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AMMAN — Criminal Investigation Department (CID) personnel on Sunday arrested three suspects in a robbery of a gas station and seized part of the stolen money, a Public Security Department (PSD) statement said, adding that the CID is still looking for two other suspects.

The PSD said that they received a tip-off on Sunday morning saying that an accountant had been robbed in a petrol station in Al Zohoor area.

The suspects stole about JD13,000 after allegedly threatening the man with a firearm before fleeing in a car with fake licence plates. One of the suspects, who worked inside the station, was arrested by the CID personnel and confessed to planning the crime, alongside four others, according to the statement.

AMMAN — The Central Traffic Department (CTD) has concluded a workshop titled “The role of women in the traffic process”, in the presence of the Public Security Department (PSD) Director Maj. Gen. Ahmed Sarhan Faqih, to discuss the role of women in reducing traffic accidents, according to a PSD statement.

CTD Director Brig. Gen. Sameer Bino, presented the audience with statistics of traffic accidents and related deaths and injuries due to wrong traffic practices and disregard for traffic rules. He pointed out that the CTD strives to spread traffic awareness across the Kingdom.

The workshop, which witnessed the participation of women from the community, included a short film displaying some of the errors some drivers commit and the role of women in modifying these behaviours. 

AMMAN — A number of industrial companies on Monday called on the Agriculture Ministry to allow importing olive oil to resume their production lines that have been suspended due to insufficient local production and high prices, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Five of the companies presented a memorandum to the Agriculture Minister, in which they called for solving the scarcity of olive oil in the local market for the past several months. 

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday met with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen in New York and discussed means to enhance cooperation between the two countries as well as regional issues.

His Majesty expressed Jordan’s keenness to boost economic relations with Vienna, noting that the Kingdom enjoys a safe and attractive investment environment that constitutes, through its partnerships with numerous countries, an important gateway to regional and international markets, according to a Royal Court statement.

Talks also went over endeavours aimed at reaching political solutions to regional crises. 

Both leaders discussed regional and international efforts exerted in the war against terrorism within a comprehensive approach. His Majesty warned against Islamophobia and the marginalisation of Islamic communities in the West, which help extremists use such fears to feed their terrorist agendas. 

The Jordanian role in hosting Syrian refugees, providing them with humanitarian and relief services and their impact on the Kingdom, as well as the importance for the international community to support Jordan in this regard were also covered in the meeting.

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Jordan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Sima Bahous attended the meeting.

AMMAN — Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Monday attended a meeting hosted by US President Donald Trump at the UN headquarters, aimed at supporting the UN reform, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Jordan, the UK, Canada, Japan, Germany, Senegal, Slovakia, Indonesia, Niger, Rwanda, Thailand and Uruguay took part in the meeting that was held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly 72nd session.

In his address to the meeting, Trump applauded UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for laying out a vision to reform the UN to better serve the people of its member states.  

“We support your efforts to look across the entire system and to find ways the United Nations can better, and be better at development, management, peace, and security,” Trump added in his speech posted on the White House’s website.

He added that the UN was founded on “truly noble goals” which “include affirming the dignity and worth of the human person and striving for international peace”. 

The UN has helped advance towards these goals in many ways, he added, citing “feeding the hungry, providing disaster relief, and empowering women and girls in many societies all across the world”.  

“Yet, in recent years, the UN has not reached its full potential because of bureaucracy and mismanagement,” Trump noted. 

“While the UN on a regular budget has increased by 140 per cent, and its staff has more than doubled since 2000, we are not seeing the results in line with this investment.  But I know that under the secretary general, that’s changing and it’s changing fast.  And we’ve seen it,” the president added.

Attendees of the meeting issued a statement supporting the UN reform, including the support to reform initiatives by Guterres, activating partnerships between countries and the UN Secretariat General to improve its performance in humanitarian, development and peace work, Petra added.

AMMAN — Coming to the realisation that people with disabilities in Jordan could not enjoy a daily life of entertainment as they wish to, Aya Aghabi took the matter into her own hands and created “AccessibleJordan.com”.

“I realised that, whether they have a mobility impairment, a baby to push around in a stroller, or simply people with moving difficulties, people tend to cancel their plans because they know they won’t be able to access their destination because of stairs or the lack of ramps and elevators,” the 26-year-old told The Jordan Times on Monday.

Jordan, the country she “always loved and that offered her so many options for fun, exploration and adventure” could no longer do so the second she sat in a wheelchair. 

“In the summer of 2009, I was in a car accident in Amman that left me with a spinal cord injury and, as a result, a physical disability,” Aghabi explained. 

A year later, the young woman went on to study in the US, which she described as “much easier” to live in for a person with a physical disability compared to Jordan. 

“When I wanted to go out with friends, I knew that all public transportation was accessible for people with mobility impairment and any information about the accessibility of places could be found in seconds online without any hassle,” Aghabi recalled.

However, as she returned to Jordan, the lack of infrastructure for people with disability dawned on her. “I was jealous of all the resources and support people with disabilities had in the US that lacked in Jordan. Over there, simple things like ramps on sidewalks allowed me to live my life independently and navigate through the city without the need of any assistance,” she explained.

Determined to continue living her life as normally as any other 26-year-old, Aghabi made it a point not to let a wheelchair redefine who she was. “I am a very outgoing and adventurous person; I love going out and discovering new places,” she said, always smiling. 

She then decided to create “Accessible Jordan”, an online guide to all places accessible around Amman and other tourist destinations in Jordan.

“I love Jordan and I have pride in being Jordanian,” the young woman explained, noting that she enjoys exploring her country and advertising it to every non-Jordanian she can. 

Listing all the accessibility-friendly spots across the Kingdom under the categories “Food & Drinks”, “Art & Culture”, “Tourist Attractions”, Aghabi makes it easier for any person with disabilities in Jordan to enjoy their daily lives like anyone else.

The website comprises detailed information on the level of accessibility of each place, including those which only have a few steps to climb. “I am the kind of person who doesn’t mind asking for a little assistance when entering a place,” the young woman explained, adding that she often goes to places which are not equipped for people with disabilities, hoping that, “maybe it will push them to install a ramp later on”.

Encouraging people to pay more attention to accessibility resources present in the places they visit daily, Aghabi voiced her hope that her website would be the first in many steps to raise awareness about the lack of accessibility in Jordan. 

As she just returned from a trip to the Amman Citadel over the weekend, she explained: “I want to show people it is possible to visit these tourist places like anyone else. The government is trying its best to do something but we all need to do our part too.”

“It is very difficult to find places that are equipped and accessible around the country but, when you do, it’s like winning a prize!” she explained with an overwhelming enthusiasm, already citing a flourishing number of ideas for the future, including an app listing the wheelchair-friendly spots across the country.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Monday stressed the need to focus on the work and efforts of the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) for enhancing the services provided to citizens and upgrading the quality of its infrastructure and services, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During a visit to the GAM headquarters, Mulki met with Amman’s Mayor Yousef Shawarbeh, to whom he emphasised the importance of finding real solutions to some of the challenges faced by citizens, especially traffic. 

He pointed out the importance of upgrading public transportation efficacy in the capital, especially by increasing the rounds of buses to encourage people using them in their daily commutes. 

Mulki praised GAM for recently starting the provision of online services, which facilitates procedures for citizens and investors, and shortens the time and effort in completing transactions. He also placed importance in  examining the procedures that are still not available online and of disposing any unnecessary measures.

The premier underlined the need for GAM’s budget for the coming year to be “specific” and to focus only on the priority projects, calling on the new Amman Municipality Council to define priorities between the various projects and services.

On the Rapid Bus Project, the Prime Minister underlined the importance of prioritising the implementation of the development at the major intersections of stations and bridges to ensure speedy implementation.

Another area of focus are sidewalks in many areas of the capital, especially those with pedestrian traffic. Mulki alsocalled for reorganising the display of advertisement billboards  to limit visual pollution.

Regarding the GAM demand to find a suitable piece of land to establish a cemetery, in light of the inability of the Sahab cemeteries to accommodate the rising number of bodies, Mulki outlined the need for coordination between GAM and the Ministry of Finance / Department of Lands and Survey to find a new site with easy access and needed infrastructure.

He spoke about quickly finding alternative places for the central market and the GAM slaughterhouse, in a way that contributes to improving the service provided to citizens, protecting the environment and maintaining public safety.

For his part, Mayor Yousef Shawarbeh confirmed that GAM is keen on continuing its online services project to simplify the procedures for citizens and investors in accordance with national plans. 

He noted that 32 services in various sectors were already available online, 41 others were under way, while 10 services were completed, and 7 others will follow before the end of this year.

AMMAN — Chinese investments in Jordan are not only offering the Kingdom the benefit of  natural resources, but also creating job opportunities, according to Chinese Ambassador to Jordan Pan Weifang.

The ambassador’s remark came during a lecture organised on Sunday by the Arab Thought Forum (ATF) on the potential and untapped opportunities of Sino-Jordanian ties. 

Weifang highlighted the influence of the Chinese economy, the world’s second largest, and its potential to develop collaborations through providing funds and investments in Jordan. 

The ambassador, who was hosted by ATF Secretary General Mohammad Abu Hammour, highlighted the common interests between the two countries and the fertile investment conditions in Jordan, especially with the Kingdom’s free trade agreements. 

The Chinese factories in Jordan are successful, Weifang added, citing the Chinese garment company that will be listed in the New York exchange market later this year. 

The factories are producing “high quality products” for international brands, holding “Made in Jordan” labels.

The ambassador also pointed the Aqaba-based Chinese factory for LED lights’ “successful collaborations” with municipalities by providing them with power-saving LED lights for street lighting. The lights “save up to 70 per cent of electricity”.

Additionally, a Chinese investment worth $1.6 billion to extract oil shale to produce electricity in Maan Governorate, 220km south of Amman, is expected to create 5,500 job opportunities for Jordanians, the ambassador said.

China is also contributing $5-6 billion to the Jordanian nuclear reactor to help the Kingdom address its shortage of electricity and possibly export energy, he added. 

“More and more [Chinese] investors are visiting Jordan to study the opportunities to open factories in Amman, Sahab, Aqaba and Irbid,” he said. 

The ambassador added that the Sino-Jordanian University would open automation, machinery, technical and computer departments to share Bejing’s experience in these fields with Jordanian students, noting that the embassy is still waiting for the decision of the Higher Education Ministry regarding the location of the university. 

He stressed that the two countries have common interests and visions towards achieving peace and combating terrorism in the region and around the world. 

For his part, Abu Hammour said that the Sino-Jordanian relations are “exemplary” and witnessed a steady progress politically, economically and culturally. 

AMMAN — Mohammad Allaf, chairman of the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission (IACC) on Sunday announced that the total amount mentioned in the reports of the Audit Bureau for the years 2009-2015 reached JD125.384 million, including JD45.793 million still under investigation.

During a press conference, Allaf said that JD2.335 million listed in the reports of the Audit Bureau were recovered, JD1.558 million of which were recovered through the IACC and JD777,000 through government departments. 

Allaf added that 415 cases were included in the inquiries of the Audit Bureau channeled to the government by the House of Representatives to reach the Commission.

 MP Saleh Armouti (Amman, 3rd District) said the current and former governments were to be blamed for the lack of swift and serious action in combating corruption in the Kingdom.

“I believe that efforts made by former lawmakers and governments came short when combating forms of corruption, this phenomenon is not new to Jordan and the reports of the Audit Bureau issued between 2009-2015 have shown a huge number of corruption cases,” Armouti told The Jordan Times.

“This negligible amount of retrieved corruption money does not fit the IACC standards, I think if cases were referred to the judiciary, results would be better,” Armouti concluded.

Deputy Mustafa Khasawneh, head of the Lower House Legal Committee, supported the role of the IACC and attributed the late response to the “lack of cadres at IACC compared to the huge number of cases and their procedural complexity”.

“The IACC is doing a very good job, taking into consideration that IACC still needs tremendous support. I am convinced that IACC had a huge role in closing down the phenomenon of corruption that has been spreading in state institutions,” Khasawneh told The Jordan Times.

Khasawneh also blamed the previous governments and former deputies stating that “the current Lower House was the only one that studied the Audit Bureau reports and referred cases to the general attorney through the government channel.”

“According to the Constitution, the Lower House does not have the authority to place accusations, but deputies do have the power to refer cases to the government and then to the attorney general,” he concluded.      

The Audit Bureau is scheduled to present the Lower House, the government and the Senate with a new report during the ordinary session which will start on October 1. 

Meanwhile, citizens express a more sceptical view regarding the fight against corruption. 

An Amman taxi driver, who spoke under anonymity, told The Jordan Times that “we witness corruption at so many levels, whether they are low-ranking employees or top officials, there is always someone stealing from the state”.

“I do not believe anyone is trying to cut down on corruption but I still hope this trend comes to an end because it is only affecting the weak and the poor,” he added.

AMMAN — Director of Irbid Health Department Qassim Mayyas on Monday said that the scientific tests have shown that water was not the reason behind the 62 poisoning cases in Hatem village earlier this week.

Mayyas told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that the poisoning was more likely to be due to food from a restaurant in the village, from which samples are currently being tested.

The director added that only six patients are still at the Yarmouk Hospital, noting that no new cases were registered at the hospital on Monday.