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AMMAN — A 20-year-old man died and another man was injured on Thursday when their vehicle overturned in Maan’s Jafer area, according to a Civil Defence Department (CDD) statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra. Maan CDD cadres administered first aid to the injured man and took him to Maan Public Hospital.

AMMAN — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said Thursday that Jordan’s embassy in Washington is following up on Jordanians living in California after Wednesday’s shooting incident in San Bernardino, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The ministry said it did not receive information on any Jordanians being hurt. Jordanians can contact the embassy in Washington by calling 0012029662664 or the consulate affairs official on 065735166.

The Associated Press reported that a heavily armed man and woman dressed for battle opened fire on a holiday banquet for his co-workers, killing 14 people and seriously wounding more than a dozen others in a precision assault. Hours later, they died in a shoot-out with police.

AMMAN — The Kingdom’s 10 major dams currently hold round 144.69 million cubic metres (mcm) of water, constituting 44.46 per cent of their total capacity of 325.44mcm, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted the Water Ministry as saying on Thursday.

The ministry said 1,536.6mcm of rainfall has been registered since the beginning of winter, which constitutes 18.7 per cent of the long-term annual average of 8,196.6mcm.

AMMAN — As part of continued efforts to recognise and honour various Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) units, His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the JAF, on Wednesday presented the Supreme Commander’s Flag, the most prestigious military honour granted to the JAF’s squadrons, to two of the army’s units.

The handing over of the banner is a show of appreciation for the bravery and sacrifices offered by the pilots of these units and their role in defending the country.

The flag was handed over by King Abdullah to Hamza Bin Abdul Muttalib Brigade and Khalid Bin Al Waleed Special Mission Battalion 15 that is affiliated to the King Hussein Bin Ali Brigade Special Mission 30 at a ceremony, where the JAF’s band played several musical compositions including the Trumpet Voluntary, among others.

Several armoured vehicles, including some of the oldest military vehicles used during the 1916 Great Arab Revolt, and others that are well preserved as part of efforts to preserve the country’s military heritage, surrounded the ceremony’s courtyard, where several Royal family members, high-ranking officers and officials were present.

Wednesday’s ceremony is part of preparations for major celebrations in the Kingdom next year marking the centennial anniversary of the Great Arab Revolt.

Addressing attendees, the commander of the King Hussein Bin Ali Brigade Special Mission 30 stressed that preserving the country’s security and stability is on top of priorities, highlighting the armed forces’ bravery and continued sacrifices to preserve the homeland. 

The base colour of the banner is maroon and in the centre lies an image of the Royal Crown lifted on two ears of wheat. 

On the top corner of the flag to the side of the wand appears the emblem of the honoured unit.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday received Commander of US Special Operations Gen. Joseph Votel.

Jordan-US military relations, especially military cooperation, as well as international anti-terror efforts were discussed during the meeting, a Royal Court statement said.

The meeting was attended by HRH Prince Feisal and King’s Military Adviser and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Gen. Mashal Al Zaben.

AMMAN — The Water Ministry on Wednesday launched its water supply strategy for the northern governorates until 2028, including eight projects expected to cost $305 million.

The strategy, which will be in full implementation by the end of 2017, entails providing the Irbid, Jerash, Ajloun and Mafraq governorates with 50 million cubic metres of fresh water annually, in addition to rehabilitating water networks in Irbid, Jerash and Ajloun.

Speaking at the launch, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said the strategy’s projects are an “important contribution” to decreasing chronic water shortages.

Water scarcity has deepened in the past few years due to the presence of some 1.4 million Syrians in the country. 

Jordan has succeeded in overcoming the region’s political and economic crises, the premier said, highlighting the need to continue improving the economic environment to further develop the national economy.  

Ensour cited the strategy as part of the government’s “ongoing” efforts to serve Jordanians across the country, noting that the government has spent over JD1.2 billion on water projects over the past three years.

Water Minister Hazem Nasser said the strategy aims to facilitate transporting water from southern to northern areas, citing a 40 per cent increase in demand in the north, as it hosts a large number of Syrian refugees.

The eight projects of the strategy will enhance water supply in the target region and increase the utilisation of surface water in winter instead of excessive pumping of groundwater.

The first project will connect the capital’s Abu Alanda Reservoir to the Khaw Reservoir in Zarqa Governorate, at a cost of $46 million, fully funded by the French Development Agency (AFD).

The project agreement was signed on Wednesday and implementation is scheduled to start before the end of this month.

The second project is a pipeline from the Khaw Reservoir to the Zaatari Reservoir in Mafraq Governorate at a cost of $25 million, 90 per cent of which is funded by the German Development Bank (KfW).

Another project funded by KfW, worth $15 million, will improve the pipeline connecting Wadi Al Aqeb aquifer in Mafraq to the Zaatari Reservoir. The three phases of this project are currently under construction and are expected to be finished in November 2016.

USAID’s current project, worth $50 million, connects the Zaatari Reservoir to Irbid’s Hofa Reservoir.

A Saudi-funded project worth $16 million will connect Um Lulu station in Mafraq to Jerash Governorate and is expected to be operational in June 2016.

The sixth project, expected to finish in June 2016, connects Hofa Reservoir in Irbid to Ajloun Governorate. It is worth $20 million and fully funded by the Saudi Development Fund.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency has financed a $25 million project currently under construction to connect Hofa Reservoir to Beit Ras in Irbid, which will be operational in November 2016.

The strategy’s final project is the second phase of Wadi Al Arab Water Conveyance Project, worth $108 million and co-funded by the European Investment Bank, AFD and the EU.

Contractors will be invited to submit their technical and financial proposals before the end of December.

Ensour and Nasser commended donors’ support in enabling the strategy.

Speaking on behalf of the donors, French Ambassador to Jordan David Bertolotti praised the Kingdom’s success in addressing short-term responsibilities without losing sight of long-term objectives, citing the strategy as the beginning of cooperation in the water sector.

AMMAN — Despite national laws and regulations that obligate the public and private sectors to employ persons with disabilities, actual implementation is still lagging behind, according to a report issued on Wednesday.

Released by the Phenix Centre for Economic and Informatics Studies to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities, annually observed on December 3, the report said the employment of people with disabilities in the public and private sector stood at 1 per cent and at 0.5 per cent in 2010, and indicators do not show an improvement after five years.

The report, developed in cooperation with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, added that 231 people with disabilities were employed in the public and private sectors in the first 10 months of 2015, citing Labour Ministry figures. 

Of the total, 189 are men and 42 are women. 

A report issued by the Higher Council for the Affairs of Persons with Disabilities in April this year said nearly 9.9 per cent of people with disabilities aged 15 and above in Jordan are unemployed but actively looking for jobs, while those working constitute 7.7 per cent.

The Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities stipulates that private and public sector institutions with over 25 and less than 50 employees are obligated to employ one disabled person, while in companies with over 50 employees, 4 per cent must be people with disabilities.

However, a report issued by Phenix Centre last year said many of those employed are paid less than the minimum monthly wage of JD190.

In addition, some of them work up to 14 hours a day in violation of Article 57 of the Labour Law which stipulates that employees should not be forced to work for more than eight hours a day, except in special circumstances, for no more than 30 days a year, and up to two extra hours a day. 

The article also stipulates that employees should be paid for the extra work they do. 

The report issued on Wednesday recommended modifying Article 13 of the Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to ensure its implementation and oblige institutions to implement the accessibility requirements.

The report also recommended that monitoring institutions ensure the implementation of the law.

In addition, it calls for encouraging private companies to employ people with disabilities by offering them incentives.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities has been commemorated since 1992 to promote awareness and mobilise support for critical issues relating to the inclusion of persons with disabilities in society and development, according to the UN. 

The event works to promote action to raise awareness about disability issues and draw attention to the benefits of an inclusive and accessible society for all.

This year, it is observed under the theme “Inclusion matters: access and empowerment for people of all abilities”. 

AMMAN — The Social Security Corporation’s (SSC) revenues, since its establishment in 1978 and until the end of October, reached JD10.523 billion, SSC Spokesperson Musa Sbeihi said Wednesday.

At a symposium dubbed “Social security... reforms, challenges and the future”, organised by the Arab Cultural Forum, Sbeihi noted that expenditure during the same period amounted to  JD5.875 billion, according to an SSC statement.

The monthly pension bill is around JD63 million, of which JD36.5 million is for early retirees, the spokesperson said, noting that early retirement pensions constitute some 57 per cent of the total.

He added that there are 80,609 early retirees who comprise 45 per cent of the total 178,000 retirees, with the average age of all retirees standing at 52 years and for early retirees at 50 years, according to the statement.

Sbeihi said the previous temporary social security law halted the early retirement system, but it has since been restored under the new Social Security Law, which offers two options. 

Under the first, both male and female subscribers can ask for early retirement at the age of 45 if they have completed 25 years of subscription.  

The second enables subscribers aged 50 with subscriptions of no less than 21 years for males and 19 years for females to request early retirement, the statement quoted the spokesperson as saying.

He also noted that among the most important changes in the current Social Security Law is raising the allowance for three dependants by 20 to 24 per cent, from between JD20 and JD100 to between JD30 and JD150.

Sbeihi said the SSC also capped the highest salary subject to pension at JD3,000, a step aimed at achieving justice among subscribers.

There are 147 retirees whose pensions exceed JD5,000 a month, amounting to a monthly total of JD1.034 million, which equals the pensions of 2,685 retirees who receive an average of JD385, Sbeihi said.

Yousef Amaireh, head of the forum, highlighted its keenness to communicate with the local community and acquaint its members and citizens with national legislation, according to the SSC statement.

AMMAN — Chronic unemployment is a major aftermath of the transformations taking place in the region, a challenge that requires intensified efforts by all stakeholders, young people agreed on Tuesday.

Taking part in a regional conference on employment, experts and young people from Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon highlighted their countries’ experiences in reducing unemployment and hurdles that prevent youth from joining the labour market.

The two-day conference is part of the EU-funded “Project of Strengthening Leadership of Youth and Women”, a three-year initiative implemented by the Princess Basma Youth Resource Centre (PBYRC) in cooperation with ACTED.

The project seeks to support employment centres to train young people on employability skills and connect them with job opportunities.

At the opening of the event, HRH Princess Basma said young people are not lacking in spirit, but need the opportunity.

Alaa Halayqa from Pyalara, an independent Palestinian institution that seeks to empower young people, stressed that wasta (using personal and family connections) is essential to obtain jobs in the Arab world, which is a major obstacle for the younger generation.

“Other challenges they face are related to their job preferences and the lack of skills the labour market needs,” he said.

Mario Goraieb, from the Lebanon-based Arcenciel Association, also highlighted difficulties facing young Lebanese when looking for jobs, especially with the influx of refugees and the political situation in the country.

Zaina Smadi, director of the PBYRC’s employment programme, noted that unemployment remains the primary challenge young Jordanians face.

“The centre has opened employment offices in five areas — Irbid, Sahab, Mafraq, Zarqa and recently Maan — to offer training that links job seekers with employers,” Smadi said, pointing out that the quality of education and the repetitive specialisations Jordanians enrol in reduce their chances of getting jobs.

The unemployment rate in Jordan stood at 13.8 per cent during the third quarter of this year, according to Department of Statistics figures.

AMMAN — The sixth Karama Human Rights Film Festival opens on Saturday under the theme "Back to the Human Spirit", celebrating art as a means to confront violence and extremism.

Over the course of six days, the festival will screen 70 narrative features, documentaries and animated films from 25 countries, with the participation of over 20 filmmakers and prominent actors from Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, the UK, France, the US and Jordan, according to the organisers.

The annual event, organised by Ma3mal 612 Think Factory in partnership with the Royal Cultural Centre and the Greater Amman Municipality, opens this year with a special screening of the Egyptian film "The Price", attended by the film's stars and production team.

The screenings will take place in the capital, with the Royal Cultural Centre as the main venue, and in Irbid Governorate, as well as at several universities, schools and cultural centres across the country, according to the organisers.

Outreach activities include screenings at the Zaatari Refugee Camp and Irbid Refugee Camp.

Nine films from several countries are competing this year for the Karama Feather Award for Best Feature Documentary, and there are also awards for Best Short Fiction and Best Animated Film.  A local and international jury will announce the winners during the festival.

Eight directors of Arab film festivals will gather at the event and engage in intensive meetings with the aim of establishing an Arab cinema forum similar to global film networks.

The festival will also include music performances, art exhibitions, workshops and discussions.

The programme and activities of the festival are available at www.karamafestival.org and on its social media page.