MIXED NEWS (Society, Culture, Education, Entertainment, Events, Exhibitions...etc)

[yazm1991]

Eighth swine flu death confirmed

The Kingdom recorded its eighth H1N1 (swine) flu-related death this week, a health official said on Wednesday.

The latest swine flu victim, a 13-year-old boy from Aqaba Governorate, passed away on Tuesday at Princess Haya Hospital, according to Adel Bilbeisi, director of the Health Ministry's Primary Healthcare Directorate.

The boy, who had been admitted on October 13, was suffering from a high fever, cough and breathing difficulties, the health official added.

“Tests conducted by the ministry indicated that the boy was also suffering from low blood sugar in addition to liver disease,” Bilbeisi said in a statement sent to The Jordan Times.

According to the latest figures released by the ministry yesterday, 308 swine flu cases were registered in the Kingdom over the past week, raising the total number of cases since the first confirmation of the disease in June to 2,311.

Among the new cases, 95 patients are still receiving treatment in the country’s public and private hospitals.

Of the recent cases, 77 are under the age of 10, 114 between the ages of 10 and 19, 68 belong to the 20-29 age group, while 49 are over the age of 30.

Meanwhile, the ministry received the first batch of 100,000 swine flu vaccines yesterday.

According to ministry officials, the vaccines will be tested by the Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) to ensure their safety before they are administered.

Although the testing process normally takes two to three weeks, JFDA officials have expressed willingness to expedite the process.

Once approved, the first group to be vaccinated will be pilgrims performing the Hajj, in accordance with a request from Saudi Arabia.

[yazm1991]

Originally Posted by yazm1991

Eighth swine flu death confirmed

Meanwhile, the ministry received the first batch of 100,000 swine flu vaccines yesterday.

about time!

[yazm1991]

Kingdom’s dams at one-third capacity following rain

The country's major dams currently hold nearly one-third of their total capacity following two consecutive days of rainfall, according to the Ministry of Water and Irrigation.

The Kingdom’s 10 major dams now contain 31-32.8 per cent of their total capacity of 215.4 million cubic metres (mcm), after the rainy weather on Monday and Tuesday, Minister of Water and Irrigation Raed Abu Saud said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times yesterday.

In addition, water flow in the Yarmouk River increased from 1.8 cubic metres per second to 2.6 cubic metres per second over the past two days, according to the minister.

The King Talal Dam received the most water, some 1.85mcm, followed by Wadi Shueib (645,000 cubic metres), Al Kafrein (580,000 cubic metres) and Wadi Al Arab (317,000 cubic metres).

Meanwhile, Wihdeh Dam received 83,000 cubic metres of water, while Sharhabil Dam in the northern Jordan Valley received 75,000 cubic metres, according to a statement by the ministry, which also indicated that the Wadi Al Rajel Dam in the Northern Badia received 250,000 cubic metres of water.

At the end of last winter, the Kingdom’s major dams held101.85mcm of water, 47.15 per cent of their total capacity.

According to official figures, 91 per cent of Jordan's total area of 97,000 square kilometres is arid land with an annual rainfall average of 50-200 millimetres (mm), while 2.9 per cent is categorised as semi-arid with an annual rainfall average of 400mm-580mm.

In the statement, Abu Saud said the ministry has plans to increase storage capacity to 400mcm through developing the Kufranjeh, Zarqa Maain, Wadi Al Karak, Ben Hamma and Medien dams.

Meanwhile, Jordan Valley Authority Secretary General Musa Jaamani told The Jordan Times that the recent rainfall saved farmers around 350,000 cubic metres in irrigated water.

[yazm1991]

Four years on, 'hidden tears' remain

For over one-and-a-half years, Ashraf Khaled and Nadia declined wedding invitations.

The couple said they could not join in festivities without reliving the painful memories of their own wedding at the Radisson SAS, when the hotel was attacked four years ago today.

It took nearly two years since the incident, in which Khaled’s father and his wife’s parents were among the dozens left dead by a spate of hotel bombings.

The toll varies, with one official figure putting the number of fatalities at 90.

“Although now we go, I can see in my wife’s eyes a hidden tear because she misses her wedding, and because she knows hers ends in a different way,” Khaled said.

Four years on, the survivors of the November 9, 2005 bombings of the Radisson SAS, Grand Hyatt and Days Inn hotels continue with lives they say have been irreversibly changed by the events.

Ersan Nassar’s 25-year-old son Alaa, who was working as a cashier at the Grand Hyatt Amman, died in one of the suicide blasts that were claimed by then-Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Mussab Zarqawi.

Nassar said that although the anger is gone, he feels emptiness when he wakes up in the morning.

“I think about him every day,” he said.

Nassar, who is without health insurance and struggles to pay for his two other sons’ university tuitions, says he relies on support from the Association of Victims of Terrorist Attacks (AVTA) in Jordan, which was established with the support of Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania.

Outside of the association, however, very few can understand his loss, he said.

“All I want is to see my son. I raised him, helped provide for his education, he was supposed to have a bright future,” he said.

“But it all stops on 9/11,” he said.

Ramzi Naser has relived the moment he lost both his parents “over a million times”, through relaying the experience to friends and strangers.

He and his family were part of the wedding party at the Radisson SAS. His parents were killed in the blast.

The first time it felt real, however, was when he got married two years ago on November 14, close to the anniversary of the fateful day he lost his family.

“I couldn’t find anyone close enough to walk with me at my wedding or introduce us as a married couple. This is the one occasion when they should be there with me,” he said.

When his wife gave birth to their first son, Naser named him Ibrahim, after the grandfather he will never meet. He said he is eager to tell Ibrahim the truth when he gets older.

“I will tell my son every detail about us, tell him how his grandparents died and how to be cautious in the future,” he said.

Nowadays, when Khaled hears of bombings in Iraq, Pakistan and elsewhere, he says he relives his experience.

“We have been changed by what we have been through, but we rely on God. This is destiny and we cannot change it,” he says.

Advocacy group

Following the attacks, Khaled continued his work as a lab technician and selling medical equipment before losing his job three months ago as a consequence of the global financial crisis.

In between job searching, he now devotes his time to advocacy, spearheading the Global Survivors Network, which will be launched in a ceremony today. The international advocacy and support group, which he co-founded along with Carrie Lemack, who lost her own mother in the September 11 attack in New York, has been a form of empowerment for survivors to have their voices heard.

Naser, meanwhile, said he found relief from his colleagues at Zain and support from AVTA, of which he serves as president.

“I am a more careful person now,” he said, noting that he observes anyone exhibiting “weird behaviour” in public and is unable to relax until he knows the situation is safe.

“We are much more guarded people,” Khaled added.

Through his experience as AVTA president, Naser said although the physical wounds of survivors have healed over time, the days, months and years following the traumatic experience has been a struggle for many.

The 25-year-old Ehab Zurkia, who lost his mother, brother and sister in the bombings of the Radisson SAS, said: “No matter how many years passed, it’s impossible to forget the sadness.” He told The Jordan Times that although he immerses himself in work as a computer programmer, he still feels the pain “as if it was fresh”.

Response to Al Qaeda

Survivors said they strongly urge against any type of support or sympathy for extremist groups.

“If anyone is supporting or thinking of supporting Al Qaeda, I want them to know that if they hadn’t attacked my wedding, right now I could have my father, my father-in-law and my mother-in-law playing with my daughter,” Khaled said.

Naser said anyone sympathetic with extremist ideology should think twice about the consequences.

“These people are weak persons with no conscience. Maybe they should imagine the effect of their actions on their own family - then they will find it wrong,” he said.

Nassar said that those who carry out such attacks “distort religion”.

“Killing, intimidating and hurting innocent people is against Islam. What they did and continue to do harms Islam and the Arab world,” he stressed.

Zurkia agreed.

“We live in Muslim countries where Islam is our guide and we live under Islamic teaching that condemn killings of innocents,” he said.

“If you have grievances, you can express them through societies and political parties, you don’t try to force your ideology on others through violence,” he stressed.

Rather than statements, Khaled has a question to pose to Al Qaeda and other terror networks whose actions have killed innocent civilians across the globe.

“How can you dehumanise someone, separate them from their emotions, feelings and thoughts and turn them into a killing machine? I cannot get my mind around it,” he said, adding that he finds solace in focusing on the future and raising their two-year-old daughter, Hala.

Khaled has not told her of the events of their wedding, but said he often tells about her grandparents’ lives, professions, of happy times which seem long ago.

According to Khaled, when asked where her grandparents are now, Hala replies instinctively: “They are in heaven.”

“Sometimes this is our only source of relief,” he said.

[yazm1991]

4 Years on...

R.I.P, this tragedy and the lives lost will not be forgotten.

[eastwest]

Originally Posted by yazm1991

4 Years on...

R.I.P, this tragedy and the lives lost will not be forgotten.

RIP may we not witness such a tragedy again

[eastwest]

Amman Stand-up Comedy Festival

December 4-10th
Al-Hussein Cultural Center, Ras El-Ein


Dec, 4th (International show)

Ali Hassan
Dean Obeidallah (Executive Producer & Comic)
James Smith
Maz Jobrani
Nemr Abou Nassar
Russ Meneve
Sherry Davey


Dec, 5th (International show)

Ali Hassan
Dean Obeidallah (Executive Producer & Comic)
James Smith
Maz Jobrani
Nemr Abou Nassar
Russ Meneve
Sherry Davey


Dec, 6th (Arabic-speaking comedy night)

Amer Zahr
Eman Morgan
Maysoon Zayid
Wonho Chung
Nabil Sawalha


Dec, 7th (Arabic-speaking comedy night)

Amer Zahr
Eman Morgan
Maysoon Zayid
Wonho Chung
Nabil Sawalha

Dec, 8th (Arabian Night)

Ahmed Ahmed
Amer Zahr
Aron Kader
Eman Al- Husseini
Eman Morgan
Maysoon Zayid
Mike Batayeh

Dec, 9th & 10th (Closing Nights)

Ahmed Ahmed
Angelo Tsarouchas
Dean Obeidallah (Executive Producer & Comic)
Gabriel Iglesias
Larry Omaha
**Russell Peters - Headliner

----------------------------------------
more info http://www.ascf.jo/index.html

[eastwest]

Jordan's Rock Music
Aiming to shed light on a rarely discussed cultural/entertainment topic Here are some of Jordan's best rock performers





Hanna Gargour









Jadal Arabic Rock









Jordan Metal Scene

A compilation of some metal bands (there are many btw)




Tyrant Throne (Death metal band) was featured on CNN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTpowwyUFgA

[yazm1991]

they are pretty good, thanks for the link eastwest

[yazm1991]

Jordan to play Iran in Asian qualifier

Jordan takes on three-time Asian champs Iran at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium as Group E qualifiers for the AFC 2011 Asian Cup resume on Saturday.

The match is crucial for Jordan, who is at the bottom of the table, after an unsteady start which saw them held to a goalless draw against Thailand in Amman and a 2-1 defeat to Singapore.

The squad and fans hope the team will come away with at least one point ahead of the return leg set for November 22 in Amman. Jordan will then play Thailand on January 6 and Singapore March 3.

The final phase of preparations did not go ahead as planned as technical director Adnan Hamad was intent on a final friendly but teams like Iraq, Syria, Liechtenstein, Belarus and Libya all declined, prompting Hamad to increase the training routine hoping to make up for the match.

This followed two defeats in friendlies last month that further exasperated apprehensive fans and officials. Following the first two qualifiers earlier this year, the squad and its coaching staff underwent a revamp but the line-up has been undergoing constant change with the issue of pros playing aboard and injury worries. The team will miss key player Hasan Abdul Fattah sidelined with an injury.

Under Hamad, Jordan played seven friendly matches losing four (New Zealand 3-1, Bahrain 4-0, Kuwait 2-1 and the UAE 3-1), drawing in two (0-0 with Malaysia and 1-1 with Congo) and winning one (2-0 over Zimbabwe). The team is 128th in FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking while Iran is 62nd.

Iran beat Iceland 1-0 in a friendly ahead of Saturday’s match, as Hamad imposed a media blackout.

Ahead of the team’s departure, he was quoted by Al Ghad as saying: “We are relying on high moral and hope to come back with a positive result.’’

Iran, who failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa, leads the group with four points from two matches after it beat Singapore 6-0 and was held 0-0 with Thailand. The top two teams from each group advance to the AFC Asian Cup finals in Qatar in 2011. In addition a direct bye has been reserved for AFC Asian Cup 2007 winners Iraq, runners-up Saudi Arabia and third-placed team South Korea, in addition to hosts Qatar. They will also be joined by the winners of the AFC Challenge Cups 2008 (India) and 2010 in the continent’s final 16.

The January 2009 to March 2010 qualifiers include:

Group A: Japan, Bahrain, Hong Kong and Yemen.

Group B: Australia, Indonesia, Oman and Kuwait.

Group C: Uzbekistan, the UAE, Malaysia and India.

Group D: Vietnam, Syria, China and Lebanon.

Group E: Iran, Thailand, Jordan and Singapore.

This is Jordan’s eighth time at the qualifiers since first taking part in 1972, however, since the event kicked off in 1956, the Kingdom only reached the Asian Cup finals once at the 13th Asian Cup finals in China in 2004, where, by reaching the quarters, the team jumped to the best ever FIFA rank of 37th in August 2004.

In the past few weeks, Jordan’s U-19 and U-16 squads qualified to their respective AFC finals. It will be the U-19 squad’s third time and the U-16’s first.
Fans hope the senior team will reach the Asian Cup finals for the second time making up for elimination from Round 3 Asian qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup.

[yazm1991]

Come on Jordan, you have beaten Iran before and you can do it again.

[yazm1991]

King inaugurates Aqaba projects

His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday inaugurated three five-star hotels and the Aqaba Logistics Village, which seek to leverage the status of the port city as a tourist attraction and a regional logistics centre.

The hotels - Kempinski, Radisson Blu and Mövenpick Resort Tala Bay Aqaba - will provide around 1,500 jobs. They will also help draw larger numbers of tourists to Aqaba, especially as the city has been selected as the Arab Tourism Capital for 2011.

The logistics village was implemented by the Kuwait-based Public Warehousing Company (Agility) and the Central Logistics Company (Kawar Group) on a build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis, at a cost of around JD50 million.

Also yesterday, the King met with several Jordanian and Arab investors in the city.

During the meeting, the King stressed the need to develop methods to draw investments into the city so as to increase economic growth and launch projects that can benefit the local community as well as the national economy.

The King expressed pride in the accomplishments made despite challenges, voicing confidence in the possibility to achieve more through planned and institutionalised work.

During the meeting, also attended by HRH Prince Feisal, Royal Court Chief Nasser Lozi and the King’s Adviser Ayman Safadi, businessmen highlighted the projects achieved so far in the port city, available investment opportunities and ways to overcome obstacles.

Expressing satisfaction with the investment environment in Aqaba and its positive results, investors briefed the King on their views regarding ways to achieve progress in project execution.

Since its launch in 2001, the Aqaba Special Economic Zone has been able to draw $18 billion worth of industrial, service, hotel and education projects.

[yazm1991]

Originally Posted by yazm1991

Since its launch in 2001, the Aqaba Special Economic Zone has been able to draw $18 billion worth of industrial, service, hotel and education projects.

Great news, hopefully another $18 billion in the near future.

[yazm1991]

Russell Peters & Many Others from Jordan & Around the World will be featured in the 2nd Amman Stand-Up Comedy Festival This December

International Comedy Super Star Russell Peters and many other local and international stand-up comedians are lined up to take part in the Amman Stand-Up Comedy Festival 2009 in its second edition, from December 4 until December 10, in association with Orbit Showtime. The festival which is organized by the Greater Amman Municipality GAM is held in collaboration with the New York Arab American Comedy Festival.

The event hosts the most popular comedians from all around the world, namely Middle Eastern, Jordanian, and foreign. Among The comedians who are expected to mesmerize the Jordanian audience to their seats are; Maz Jobrani, James Smith, Russ Meneve, Ali Hassan, Sherry Davey, Nemr Abou Nassar, Dean Obeidallah, Nabil Sawalha, Maysoon Zayyid, Eman Morgan, Amer Zahr, Wonho Chung, Ahmed Ahmed, Mike Batayeh, Aron Kader, Eman Al-Husseini, Larry Omaha, Angelo Tsarouchas, Gabriel Iglesias, and International Comedy Super Star, Russell Peters. From the 7 day festival, 2 nights are dedicated to stand-up material in Arabic featuring Jordans Nabil Sawalha, Maysoon Zayyid, and Orbit Showtimes Wonho Chung. It is worth noting that the Amman Stand-Up Comedy Festival was held for the first time last year, from December 2 until December 6, 2008, constituting the first step of its kind in the Middle East and, indeed, the Arab world.

The Festival attracted almost three thousand Jordanians and Arabs, all of whom interacted with and highly appreciated the many comic performances. The Greater Amman Municipality and Amman Stand-up Comedy Festival management would like to express their gratitude to the festival sponsors whose generous contributions have helped cover the festivals costs. The schedule of the performances is as follows

[yazm1991]

Maan tense after resident ‘beaten by police’ dies

Tribal and community leaders in the southern town of Maan were engaged in a flurry of activity late Saturday to soothe simmering feelings after the death of a man allegedly beaten by police, eyewitnesses said.

Mohammad Bahri, a Maan resident and president of a local charity, told The Jordan Times over phone that young Maanis were gathering in the streets amid intense efforts by the town elders to calm the situation down.

Meanwhile, Bahri and other eyewitnesses said the Gendarmerie Forces were deployed to the area after Mohammad Kreishan, 44, succumbed yesterday to a head injury he received Thursday, allegedly at the hands of a police officer who was among a task force sent to arrest a friend of Kreishan, according to a security source.

The source said that members of the Maan police force were on a mission to arrest a suspect in a bad cheque case. The unnamed wanted man took refuge at the house of Kreishan, who tried to prevent the police officers from storming his house to arrest the fugitive.

The source added that a clash erupted between Kreishan, supported by his relatives in the neighbourhood, and members of the police force.

The security source said eyewitnesses were able to identify the suspect at the governor’s office. The suspect, he said, is a lieutenant who is under interrogation.

Kreishan had been evacuated to the army-run Hussein Medical Centre in Amman for treatment for the fatal injury, said to have been caused by a baton.

Yesterday evening, the Gendarmerie Forces were “so far keeping a distance from the angry youths”, said Bahri, who expected that the reconciliation efforts would pay off, especially since police immediately opened an investigation into the incident and arrested the suspect.

There were no reports of violence by the time this story went to print.

Maan has a history of clashes with authorities, starting in 1989, when violent protests broke out after a national economic crisis caused a rise in commodity and fuel prices.

Last week, six Gendarmerie members were hospitalised in a riot that followed the death of a resident in Hai Al Tafaileh in east Amman. In a similar episode, the deceased was allegedly beaten by police before he went into a coma and died.

[yazm1991]

Riots erupt in Maan after man dies of injury ‘caused by police’

A number of young people in the city of Maan late Saturday attacked and burned a police vehicle and a security booth after they opened fire on the policemen manning the station.

The riots were triggered by the death of a man who had been in coma after a police officer allegedly attacked him during a clash between police and residents who tried to prevent them from arresting a suspect on Thursday.

Eyewitnesses told The Jordan Times over phone that the police fled the booth, refraining from firing back at the angry attackers.

Riots were witnessed in other parts of the city as the rioters protesting the death of Fakhri Kreishan, 44, who died at Al Hussein Medical Centre in Amman, blocked the Desert Highway leading to Aqaba, the residents said. Gunshots were heard in various parts of the city.

A security source confirmed the eyewitnesses’ account, saying that the Gendarmerie Forces enhanced their presence in the southern town, 220km from Amman.

The violence erupted although the tribe of the suspect, a lieutenant who allegedly beat Kresihan with a baton on the head Thursday, were granted atwa, or a truce, by the Kreishan family for three days, which, according to tribal traditions, is a promise of refraining from violence till a final reconciliation.

Tribal and community leaders in the town were earlier engaged in a flurry of activity to soothe simmering feelings after Kreishan was proclaimed dead yesterday afternoon.

Mohammad Bahri, a Maan resident and president of a local charity, told The Jordan Times over phone that young Maanis had gathering in the streets amid intense efforts by the town elders to calm the situation down. The officer accused of causing death to Kreishan was among a taskforce sent to arrest one of his friends, according to the security source.

The source said that members of the Maan police force were on a mission to arrest a suspect in a bad cheque case. The unnamed wanted man took refuge at the house of Kreishan, who tried to prevent the police officers from storming his house to arrest the fugitive.

The source added that a clash erupted between Kreishan, supported by his relatives in the neighbourhood, and members of the police force.

The security source said eyewitnesses were able to identify the suspect at the governor’s office. The suspect, he said, is a lieutenant who is under interrogation.

Kreishan had been evacuated to the army-run Hussein Medical Centre in Amman for treatment for the fatal injury, said to have been caused by a baton.

Yesterday evening, the Gendarmerie Forces were “so far keeping a distance from the angry youths”, said Bahri, who expected that the reconciliation efforts would pay-off, especially since police immediately opened an investigation into the incident and arrested the suspect.

There were no reports of violence by the time this story went to print.

Maan has a history of clashes with authorities, starting in 1989, when violent protests broke out after a national economic crisis caused a rise in commodity and fuel prices.

Last week, six Gendarmerie members were hospitalised in a riot that followed the death of a resident in Hai Al Tafaileh in east Amman. In a similar episode, the deceased was allegedly beaten by police before he went into a coma and died.

[yazm1991]

Jordan lost to Iran 0-1 last night in hopes to qualify for the AFC 2011.

The only hope Jordan has now is to win all the remainder of its games, against Thailand (away), Iran (home) and Singapore (home).

Not holding my breath, but hoping for a miracle.

[yazm1991]

Swine flu death toll rises to 11

The number of swine flu cases in the Kingdom has increased to 2,747, with 11 H1N1-related deaths, a senior health official said on Sunday.

Minister of Health Nayef Fayez said the most recent fatality is a pregnant woman in her 20s, who died last week in a hospital in Zarqa Governorate.

He added that the ministry registered 143 cases over the past four days, with 85 patients currently receiving treatment at hospital.

An official vaccination campaign will be launched at Prince Hamzah Hospital on Tuesday, where some ministry officials will be inoculated, Fayez told reporters at a press conference yesterday.

“Some 500 pilgrims were administered the vaccine so far and none of them has developed side effects,” the minister noted.

He also called on the designated high-risk groups to take the vaccine, noting that all test results related to the vaccinations imported by the Kingdom prove that they are safe.

Last week, the ministry listed categories that will be given priority for the immunisation.

Among the first to be vaccinated are 30,000 women in the third trimester of their pregnancy, 3,100 patients suffering from kidney failure, children with type 1 diabetes, people with heart failure, an estimated 109 AIDS patients and some 10,000 patients with severe asthma.

In addition, 5,000 vaccines have been allocated for medical staff that work directly with swine flu patients, while some civil defence and public security personnel will also be inoculated.

Although the vaccine is optional, Adel Bilbeisi, director of the ministry’s primary health directorate, called on pregnant women not to hesitate in taking the vaccine.

“A high rate of swine flu-related deaths across the world are among pregnant women,” Bilbeisi said yesterday, adding that this category is the most at risk in contracting the virus and combating the disease.

He added that the ministry will announce the health centres accredited to give the vaccination during the official campaign launch tomorrow.

[yazm1991]

Jordan's disabled still being abused, exploited - HCAPD

People with disabilities (PWD) in Jordan still suffer from abuse and exploitation, according to a review of the first phase of the national strategy for the disabled.

During a press conference on Tuesday to announce the November 23-24 national conference on the disabled, HRH Prince Raad, Chief Chamberlain and president of the Higher Council for the Affairs of People with Disabilities (HCAPD), said the review found a "gap" in terms of protecting PWD from abuse.

He noted that a paper will be discussed during the upcoming conference on means to develop a mechanism to safeguard people with disabilities against mistreatment and exploitation.

"The conference seeks to evaluate the challenges and progress in implementing the first phase of the Kingdom's strategy for the disabled, which ends at the end of this year," Prince Raad added, indicating that the conference will also provide a platform to measure the commitment of public and private institutions in applying the provisions of the strategy.

"The conference is part of the HCAPD's obligations to assess the application of the strategy in private and public agencies and take a closer look at the real situation of the disabled in Jordan," the Prince noted, adding that the conference will call for activating the role of civil society organisations in initiating partnerships to serve PWD.

He noted that a report will be issued following the conference highlighting the achievements of the strategy, presenting an analysis of the situation of PWD and identifying the role of the private and public sectors in protecting their rights.

The report will also shed light on the plans and programmes to be carried out under the second phase of the strategy, which will cover the years 2010-2015, the Prince added.

HCAPD Secretary General Amal Nahhas said the council is working to improve the conditions of PWD by enacting appropriate regulations and directing projects pertaining to disability rights as well as ensuring the full implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The HCAPD announced this week that it has completed a draft for the second phase of the national strategy, which will be posted on the council's website to enable government agencies and concerned NGOs to submit their suggestions and comments.

Under the first phase of the strategy, the government endorsed the 2007 Law for the Rights of People with Disabilities, which tackles various issues, including PWD engagement and integration into public life as well as their opportunities for employment, education, healthcare and rehabilitation.

The strategy seeks to reduce the disability rate by 5 per cent during the first stage and 15 per cent by the end of the second stage through promoting early detection, supporting health awareness programmes and establishing sections at healthcare centres for the detection and treatment of disabilities.

It also calls for providing financial support to institutions that recruit PWD and providing the disabled with financial and technical assistance to help them implement income-generating projects.

In addition, the strategy calls for environmental and structural changes to buildings and public facilities to comply with the needs of PWD.

[yazm1991]

USAID supports water projects in Jordan

Amman -- Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Jay Knott said the agency would continue its support the Ministry of Water and IrrigationMinistry of Water and IrrigationLoading... to develop best management in water projects.

Knott was speaking to reporters following a media tour organized by the USAID on a number of US-funded water projects in Jordan.

He said, "We are cooperating with both the public and private sectors.

" He added that the agency has provided $513.5 million in support for water projects since the beginning of 2009, $170 million of which went for the As Samra Water Treatment project that serves more than 2 million people in Amman and Zarqa governorates.

This financial support, Knott said, was the biggest presented by the USAID to countries, the thing that underlined the depth of relationship between the Jordanian and American peoples, which started 50 years ago.