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AMMAN — Around 8 per cent of the 1.42 million vehicles registered in the Kingdom are involved in causing traffic accidents each year, according to President of the Jordan Insurance Federation (JIF) Ali Wazani.  

Wazani told The Jordan Times Saturday that the number of cars involved in accidents is around 114,000 on a yearly basis.

On Saturday, the Driver and Motor Vehicle Licensing Department announced that by the end of January this year, the number of registered cars reached 1.42 million.

The JIF president gave the figure on the number of cars causing traffic accidents as he was explaining that floating auto insurance premiums would improve road safety in the Kingdom, revisiting an issue that had arisen periodically over nearly four years. 

He explained that floating the price of compulsory third party liability (TPL) insurance, which is now fixed at JD95, would give insurance providers the right to charge higher rates to motorists who have a record of traffic accidents because they will be considered high-risk drivers, while others with clean records would be given discounted rates. 

This approach would force drivers to improve their behaviour on the road, Wazani said. 

He said floating the TPL price may result in lower premiums as competition between the 24 insurance firms will increase. 

"Historically, the majority of products whose prices were liberalised never got more expensive, but instead got cheaper," Wazani said. 

"The vast majority of motorists in Jordan pay the current fixed premiums in order to pay for the minority involved in accidents," he added. 

The JIF has been demanding liberalisation of prices for over four years and it reached an agreement with the government on full liberalisation of the insurance service in 2013. 

This decision was supposed to go into effect in 2014, but did not because as the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply said it was carrying out a study on the changes.

Asked regarding any developments on the study, Wazani said the ministry has promised to give an answer to the federation in the near future, adding that the sector expects a positive outcome of the study. 

Turning to the financial performance of insurance companies, he said the majority of firms are making profit, and the overall net profit of the sector in 2015 is expected to be around JD25 million, down from the JD33 million achieved in 2014. 

There are still few firms that have not announced their financial results so far, Wazani noted, adding that only two or three companies may have faced financial losses last year.

AMMAN — Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) personnel arrested 14,000 drug users from different nationalities last year, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted AND Director Brig. Gen. Anwar Tarawneh as saying Saturday. 

Speaking at a panel discussion organised by Shihan municipality in Rabbeh, Tarawneh said spending on narcotics around the world amounted to more than $800 billion last year. 

He said that Jordan remains a corridor country — rather than a destination — for drug smuggling and highlighted the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army's role in foiling smuggling attempts. 

He urged the local community to cooperate with the concerned authorities to combat drug dealing and abusing. 

In a lecture in Irbid last week, Tarawneh said drug abusers only constitute 1 per cent of the population.

Citing UN studies, he said drug abuse in Jordan is not a phenomenon, despite the increase in smuggling attempts due to regional unrest.

Last year, he noted, 1,216 people were treated at AND's rehabilitation centre for drug users, while the department's agents arrested 340 hashish users, 290 narcotic pill users, 162 heroin users, 555 synthetic cannabis users, one cocaine user and 31 alcoholics.

Those arrested were sent to the correctional and rehabilitation centre affiliated with AND, and received treatment for their addiction, according to Tarawneh.

In previous remarks to The Jordan Times, an AND official said the Syrian conflict, the refugee crisis and turmoil in surrounding countries are to blame for the new illicit drug smuggling methods the Kingdom has been witnessing over the past four years.

In recent incidents, smugglers have resorted to using sheep, car tyres, biscuit packets, packages of sweets, olives, large marble blocks, door closers and children’s beds to hide illegal narcotics.

Several cases have also involved suspects smuggling drugs in their stomachs.

AMMAN — Film tourism is emerging globally as an industry in itself, and Jordan has great potential in this regard, with a history dating back to the 1962 film “Lawrence of Arabia”, according to Royal Film Commission (RFC) General Manager George David. 

In a recent interview with The Jordan Times, David said there are many examples of countries benefiting from serving as a filming location, as shown by the tourism success of New Zealand from the “Lord of the Rings” movies and the UK from the “James Bond” and “Harry Potter” franchises.

Countries that attract film productions benefit both in terms of film crews boosting local economies and tourists subsequently choosing destinations where popular movies were filmed.

David noted that the RFC maintains close ties with the Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) in working on initiatives that help increase film tourism, including designing a map that highlights the locations where films were shot in Wadi Rum.  

"JTB works diligently against the misperception of security that we are all facing in Jordan. Parallel to the decrease in tourism, we have been experiencing a decrease in… foreign filming for the very same reasons." 

David added that the Kingdom's "spectacular" and "diverse" locations, financial benefits, free or low-cost permission fees, modern infrastructure and skilled workforce all contribute to making it an attractive filming destination. 

Filming in Jordan has proven to be successful and profitable for many directors in the past, including those who shot films at Jordan’s UNESCO World Heritage site Wadi Rum, he said.

"This is best illustrated by the fact that three films nominated for the Oscars this year have been, entirely or partially, shot in Jordan," David noted, citing “Theeb”, the US sci-fi blockbuster “The Martian” by Ridley Scott, and the Danish “A War” by Tobias Lindholm. 

He also mentioned Kathryn Bigelow's “The Hurt Locker”, which won six Academy Awards in 2010.

David noted that director Ridley Scott chose Wadi Rum as a stand-in for Mars in his science fiction movie “The Martian” over locations in Morocco, South Africa and Spain. 

"Last year, 'The Martian' by Ridley Scott was shot in Wadi Rum, and the film spent over JD2 million in 55 days. The movie hired 134 Jordanian crew members, including five department heads, and more than 20 Jordanian companies were involved in the filming. In a related context, 5,400 hotel room nights were used during the film shoot," he said, adding that the shoot created 549 job opportunities.

"The contrast and diversity that the location of Wadi Rum offers is interesting and exceptional. For example, 'Theeb' and 'The Martian' were both filmed in Wadi Rum, yet this same filming location was successful to serve two different types of sets, one of which was Mars." 

According to the RFC, several other movies were also shot in Wadi Rum in the past three years: "Hyena Road", "From A to B", "Rendezvous", "Monsters: Dark Continent", "Last Days on Mars", and "Los Alamos".

The RFC official said Jordan is offering an environment that "embraces" the film industry and this will attract more foreign productions to the country.

He noted that six film centres will be launched in different governorates across the Kingdom by January 2017. 

Three centres are funded by Zain and the rest by Switzerland's Drosos Foundation, as part of the RFC’s continuous efforts to develop the skills and capacities of young Jordanians, David added. 

"A mobile film centre in the form of a CineBus will be launched in Wadi Rum by mid-March 2016, with the aim to train young Jordanians in Wadi Rum and introduce them to the different cinematic arts, eventually creating jobs in the area," he said. 

International profile

David noted that Jordanian cinema is now gaining an international profile, most recently with the nomination of “Theeb” for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. 

The film, a coming-of-age tale set in the Arabian Desert in 1916, follows Theeb, a young bedouin boy, and his brother Hussein as they leave the safety of their tribe to venture on a treacherous journey at the dawn of the Great Arab Revolt.

"The RFC... is always keen on supporting and helping any Jordanian filmmaker working on his/her narrative feature film," David noted.

"A prosperous and promising film industry in Jordan steps into the light with the arrival of a Jordanian film at the Academy Awards. This shall shed light on the growth that this industry is now witnessing and that comes as a result of an enabling environment in Jordan today."

AMMAN — An Aqaba resident might face criminal charges after falsely reporting that his daughter had drowned in the sea over the weekend, official sources said Saturday.

The suspect called the Civil Defence Department (CDD) at 5pm on Friday, claiming that his 10-year-old daughter had drowned, a senior CDD official said.

“We sent 12 divers to the sea to search for the girl, and six hours later we halted our search after being informed by police that the missing girl was at her father’s house,” the CDD official told The Jordan Times.

Public Security Department spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi, told The Jordan Times that police launched a probe into the incident immediately after the father filed a missing person case.

“Our investigations led us to believe that the claim was false and when we went to the father’s house, we found the girl,” Sartawi said.

A second source told The Jordan Times that based on the man’s initial testimony after his daughter was found by police, “it was an act of revenge”.

“The man said he was going through marital problems with his wife and made the false claims as a form of revenge,” the second source said.

The police official said most probably the man would face “some form of criminal charges once investigations are over”.

“The man might be referred to the Aqaba governor for legal prosecution.”

A senior governor, who preferred not to be identified, told The Jordan Times on Saturday that in similar cases of false claims, “the individuals are obliged to sign a guarantee that they would not repeat their offence”.

“The individuals could also be referred to court, which will decide whether to impose a fine or sentence the individual to prison,” the senior governor added.

AMMAN — The Water Ministry has started implementing its recently announced 10-year strategy to generate over half-a-billion cubic metres (bcm) of freshwater, officials said Saturday.

Construction of projects to generate freshwater from unconventional resources has started, Minister of Water and Irrigation Hazem Nasser said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times, noting that achieving national water security tops the government's priorities.

"The water projects, which were announced under the 2016-2025 National Water Strategy, are currently under way to generate 550 million cubic metres (mcm), including exploration of new resources to generate 187mcm of freshwater and construction on a project to annually extract 65mcm of deep water from Shidiyeh-Hassa area," Nasser noted.

The ministry's spokesperson, Omar Salameh, told The Jordan Times that studies and blueprints of the Shidiyeh-Hassa Water Conveyance System are almost finalised, while construction on the project will commence next year to improve water supply in the southern, central and northern governorates.

The ministry first announced plans for the Shidiyeh-Hassa Water Conveyance System in mid-2013, when it said that the project entails extracting water from very deep wells, located in the south between the Shidiyeh, Hassa and Qatraneh areas.

Shidiyeh and Hassa are located in Tafileh Governorate, some 180km southwest of Amman, while Qatraneh is located in Karak Governorate, 140km south of the capital.

Nasser previously said that the wells are an extension of the ancient Disi aquifer’s strata, and the project can be completed within one year and would cost JD400 million.

Noting that the wells are 1,500-2,000 metres deep, the minister said in previous remarks to the press that a major part of the project’s infrastructure already exists, referring to an old-water conveyor between Qatraneh, in the south, and Amman, which was scheduled to be used for transferring water from the wells to the capital.

Salameh underscored that construction on several water projects is already under way, such as digging wells in Wadi Husban to generate 10mcm before the end of 2018, in addition to providing an additional 3mcm of water from Kufranjah Dam to supply Ajloun Governorate, 70km northwest of Amman.

In addition, the ministry has started work on the second phase of a project to convey an additional 3mcm of freshwater from the Mujib Dam to enhance supply in Karak Governorate, as well as digging a dozen deep wells in different parts of the country to extract 10mcm of freshwater annually, according to the statement.

In the northern governorates, the minister noted that implementation of the Wadi Al Arab Water Project/2 will commence during this year to generate 30mcm of freshwater and improve water supply in the north, which hosts the majority of Syrian refugees in Jordan.

The ministry launched the strategy last month in response to a drop in the annual per capita share of water by 16 per cent over the past five years and to bridge a growing gap between supply and demand, which has risen by 21 per cent since the Syrian crisis started, according to official figures.

The Water Ministry also seeks, under the new strategy, to increase the storage of the country’s dams by 25 per cent to around 400mcm from the current 325mcm.

In addition, the ministry is relying on its Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project to provide 85mcm of water under its first phase — the implementation of which will occur during the years 2017-2021 — and an additional 150mcm under the project’s second phase, which will be implemented between 2020 and 2025.

The strategy also includes plans to provide 36mcm of surface water for irrigation and other purposes, generate an additional amount of 94mcm of treated wastewater, and develop Wadi Araba at an estimated cost of JD5.5 billion.

Once implemented, the projects will raise the daily water per capita share from the current 80 litres to 105 litres, according to the strategy.

Last year, national water demand stood at 1.205bcm, while supply stood at 972mcm, according to the ministry’s figures, which showed that the water deficit last year was 233mcm.

In 2020, the ministry expects water demand to rise to 1.328bcm and supply to increase to1.148bcm, narrowing the deficit to 180mcm.

By the year 2025, water demand is expected to stand at 1.698bcm, water supply will be 1.558bcm and the deficit will drop to 141mcm after implementing the strategy’s goals and projects.

The cost of the 10-year strategy is JD5.3 billion.

AMMAN — A ministerial team is currently working on the economic and legal details that will govern the core structure of the national investment fund proposed by His Majesty King Abdullah, a senior official said on Saturday.

"The ministerial team is working on coming up with a formula for the fund that would achieve His Majesty's vision to attract investments for different projects in Jordan," Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani told The Jordan Times over the phone.

In his speech from the Throne at the beginning of the 17th Parliament's ordinary session last year, the King directed the government to present a draft law for an investment fund to implement national development projects that benefit the economy and those who contribute to the fund.

“This fund should attract investments from banks, Arab sovereign wealth funds, private sector enterprises and individuals, targeting national developmental and pioneering projects that yield benefits to the national economy as well as those contributing to the fund,” His Majesty said.

Experts from different economic fields have praised the idea of establishing such a fund to push the Kingdom's development process forward, but highlighted their concerns over its mechanism of operation.

In a round-table discussion organised by Al Rai Centre for Studies late last year, economists underscored that the fund should enjoy certain characteristics in order to achieve its mission, namely independence and the ability to operate according to new and non-traditional methods, in contrast to other funds functioning in Jordan.

They agreed on the need for the fund to focus on very large ventures and enjoy tax exemptions.

In his column in Al Rai daily on Friday, Issam Qadamani said the government should "crown its achievements" with the launch of the investment fund, which he noted is the "antidote" to debts and borrowing.

"This is because the borrowed money goes to cover the deficit and government costs, but the money channelled to the investment fund would go to generating revenues for investors, improving the economy and creating job opportunities, while freeing the government from borrowing additional money to fund these schemes," Qadamani wrote.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Friday praised the vision of HRH Prince Ali, who was among the four candidates for FIFA presidency election. 

In a phone call after the Friday election, where Gianni Infantino of Switzerland was elected FIFA president, King Abdullah commended efforts exerted by Prince Ali to reform the international football organisation and develop the sport in the region and the entire world, a Royal Court statement said. 

The King told Prince Ali that his vision and ideas in boosting football will remain a source of inspiration for those who want to make a positive change. 

His Majesty also stressed that although Prince Ali did not win the FIFA election, his dedication since he decided to run was appreciated globally for his "boldness, transparency and objectiveness" in identifying the challenges that face football internationally and striving to improve the sport. 

For his part, Prince Ali thanked the King for his support, stressing that the programme and goals he seeks to achieve in football at the international and regional levels do not stop at a certain point; rather, they constitute a fixed approach that he will always be working to achieve.

"I ran for FIFA president because I was convinced that there are many good and honest people in FIFA who are ready for reform. My campaign was always about giving voice to their aspirations and raising issues that need to be addressed. That goal has been accomplished," the prince said in a statement posted on his social media accounts after the election.

He also congratulated the new FIFA president. 

"I want to thank the member associations who made the courageous choice to stand with me in support of meaningful reform. I also want to thank all FA leaders who took time to share their ideas and greeted me with such warm hospitality in my travels around the world.

"I congratulate Gianni Infantino and I wish him all the best. Now we will see which path FIFA takes. I sincerely hope that the reforms approved today were not just a band-aid and that today's events lead to a better future for FIFA and for football," Prince Ali added.

Also on Friday, Jordanians thronged Al Hussein Youth City to voice support for Prince Ali Jordanian, attending a live screening of the election.

They argued that although Prince Ali did not win, he set an example for the genuine will to reform football's governing body.

Her Majesty Queen Rania and HRH Crown Prince Hussein were among the first to express support for Prince Ali after the election. 

"It’s not winning that makes a leader, but how committed he is to the game. @AliBinAlHussein you will always be a leading light on the field," Queen Rania tweeted. 

The Crown Prince described Prince Ali as a "model for the youth of Jordan". 

"My uncle Prince Ali, you are a role model for the youth of #‎OurJordan, and your efforts for reform in FIFA are an inspiration to all of us. Those efforts have made great and historic changes, and gave us all hope for a better future," he wrote on his official Instagram account.

Ahmad Shareef, a Jordanian journalist, said Friday's election was different from the previous one, where Prince Ali was the sole challenger of incumbent FIFA president at the time Sepp Blatter, because five candidates competed for the most powerful position in football. 

"This time, the race was very tight," he told The Jordan Times.

Shareef noted that neither Prince Ali nor Jordan lost because his efforts in developing football in Jordan and Asia are examples of how dedicated he is for the sake of the sport.

Soleen Z'ubi, the managing director of the national U-17 Women's team, said Prince Ali is the main supporter of women football in Jordan.

"His campaign focused on supporting women’s football not only in Jordan but also in the world," she added.

Farah Zaben, a member of the national U-17 Women’s team, agreed. 

She said efforts of Prince Ali encouraged many families to let their daughters take part in this game.

Ammar Douri, an Iraqi who brought his two children to support Prince Ali, said the prince worked hard for the benefit of Arab football.

"Thanks to his support for Iraqi football, our teams were able to train in Jordan when it was difficult to do so back home," he told The Jordan Times.

AMMAN — Jordan on Saturday condemned the deadly terrorist attack on a popular park near a hotel in Somalia’s Mogadishu.

Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani voiced the Kingdom’s rejection of such terror acts, through which terrorist groups aim at undermining the security and stability of the world, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. Momani urged the international community to intensify efforts to eradicate terrorism.

The attack on Friday next to a busy park and a hotel in the capital killed at least 14, while 30 others were injured, police said on Saturday, according to Reuters.

Al Shabab militants claimed responsibility for the attack. The government said a truck bomb was detonated near the entrance to the park and close to the Somali Youth League Hotel.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Saturday met with Jordan Construction Contractors Association President Wael Toukan and several members of the syndicate to discuss issues concerning the sector

Ensour was briefed on major demands of the association, mainly those related to revisiting the profit rate set in the 2015 tax statement by-law to become 20 per cent instead of 25 per cent.

The premier directed Public Works Minister Sami Halaseh and Finance Minister Omar Malhas to study the association’s demands, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

AMMAN — Two people died and nine were injured on Saturday in accidents across the Kingdom, according to the Civil Defence Department (CDD). A 31-year-old man died when he was hit by a car in Aqaba.

Another man was injured in the accident and was taken to Prince Rashid Military Hospital, where he was reported to be in fair condition, a CDD statement said. Also in Aqaba, a man died when a trailer truck overturned and two people were injured, the CDD said.

In Balqa’s Safout region, six people were injured when a bus and two vehicles collided. CDD personnel administered first aid to the injured and took them to Prince Hussein Public Hospital, where they were listed in fair condition.