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AMMAN — Seven people suffered superficial burns in a fire at Alia Restaurant in Amman, when a gas leak caused an explosion, according to a Civil Defence Department (CDD) statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra. 

CDD cadres dealt with the incident and administered first aid to the injured, taking them to Philadelphia Hospital where they were listed in fair condition.

All seven are restaurant employees. 

The statement added that some of the restaurant's property was damaged in addition to its glass facade.

AMMAN — Minister of Social Development Reem Abu Hassan on Wednesday said a government shelter will officially open early next year to house human trafficking victims in Jordan.

“The shelter is already receiving cases and we have 12 now but the official opening will be in January,” Abu Hassan told The Jordan Times.

The minister said the shelter was named Karamah, “which means dignity in English to ensure the well-being of human trafficking victims in Jordan”.

The number of human trafficking cases in the Kingdom increased from 92 in 2013 to 165 in 2014, Labour Minister Nidal Katamine said in March, expecting the number to gradually decrease due to procedures being taken to curb the phenomenon.

Abu Hassan said that the shelter, which is housed in an old building belonging to her ministry that was refurbished, has been divided into three sections — for men, women and children.

The shelter can house up to 50 individuals and is located in the Jofeh suburb in east Amman, added Abu Hassan.

“The centre covers human trafficking victims' basic needs and provides counselling and rehabilitation services,” the minister noted.

Legal counselling services are also provided in cooperation with civil society organisations, she said.

Before the centre was established, Abu Hassan added, cases were referred to the Family Reconciliation Centre, where a special branch was opened temporary to house human trafficking victims a few years ago.

“The government is keen on preserving the rights and dignities of victims of human trafficking,” Abu Hassan stressed.

AMMAN — The Council of Ministers on Wednesday approved several pieces of legislation. 

The Cabinet approved a draft by-law on the establishment and licensing of private and foreign educational institutions, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

According to Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Mohammad Thneibat, the by-law provides an overall framework for private schools and it also focuses on the quality of education at these institutes. 

Earlier this week, the Cabinet endorsed a by-law on accountability and education quality at the Education Ministry as well as a by-law on training, the minister added, noting that the three by-laws are part of a series of regulations that the Cabinet will be issuing to improve the quality of education. 

The Cabinet also approved an amended draft by-law on driving licences and vehicles’ licensing and registration fees, as agreed on with the Lower House this week.  

Following a closed-door meeting with the House’s Permanent Bureau ahead of a session to discuss the 2016 general budget bill, the government revisited its recent increase of car licensing fees, leaving the cost of licences for vehicles whose engines are sized 3,000cc and below unchanged.

Moreover, the Cabinet approved the issuance of government-guaranteed  Islamic bonds, sukuk, for the Water Authority of Jordan to cover the financing needs for Disi project purchases during the coming year, worth around JD100 million.

During the meeting, the Cabinet also approved the draft Energy and Mineral Resources Regulatory Commission (EMRC) law, which is in line with the restructuring of government institutions and public departments, under which the electricity regulatory commission was renamed to become the EMRC. 

AMMAN — MP Mazen Dalaeen, whose son was killed earlier this year fighting alongside Daesh, has succeeded in rescuing a second Jordanian woman before she fell prey to the terror group.

“I received a call from relatives of the woman telling me that their daughter had already flown to Istanbul to travel from there to Daesh-controlled territories in Syria,” Dalaeen said.

“I immediately informed the Jordanian embassy in Ankara to take action,” he told The Jordan Times.

Dalaeen, without giving further details, said that Turkish authorities kept the woman in custody for some time before she was sent back to Jordan recently.

In October, Dalaeen dissuaded a 25-year-old Jordanian woman from joining Daesh through extensive contacts with her via WhatsApp. 

Earlier this year, his 23-year-old son, Mohammad, was reported killed after blowing himself up in a suicide attack in Iraq’s Anbar province.

Dalaeen said his son left his medical school studies in Ukraine in June, when he was persuaded by Daesh to head for Turkey and then infiltrate Syria to join them. He then moved to Iraq.

After succeeding in bringing the first woman back to Jordan, the Karak lawmaker said he has since become a target of Daesh.

“Two days ago, they [Daesh] threatened me by sending a previously recorded video of my son, calling Jordanian MPs ‘apostates’.”

“It was clear in the video that my son was not himself at all. I know his facial expressions and body language when he is afraid of something. My son said what he said and did what he did either because he was brain-washed, deceived or threatened,” the deputy noted.

Dalaeen said he has taken it upon himself to protect young people from the false propaganda of Daesh. “I will be relentless in fighting this deviant organisation.”

“I have been giving lectures at universities and youth centres, explaining to young people the false propaganda of Daesh and its deviation from the true essence of Islam. I will continue to do so. I don’t want them to make the same mistake my son did.”

“These people [Daesh] are not easy. They have several methods to reach out to the youth and brainwash them. They primarily target religious youth through the Internet and smartphones. They never give up and we should not,” Dalaeen stressed.

AMMAN — The Ministry of Labour on Wednesday decided to indefinitely shut down the office that employed a man who was allegedly seen abusing a domestic helper in a video that went viral.

“We decided to close down the office after it was proven to us that one of its employees was captured in a video abusing a Bangladeshi domestic helper,” Labour Ministry Secretary General Hamadah Abu Nijmeh said.

Abu Nijmeh stressed that the ministry was abiding by the law that allows it “to close down any office that violates the rights of domestic workers regardless whether the employer or the employee” is to blame.

The ministry official said the law stipulates closing down any violating office for a maximum of one year until further notice.

He told The Jordan Times that the suspect was referred to the judicial authorities on charges of human trafficking.

The suspect confessed to abusing the domestic helper, according to a statement released by the Labour Ministry.

The office’s licence will be terminated if the suspect is convicted of human trafficking charges, the statement said.

The statement added that the victim also gave testimony and was referred to a government centre for physical and psychological assistance.

She was able to positively identify the man as the individual in the video that abused her.

“It is up to her if she plans to stay or leave the country.  No one can force her to stay or leave,” Abu Nijmeh said.

The video shows a man in a suit hitting a woman, later confirmed to be an Asian domestic helper, who was wearing sports pants and crawling on the floor trying to avoid his abuse at an office.

The clip captures the man reportedly dragging and pushing the woman, who was crying and asking him to stop, then using his arms and legs to hit and kick her on various parts of her body, including her face. 

In one instance the man is allegedly seen pulling her scarf and attempting to strangle her with it.

The government, the Domestic Helpers Recruitment Agencies Association and citizens, mostly on social media, voiced their outrage over the incident.

Social media users and readers of media outlets called on the government to take stiff measures against the suspect and the office that employed him.

In August, the government announced several procedures to safeguard the rights of domestic helpers in Jordan, who numbered more than 49,000 by the end of 2014.

A total of 22,433 Bangladeshis, 14,382 Filipinos, and 5,759 Sri Lankans were working as domestic helpers in Jordan in 2014, according to official figures.

AMMAN — Building on a history of bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and Jordan spanning more than 20 years, the Kingdom has become  “one of our closest partners in the Middle East”, said Kazakh Ambassador to Jordan Azamat Berdibay.

Jordan and Kazakhstan, which established diplomatic ties in 1993, have similar points of views on most regional and global issues, and the Kingdom continuously provides support for Kazakhstan’s initiatives in the international arena, the ambassador said in a recent interview with The Jordan Times on the occasion of his country’s national day.

“Bilateral political relations between our countries stand at a high level. This greatly contributed to developing the friendly and brotherly relations between the leaders of our states, which gave new impetus to the strengthening of cooperation between our countries,” he said.

Turning to economic cooperation, Berdibay noted that there are possibilities for further development of trade and economic relations on top of the existing cooperation in agriculture, energy, pharmaceuticals and tourism.

“One of the areas is [the] pharmaceutical industry that has a possibility to create joint enterprises [for the] production of different medical supplies … [in] Kazakhstan. The pharmaceutical industry is well-developed in Jordan,” he said.

Jordanian business circles are already investing in the Kazakh economy and entering the Kazakh market, the ambassador added, citing an announcement by the Kingdom’s Hikma Pharmaceuticals of its readiness to invest in the construction of a pharmaceutical factory in the Almaty region.

He noted that there is also great potential for partnership in the area of agriculture, given Kazakhstan’s role as one of the 10 largest wheat producers in the world and its annual exports of about 15 million tonnes of grain.

Berdibay suggested that with the commissioning in December 2014 of the “Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran” railway, the time is right to resume negotiations on delivering  Kazakh grain to Jordan.

Moreover, he highlighted cooperation in the tourism sphere.

In 2012, Jordan was included in the list of 48 countries whose nationals have the right to enter the Republic of Kazakhstan under a simplified visa regime. Kazakhstan nationals can obtain a Jordanian visa upon arrival at the airport in Amman.

The diplomat also voiced appreciation for Jordan’s decision to participate in the “EXPO-2017” exhibition to be held under the motto “Energy of the Future” in the Kazakh capital Astana.

Turning to the fight against violent extremism, he said: “I hope that Jordan will support Kazakhstan’s initiative to establish under the aegis of the UN a unified global network to counter international terrorism and extremism.”

He cited a call for such a network made by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev at the 70th session of the UN General Assembly in September, adding that it would be appropriate to develop and adopt a comprehensive UN document on the subject.

“Our countries are ready to develop cooperation in fighting terrorism and extremism and combating drug trafficking and other organised crime... We agreed to cooperate in these fields by activating contacts and coordination between law enforcement authorities of our countries,” he said.

The diplomat commended Jordan’s role as an active supporter of dialogue across religions and ethnicities, as reflected in the “Amman Message” in the framework of “World Interfaith Harmony Week”.

AMMAN — Vatican Ambassador to Jordan Alberto Ortega Martin on Tuesday commended interfaith tolerance in the Kingdom, describing it as an “oasis of peace and security”, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Martin made his remarks during a visit to Naour and the church there. He said the violence and turbulence in the Middle East are a source of concern for the Holy See and that Pope Francis is praying for peace in all nations.

AMMAN — A man died on Wednesday when he was hit by a vehicle in Sweileh, according to a Civil Defence Department (CDD) statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra. Also on Wednesday, a man died when a truck laden with 40 tonnes of crude oil overturned. The truck caught fire, burning the driver to death.

Aqaba CDD cadres controlled the blaze. In a separate accident, a 50-tonne trailer crushed the tractor unit of a semi-trailer truck, killing the driver on the Amman-Zarqa highway. The accident was caused by the heavy weight of the trailer, Petra reported. In another incident, 11 people were injured in a two vehicle collision in Azraq. CDD cadres took them to health centres where they were listed in fair condition. 

AMMAN — Criminal Investigation Department (CID) personnel have arrested a suspect classified as “dangerous” and wanted for 38 criminal cases in a raid in Northeast Badia, a Public Security Department (PSD) statement said Wednesday.

The suspect is reportedly involved in cases of theft, attempted murder and carrying arms, the PSD said, adding that CID agents tracked him and found him hiding in his house in the badia region.

A gunfire exchange took place during the raid, and the suspect was shot in the leg. He was taken to hospital where he was listed in fair condition. The CID will refer him to court as soon as he recovers, Petra reported.

AMMAN — Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) First Vice President Ghassan Khirfan on Wednesday warned of the delay in compensating the commercial sector for the delays that took place at the Aqaba Container Terminal earlier this year, an ACC statement said.

He urged the government to intervene at the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority and speed up the study of traders’ demands for compensations.