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AMMAN – The proceeds of a telethon held by the Jordan Engineers Association (JEA) in cooperation with Hayat FM amounted to JD1.075 million, according to a JEA statement.

The JEA held its annual one-day fundraiser on Monday with the aim of collecting donations to renovate old houses and schools in Jerusalem.

AMMAN — Independent Elections Commission (IEC) President Riyadh Shakaa and India’s Ambassador to Jordan Anil Trigunayat on Tuesday discussed means to boost cooperation on elections-related issues.

Shakaa highlighted the IEC’s measures to guarantee free and fair elections. Trigunayat asserted India’s readiness to assist the IEC in the electoral process, in its different stages.

AMMAN — Women’s rights activists, leftist and nationalist parties from Jordan have called on the UN to provide international protection for the Palestinian people.

In a memo dated on Monday and sent to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon the signatories said the Israeli crimes and violations are “against humanity” and disregard all laws and international conventions.

“[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s government has lately legalised the killing of Palestinians in cold blood and without justification,” said the memo, a copy of which was sent to The Jordan Times.

AMMAN — Jordan will begin negotiating a new funding programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) this week to help boost its growth, the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) governor said on Tuesday.

CBJ Governor Ziad Fariz said an IMF mission will travel to Amman this week to discuss the main components of a new extended facility fund to replace a three-year, $2 billion standby arrangement programme that ended this summer.

The IMF said in July that its programme had stabilised Jordan's economy after it suffered severe fiscal strains brought on by higher spending in the aftermath of the Arab Spring protests in the region in 2011.

It was too early to talk about the size of IMF financing under the new facility, which could be concluded by the first quarter of next year, Fariz said.

Officials have said on condition of anonymity that the programme could secure the Kingdom up to $2 billion in loans.

The governor said the size of the facility would be calculated based on Jordan's total exposure to the fund.

The new IMF programme would help the country maintain the pace of structural reforms while consolidating financial stability and cutting debt, Fariz said.

“The challenge we face is faster growth beyond the present rates, to maintain a low budget deficit, maintain fiscal stability and reduce debt,” he added.

The latest estimate for gross domestic product growth stood at between 2.6 to 2.9 per cent, Fariz said. 

He added that the economy had been hit by commercial ties with main trading partner Iraq being ruptured due to conflict there. Iraq receives around 20 per cent of Jordan’s exports — over $1.2 billion worth — annually.

Jordan’s annual GDP growth has fallen to around 3 per cent after averaging 6.5 per cent before 2009. The medium-term target is around 4.5 per cent.

The economy has also suffered under the influx of refugees from Syria and Iraq.

Fariz said the stability of the economy meant it had mostly remained resilient in the face of regional turmoil.

AMMAN — Police Director Maj. Gen. Atef Saudi on Tuesday said his department looks to further collaboration with civil society to ensure the application of the highest standards of human rights in the community and to fight extremism. 

"The Public Security Department [PSD] and civil society share the same responsibility — to ensure human rights for our citizens and to work hand in hand to fight extremism and radical ideologies," Saudi said.

This, the police chief added, will further strengthen "the sense of security and stability among the public".

Saudi made the remarks during a meeting at the PSD that gathered 150 representatives from civil society and human rights institutions.

"We at the PSD work hard to safeguard human dignity and the rights of our citizens and any individual living in the Kingdom," he said.

The police chief listed several measures adopted by his department to further ensure safety, security and human rights for individuals.

“We have enrolled many of our officers in human rights courses to ensure that they respect and understand its principles and apply them in their daily routine to ensure justice for all,” Saudi said.

The PSD director said he took the initiative to visit police stations to “make sure they are adopting the highest standards in dealing with citizens”.

“I disguised myself and went to police stations to see how they deal with people and I was satisfied with what I saw,” Saudi said, adding that he has designated a prize to be given to the best police station in treating detainees and the general public.

The police chief related the story after a participant in the meeting claimed that several people detained at police stations were abused.

“Abuse and torture at our stations is not part of our strategy and anyone found guilty of such conduct will be punished severely. We have already imprisoned several police officers who were found guilty of abuse,” Saudi said.

During the meeting, the police chief also announced the establishment of a press centre at the PSD to be in direct contact with the media “in case of unusual events that — God forbid — could happen in the Kingdom”.

Saudi was responding to a complaint from Nidal Mansour, president of the Centre for Defending Freedom of Journalists, who claimed that journalists are “the first to be targeted by police at sit-ins or public rallies”.

“We will be in constant contact with journalists at this centre and we will provide them with the necessary logistics to work and sleep over if they have to,” the PSD director said.

In response to a comment on overcrowded prisons by Jordanian Society for Human Rights Director Suleiman Sweiss, Saudi said he had issued orders to renovate and expand detention centres.

“I have issued orders to renovate several rehabilitation centres and a budget of JD1 million was allocated for this purpose. In 60 days you will witness the improvements.”

Basil Tarawneh, the government’s coordinator on human rights, who organised the two-hour meeting in cooperation with the PSD, assured the gathering that his office will follow up on all the comments and complaints.

“We admit that there are gaps or misconduct committed by a handful of individuals at the PSD,” Tarawneh said.

But what is more important, he added, “is finding the proper solutions to address these issues and ensure that they never happen again”.

AMMAN — Demand for the $500 million Eurobonds Jordan issued in New York on Tuesday outstripped supply more than fivefold, the government said. 

Finance Minister Umayya Toukan said the 10-year bonds, guaranteed by the Jordanian government, saw “huge” demand from international investors valued at $2.6 billion, exceeding the targeted amount by over fivefold, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The bonds will be due in 2026, the finance minister told Petra. 

High demand for the bonds, he said, reflects the confidence of international organisations and investors in the Kingdom’s economy, adding that it is also a testament to the success of Jordan’s economic reforms.

In a statement to Petra, Toukan said the annual interest rate on the bonds is 6.1 per cent, and the bids came from 190 investors from the US and the UK. 

The issuance, according to the minister, was managed by JP Morgan and Citigroup.  

In June, Jordan issued a total of $1.5 billion in sovereign bonds guaranteed by the US — $1 billion seven-year and $500 million 10-year sovereign bonds that were supported by a 100 per cent guarantee of the repayment of principal and interest by the US.  

The $1 billion and $500 million issuances were priced at coupon rates of 2.578 per cent and 3 per cent, respectively.

Part of the proceeds of the bonds will be used to pay off a $750 million bond that will be due at the end of the year, a government official told The Jordan Times in a recent interview. 

The US has previously guaranteed Jordan’s issuance of sovereign bonds worth $1.25 billion in 2013 and $1 billion in 2014.

Jordan plans bond issuances on international markets to continue in the coming years in both formats: US-guaranteed or non-guaranteed sovereign bonds.

AMMAN — Unstable weather conditions accompanied by “strong” easterly winds started affecting the Kingdom on Tuesday, according to a meteorologist.

Over the next 48 hours, the country will witness cloudy skies with a chance of showers and possible thunderstorms in some areas, including the Gulf of Aqaba, Omar Dajani, a forecaster at Arabiaweather.com told The Jordan Times.

“The strong winds will blow dust across the Kingdom, especially in the badia and the eastern region,” Dajani said, calling on motorists to exercise caution and drive their vehicles at reasonable speeds due to low visibility.

Royal Jordanian (RJ) on Tuesday diverted seven incoming flights to Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) to other airports in the region due to low visibility.

RJ Spokesperson Basil Kilani said in a statement that flights from Erbil, Istanbul, Cairo, Chicago, Jeddah and Paris landed at the King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba, while a flight from Dubai was diverted to Tel Aviv airport.

All aeroplanes and their passengers will return to QAIA once visibility improves to levels enabling safe landing, Kilani added, noting that Amman Civil Airport in Marka is closed as a result of dust.

Dajani also warned of the risk of flash floods, mainly in valleys and low-altitude areas.

“On Thursday and Friday, the speed of the easterly winds is forecast to decline and the unstable weather conditions are expected to ease off,” he noted.

Temperatures in Amman on Wednesday are expected to range between a high of 19°C during the day and a low of 10°C at night, according to a statement released by the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD).

The maximum temperature in the capital on Thursday is forecast to reach 18°C, dropping to a low of 10°C at night, while Friday’s temperatures will range between 19°C and 12°C, the JMD said.

The Civil Defence Department (CDD) on Tuesday warned the public against the prevailing weather conditions, urging people to limit their movement on roads that witness dust storms, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The CDD also called for securing enough medicines for those who suffer from asthma and respiratory diseases, and urged people to stay away from valleys and possible flood areas.

The department called for fastening objects on rooftops as well as billboards to prevent them from being blown off by the strong winds, noting that the public can call 911 in case of emergencies, according to Petra.

In the capital, authorities said they finished the necessary preparations for winter. 

Amman Governor Khalid Abu Zeid told Petra that stakeholders in the capital have prepared a detailed emergency plan that includes the tasks and duties of all relevant institutions from the public and private sectors to deal with inclement weather conditions.

Later on Tuesday, the Public Security Department’s Aqaba branch and highway patrols closed the Wadi Araba road due to low visibility caused by dust, Petra reported.

AMMAN — The Investment Council’s recent decision to offer incentives to insurance firms willing to merge is expected to salvage financially troubled companies and boost the sector’s performance, insiders said Tuesday. 

Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, who chairs the council, on Saturday announced the decision to exempt insurance firms willing to merge from income tax for three years in addition to exemptions on fees for registering ownership, and transferring and raising capital.  

The 25 insurance firms currently operating in the local market are “high in number” compared to the volume of the Jordanian economy and the market’s needs, Jordan Insurance Federation (JIF) President Ali Wazani said in a phone interview with The Jordan Times.

Wazani highlighted the discrepancy in capital among the firms, noting that the capital of some insurance firms is eight times higher than that of others, all of which are competing in the same market, offering similar services.

“This fragmentation increases the cost of doing business.” 

Up to 60 per cent of insurance firm expenditures, Wazani added, are allocated for salaries, a cost that mergers will help decrease.

When insurance firms are in financial distress, they either exit the market or merge, he said, noting that a couple of insurance firms went bankrupt and left the market over the past three to four years. 

Describing the decision as a “step in the right direction”, Wazani, who is also the CEO of First Insurance Company, said he expects the incentives to encourage investors to develop a “more serious” view of the market.

Othman Bdeir, a field expert and a former president of JIF, agreed with Wazani, noting that Japan, whose economy is larger than Jordan’s, has only seven insurance companies.

“This is a move that insurance firms have long been demanding,” he said, adding that under the decision, well-performing firms can buy out financially troubled ones, shielding them from bankruptcy and safeguarding the rights of their clients.

“Tens of thousands of clients were not compensated when some insurance companies went bankrupt,” Bdeir told The Jordan Times over the phone, underscoring the role of mergers in increasing liquidity and investments.

However, merging is not easy and requires extensive studies of troubled firms and the feasibility of the merger, according to the expert, who noted that the Trade Ministry’s approval of mergers is a basic part of the process.

Bdeir said the council’s decision is “more than enough” to ease the challenges facing the sector, “if implemented fully”, expecting the number of firms to drop by half as a result of mergers.

AMMAN — The sentencing hearing of the youngest Jordanian prisoner in Israel has been postponed, again, this time from October 27 to November 26, his father said Tuesday.

“The Israeli military court’s recurrent postponement of issuing a verdict in Mohammad’s case is just a game of nerves,” Mahdi Suleiman told The Jordan Times.

Mohammad may be sentenced to 15 years in prison in addition to a fine of 40,000 Israeli shekels (some JD7,350), according to his 58-year-old father.

The teenager was 16 years old when he was arrested in March 2013 while visiting his relatives in the West Bank, and has attended around 60 hearings so far.

He faces 27 charges, including attempted murder and injuring 18 Israeli soldiers.

Mahdi also noted that his son undergoes “severe forms of punishment” at Israeli prisons, including being put in solitary confinement for long periods without clear reasons.

“On Saturday, I was at the Professional Associations Complex in Irbid, where I had an opportunity to speak about my son’s case and acquaint people with the circumstances of Jordanian prisoners in Israel in general,” he said, expressing his astonishment that some people did not know about this issue.

On June 14 this year, Mahdi started a hunger strike near the Foreign Ministry, calling for arranging a visit to his son and ended the protest five days later after the ministry succeeded in securing a visa for him.

Mahdi said in previous remarks that he visited his son recently in Megiddo Prison in Haifa where he spent around 45 minutes with him, separated by a glass barrier, although he was expecting a two-hour visit with direct contact.

AMMAN — Police on Tuesday opened an investigation following the discovery of a body in a deserted building in Irbid late Monday night, according to official sources.

A passer-by found the body of the Arab construction worker in the building located in the city of Irbid, some 80km north of Amman, Public Security Department (PSD) Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

“We reviewed our records and there was an Arab national who was reported missing by his co-workers,” Sartawi said.

Coroners who arrived at the scene estimated that the man had been dead for at least three days, a second source said.

The body was transferred to the Irbid National Institute of Forensic Medicine for an autopsy, the second source added.

Sartawi said police are investigating the incident and all possibilities are open.

“It is too early to rule it a homicide or an accidental death. The pathology report and the crime lab results will help us learn more about this case,” he added.