainers used drama and role play to deliver the information to us,” Bani Hani said, adding that she now knows more about the diseases that couples should be tested for before getting married.

“I used to think that thalassemia is the only test that should be conducted for this purpose, but now I realise that all other genetic diseases should be tested for,” she noted.

According to Yasmeen Taba, a UNFPA youth officer, 10 subjects were included in the one-semester training.

These subjects, she said, include the impact of smoking on health, diabetes, cancer, obesity, psychological health, adolescents, gender, safe motherhood and reproductive health.

AMMAN — The Jordanian Federation for Environmental NGOs was officially launched on Monday, becoming the country’s first coalition of environment and nature protection agencies.

The federation, which groups eight of the country’s main environment organisations, seeks to rally support for environmental causes and raise public awareness, according to its president, Israa Atturk.

“The federation constitutes a true case of environmental societies coming together under one umbrella to serve the country’s environment causes, and defend Jordanians’ rights to a safe and sustainable environment,” Atturk said during the launch ceremony.

It also seeks to participate in the formulation of national environment policies and strategies along with the Environment Ministry, and enhance and institutionalise environment work in the country, she underscored.

The group includes various environment societies specialising in specific fields such as biodiversity, public awareness, green buildings and marine life protection. 

It seeks to unite the stand of organisations working in environment-related fields when rallying support for an environmental cause.

Environment Minister Taher Shakhshir described the launch of a federation grouping the country’s major environment societies as “a step in the right direction”.

“The ministry will support the federation to improve environmental work and environment protection in the Kingdom,” Shakhshir said.

Although the federation was officially launched on Monday, it has previously participated in several environment campaigns. In 2012, the group announced its rejection of a government plan to merge the Environment Ministry with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs.

The federation also expressed its “absolute rejection” of plans to establish fish farms in Aqaba in March this year, warning against their adverse impact on marine life and coral reefs.

AMMAN — Pope Francis' upcoming visit to Jordan is testament to the prestigious position that Jordan holds internationally as a country of peace, love and religious tolerance, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said Tuesday.

At a meeting with Latin Patriarch of the Holy Land and Jordan Fouad Twal, Latin Bishop of Jordan Maroun Lahham and Bishop Salim Sayegh, Ensour said Saturday's papal visit also builds on the "deep ties" between Jordan and the Vatican.

The premier highlighted the government's preparations to receive Pope Francis on May 24, stressing the "historical" significance of the visit, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

During his visit, Pope Francis will celebrate mass at the Amman International Stadium, with around 50,000 expected to attend.

Speaking at the meeting, Twal thanked the government for its preparations to receive the Pope, stressing that Jordan represents a model of coexistence and tolerance, Petra reported.

The Kingdom, he added, has caught the world's attention, especially the Vatican, commending His Majesty King Abdullah's efforts to promote interfaith dialogue and tolerance among different peoples.

Also on Tuesday, Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh checked on preparations for the Pope's visit.

He visited the media centre at the Royal Cultural Centre, where media personnel covering the Pope's visit will be working. 

Tarawneh was briefed on resources available for journalists to facilitate their coverage.

The centre includes rooms for press conferences, large screens to display the Pope's activities and media rooms equipped with devices required for television broadcasting.

The Royal Court chief also checked on the Amman International Stadium, where the mass will be held.

Pope Francis' visit, the fourth by a pontiff to the Kingdom, is expected to attract international and regional coverage, with around 1,000 registered journalists, Petra reported.

On Wednesday, Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani, who heads the Media Committee for Pope Francis’ visit, will hold a press conference at 2pm to announce the final preparations for the visit. 

Tourism Minister Nidal Katamine and Father Rifat Bader, the visit's spokesperson in Jordan, will also attend the press conference, to be held at the Royal Cultural Centre, according to Petra.

AMMAN — The Labour Ministry on Tuesday managed to resolve the dispute between the Electricity Workers Union (EWU) and the Jordanian Electric Power Company (JEPCO), ending a work stoppage that began last Wednesday.

Mediation efforts led by Abdullah Jbour, head of work relations at the ministry, helped the two sides reach a compromise, with the 1,300 striking employees scheduled to return to work on Wednesday morning, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Under the agreement, JEPCO will increase its employees’ cost of living allowance by JD45, to make it JD85. The strikers had demanded a JD50 increase.

The employees’ transport allowance will be raised by JD10, while another JD10 will be added to their actual service allowance.

JEPCO will also increase its contribution to the employees’ fund by 3 per cent, to become 13 per cent, according to Petra.

In addition, employees with university degrees will be given a raise based on their specialty.

Annual raises will be linked to employees’ evaluation reports, while all administrative and transport supervisors will be awarded a raise under the agreement.

Meanwhile, a committee was formed to study the employees’ end of service compensation and housing demands, and to provide recommendations to reach an agreement that satisfies all parties before the end of the year, Petra reported.

The employees had demanded a full month’s salary as an end-of-service compensation for every year of employment, according to the EWU. 

A source at JEPCO told The Jordan Times in previous remarks that the end of service compensation would cost the company JD2.5 million.

The strike did not cause disruptions in the power supply, but subscribers were unable to pay their bills.

JEPCO distributes electricity to around 3 million subscribers in the cities of Amman, Zarqa, Salt and Madaba.

AMMAN — The Social Security Corporation (SSC) on Monday announced that pensions of subscribed retirees will be raised as of May to match the inflation rate of 2013, which was 5.6 per cent. 

At a press conference, SSC Director General Nadia Rawabdeh said the new Social Security Law, endorsed by Parliament late last year, linked annual raises of pensions with inflation rates or with the growth in the annual average increase in salaries in the Kingdom, whichever is less. 

The annual increase should not exceed JD20 per month. 

Rawabdeh indicated that the pension raise is due on May 1 of every year. 

The annual average salary growth was the same as the inflation rate in 2013, 5.6 per cent, she said, citing official figures released by the Department of Statistics.  

The average salary rate last year went up to JD453 a month from JD429, the SSC director general noted, adding that corporation decided to grant a 5.6 per cent increase to the pensions of 63,628 retirees, who are still alive, and to 77,660 heirs of pensioners. 

The monthly cost of the raise will be JD841,000, while the annual cost is around JD10.9 million, Rawabdeh told reporters. 

Early retirees will not be eligible to benefit from the raise in salaries, except for men who have reached the age of 60 and women who reached 55, she said. 

Last year, the SSC raised pensions by 4.1 per cent, the growth rate of average salaries in 2012, at an annual cost of JD8.5 million, according to the corporation. 

Deliberations on the 2014 Social Security Law saw heated sessions and disputes between the Parliament’s two Chambers, particularly over linking early retirement pensions to inflation, a demand most MPs insisted on. 

But at a joint session on December 18, 2013, the Senate won the vote for its version of the bill, which rejected any linkage between early retirement pensions and inflation.

AMMAN — The Saudi national campaign for aiding Syrian refugees in Jordan on Monday presented food aid to Syrians in Mafraq.

The assistance reached 497 families, according to director of the campaign’s office in Jordan, Saad Sawid.