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AMMAN — Assessment of digging in Risha Field’s Well 49 showed "successful" results, indicating that the well can produces some 3 million cubic feet (mcf) of natural gas daily, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Hala Zawati said on Tuesday. 

In a ministry statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Zawati noted that the well increases the production capacity of the Risha Field to 19mcf daily.

The minister said that the government is moving ahead with exploration efforts as part of its endeavours to diversify local energy resources in the total energy mix, noting that the government in 2019 drilled two wells and started drilling a third 11 years after it had halted drilling. 

Chairman of the National Petroleum Company (NPC) Muhammad Khasawneh noted the challenge of water flow to the well, which requires separation of water, adding that temporary production at Well 49 is ongoing after separating surface water. 

Khasawneh added that drilling operations on Well 50 have already started, expecting the work to be finished by next February. 

The production capacity of Risha Field previously stood at 30mcf per day before going down to 9mcf and rising again after the drilling of Well 48, which increased the production to 16mcf, which comprises 5 per cent of the Kingdom's daily consumption of gas (330mcf). 

From its establishment in 1995 until 2017, the NPC produced some 221 billion cubic feet of natural gas, according to the statement.

The sum of the NPC’s production over the span of those 22 years “barely covers” Jordan’s natural gas power needs for two years at the current consumption rate.

The Natural Resources Authority has drilled 45 wells since the NPC’s inception, 15 of which are operational and productive, the statement said.

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has upheld a November 2018 Criminal Court decision sentencing a man to life in prison after convicting him of shooting and killing a man in Amman in July 2015.

The Criminal Court handed the defendant the maximum sentence after convicting him of the killing that took place in mid-July, to avenge a fight that happened a day earlier between the victim's family members and his father.

Court documents said the victim's family members engaged in a heated argument with the defendant's father one day before the incident.

"The defendant decided to take revenge and headed to the victim's family house the following day, armed with a pistol," court papers said.

The victim was surrounded by several people near his house and the "minute the defendant saw them he started firing at everyone who was in the vicinity", court papers said. 

"One of the bullets struck the victim’s forehead, while the rest of the group was unharmed," court papers said.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where he remained for a few days in the intensive care unit until he succumbed to his injuries on July 21, court papers added.

Meanwhile, the authorities, court papers stated, immediately arrested the defendant.

The Criminal Court’s attorney general had asked the higher court to uphold the sentence against the defendant, stating that the court had abided by the proper legal procedures when sentencing the defendant.

The defendant contested the court's ruling through his lawyer, arguing "there is no evidence to link the defendant to the murder”.

"The Criminal Court prosecutor failed to provide any evidence that would link my client to the murder," the lawyer argued.

However, the Cassation Court ruled that the Criminal Court’s judgement fell within the law, that the proceedings were appropriate and that the sentence given was satisfactory.

“It was proven to our court that the defendant was the one who fired the fatal bullet and therefore, he deserves the sentence he received,” the higher court ruled.

The higher court added that the defendant "confessed willingly to the incident and there are several witnesses who testified to seeing him fire towards the victim and those who were near him," the court papers added.

The Cassation Court tribunal comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Yassin Abdullat, Bassem Mubeidin, Naji Zu’bi and Majid Azab. 

AMMAN — Senate President Faisal Fayez on Tuesday met with his French counterpart Gerard Larcher over advancing bilateral ties, mainly in the parliamentary, economic and tourism fields, as well as unifying mutual efforts in countering terrorism. 

During the meeting held in Paris, Fayez reaffirmed Jordan’s role as a key partner for France in achieving regional peace, expressing the Kingdom’s keenness to boost mutual ties in the best interests of the two countries, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Fayez also called on the French Senate to encourage French companies to invest in Jordan, drawing attention to the importance of activating bilateral tourism cooperation, particularly in the fields of religious and medical tourism. Talks also covered the latest regional developments and the repercussions of the Syrian crisis on Jordan.

Fayez highlighted that addressing the Palestinian cause in accordance with the two-state solution is the basis for resolving all regional crises and restoring security and stability.

AMMAN — Labour Minister Nidal Bataineh and his Saudi counterpart Ahmad Rajihi on Tuesday discussed issues of mutual interest, focusing on Jordanians in Saudi Arabia.

During the meeting, held on the sidelines of the 39th session of the Arab social affairs ministerial council, both ministers went over means to promote Jordanian employees to work in Saudi Arabia, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

For his part, Rajihi praised the competencies of Jordanians working in the Gulf kingdom, highlighting the importance of sustaining coordination and benefitting from Jordanian expertise in the fields of legislation and developing labour laws and regulations.

AMMAN — On Wednesday, Jordan and the world are celebrating International Migrants Day, which falls on December 18th of each year. This year, International Migrants Day is commemorated under the theme “A Day Without Migrants”.

This theme comes in light of current international circumstances, which are characterised by the migration of thousands from their homes and countries, according to a Higher Population Council (HPC) statement.

The HPC stated the existence of about 57 different nationalities in Jordan, the most prominent of which, according to the Population and Housing Census of 2015, are Syrians, whose numbers reach about 1,300,000 people, Iraqis at 131,000, Palestinians at 634,000, Egyptians at 636,000, and domestic workers of various nationalities at 91,000 according to Ministry of Labour permits.

The HPC highlighted that Jordan is working on protecting migrants’ rights, both individuals and groups.

AMMAN — In the presence of the Secretary General of Ministry of Health Hikmat Abu Alfoul, World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative to Jordan Maria Cristina Profili has handed over two ambulances to the Ministry of Health to support them in their efforts in serving vulnerable Jordanians and refugee populations, according to a WHO statement.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah has sent a cable to Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani on the occasion of his country’s national day.

In the cable, King Abdullah expressed best wishes to Sheikh Tamim, wishing the people of Qatar further progress and prosperity, according to a Royal Court statement. 

AMMAN — HRH Princess Sumaya, President of the Royal Scientific Society, attended the opening of the Seventh Cycle of the  Arab Forum for Scientific Research and Sustainable Development, organised by the Arab League Education, the Culture and Science Organisation (ALECSO) and the Jordan National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, on Tuesday in Amman.

The forum’s meetings aim at establishing Arab cooperation in scientific research in priority fields and linking it to sustainable development in industry and technology, the Jordan News Agency, Petra reported.

At the opening, Princess Sumaya stressed enhancing the relations between scientific researchers and their social communities and governments, especially in the production and services sectors.

She also expressed her appreciation for ALECSO and their initiatives, including the forum. ALECSO President Mohammad Weld Ammer reviewed the organisation’s achievements, highlighting the importance of the forum given challenges faced by Arab countries that require technological advancements.

The two-day cycle sessions will discuss scientific research and its connection to Arab national security and sustainable economic development, among other relevant issues. 

AMMAN — Finance Minister Mohamad Al-Ississ on Tuesday confirmed that the government will pay all overdue financial arrears to the private sector, including tax returns.

Addressing the Lower House Finance Committee, the minister said that, for the first time in years, the government increased capital spending by 30 per cent, the Jordan News Agency, Petra reported, adding that the biggest problem facing the government is the increase in salaries to 66 per cent of the current expenditure.

Al-Ississ said that the $300 million Emirati grant, which came as a result of the efforts of His Majesty King Abdullah, is not included in the budget, but will reduce the deficit.

Head of the committee MP Khalid Bakkar said that the numbers included in the budget must be realistic in terms of imports and spending, and must not repeat the import volume challenge witnessed in the 2019 budget. 

AMMAN — The Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), Generations For Peace, INJAZ, the Jordan River Foundation and Mercy Corps are joining hands in multi-stakeholder partnership to offer better opportunities to 25,000 young Syrian refugees and vulnerable young Jordanians, according to a DRC statement.

A grant worth 120m Danish krone awarded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation will also be used to mobilise additional funding from the private sector, the Jordanian government and other institutional donors to pilot a sustainable method for providing young people with better opportunities at large scale, the statement said.

The project, which has a duration of three years and is expected to kick off by January 1, 2020, “will set a new agenda for how partnerships can achieve considerably larger impact together”, the statement said. 

Thirty-seven per cent of young people aged 15-24 are unemployed in Jordan, compared with the global average of 13 per cent, and unemployment among young Syrians in Jordan is at approximately 84 per cent, noted the statement.

Only 7 per cent of Syrian women are participating in the Jordanian labour market. Improving life skills among youth will thus lead to “a generation who will become change agents in a troubled region”, read the statement.

The Syrian refugee influx has had a significant impact on Jordan’s already fragile socioeconomic conditions and has placed growing pressure on the country’s tenuous economic and social fabric. 

This is the background for the multi-stakeholder project, called RYSE (Resilient Youth, Socially and Economically Empowered), which will stand on three pillars, according to the statement.

The first pillar will focus on providing life skills, trainings, and pathways for youth to engage in leadership in civil society, according to the statement. 

The second pillar will provide a comprehensive approach to help young people obtain the training and support needed to be strong candidates for better jobs. Families of youth will receive customised support packages including coaching, general family guidance, cash support and individually designed pathways to obtain meaningful and decent job opportunities. 

Finally, the project will address formal societal structures in Jordan that prevent youth from actively participating in civil society and the labour market. Creating an enabling environment that actively includes young people will be critical for the long-term success of the project, noted the statement. 

“We are very proud to have been selected to implement such an extensive project which will be the largest private partnership we have ever entered,” said DRC Secretary General Charlotte Slente, speaking on behalf of the consortium. 

“Syria’s lengthy crisis has paused the lives of Syrians and vulnerable Jordanians. It is critical for their future to support these 25,000 young people with education and job training,” Slente was quoted in the statement as saying.

The roles of the partners

The DRC will serve as the lead agency in the partnership and be the grant holder, responsible for the overall project, reporting and relations with the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the statement said.

The DRC will be operating under all three specific objectives and will be “solely responsible for the project interventions in the Azraq refugee camp”, according to the statement.

Generations For Peace will deliver youth-led civic engagement programmes outside the camps, focusing on arts, sports and advocacy and will train teachers, youth workers and NGO staff in transformative leadership. 

The Jordan River Foundation will deliver youth-led civic engagement programmes outside the camps, focusing on advocacy, innovation, and technology, the statement said, noting that the foundation will also train teachers, youth workers and NGO staff in transformative leadership. 

Mercy Corps will deliver youth-led civic engagement programmes in the Zaatari refugee camp and the DRC and Generations For Peace will support households through the economic empowerment intervention. 

INJAZ will implement school-based life skills and entrepreneurship training. 

”Young people have an incredible ability to stay positive and motivated, and the young Syrian refugees in Jordan are no exception. I am very impressed with the tremendous contributions of our partners in creating this project, which will improve the chances for young refugees to realise their hopes and dreams,” Hanna Line Jakobsen, head of Novo Nordisk Foundation’s Social and Humanitarian area, was quoted in the statement as saying.

The partners will work together to conduct a market assessment and engage with the private sector in support of the programme. 

RYSE will be implemented in close cooperation with the Jordanian government and the local private sector, concluded the statement.