Local

AMMAN — The Energy Ministry on Tuesday refuted claims that Energy Minister Hala Zawati had said that gas imported from Noble Energy, a Houston-based company that holds the largest share in the Israeli Leviathan Gas Field, would reduce the cost of electricity production by 40 fils, according to a ministry spokesperson.

The ministry said that Zawati had made a comparison between the cost of electricity produced from burnt oil shale and gas imported from all sources, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.   

AMMAN — A Senate delegation, which included the heads of the Senate's permanent committees, on Tuesday reviewed the procedures followed by the Independent Election Commission (IEC).

As a result of following these procedures, the commission obtained an International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) accreditation in election management, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. It is the first time that a country in the region has obtained this certification in the field of election management, Petra said.

Chairman of the Commission Khaled Kalaldeh, during his meeting with the delegation, gave a detailed presentation on the activities and programmes of the commission.

He reviewed its preparations for any electoral process, as well as special programmes designed to develop and improve the capabilities of its personnel and provide them with the necessary skills.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday received church leaders in Jordan and Jerusalem, and leading Jordanian Christian figures and representatives of Islamic and awqaf institutions at Al Husseiniya Palace.

Speaking at the meeting, the King expressed best wishes to Christians in Jordan, Palestine and the whole world on the occasion of the holiday season, stressing that Muslims and Christians in Jordan are one family working for the nation’s progress and prosperity, according to a Royal Court statement.

His Majesty reaffirmed the right of Jerusalem’s churches to preserve their property and holy sites, and to worship freely, adding that safeguarding the rights of Muslims and Christians in Jerusalem is a Hashemite duty and legacy.

The King expressed keenness to reach out to church leaders in Jordan and Jerusalem and representatives of Islamic and awqaf institutions, voicing his support and appreciation, the statement said.

For their part, speakers at the meeting highlighted the importance of the Hashemite Custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, describing it as the legitimate, authentic custodianship that emanates from the Hashemite legacy rooted in religion and history, according to the statement.

The speakers expressed appreciation for His Majesty’s role in defending Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, commending the King’s efforts to promote interfaith harmony and coexistence.

In an address delivered on behalf of Patriarch Theophilos III, Patriarch of the Holy City and all Jordan and Palestine, Archbishop Christoforos Atallah, Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Amman, underscored Jordan as a role model for promoting peace and tolerance, as well as a beacon of stability in the region, the statement said.

Archbishop Atallah extended the greetings of Patriarch Theophilos III to His Majesty and the Jordanian people on the occasion of Christmas, stressing support for the Hashemite Custodianship and emphasising the King’s role in bolstering coexistence in the region.

Also speaking at the meeting, Jerusalem Awqaf Department Director Mohammad Azzam Khatib extended his greetings to His Majesty and all Arabs and Jordanians on the occasion of Christmas, according to the statement.

Khatib lauded the King’s firm support and protection of Jerusalem and its holy sites in his capacity as Hashemite Custodian, noting that the Hashemite Custodianship is the only legitimate guardianship accepted and appreciated by Jerusalemites, Muslims and Christians alike.

He added that despite the threat of Judaisation, Muslim and Christian Jerusalemites have formed a united front to counter the multitude of challenges facing the holy city.

Khatib said Jerusalemites will continue to protect their city with His Majesty’s unwavering support, leadership and guidance.

In his remarks at the meeting, Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa paid tribute to Jordan as a model of harmony, and an oasis and a meeting place for everyone, the statement said.

Archbishop Pizzaballa noted that history has given the King the role of preserving the unique link between holy places and communities in the holy city of Jerusalem, highlighting His Majesty’s role in supporting communities in Jerusalem and safeguarding holy sites, such as through his contribution to the restoration of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

AMMAN — Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Wissam  Rabadi and Japanese Foreign Minister Keisuke Suzuki on Monday discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

During the meeting, Rabadi stressed that Jordan attaches great importance to its bilateral and strategic relations with Japan, expressing his gratitude for Japan’s continuous support for the Kingdom, according to a Planning Ministry statement.

He also expressed appreciation for Japan's "understanding" of the economic and social challenges facing Jordan as a result of regional crises in the region, including the Syrian refugee crisis. 

Rabadi outlined the economic reforms implemented by the Kingdom within the framework of the five-year reform and growth plan, stressing the importance of working with Jordan's development partners to support the process of reform and development in the Kingdom. 

He reviewed the ongoing challenges of the Syrian refugee crisis in Jordan, stressing the importance of sustaining Japanese support to enable Jordan to continue its services to the host communities and Syrian refugees. 

For his part, Suzuki pointed to the Jordanian-Japanese partnership, based on the strong relations between the leaderships of the two countries, stressing Jordan's pivotal role in achieving peace and stability in the Middle East.

He affirmed Japan's keenness to continue providing Jordan with support to maintain its economic stability and security in these difficult circumstances. 

AMMAN — Eighteen migrant workers of different nationalities have been arrested by the Ministry of Labour after it conducted a joint inspection campaign in downtown Amman.

The campaign, implemented in cooperation with several concerned authorities, arrested the 18 workers on the basis of being “in violation of the Labour Law”, according to a Labour ministry statement.

Inspection Director of the Ministry Adnan Rababaa stressed the need for employers to “abide by the law and not to employ expatriate workers who do not obtain work permits or who violate the conditions of the permit”.

He added: “Joint campaigns are ongoing for various sectors, including restaurants, cafes and any other sectors that the ministry has forbidden business owners to employ expatriate workers.”

The importance of intensifying supervision and inspection of the labour market lies in “creating an organised and attractive work environment for Jordanian youth,” according to the inspection director.

The joint inspection campaigns between the Ministry of Labour and various departments of the Public Security Directorate “seek to regulate the local labour market and ensure that migrant workers do not work in sectors reserved for Jordanians only,” according to the statement.

“This is done to ensure social security, create jobs for Jordanians, and create a safe working environment for all,” it stated.

Migrant workers found in violation of the law will be deported, and the business owners who employ them will receive warnings and hefty penalties, depending on the violation, said Rababaa.

AMMAN — No immunity for the corrupt, all officials can be subject to questioning, and the corrupt will be penalised, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz said on Monday. 

Attending a ceremony marking International Anti-Corruption Day, Razzaz said that the government works hard to implement His Majesty King Abdullah's directives to fight corruption "relentlessly", the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During the ceremony, organised by the Jordan Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission (JIACC), the premier said that the number of corruption cases that have been referred to court highlights the government's seriousness in dealing with the issue.

There is "no contradiction" between addressing corruption and attracting investments, especially since "true investors" seek investment in countries that fight corruption and adopt transparent practices, Razzaz said, stressing that such a policy protects the country's economy and political system.

He added that Audit Bureau and JIACC laws aim at enhancing the independence of these two institutions, noting that the government will grant the commission the authority to use various mechanisms to enhance its work, including e-investigations and others that are not offered by the Civil Service Bureau.  

For his part, JIACC Chairman Muhannad Hijazi said that the commission adopts precautionary and proactive measures that have a "big impact" in preventing corruption cases.

Hijazi noted that the JIACC has retrieved more than JD350 million that was gained from corruption cases.

Since the beginning of the year, the commission has dealt with a total of 3,534 complaints and grievances.

Also speaking at the event, Chairman of the Jordan Investment Commission (JIC) Khalid Wazani said that investors' main goal is to achieve revenues that can be realised through integrity, transparency and the country's seriousness in seeking comprehensive reform, among others. 

Wazani said that the JIC is interested in enhancing transparency and integrity to guarantee an investment-friendly environment, and facilitating all procedures for investors to establish projects in the Kingdom, according to a JIC statement.  

AMMAN — Prime Minister  Omar Razzaz on Monday instructed Minister of Health  Saad Jaber to immediately intervene in the management of a private hospital in Irbid governorate that refused to hand over the bodies of three deceased children to the family. 

The bodies were held after the hospital claimed financial dues from the family of the infants, the Jordan News Agency, Petra reported.

A woman was admitted last Friday to the hospital, where she gave birth to three children, who were admitted to the prenatal ward. The infants died 24 hours after their admission.

The family's hospital bill amounted to JD4,793 for the surgery and the children's admission into the prenatal ward and one day’s treatment. The father paid JD750, which prompted the hospital administration to release the body of one of the three infants until the remaining amount is paid.

In a statement to Petra, the health minister affirmed that Razzaz,  upon receiving the news, instructed the minister to intervene regarding the hospital's “objectionable” and “unlawful” behaviour, and instruct the hospital to hand over the bodies to the family. 

Jaber added that, under the premier’s directives, the Health Ministry immediately intervened to expedite the release of the bodies, assuring the hospital that it would receive the due payments. 

He added that a committee from the Health Ministry will be formed to verify the amount due for the infants' treatment at the hospital.

Jaber stressed that it is not permissible for public and private hospitals, in the event of death, to withhold a body when the deceased’s family is unable to pay the hospital bills, adding that the ministry will implement the law so that the due payments can be collected by other means, Petra said.

Jaber stressed that the ministry will take legal action against any hospital's administration that detains or prevents the delivery of bodies.

AMMAN — A private sector delegation on Monday held two meetings with the Damascus chambers of industry and commerce over means to enhance economic relations between Jordan and Syria and overcome trade and transit challenges.

The delegates, representing the Association of Owners of Clearance and Transport Companies (AOCTC) and the Jordan Truck Owners Association (JTOA), highlighted the importance of the two countries' governments reconsidering all economic issues, especially the fees imposed on transit trade through Jordan and Syria, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

In 2018, the Syrian government imposed a fee of 10 per cent on transit goods coming from Jordan, which prompted the Kingdom to adopt the principle of reciprocity and impose the same fee on transit goods coming from Syria. 

Deifallah Abu Aqouleh, AOCTC president, said that scrapping the 10-per cent fees is an important part of stimulating the service sectors, mainly clearance and the movement of trucks from Jordan through Syria to Lebanon, Turkey and eastern European countries and from Syria through Jordan to Gulf countries, Egypt and Iraq.  

Abu Aqouleh expressed hope for communication between the two governments to address challenges standing in the way of increasing trade exchange volume and the transit of goods through the two countries.

President of the JTOA Mohammad Dawoud said that the number of trucks that pass through border crossings between Jordan and Syria has declined from 900 to 90 vehicles per day.

Chairman of the Damascus Chamber of Industry Samer Dibis highlighted the importance of finding quick solutions to transport issues and identifying a list of commodities that each country is allowed to import from the other. 

Dibis also urged the delegates to provide the chamber with a list of commodities that Jordan seeks to export to the Syrian market so as to contact the Syrian government to lift their ban on imports.

Jordan and its northern neighbour reopened the Jaber-Nasib border crossing on October 15, 2018, after passenger and cargo traffic was halted for more than three years as a result of the escalating violence in the Syrian town of Nasib, just across the border station, some 80km north of Amman.

AMMAN — Twenty-one-year-old Suzan was hospitalised earlier this year due to an ongoing mental health condition, and has had to drop out of college until her doctors deem her ready to return to her normal life.  

“If you break your arm, people get you flowers, but if you say you have depression, no one takes you seriously,” Suzan, whose name was changed for privacy reasons, told The Jordan Times about her struggles with mental health.

“Before my first suicide attempt and my subsequent admission into hospital, I missed a lot of classes, and my professors did not accept mental-health issues as medical pardons. They did not see missing an exam due to a nervous breakdown as serious as missing it because you broke an arm or something of that sort,” she told The Jordan Times.

Suzan is not the only one struggling with people's lack of understanding of her mental health issues. According to the World Health Organisation, Jordan was described as “a country in need of intense support for strengthening the mental health system”.

Ahmad, a 24-year-old speaking under a pseudonym, said that he could not complete his university studies in London because of his struggle with chronic depression, bipolar personality disorder and compulsive obsessive disorder.

Ahmad said that when he “begged” his family to bring him back to Jordan to be with his family, his father called him “a disappointment” and told him he “needs to man up”.

He told The Jordan Times: “I understand that mental health is not an issue normally brought up in our society, and therefore it is not recognised as a serious illness, but I do wish that those closest to us would be more educated on the issue.”

To help themselves and others around them, several youth took matters into their own hands. Mindchat, an app created by University of Jordan students, links those with mental health issues with a therapist online, without the need for a physical visit.

Sara Olayan, one of the creators of the app, said that “high prices, as well as the fear of social stigma” are among the most common issues that youth face when visiting a therapist.

The app, which offers video and audio or audio-only sessions costing JD35 or less (instead of the standard JD50), tackles these two problems.

Reem, whose name has been changed for privacy, said that such an app is a “life-saver”.

She added: “Therapy sessions are expensive, so I used to save up for them from my allowance, but it was a huge problem every time I went because I had to make up an excuse for my parents as to where I was. The lying worsened my mental health even more, so I’m glad I can attend these therapy sessions from my room without the anxiety and stress of anyone finding out.” 

AMMAN — British Ambassador Edward Oakden visited Balqa Governorate on Monday to meet Governor Nayef Al Hadayat and see first-hand a UK-funded project through DFID and International Medical Corps in the Governorate. 

The project is designed to support people with mental health conditions and strengthen the national system for mental and psychosocial health and protection services in Jordan, according to a British embassy statement.

This programme enhances the protection of refugee and Jordanian families most affected by poverty and vulnerability. These include persons with disabilities or mental health conditions, children requiring health and protection support, female-headed households, survivors of sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) and others without resources to exercise their legal rights, the programme will also seek to build the capacity of national system and local service providers to pave the way for more sustainable services, the statement added. 

The governor welcomed the visit and emphasised the importance of the relations between the two countries. He also discussed tourism in Balqa and highlighted the summer and winter tourist attractions and the UNESCO World Heritage site. 

Oakden also visited Balqa Applied University and met the President of the university, Abdallah Al Zoubi. The ambassador heard inspirational views from students on their aspirations and role in Jordan’s future.

"We happily welcome the Ambassador of the United Kingdom, Mr Edward Oakden, to Al Balqa Applied University, and we cherish the historical relationship between the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the United Kingdom, which dates back to the history of Jordan. We also commend the UK’s supportive positions to Jordan in including the London initiative to support Jordan’s economy and its vision of growth and development,” the statement quoted Zoubi as saying.

The trip also included a visit to Fuheis Municipality and a meeting with Fuheis Mayor Jamal Hattar. The Mayor accompanied the ambassador for a walk in the Christmas lit streets of Fuheis, where they met with members of the local community, including representatives from three Christian communities. They wished the community a happy holiday season, the statement added.

The ambassador concluded his trip with a visit to the Saint George Greek Orthodox Church in Fuheis. 

 “It is always a pleasure to visit the governorate of Balqa, and the cities of As Salt and Fuheis in particular, with their unique combination of the old and the new. There is much shared history with Britain; while the local tourist industry in particular shows much potential. We saw in Balqa applied university how applied studies can be taken to a new level, in Amman and around the country, in a way which maximises jobs for young people,” the ambassador was quoted in the statement as saying.