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AMMAN — Jordanians on Sunday commended the philanthropic work of Amer Turk, who passed away Friday while distributing kerosene to underprivileged families.

The 57-year-old was always keen to distribute donations to poor families in Zarqa Governorate's Al Sukhneh and Al Hashemiyeh districts, according to Ziad Baghal, Turk's employer at Ziad Al Baghal and Partners.

Due to his "integrity" and knowledge of families in need, Turk's company would engage him every year in its charity initiatives, including kerosene distribution in winter, when he would drive a van and take part in the process.

The army veteran worked at the firm as a foreman and was known for his honesty, dedication and passion for social work, Baghal told The Jordan Times over the phone.

While distributing kerosene, Amer felt chest pains and was taken to Zarqa hospital, but passed away on the way due to a heart attack, according to his sister Maha.

"He made sure that those with him will carry on with the distribution process to the neediest families, so they receive their share of kerosene in the cold weather," she told The Jordan Times.

Amer's three sons and two daughters, between the ages of 19 and 27, will follow in their father's steps in philanthropic work, she noted.

"We were surprised at the azza [condolences home] to see so many people that he used to help," Maha said, noting that Amer always preferred to help the poor in secret, but his companions took photos of him.

"He didn't like to be photographed while helping the poor".

The incident stirred the compassion of social media users, who praised Amer's deeds and prayed that his soul rests in peace. 

"He has a higher sense of belonging to the country and is more humane and responsible than so many public officials," one social media user posted.

Another user, Salameh Odat, said Amer experienced "the best way to die" as the last thing he did was helping those in need.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Saturday highlighted the importance of the Jordan Engineers Association (JEA) in developing the profession and its contributions to building the country and serving it.

At a meeting at the Prime Ministry with JEA President Majid Tabba and association members, Ensour issued directives to meet the association’s demand of speeding up the implementation of the by-law on engineering firms, according to a JEA statement. Public Works Minister Sami Halaseh and Municipal Affairs Minister Walid Masri also attended the meeting.

AMMAN — Border Guards received 81 Syrian refugees during the past 72 hours and sent them to shelters and camps, a statement from the morale guidance unit of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army said Sunday. Royal Medical Services cadres treated the ill and injured.

AMMAN — MPs on Sunday sought a provision preventing Israelis from buying lands within the boundaries of the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA).

During their deliberation of the new amendments to the PDTRA Law, they called for restricting the purchase of lands within Petra’s tourist sites to Jordanians only. 

Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said that the government is keen on "not allowing even a square centimetre of Jordanian land to go to any [unwanted] party", acknowledging at the same time MPs' concerns.

Regarding the controversial Article 5 of the law concerning the sale and lease of immovable assets in Petra, the House decided to refer the bill to its Administrative Committee for more review. 

Also during the session, House Speaker Atef Tarawneh announced that the Chamber will begin next Sunday its deliberation of the draft 2016 general budget law in addition to the bill governing the budget of independent government units.

On December 6, the government submitted the draft 2016 general budget law to the House with an estimated deficit of 3.1 per cent of the gross domestic product and a growth projection of 3.7 per cent. 

The House also embarked on discussing the 2015 amendments to the Residence and Foreigners’ Affairs Law before the session was adjourned.

Attending the session, Interior Minister Salameh Hammad described the new amendments as “highly urgent”, citing the current circumstances of the region.  

Defining the exact number of foreigners residing in Jordan and their addresses is the biggest challenge facing the government, Hammad said, adding that the law has its major contributions to safeguarding the Kingdom’s security.

AMMAN — The Islamic Action Front (IAF) decided to postpone a decision to accept or reject the resignations by hundreds of its members and called for negotiation with those who have recently left the largest opposition party.

Murad Adaileh, the IAF spokesperson, said the “disagreement” is an internal, rather than political, issue, thus “we would like to solve it instead of simply accepting the resignations”.

On Thursday, 400 members including top leaders and founding members tendered their resignation to the leadership of the IAF, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, in an unprecedented mass move.

Hamzeh Mansour, the former IAF’s secretary general, and Abdul Hamid Qudah and Salem Falahat, who are members of its top authority body, the shura council, were among the leaders who jumped overboard. Before that, they had gathered in a group dubbed the “Partnership and Rescue” committee, which is also known as the “Group of Elders”.

“We have not submitted our resignations to bargain,” Khaled Hassanain, the Partnership and Rescue committee spokesperson, told The Jordan Times, adding that the decision to resign came after “we reached a dead end”.

This move was the outcome of internal strife that started 18 months ago and the failure of attempts to mend fences between two distinct wings: the hawks, who dominate the party’s vital bodies, and the doves, who quit, according to the Partnership and Rescue committee. 

However, Adaileh claimed that the resignations were driven by a dispute over the IAF’s executive office elections that took place more than a year ago.

He said that the other wing wanted to appoint the secretary general of the party without elections and “we rejected that”.

These allegations were brushed off by Hassanain, who stressed that one day before the elections, members of the party agreed on a certain name, and the following day, “they went back on what we had agreed upon”.

This is the only reason for the decision to quit, he said, expecting several resignations to follow “soon”.

AMMAN — Border Guards on Sunday at dawn foiled a new infiltration attempt by two foreigners who attempted to cross from Jordan into a “neighbouring country”, an official source at the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) said. 

The source added in a JAF statement sent to The Jordan Times that the two were referred to the concerned authorities. 

The border units announce all actions taken against infiltrators, who are reportedly either smugglers or terrorists trying to sneak into Syria or into Jordan from the northern neighbour.

Army statements customarily stress that troops deal with the situation in accordance with the rules of engagement and stress that JAF would use the necessary force to protect the country’s borders. 

AMMAN — The 2016-2018 Jordan Response Plan (JRP) to the Syrian crisis includes several interventions, programmes and projects that require around $7.99 billion, Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury said Thursday. 

Fakhoury made his remarks during a meeting with the Senate Arab, International and Expatriates’ Affairs Committee where they discussed developments in the Syrian crisis, its economic repercussions on the Kingdom and the JRP, according to a Planning and International Cooperation Ministry statement.

Fakhoury clarified the advantages of the new 2016-2018 JRP, noting that the Syrian crisis cannot be limited to a certain timeframe and so the three-year JRP is updated each year in accordance with changes on the ground.

The $7.99 billion is to be distributed as follows: $2.483 billion to support the refugees and meet their needs, $2.306 million to enable host communities and improve services offered to them, and around $3.201 billion to support the budget in order to cover the costs of subsidised materials and security needs.

According to the plan, Syrians in the Kingdom amount to 1,369,678, of whom only 632,935 are registered at the UNHCR, with 18 per cent of the total figure (114,724) living in camps. 

A total of 121,882 Syrian refugee students enrolled in public schools during the academic year 2013-2014 and that  number increased to 140,559 in 2014-2015 and in the year that followed they amounted to 143,542, according to the plan.

There are 30,000 Syrian refugee students still on the waiting list, in addition to 90,000 children who are supposed to be students but are not enrolled in any school, according to the document, which also reveals that there are 98 public schools working on the shift-system and underlines the need for 50 more schools to take in those on the waiting list. 

The total costs of hosting Syrian refugees during the years 2011-2015 amounted to $6.6 billion, according to the ministry statement.

The 2016-2018 JRP was prepared through a joint effort between ministries and concerned institutions, UN organisations, donor countries and NGOs, Fakhoury told the senators.

He said the 2015 JRP estimated that $2.99 billion is needed to cover the needs of refugees, hosting communities and the Treasury, adding that only 36 per cent (around $1.078 billion) of the required funds were funded. 

Fakhoury also said that efforts were intensified to attract extra funding through mobilising international platforms, including a conference for donor countries expected to be held under the patronage of Norway, Germany, Kuwait and the UK in April 2016. 

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday renewed Jordan’s support for Iraq and the anti-Daesh US-led international coalition “until the complete defeat of the terrorist gang”.

In a phone conversation with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi, the two leaders discussed the situation in the aftermath of liberating the Iraqi town of Ramadi, which has been under the control of Daesh since May, according to a Royal Court statement.

On Monday, Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes drove Daesh out of the city centre. The terror group captured Ramadi in May despite months of coalition air strikes, dealing a major blow to Iraqi forces.

Consumers in Amman shop ahead of an expected snow storm on Thursday.

Snow fall is forecast in Amman and several parts of the Kingdom on Friday and Saturday.

Long queues at gas stations, bakeries and supermarkets are a regular scene during depressions

(Video by Amjad Ghsoun)

AMMAN — The Tafileh Technical University administration is reviewing its decision to expel 11 students for celebrating their own and colleagues’ graduation projects, one of the students said on Thursday.

The expulsion decision applies to eight students who are currently enrolled in their last semesters at the university, administration members said.

Students are facing expulsion for celebrating their own and colleagues’ graduation projects, knowing that the university president had previously banned celebrations after graduation projects on campus.

University President Shtaywy Abdalla had announced earlier this semester that any student who is involved in the celebrations could face expulsion or would be asked to drop the semester.

University officials have described the celebrations and gatherings as “chaotic”, saying they could lead to violence among tribes and students residing in areas around campus in Tafileh, 180km southwest of Amman.

The university’s council of deans met with students on Wednesday to come to terms with them, but no decision was taken after the meeting, said a student who preferred anonymity.

“The board members and students did not reach a decision regarding the expulsion. They just listened to our testimonies on the matter,” he told The Jordan Times.

The student, who has two semesters left, said students in question are now allowed to sit for their final exams, regardless of the decision on their expulsion.

“Of course, none of the students who could be expelled is studying. We are not doing well in our exams because we are waiting for the administration’s decision,” he said.

Abdalla told The Jordan Times that the students “admitted their mistake” in the latest meeting with the administration.

“We are taking into consideration that some of them are in their last semesters and their parents’ reactions; we are going to be merciful,” he added.

The president emphasised the importance of teaching students manners before they graduate, since educational systems are not only about providing students with academic information.

University Vice President Fawwaz Abdel Haq said the administration will go through the students’ records and review their actions on campus. 

“Depending on their actions and academic performance, we will judge who should stay and who should be expelled,” he said.

The vice president added that the investigation in the case will continue until next week despite the fact that students are sitting for exams. 

“They disrupted classes at university so they should take responsibility for their actions,” Abdel Haq said.