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AMMAN — Maintaining a strategic medicine reserve and drug security is one of the top priorities of the medical sector, Health Minister Ali Hiasat said on Saturday.

Speaking at a meeting with various stakeholders, Hiasat urged concerned parties to cooperate further with authorities.

Ensuring that life-saving medicines are readily available in the local pharmaceutical market is a vital issue, he said, adding that the ministry will directly import any key medicines in case of shortages.

Hiasat also visited and the medical supply department at the Health Ministry and checked on the work and procedures there.

He expressed his satisfaction with the availability of all important drugs.

AMMAN — Fifteen people were injured when a minivan overturned on the Muwaqqar road on Saturday, according to the Civil Defence Department (CDD).

East Amman CDD teams administered first aid to the injured and took them to Tutanji Public Hospital, where they were listed in fair condition.

AMMAN — The Department of Statistics (DoS) is preparing to conduct a survey that lists the needs of business owners in several sectors under an agreement with the National Centre for Human Resources Development.

The survey will cover six priority sectors such as textiles, furniture manufacturing, plumbing and air conditioning to determine the needs of business owners.

DoS is expected to deliver the results of the survey in three months.

AMMAN — Border guards on Thursday foiled an attempt to smuggle large amounts of weapons and ammunition from Syria into Jordan, an official source at the Jordan Armed Forces said.

The authorities are tracking down some of the smugglers who managed to escape, the source added.

Meanwhile, border guards received 568 Syrian refugees on Thursday, five of whom were wounded.

The guards administered first aid to the injured and took them to nearby hospitals.

AMMAN — Jordan represents a unique model of national unity, where Jordanians’ love and loyalty for Palestine does not contradict or clash with their dedication to Jordan, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said Saturday.

At a meeting with residents of Al Hussein Refugee Camp at Al Hussein Youth Club headquarters, Ensour said “our only interest lies in unity” and “we should all work to maintain the greatest achievement in this country, which is social peace, security and stability.” The Public Works Ministry, he added, will build a development centre at the camp at a cost of JD600,000 under Royal directives, and will also complete construction on the club’s new building at a cost of JD1.2 million.

The government has approved utilising a three-dunum plot of land owned by the Department of Palestinian Affairs to establish a popular market that will generate revenues for the camp’s services committee.

AMMAN — Eleven security personnel and two Syrian refugees were injured in riots at the Zaatari Refugee Camp on Saturday evening, the Public Security Department (PSD) said.

The injured were hospitalised and are in fair condition, the statement said.

The riots erupted after a group of refugees were detained for attempting to illegaly leave the camp.

In retaliation, several refugees vandalised property and attacked security personnel with stones, the PSD said, adding that the rioters set fire to six tents and two trailers.

Security personnel used tear gas to disperse the rioters, the PSD added.

UNHCR Representative to Jordan Andrew Harper confirmed the incident.

“… There was a riot in Zaatri today, resulted in injuries on both sides — no deaths reported.

Multiple tents burnt,” he wrote on his Twitter account on Saturday.

AMMAN – The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) executive board is expected to approve the disbursement of $264 million to Jordan late this month under a Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), according to a statement issued by the organisation Friday. 

The disbursement of the funds will be for the combined fourth and fifth tranches under the 36-month SBA worth $2 billion, or 800 per cent of Jordan’s quota at the IMF that was approved by the IMF’s executive board on August 3, 2012. 

Jordan has so far received around $1.043 billion under the agreement to support the Kingdom’s economic reform programme. 

The IMF statement was issued after its mission led by Kristina Kostial held discussions with officials in Amman between March 4 and 19 for the 2014 Article IV consultation and the third and fourth reviews of Jordan’s economic programme supported by the SBA. 

Kostial said in the statement Jordan has had to grapple with strong headwinds in recent years such as the Syrian crisis, which caused major macroeconomic implications, and disruptions of energy imports from Egypt that put further pressure on Jordan’s external and fiscal accounts. 

“Building on the good performance in 2013-14, we reached a staff-level agreement on the third and fourth reviews under the SBA, subject to the approval of the Executive Board… Board approval will allow for the disbursement of about $264 million for the combined fourth and fifth tranches,” she said.

The IMF official said growth increased to about 3 per cent in 2013, with more robust activity in the financial services, telecommunication, trade and construction sectors. Year-on-year inflation dropped to just above 3 per cent. The current account deficit is estimated to have improved by over 5 per cent of the gross domestic product, to less than 10 per cent of GDP, helped by lower energy imports, higher transfers and private receipts. 

During 2013, authorities continued to reduce external and fiscal vulnerabilities. The appropriate monetary stance, improvement in the current account, along with the confidence-driven deposit de-dollarisation and the issuance of two US dollar-denominated domestic bonds and a US-guaranteed Eurobond, allowed the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) to rebuild its international reserves to a comfortable level (over five months of prospective imports as of end 2013), the statement noted.

The IMF said that Jordan’s economy is expected to expand by 3.5 per cent in 2014, and to 4.5 per cent in the medium term. 

Inflation, according to the IMF, is expected to decline to about 2.5 per cent at end 2014, and 2 per cent in the medium term. The current account deficit (including grants) would gradually improve to about 4.5 per cent of GDP over the medium term, mostly reflecting a lower energy import bill. 

However, the statement warned that risks to this outlook remain high, mostly related to the Syrian conflict and further disruptions in energy imports. 

The international financial organisation urged authorities to continue to protect external stability and reduce vulnerabilities while improving Jordan’s labour market and social outcomes. 

While fiscal consolidation needs to continue, the focus should remain on achieving an equitable distribution of the burden of adjustment and protecting the most vulnerable segments of the population, the statement said.

As benefits of low utility prices and low effective income tax rates have accrued disproportionately to the well off, it added, utility and tax reforms are essential to a balanced consolidation effort.

AMMAN — The Public Security Department (PSD) has saved large amounts of money and its staff has obtained crucial skills in combating cyber crimes, thanks to its Cisco Networking Academy.

Founded by Cisco Systems in 2009, the academy provides training on IT essentials, Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Routing and Switching, and CCNA Security, Brig. Gen. Ziad Al Zoubi, director of Telecommunications and Information Technology at the PSD, told The Jordan Times in an interview last week.

“The academy provided staff at different departments affiliated with the PSD with specialised technical training that honed their skills in combating cyber crimes and updated them on the latest trends and technologies in this field,” Zoubi said.

“We would not have reached this level of professionalism in dealing with rising cyber threats without the presence of this academy,” he added.

“The academy also saved us a lot of money, as prior to its establishment PSD staff took such courses at private sector companies. Some of them were funded by the PSD’s budget and others took courses at their own expense.”

Cisco Networking Academy is a global education programme that teaches trainees how to design, build, troubleshoot and secure computer networks for increased access to career and economic opportunities in communities around the world. 

Under the academy’s training programme, Cisco partners with educational institutions, government administrations and community-based organisations to provide the courses. 

The success of the academy and the impact of its courses prompted other security entities in the Kingdom to send their staff for training there, according to Zoubi.

“Personnel from the Gendarmerie Department, the Civil Defence Department, the Jordan Customs Department and other public entities were trained at the academy… This is a testimony to our success and the quality of the training we provide.”

Since its creation, the academy has trained some 2,231 people from various security and public agencies in the country, according to the PSD official. Some 261 others are expected to be trained at the academy in 2014.

Mohamed Jinini, networking academy area manager for Levant countries at Cisco Systems, said the academy has about 30 specialised instructors, the largest number at a Cisco networking academy in Jordan, where there are 20 academies.

Jinini said Cisco System is keen to continue cooperation with the PSD in this field.

Building on its success, the PSD plans to sign a memorandum of understanding with the ICT Ministry under which it will train staff of public agencies and departments at the academy, Zoubi added.

The academy plans to offer more advanced courses that will further enhance efforts to combat cyber threats, including the Cisco Certified Network Professional and the Cisco Certified Internet Work Expert, he said.

There is a plan to relocate the academy, which is currently at the PSD headquarters in Abdali, to another building in Tabarbour, according to Zoubi.

The academy also provides training to schools in cooperation with the Jordan Education Initiative, and also to orphans and women detainees at correctional centres.

Zoubi said military attachés at several diplomatic missions in Amman have also shown interest in the courses provided by the academy.

AMMAN — The Natural Resources Authority (NRA), in cooperation with oil shale companies in the Kingdom, is scheduled to organise the second international conference on oil shale on April 14 and 15.

The NRA said the conference will host senior officials, decision makers, experts and researches in the field to discuss phases of producing oil shale and the challenges that face this industry.

Participants are also expected to draw up schedules for these investment projects and plans for the commercial use of oil shale in the coming years.

AMMAN — A total of 14 people were injured in an accident that occurred at noon on Thursday and involved six cars in the Yajuz area.

West Amman Civil Defence Department personnel administered first aid to the injured and took them to Prince Hamzah Hospital where their condition was listed as fair.