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AMMAN — Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) agents have foiled an attempt to smuggle 16 kilogrammes of heroin and arrested those involved, the Public Security Department said on Wednesday.

AND received a tip that two suspects were planning to smuggle a large quantity of drugs to a neighbouring country on a cargo vehicle.

Investigators detained the driver and raided his partner’s house, where they found 50,000 narcotic pills.

The two suspects were referred to the State Security Court.

AMMAN — The Cabinet on Wednesday gave illegal guest workers a grace period between March 16 and May 15 to rectify their situation and renew their work permits.

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Labour Minister Nidal Katamine called on migrant workers in violation of the Labour Law to head to the ministry’s departments across Jordan to renew their permits.

Also on Wednesday, Egyptian Ambassador to Amman Khaled Tharwat called on Egyptian guest workers in the Kingdom to rectify their status to avoid deportation.

An embassy statement quoted Tharwat as saying that the Labour Ministry will allow illegal guest workers, including those against whom deportation decisions have been issued, to renew their permits.

AMMAN — The UN resident and humanitarian coordinator, and UNDP resident representative in Jordan, Edward Kallon, presented his credentials to Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh on Wednesday.

“I am honoured by my appointment as resident and humanitarian coordinator to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and committed to continue supporting the government of Jordan to address humanitarian and development priorities in the country…” a UN statement quoted Kallon as saying.

Prior to taking up the new position, Kallon was the WFP’s representative and country director in Iraq from 2008 to 2012, and representative and country director in India from June 2013 to January 2014, the statement said.

AMMAN — Jordan is ready to share its expertise with Comoros in all sectors, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said Wednesday.

During a meeting with Comoros Foreign Minister Arif Sayed Hassan, discussions covered bilateral relations and the latest regional developments.

Earlier on Wednesday Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh met with the Comoros official and called for increasing commercial and economic cooperation.

 Hassan praised the important role that Jordan plays to achieve regional security and stability, thanking the Kingdom for not sparing efforts to support his country since its independence.

BUDAPEST — Jordan’s Ambassador to Vienna Hussam Husseini on Wednesday presented his credentials to Hungarian President Janos Ader as the Kingdom’s extraordinary and non-resident ambassador to Hungary.

AMMAN/ JORDAN VALLEY — From his precious savings, Syrian Khaldoun Al Ahmad decided to spend JD20 to buy a tent and transform it into a school for fellow refugees at a makeshift camp located in the Northern Jordan Valley.  

Although the 32-year-old teacher needs every dinar he can spare, he said he wanted to teach children because they are the future of Syria. 

“These children have been displaced for years and they missed school for a long time. If no one pays attention to their education, the future of Syria will be lost,” Ahmad told The Jordan Times in an interview near the school. 

Half of the Syrian refugees inside Jordan are children. Of these, around 87,000 are registered in public schools, according to UNICEF Communication Specialist Toby Fricker.

“Around 23,000 children are registered inside the Zaatari Refugee Camp for school. Obviously, it does not necessarily mean that they go to school daily but they are registered,” he told The Jordan Times in a recent interview at the UNICEF premises in Amman. 

Several factors related to the three-year conflict in Syria made education either not important for refugees or hard to reach.

Manal Wazani, CEO of Save the Children Jordan (SCJ), noted that transportation is one of the main obstacles children face.

“Sometimes it’s difficult for Syrians to find means of transport because of financial hardships. In addition, some families do not send their children to schools because they are far from their tents,” she told The Jordan Times. 

Ahmad noted that he launched his initiative because of distance issue.

Diana Siam, SCJ’s team leader psychologist, noted that the events families and their children witnessed back home have had a negative impact on their psychological side.    

“Some families in the Zaatari Refugee Camp were reluctant to send their children far from their tents. Gradually they restored trust and are sending the young to school,” she told The Jordan Times in an interview on Tuesday.  

Siam also noted some children who witnessed bombs while they were in schools in Syria did not have the courage to go to schools in Jordan. 

“These children need time to embrace school again,” she added.   

When Syrian refugees first arrived in the Kingdom, the last thing they cared about was education, according to Wazani.

“They were looking for food, clothing and medical services. One of our tasks was encouraging families to enrol their children in schools,” she added. 

SCJ works on raising Syrians’ awareness towards the importance of education, registering students at the schools and distributing books and stationery.    

She also pointed out that the capacity of schools is one of the obstacles children face.   

Fricker pointed out that there are 78 schools that are applying the double shift system for Syrian children in areas that witness a great number of Syrian refugees such as Mafraq, Ramtha and Amman. 

“Syrians go to these schools in the afternoon. This is an emergency measure applied to cope with the great number of Syrian children in Jordan,” he added.

The international worker noted that one of the key challenges is to make sure that children are actually attending the schools. 

“We work with the Ministry of Education to make sure that there are enough teachers and that they are qualified,” he added. 

The UNICEF official noted that they work with the Ministry of Education in terms of teachers training.  

Luckily, he said, Jordan is a huge producer of teachers, but one of the challenges is that some of the teachers are either part time or substitute teachers, and in some cases they are not as qualified as others. 

He said it is hard for teachers to work with children coming from a war zone. “We are trying to work with the teachers to increase their ability to provide quality education to these children,” he added.  

In camps, Jordanian teachers come on a daily basis to teach in schools and are assisted by Syrian teachers. 

One of the key negative effects is child labour, said a volunteer Syrian teacher, who identified himself as Majed.  

The Syrian teacher who, like Ahmad, turned a tent into a makeshift school for refugee children in Amman, noted that he found difficulty persuading families to send their children to the school because they wanted them to work. 

A Syrian refugee, Um Karam, a mother of six, noted that her 13-year-old son used to study at Ahmad’s school but she forced him to leave it and take a job on a farm, working five hours a day to get paid JD1 per hour.  

Fricker described child labour as a “big problem”. 

“Child labour exists both inside and outside the Zaatari. People who are living outside the camp are struggling to pay the rents, and unfortunately children present an economic opportunity as they can get a job at a coffee shop or on farms in the Jordan Valley,” he added. 

He noted that if children have to work, they provide them with some form of “informal” education.

Meanwhile, a considerable number of Jordanians and Syrians have volunteered to teach Syrian children especially in the makeshift camps such as Ahmad and Majid, according to Wazani. 

UNICEF facilitates the process by providing them with stationery, she added. 

“We are going to update manuals that teach life skills,” Fricker added. 

Such initiatives have provided nine-year-old Sidra Al Omar with the chance to keep dreaming as she attends Ahmad’s school.  

The Hama-born girl wants to become a doctor and she is happy with the “rich and different” learning experience. 

Siam knows what the young refugee is talking about. The volunteers, whether Jordanian, Syrian, or international workers, are compassionate people who are there to help and to give. 

Schooling in Zaatari

•In September 2012, the first school was established in the Zaatari Refugee Camp.

•Around 1,000 students were registered then.

•There are 12 schools in the camp now, distributed equally among four “administrative units”.

•Around 23,000 students are registered in these schools.  

•Of these, around 13,000 students are actually attending classes.

AMMAN — A total of 109 tuberculosis (TB) cases have been detected among Syrian refugees in Jordan so far, a Health Ministry official said on Wednesday.

Khaled Abu Rumman, director of the National Programme to Stop TB, said 40 of the total cases were diagnosed among residents of the Zaatari Refugee Camp, while the rest were among those living in host communities.

In addition, four of the cases were diagnosed as multi-drug resistant.

Abu Rumman said the ministry supervises the medication of all refugees diagnosed with TB as part of the “Public Health Strategy among Syrian Refugees” launched earlier this year.

He noted that the strategy — launched in cooperation with the International Organisation for Migration, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNHCR — seeks to reduce TB transmission among Syrian refugees.

The official told The Jordan Times that even before the refugee crisis started in 2011, the prevalence of TB among Syrians was 24 cases per 100,000, while in Jordan the rate is six per 100,000 people.

“We also believe that there are more than the 109 TB cases we have diagnosed among Syrians in Jordan,” Abu Rumman added.

He noted that the transmission of TB is high among Syrian refugees due to their living conditions and the interruption of the TB prevention programme in Syria because of the crisis.

TB is an infectious bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which most commonly affects the lungs, according to WHO. It is transmitted from person to person via droplets from the throat and lungs of people with the active respiratory disease.

In healthy people, infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis often causes no symptoms since the person’s immune system acts to “wall off” the bacteria.

The symptoms of active TB of the lung are coughing, sometimes with sputum or blood, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats. Tuberculosis is treatable with a six-month course of antibiotics.

AMMAN — Jordan should move away from unsustainable agriculture, food processing activities and water-inefficient sub-sectors, a report released on Wednesday recommended.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) report said investments should mainly, if not exclusively, target profitable food chains that have made clear efforts to improve their water efficiency and that have the potential to further enhance the productivity of the water they consume.

The report’s initial findings suggested that the poultry sector for domestic consumption and the Jordan Valley’s fruit and vegetables for high-value markets “deserve priority attention”.

Released during the Investing in Efficiency: Water along the Food Chain in Jordan Forum, the report noted that the poultry meat industry’s prospects are positive, as growing domestic consumption is a promising sign for the sector, which is likely to experience a further demand-driven expansion in the coming years.

On the vegetable chain, the report said the private sector, including producers and agribusinesses, which has made major investments to improve its on-farm water efficiency, now needs to make a decisive move towards the ultimate maximisation of water productivity.

“Producers need to switch to new crops and markets that will allow them to produce more value without increasing the use of water. Producers also need to invest in energy efficiency improvement and enhancement of labour productivity since these are currently the most problematic issues affecting future sector development, undermining investment attractiveness,” the report said.

The forum, organised by the FAO and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in cooperation with the Agriculture Ministry, gathered policy makers, international organisations and investors to discuss ways to increase water efficiency and productivity for a more sustainable agriculture sector, suggest areas of investment from the private sector, and improve coordination between the public and private sectors, according to organisers.

During the event, Agriculture Ministry Secretary General Radi Tarawneh said the Jordan Valley’s winter fruits and vegetables, which are irrigated crops, are among the country’s main agricultural produce exports.

In addition, the poultry value chain is one of the main industries that witnessed progress over the past few years, Tarawneh said, noting that “there is still room for further growth in this sector.”

“Fruits and vegetables and the poultry chains are two of the main supporters of Jordan’s agriculture sector. The two sectors, where water efficiency methods are applied, still have opportunities for improving productivity and increasing competitiveness.”

He underscored that the commercial agriculture sector requires more investments that enhance its food chain value, highlighting the importance of improving water quality and efficiency.

Water use by the food sector, which accounts for around 60 per cent of total use in the country, is in line with worldwide consumption levels, but Jordan ranks highest globally among water-deficit countries, organisers said. The major user, agriculture, contributes heavily to the country’s chronic imbalance between resource availability and use, they noted, attributing the imbalance primarily to the unsustainable overdrawing of highland groundwater.

Water Ministry Secretary General Basem Tulfah cited fiscal issues as among the sector’s main challenges, noting that investments worth JD5-6 billion are needed to upgrade the country’s water infrastructure.

Tulfah added that growing demand for water due to an ongoing influx of refugees is another challenge, in addition to the fact that groundwater resources are being depleted at an alarming rate.

“The actual needs of water for irrigation purposes in the Jordan Valley stand at 220 million cubic metres per year. Only 60 per cent of the Jordan Valley’s irrigation needs are met due to the water shortage,” Tulfah pointed out.

Meanwhile, Turi Fileccia, senior agronomist at FAO’s Investment Centre and main author of the report, said the fruit and vegetables, and poultry value chains have already achieved relatively high water efficiency, yet water productivity and overall competitiveness can be improved.

“Investment is required to further develop the most profitable segment of the domestic poultry meat industry, and to expand the growing area of the Jordan Valley to produce fruits and vegetables that target high-end export markets,” Fileccia said.

AMMAN — Rainfall over the past two days dispelled fears of a looming drought this year, with some five million cubic metres (mcm) of water entering the dams between late Tuesday and early Wednesday, according to officials.

Water and agriculture officials said on Wednesday that the depression and the cold air mass, which started affecting the country on Tuesday night, ended a rain shortage that prevailed since December last year, highlighting that the Kingdom was on the verge of announcing a state of drought.

“The depression will positively affect the agricultural sector. The country started receiving good amounts of rain, thus dispelling farmers’ fears of drought and damage of the wheat and barley crops,” Agriculture Ministry Spokesperson Nimer Haddadin told The Jordan Times.

Haddadin said the rain will revive the natural pastures, thus reducing financial burdens on livestock breeders, who would have been forced to purchase extra fodder to feed their cattle.

“In addition, farmers will now be able to start preparing their lands for summer crops,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Water Ministry figures indicate that the country’s 10 major dams received some 5mcm, thus raising their storage to 147mcm or 45 per cent of their total capacity of 325mcm.

“The Kingdom has received 54.2 per cent of its long-term annual average rainfall of eight billion cubic metres since the start of this winter,” a source at the ministry said.

The country’s 10 major dams held 181mcm or 55.6 per cent of their total capacity of 325mcm at this time last year.

“More rainwater is expected to be channelled into the dams this week,” the source said.

The wet weather is expected to prevail until the end of this week, as the country is still under the impact of the depression and a cold air mass, according to the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD).

Temperatures on Thursday are expected to drop further, as the impact of the combined weather condition deepens.

“It will be cold and cloudy on Thursday. Thunderstorms, hail and rain are also expected. In addition, there will be chances of snowfall over the Sharah Mountains,” a JMD meteorologist said.

Daytime temperatures in Amman will reach 9°C, dropping to 4°C at night, and winds will be westerly brisk, with strong gusts expected at times, the weather forecaster added.

Another drop in mercury levels is expected on Friday, when temperatures will be nine degrees below their annual average of 17°C during this time of the year.

The weather will continue to be cold and cloudy, with thunderstorms, hail and rain forecast. Snowfall over the Sharah Mountains is also expected during the day. Temperatures in the capital will range between a high of 8°C and a low of 3°C, while winds will be northwesterly brisk, according to the JMD.

“The impact of the depression and the cold air mass will start to ease off at midnight on Friday,” the meteorologist said.

A slight rise in temperatures is expected on Saturday, but the weather will remain cold and partly cloudy. Daytime temperatures in Amman will reach a maximum of 11°C, dropping to a minimum of 2°C at night.

AMMAN — The Lower House on Wednesday postponed a discussion over a vote of no-confidence petition to next week, giving the government almost a week to act and meet the MPs demands over measures against Israel after occupation soldiers shot and killed a Jordanian judge.

The decision came at the end of the Lower House’s session on Wednesday as lawmakers concluded two days of deliberations over the death of Judge Raed Zuaiter, which triggered a nationwide popular uproar.

As many as 110 deputies of the 150-strong legislature took the podium to comment on the incident, with all demanding a tough response to Israel.

In an unbinding decision, they voted unanimously for expelling the Israeli ambassador and to recalling the Jordanian ambassador in Tel Aviv.

A similar decision was taken recently after Israeli lawmakers filed a motion to strip Jordan of custodianship over the Islamic shrines in East Jerusalem. 

They also demanded the Israeli government to release all Jordanian and Palestinian prisoners and called for placing the crossing points between Jordan and the West Bank under joint Jordanian-Palestinian control.

The MPs turned down two more suggestions including compensation for Zuaiter’s family and reopening Hamas’ offices in Amman.

At the end of the session, Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh decided to include the proposed vote of no-confidence to the House’s meeting on Tuesday, leaving Sunday’s session for legislative matters, as the MPs have not completed their deliberations over the draft amendments to the Agriculture Law.

Also during the session, deputies voted in favour of releasing Ahmad Daqamseh, a Jordanian soldier who shot seven Israeli girls in 1997 and has since been serving a life sentence in a local prison.

Zuaiter’s son

Following instructions by Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, Minister of Environment and acting Minister of Health Taher Shakhshir checked on the condition of Zuaiter’s son who is receiving treatment at Istiklal Hospital. 

The minister listened to a briefing on the health condition of the child who suffers from obesity and has reportedly been in a coma. 

Shakhshir called for forming a medical committee comprising a number of doctors to supervise the child’s case and provide him with the best medical care.  

Protests continue

The Jordan Engineers Association (JEA) on Wednesday staged a sit-in outside the Professional Associations Complex in Amman, protesting the killing of Zuaiter. 

According to a JEA statement sent to The Jordan Times, protesters shouted slogans against “the Zionist entity”, calling on the government to expel the Israeli ambassador to Jordan. 

“What a shame, what a shame, the ambassador’s still here,” the activists shouted, referring that Tel Aviv’s envoy is still in Amman. 

JEA President Abdullah Obeidat also called for releasing Daqamseh. 

Obeidat added that “the killing of Zuaiter has united Jordanians and Palestinians at a time many are trying to separate them”.

In his speech, he also called for the cancellation of Wadi Araba Peace Treaty between Jordan and Israel, saying that the treaty has not contributed to the protection of civilian people, while Israelis still violate holy sites in occupied Jerusalem. 

The martyr’s cousin, Sari Zuaiter, expressed appreciation for the Jordanians’ strong response to the death of the judge. 

He said that the coffin of Zuaiter was covered with both Jordanian and Palestinian flags, a scene that underlined the unity of the two peoples. 

Israel expressed regret over the incident and agreed to a joint probe with Jordan.