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AMMAN – HH Prince Mired on Saturday inaugurated the “1st Mental Health MENA Conference 2014” organised by ‏‎the Maria Den Braven Centre for psychological, educational consultations and training.

 In his address, the prince stressed the importance of “comprehensive treatment” at the domestic and regional levels.

The conference will address advanced ways to treat psychological problems, such as dialectical behavioural therapy and trauma and post traumatic stress disorder.

Renowned psychologist, Hadi Stambouliah, and other psychologists from across Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Palestine and Jordan are participating in the three-day conference.    

AMMAN – Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) Chief Commissioner Kamel Mahadin on Saturday met with Roma Tre University President Mario Panizza to discuss ways to develop cooperation in training and expertise.

Mahadin invited media and architecture students from the Italian university to visit Aqaba in the summer to examine its architecture and attend lectures.

Discussions also covered the possibility of sending Jordanian students to the university to benefit from its architectural expertise.  

AMMAN – Two children suffered breathing difficulties on Saturday when a fire erupted in an apartment on the second floor of a two-storey building in Aqaba.

The Public Security Department media centre said fire brigades extinguished the fire while rescue team personnel administered first aid to the injured and took them to Prince Hashem Military Hospital, where their condition was listed as being critical.

According to the PSD, an electric short circuit caused the fire. 

AMMAN — Deputising for HRH Prince Hassan, HRH Princess Sumaya on Saturday inaugurated the second Annual Education Conference on keeping pace with development and preserving values.

Jordanian, Lebanese, Egyptian and Saudi educational experts took part in the one-day conference, which was organised by the Islamic Education College School, and aimed at spreading a culture of educational excellence. 

AMMAN — Danielle Slaton and Mary Harvey, former members of the US Women’s National Soccer Team, will visit Jordan next week, the US embassy announced on Thursday.

During the April 12-18 visit, the two soccer stars will lead a series of clinics, workshops and discussions in Amman, Zarqa, Mafraq and Ramtha addressing women’s and girls’ empowerment, leadership, entrepreneurship and healthy-living, a US embassy statement said.

In partnership with the Jordan Football Association (JFA), Slaton and Harvey will work closely with players and coaches from 15 of the JFA’s Prince Ali Centres, a new nationwide network of soccer clubs for young women.

Slaton and Harvey are visiting Jordan as part of the Department of State’s Empowering Women and Girls through Sports Initiative.

AMMAN — USAID Deputy Mission Director Douglas Ball and Education Ministry Secretary General Mohammad Al Okour on Thursday inaugurated the Umm Al Summaq Al Janoobi Secondary School in Naour.

“This school has been designed in partnership with the Ministry of Education and represents a new vision for providing high-quality education to Jordan’s students,” a USAID statement quoted Ball as saying.

To date, US support to the Education Ministry has resulted in the development and construction of 27 new schools, which use a new, student-centred education model with the goal of improving their learning ability, the statement said.

“The schools are accessible for students and teachers with disabilities, providing learning for all.”

By the end of 2014, more than 100,000 students and teachers will benefit from USAID school construction and rehabilitation projects, the statement said, adding that USAID has committed about $235 million to the education sector over the next five years.

AMMAN — Only 6 per cent of the workforce is employed in the tourism industry, compared with the global average of 15 per cent, Tourism Minister Nidal Katamine said on Thursday.

Attending the graduation of the second batch of students at the University of Jordan’s National Tourism Centre for Development and Hotel Training, he underlined the need to distribute tourism gains equitably across the governorates.

Mohammad Dweiri, director of the centre, said the tourism sector provides around 42,000 jobs, noting that it will offer another 25,000 jobs by 2017.

MAFRAQ — The Mafraq Health Department, in cooperation with the Environment Ministry and the Jordan Food and Drug Administration, on Thursday destroyed medicine and equipment found to be unfit for medical use.

Mafraq Health Director Daifallah Husban noted that security personnel found the substances with Syrian refugees, who were attempting to bring them into the Zaatari Refugee Camp.

Meanwhile, the Greater Irbid Municipality’s health inspector, in cooperation with the Rangers, destroyed 16 tonnes of pickles seized from an unlicensed factory that were unfit for human consumption.

The municipality’s health department closed down the plant, accordingto Mahmoud Shayyab, department director.   

AMMAN — Social Development Minister Reem Abu Hassan on Thursday referred a case involving a recent attack on a person with a disability at the Karak Care Centre for the Disabled, to the prosecutor general.

The victim was one of the beneficiaries of the centre, which is affiliated with the ministry. Also on Thursday, the ministry gave 65 special care centres a six-month grace period to rectify their situation or risk the closure of their facilities.  

AMMAN — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs on Thursday called on Jordanian students to always carry their identification documents during their residence in Egypt.

The ministry said that this procedure would make it easier for the Jordanian embassy in Cairo to follow up and intervene if any Jordanian student is detained or in trouble.