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AMMAN — MPs on Sunday prohibited the establishment of independent societies of businesspeople, unless under the supervision of the government.

During their deliberations of the new amendments to the 2011 Industry and Trade Law, lawmakers removed a provision that allowed Jordanian businesspeople to establish financially and administratively independent societies.

Also on Sunday, a group of lawmakers called on the government to reduce electricity tariffs, citing the negative consequences of high electricity prices for the national economy.

In a memorandum submitted to the Lower House, the 20 MPs argued that high electricity prices have an impact on the industrial and commercial sectors and consequently on citizens.

Lawmakers began the session by reading verses from the Koran in memory of His Majesty the late King Hussein.

Speaking on behalf of MPs, House Speaker Atef Tarawneh thanked His Majesty King Abdullah for his "historic speech" at the recently concluded Supporting Syria and the Region conference in London, saying the Monarch had shed light on Jordan's generosity towards refugees and its pivotal role in protecting the region's and world's security. 

In his speech last Thursday, the King urged the world to take a meaningful stand on Jordan and to adopt its new approach on Syrian refugees.

He said Jordan is not merely a poor country that only takes, but instead it has always done the right thing and has been compassionate and generous to people in need.

AMMAN — Border Guards on Sunday foiled an infiltration attempt by a group of people, who had come from Syria, killing two persons, an official source from the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF)-Arab Army said.

The infiltrators were carrying several bags, the source noted, adding that border troops followed the rules of engagement, with two infiltrators being killed and the smuggled items they had in their possession seized.

The JAF source told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that the smuggled items were 2,707 palm-sized sheets of hashish and 846,000 Captagon pills. The source did not specify how many people were involved in the infiltration attempt.

AMMAN — Public Sector Development Minister Khleef Al Khawaldeh launched on Sunday a programme to build leadership skills for women employees working in civil service, in cooperation with the USAID Takamol-Gender Programme, a ministry statement said.

During the launch ceremony, Khawaldeh said his ministry last year conducted a study to analyse the situation of women in the civil service sector and, therefore, held training programmes to boost their leadership skills.

AMMAN — Gendarmerie Department Sergeant Fadi Zarqan was laid to rest on Sunday in Tafileh.

Zarqan drowned during a trip in Liberia, and his body was brought to the Kingdom on Sunday, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

A military ceremony was held to bury him. Zarqan was a member of the UN peace-keeping operation in Liberia.

AMMAN — The Income and Sales Tax Department on Sunday called on employers to monthly deduct the income tax when paying employees’ salaries and send the money to the department within 30 days of the due date.

These deductions are considered a down payment of accrued tax on employees’ salaries that exceed one-twelfth of the total exemptions of JD12,000 for bachelors and JD24,000 for family heads, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The department noted that the deduction is 7 per cent for each dinar from the first JD833 after personal and family exemptions of employees, 14 per cent for each dinar from the second JD833 and 20 per cent for each dinar from higher sums, Petra added.

AMMAN — The Information and Research Centre - King Hussein Foundation (IRCKHF) announced on Sunday the launch of a network of civil society organisations providing services to care leavers in Jordan with the aim of enhancing orphans’ access to services.

The newly launched network was initiated during a meeting with major civil society organisations working for the benefits of orphans, according to an IRCKHF statement.

The network is part of “Empowering Care Leavers in Jordan” project, implemented by IRCKHF to identify all forms of legal and social discrimination that orphans, who currently reside or have resided in care centres, suffer from.

The project is funded by the USAID through a grant from its Civic Initiatives Support Programme implemented by FHI 360. “This network responds to an urgent need, as research revealed that the vast majority of orphans in Jordan are ill-informed on the services at their disposal upon leaving care centres …,” the statement said.

AMMAN — The unemployment rate in the Kingdom stood at 13.6 per cent during the fourth quarter of 2015, according to Department of Statistics (DoS) figures announced on Sunday.

The jobless rate among men stood at 11.7 per cent, while it reached 23 per cent among women, according to a DoS report.

Madaba Governorate registered the highest rate of unemployment with 32.2 per cent, while the lowest rate was registered in Amman with 10.1 per cent, the report showed.

DoS said 61.4 per cent of male workers did not complete high school, compared with 12.9 per cent of female employees.

The figures also revealed that women who hold a bachelor's degree and above constitute 62.5 per cent of female workers, compared to 20.5 per cent for males.

AMMAN — King’s Military Adviser and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Gen. Mashal Al Zaben on Sunday met with Kuwait's Army Chief-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Mohammad Khaled Al Khoder.

At the meeting, attended by a number of senior officers, the two sides discussed military cooperation and coordination, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

AMMAN — A 12-year-old child died and a man was injured on Sunday when their vehicle overturned in Irbid, according to a Civil Defence Department (CDD) statement.

The injured man was taken to Princess Raya Public Hospital where he was listed in fair condition.

In Amman, a truck loaded with cows overturned. Two people were injured and three cows died, the CDD said, noting that the injured were taken to Tutanji Hospital, where they were listed in fair condition.

AMMAN — Authorities on Sunday said a 26-year-old student, who was found dead at the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) lab, died of illness.

The victim was found laying dead in the lab by family members who went to check on him on Saturday night after he failed to return home, a senior medical official source said.

A post-mortem conducted by a team of pathologists at the Irbid National Centre for Forensic Medicine headed by Ali Shotar concluded that the student died of respiratory failure, the medical source said.

“Foul play was ruled out by the team of pathologists and coroners, who estimated that he had been dead for 12 hours,” the medical source told The Jordan Times.

Shotar also sent blood and tissue samples to the crime lab for further analysis, according to the medical source.

Director of Public Relations and Media at JUST Muhannad Malkawi said the student “obtained a special permit to use the lab on Saturday since campus is closed on that day”.

The student, who was completing his postgraduate degree at JUST, locked himself inside the lab and “was working on a project when he was found dead”, Malkawi told The Jordan Times.

“Investigators informed us that murder was ruled out and that his death was caused by respiratory failure,” the university official said.

Public Security Department Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi was unavailable all day on Sunday to comment on the incident.