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AMMAN – The Labour Ministry has recently started to announce job vacancies available for Jordanians in Gulf countries. 

The ministry posts available job opportunities on its website and also sends press statements to daily newspapers listing vacancies for Jordanian engineers, teachers, university instructors, accountants and professionals in various fields. 

Mohammad Khatib, the ministry’s spokesperson, told The Jordan Times that there are labour attachés at five Jordanian embassies in the Gulf — Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates — who coordinate with authorities in these countries to compile the available jobs. 

Khatib said the efforts by the ministry do not clash with the interests of private recruitment agencies in Jordan that mainly deal with the Gulf job market. 

“We work as a link between authorities in the Gulf and job seekers here,” Khatib said, adding that the ministry runs the announcement with contact details of recruiters. 

“Recruiters in the Gulf or their agents [Jordanian agencies] in Jordan receive the resumes of job seekers and do the interviews,” he added. 

The official said the announcement for jobs abroad, which has been going on for the last few months, is part of the ministry’s efforts to reduce unemployment among Jordanian professionals, noting that hundreds of vacancies have been promoted recently. 

AMMAN — Through an at-the-door car wash service, Mohammad Arabiyat seeks to realise his dream of pursuing higher education, breaking the so-called "culture of shame".

The 23-year-old sociology graduate from the University of Jordan is driven by a dream to become a university professor in order to have the platform to influence students and contribute to the change he wishes to see in society, he told The Jordan Times on Sunday.

But since the resident of Salt city, some 35km northwest of Amman, cannot afford higher education fees, he decided to start a small business, especially that the only job he was able to get after graduation was at a shop, where he was paid JD150 monthly.

"My initial thought was to own an equipped van that I can use for car wash delivery services, but to get the needed funding I have to obtain a project license," he said, adding that he reduced the business model to a simpler one.

He decided to start off his journey by offering a car wash service for Salt residents six times a month for JD7 for each customer. 

"This career is dominated by Egyptian guest workers and it makes good money, so why cannot young Jordanians do it?" he asked in a phone interview, noting that it is generally unheard of for a citizen and a degree-holder to work in car washing.

"My father, who holds a master's degree, had to work at a café at a certain period of his life," he said, describing the move as one that seeks to break the social taboo that claims it is "improper" for degree holders to work in “inferior” jobs. 

Within only a week of kicking off the project, Arabiyat was able to attract 50 customers in several parts of the city that he serves from 8:00pm until 4:00am.

"It is exhausting to work at night in the cold outdoor, especially that I am new to car washing, but no pain, no gain," he said.

Asked about on the reaction of his community to his move, Arabiyat said many people showed disapproval at first, but once they saw him doing the job they started accepting what he is doing.

The problem, as he puts it, is that many people still look down upon providers of services like this, yet he receives support from his parents, five siblings and a network of relatives and friends.

"I still have a long road ahead and I am willing to develop my project so that it could generate a stable income," he said, noting that the equipped van would save him a lot of time and effort.

AMMAN — Energy Minister Ibrahim Saif on Sunday in Maan inaugurated a wind energy project to generate electricity, funded by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The $148-million project aims at supporting the national economy and developing Maan, and comes in implementation of Royal directives to adopt alternative energy sources in order to reduce the energy bill as well as create job opportunities for Jordanians. 

The inauguration ceremony was held at the project's site near Al Hussein Bin Talal University in the presence of KFAED Director General Abdulwahab Ahmad Al Bader, Kuwaiti Ambassador to Jordan Hamad Al Duaij, Spanish Ambassador to Jordan Santiago Cabanas and representatives from Elecnor, the company conducting the project. 

The State-owned project is expected to generate 200 gigawatt/hour annually and is "the first of its kind", Saif told Petra, commending Kuwait's role in funding the project. 

He said the government prioritises the use of local energy sources, especially renewable energy, to contribute to addressing the energy crisis in the Kingdom and increase the share of alternative energy sources to the energy mix to 20 per cent by 2025.

At the end of the inauguration ceremony, former minister Ahmad Al Khattab, representing the Maan community, thanked Saif and the two ambassadors, in addition to the project's supporters for their contributions to develop the area and serve national economy, Petra, reported. 

AMMAN — Activists and government entities involved in the third phase of Karama project that addresses torture and abuse claims vowed on Sunday to continue their pursuit to improve the treatment and conditions of detainees, and personal freedoms in Jordan.

The pledges were made at the conclusion of the third phase of Karama project that is run by the Ministry of Justice, National Centre for Human Rights (NCHR), Mizan for Law and the Danish Institute against Torture (DIGNITY).

Launched in 2008, the Karama project aimed at improving the way detainees, and inmates are treated, and the conditions in detention and correctional facilities.

“The programme has contributed to the improvement of the treatment and conditions for persons detained at correctional and rehabilitation centres in Jordan, and in strengthening the capacities to fight all sorts of ill treatment and torture,” said Lubna Nasser, DIGNITY’s country representative.

The accomplishments have been internationally acknowledged, according to Nasser, in her remarks at the two-hour ceremony at the Crown Plaza Hotel.

She referred to the concluding observations on Jordan from the UN Committee against Torture (2015) that welcomed the establishment of a national register for cases of torture at the public prosecution offices, holding two international conferences on torture and prevention, alternatives to pre-trial detention and legislative amendments. 

“The Karama partners are important actors in this human rights field and the joint efforts make the approach stronger. I would like to thank all the partners in the Karama program for the good cooperation,” Nasser told the gathering.

Nasser said the next step is for the partners “to review in more depth the precise results and progress of the programme since its establishment in 2008 with a view to optimise the strategy for the coming years and prepare for the fourth phase in 2017”.

“We all strive to see Jordan free of torture incidents in the near future,” Nasser stressed.

Also speaking during the ceremony was Public Prosecutor Rami Tarawneh, who stressed that torture incidents in Jordan are minimal and “do not constitute a phenomenon”.

“The few reported incidents of abuse on the rights and freedoms of people are acts conducted by individuals, and in no way they represent the policy of the state or the justice system,” Tarawneh stressed.

He added that there is a special register at the prosecutor general office in Amman “that receives any complaints”.

“We examine each claim and take the necessary action when needed,” he said.

Nisreen Zreiqat, who heads the NCHR Criminal Justice Unit and the Acting Commissioner for Public Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, said that Jordan has gone a long way in improving the status of inmates.

“We have a team of activists who can visit any correctional facility in Jordan without prior approval or appointment. This was a taboo in the past,” Zreiqat said.

The project also aimed at strengthening the professional capacity of law enforcement institutions to prevent torture and ill treatment, and respond appropriately and effectively when such acts occur.

The project was also designed to strengthen the capacity of core institutions within the criminal justice sector with the ultimate goal of improving the treatment of people in prison or custody and the conditions of their confinement.

It sought to ensure that torture and ill treatment are documented, prosecuted and redressed in accordance with international legal standards. 
The programme is funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the Danish-Arab Initiative.

AMMAN – The government is still following up on the issue of Jordanian students in Sudan allegedly involved in the leak of the Sudanese secondary exam papers last month.

A total of 21 Jordanians are currently behind bars, while the government is "exerting all efforts to release them", according to an informed source who preferred anonymity.

"All the detained are doing well and we are in close contact with their families," he said.

The Sudanese news agency said on Sunday that the foreign ministry summoned Jordanian Ambassador in Khartoum Mohammad Al Fayez on Saturday and presented him with a memo expressing authorities' "frustration" over the way the Jordanian media handled the issue in question. 

According to the agency, the ministry noted that a "group of Jordanian students have used advanced and complicated cheating tools, making it one of the most dangerous information crimes that affected the social and official circles in Sudan".

The ministry also voiced its frustration over the Education Ministry's decision not to accredit secondary school certificates issued in Sudan, the agency reported.

Mid last month, Sudanese authorities detained a number of Jordanian students over claims that the secondary school national exam test papers were leaked and obtained by some Jordanian students.

The incident prompted the Education Ministry to announce that secondary school certificates from Sudan will not be officially accredited in Jordan.

More than 700 Jordanians have flown to Sudan to obtain what they believe an “easier” general secondary education certificate.

AMMAN – Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh and permanent office staff on Sunday met with heads of Lower House blocs and a number of independent deputies, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The meeting discussed a number of issues that concern the House, and the Blocs' heads were briefed on newly drafted pieces of legislation and others still being examined by concerned committees

AMMAN — Deputising for Gendarmerie Department Director Maj. Gen. Hussein Hawatmeh, assistant director for training and operations attended the ceremony to see off the gendarmerie forces participating in the Darfur peacekeeping mission that left on Sunday.

During a speech to the mission members, the officer delivered Hawatmeh's greetings and wishes of wellbeing and urged them to represent the Kingdom the best way possible as they perform their duty, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

AMMAN – Ziad Homsi, president of the Amman Chamber of Industry (ACI), on Sunday urged the private sector in Jordan to support associations that train and rehabilitate autistic children, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During his visit to the Society for Care of Gifted Autistic Children on the occasion of World Autism Awareness Day, Homsi said that it is part of social responsibility to support this group of children with disorders.

Homsi also commended the role played by the association in providing free-of-charge services to the families of autistic children and he stressed the importance of placing more focus on autism for the increase the number of diagnosed children, and the high costs shouldered by families to treat their children.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Saturday returned home after concluding his business visit to Washington, where he participated in the Nuclear Security Summit, a Royal Court statement said.

On Friday, His Majesty attended the closing session of the Nuclear Security Summit, during which attendees discussed policies to combat smuggling nuclear materials. 

During the session, attended by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, participants stressed that the dangerous scenario of terrorists’ possession of nuclear weapons and materials is one of the most alarming global challenges. 

They highlighted the importance of having in place a comprehensive structure to enhance nuclear security on national, regional and international levels, and encouraging states to enact and enforce national laws on nuclear security. 

The attendees stressed that in order to prevent terrorist groups from obtaining nuclear and radioactive materials, there has to be effective international cooperation that includes exchanging information in accordance with the local laws of each country. 

The session covered ways to encourage countries to use nuclear power only for peaceful civilian purposes, the statement added. 

The summit’s opening session was held under the slogan of “National Actions to Enhance Nuclear Security,” focussing on areas of international cooperation in preventing the transportation of nuclear and radioactive materials, and ways to transfer know-how from countries with expertise in dealing with nuclear materials and techniques in order to enable them to develop advanced national programmes.

The summit addressed the importance of strengthening national capacities of countries to empower them to detect nuclear materials and prevent smuggling, applying the best practices in the field.

On the sidelines of the summit, His Majesty held separate meetings with heads of delegations, including the prime ministers of Japan, Shinzo Abe; the Netherlands, Mark Rutte; and Thailand, Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Talks centred on ways to boost cooperation and bilateral relations, in addition to regional and international affairs of mutual interest, including the global fight against terrorism, the Royal Court said.

The Crown Prince attended the meetings with Abe and Rutte, along with senior officials and diplomats.

On Thursday, at a dinner held by US President Barack Obama in honour of heads of delegations taking part in the summit, King Abdullah commented on an initiative presented to the summit, sponsored by 39 state and non-state actors.

“Our initiative is important as consolidating our border security is of paramount importance for the security of Jordan and the globe.”

“We will remain actively engaged in the summit contact group and continue the build-up of our Interagency Counter Nuclear Smuggling Team,” he added.

AMMAN — Gas import negotiations with the Israeli side is currently suspended for one year due to a judicial ruling, said Ghaleb Maabreh, secretary general of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources on Saturday.

The suspension is a result of the Israeli supreme court's decision on a dispute between the parties of the agreement, Israel and Noble Energy Company, which owns a majority share in the Israeli Leviathan field in the eastern Mediterranean, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted Maabreh as saying.

Reports said that the court ruled in particular against a clause in the legal framework that guaranteed the company “regulatory stability”, meaning that the Israeli government could not make major changes to the way it regulates the industry for a decade. The court gave the Houston-based Noble Energy, its partner Delek Group and the government a year to revise that part of the deal.

Maabreh said this could lead to changes in technicalities that govern the agreement between US Noble Energy and Israel, thus affecting negotiations negatively. 

He said that before the Israeli supreme court's decision, the Kingdom did not reach a final agreement with Noble Energy because of “outstanding financial matters”. 

The official said that the Risheh gas field and gas imported from international markets through the Aqaba Port as well as from Egypt are currently top-priority options, whereas importing gas from Israel is the fourth choice on the list.

In September 2014, National Electric Power Company signed a letter of intent with the Noble Energy Company to research the possibility of supplying its electricity generation stations with around 300 million cubic feet of gas found in the Mediterranean field near the coasts of Haifa. 

Moreover, the Arab Potash Company and the Jordan Bromine Company signed in 2014 deals with Noble Energy to import two billion cubic metres of natural gas from the Tamar field.