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AMMAN — As of October 25, 2015, Faisal Fayez will be the Senate president, a Royal Decree issued on Sunday appointing him stated. 

Fayez's previous service to the Kingdom includes his role as a senator since October 2013, and as House Speaker in the 16th Lower House in 2010. 

Born in Amman in 1952, Fayez graduated from the private De La Salle College. He then obtained a bachelor's degree in political science from Cardiff University in the UK and a master's degree in international relations from Boston University. 

Fayez began his public service to the nation working in the political, legal and economic sections of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before becoming Chief of Protocol at the Royal Court. 

He was then appointed Chief of the Royal Court by His Majesty King Abdullah, where he served until October 2003, when he became prime minister. 

He resigned from his position as premier in April 2005, resuming his position as Royal Court chief before being appointed a senator in 2007.

King Abdullah awarded the Order of Al Nahda to Fayez in 2006.

The Senate president is married with three children.

Fayez replaced veteran lawmaker Abdur-Rau’f S. Rawabdeh, who had served in the post since 2013.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah has voiced "grave concern" about the escalation of Israeli violations that have affected Jerusalem and its sanctuaries and the violence that followed, according to a Royal Court statement.

His Majesty said during a meeting with Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka on Sunday that Jordan takes its religious and historic responsibilities towards Al Haram Al Sharif and the Islamic and Christian sanctuaries very seriously and that upholding the status quo in line with previous understandings between Jordan and Israel is the Kingdom's top priority.

King Abdullah said, "I heard the statements made by Prime Minister Netanyahu last night and his affirmation of his commitment to uphold the status quo. This is a commitment that we welcome very much here and we hope to see that those commitments are implemented on the ground."

The King added, "I believe that this would allow the violence to end, to decrease the tension and I hope will allow a resumption of efforts to readdress the core issues through negotiations because this is an issue that has to be dealt with as quickly as possible.”

His Majesty welcomed the Czech Republic prime minister's visit and stressed the unique bilateral relations, saying this visit is a chance to improve the already strong ties.

The King said, "Your country, in particular, plays such an important role in the EU. I believe that with the tremendous challenges we are facing in the region, especially as we see with Palestine and Israel, and obviously in Syria, we will have a lot to discuss today."

For his part, Sobotka, who arrived in the Kingdom Saturday for a two-day official visit, voiced his country’s praise for the level of relations with Jordan, and said, “Our relationship, for fifty years already, has been very good until now and I am very happy to continue and go on after the visit of our president, Mr. Milos Zeman. I would like to [convey] best regards from our president.”

The Czech prime minister added: “I can assure you that we, as the Czech Republic, are doing our best to resume negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli people. I think the two-state solution is the real peace process for both sides.”

The two sides discussed cooperation in the fields of defence industries, tourism and joint projects, in addition to regional and international efforts to combat terrorism. 

In regard to the Syrian refugees, Jordan is doing its humanitarian role towards them through hosting them and offering them basic services, King Abdullah said, adding that the Kingdom is looking forward to the support of the international community and the World Bank as part of a sustainable strategy to help it bear the burdens of the crisis.

Sobotka highlighted the problems Europe is facing because of the Syrian refugees’ influx and the role his country is performing in the field “within its limited capabilities”, saying he came to Jordan to see how best to assist it. 

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan, and the delegation accompanying the Czech prime minister, in addition to Czech Ambassador to Jordan Petr Hladik.

Also on Sunday, Ensour held a meeting with Sobotka, where he said that Jordan has been always left alone after each crisis and never received the necessary support to sustain its humanitarian assistance to refuge seekers, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Ensour reviewed the burdens borne by Jordan as a result of receiving several refugee influxes, particularly the 1.4 million Syrian refugees, 2 million Palestinians, 500,000 Iraqis, 50,000 Libyans and 50,000 Yemenis.

Jordan is considered the model of a modern democratic country, the premier said, adding that the Kingdom has also set an example of moderation in the Arab and Islamic worlds, at a time when it does not put people in jail or send them into exile for their political opinions.

On the Palestinian issue, Ensour stressed that the failure to reach a comprehensive and just solution to the issue is the basis for all problems and conflicts the Middle East is witnessing, highlighting the need for the international community to pressure Israel to comply with international legitimacy resolutions.

The prime minister also stressed Jordan’s keenness to enhance its relations with the Czech Republic and Sobotka voiced hope that Jordan revives peace negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis and achieves regional peace and stability.

Sobotka highlighted the importance of opening a Jordanian embassy in  the Czech Republic to facilitate following up on the interests of both countries and peoples. 

The two premiers also agreed on forming a joint committee for economic and development cooperation between the two countries, Petra added.

AMMAN — Around 67 per cent of complaints filed against the quality of public services in the Kingdom in the third quarter have been completely resolved, Public Sector Development Minister Khleef Al Khawaldeh said in a ministry statement released Sunday. 

According to a report referred to Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, the Public Sector Development Ministry said it received 498 complaints about the quality of 43 public services during the third quarter of 2015, 167 of which are still pending. 

The largest share of complaints filed against the quality of public services in the Kingdom originated in the nation’s capital, Khawaldeh said.

The minister said 68 per cent of these complaints focused on services offered by the Greater Amman Municipality, the Social Security Corporation, the Water Authority of Jordan, Yarmouk Water Company, Jordan Water Company (Miyahuna) and the ministries of education and health. 

Most of these complaints were in relation to teachers’ appointments, the schedule of the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination, employee commitment to official work hours, medicine shortages at hospitals and health centres, and employer evasion of registering workers under the Social Security Corporation’s umbrella.

Khawaldeh added that 46 per cent of these complaints came from Amman, followed by Irbid and Zarqa, while only 2 per cent originated in Aqaba.

Grievances noted were in regard to employee behaviour, the environment in which the service was offered, the time taken to offer said services, and the measures and documents needed, according to the minister.

He also urged the public to file complaints with a special unit at the ministry by calling 065008080 or by filling in a form on the ministry’s website (www.mopsd.gov.jo).

AMMAN — The State Security Court on Sunday sentenced the chief editor of Al Balad news website, its owner and a reporter to three- and four-month prison terms on charges of contempt of a “brotherly state”.

The three defendants were standing trial over an article that was published on the website that criticised the war on Yemen by the coalition.

The tribunal amended the original charge of acts that would disturb the Kingdom’s ties to a foreign state to contempt of a brotherly state.

Chief Editor Osama Al Ramini and the owner and general manager of the website Hassan Sufeirah were each handed a three-month prison term by the military tribunal.  

The reporter who wrote the article in question, Jamal Ayoub, was sentenced to four months in prison.

“All sentences were either replaced by fines or the defendants had already served the sentence. Everyone walked from the court today,” a senior judicial source said.

The court also ordered the news website to pay JD200 in fines for violating the Electronic Crime Law.

The military tribunal comprised judges Col. Raed Izmegna, Adel Hmeidat and Farahan Mubeidin.

The Jordan Press Association, which reiterated rejection of detaining journalists over publications, said recently that “there are some unacceptable and unprofessional practices by journalists.”

“Unfortunately, in our profession we suffer from having intruders who have nothing to do with journalism and who take advantage of their jobs to exploit others, build their reputation or obtain some benefits and perks,” JPA President Tareq Momani told The Jordan Times in a recent interview.

“We support media freedom, but at the same time we are against violating freedoms of others,” he stressed.
“Professional journalists enjoy a very high level of freedom. To make a name in the profession, one should not be after publishing un-sourced news or sensational material just to seek fame,” Momani said.

The association currently has about 1,200 members.

AMMAN — The State Security Court (SSC) on Sunday sentenced former Al Ghad columnist Jihad Muheisen to three months in prison on charges of “compromising the King’s dignity”.

Muheisen was detained in July over a post he published on Facebook that was deemed slanderous to His Majesty King Abdullah.

The military tribunal decided to acquit Muheisen, who spent almost two months in prison, of charges of undermining the regime “for lack of evidence” and amended the lèse majesté charge to the misdemeanour of compromising the dignity of the King, handing him a one year sentence.

The tribunal reduced the sentence to three months and replaced the remaining period with a fine, a senior judicial source told The Jordan Times.

The militarily tribunal comprised judges Colonel Raed Izmegna, Adel Hmeidat and Farahan Mubeidin.

Al Ghad daily terminated Muheisen’s contract in June after he published a Facebook post in which he said he would become a Shiite, and criticised the democratic process in Jordan.

The Political and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry, where he worked as an adviser, also terminated his contract.

AMMAN — A consumer advocate and the syndicate representing food traders on Sunday expressed “surprise” at a recent government decision that lowered the sales tax on a number of imported “luxury items”.

Last week, the government lowered sales tax from 16 to 8 per cent on clothes, bags, watches, shoes, perfume, jewellery, toys and cosmetics. Customs duties were also reduced on these items. 

Khalil Haj Tawfiq, president of the General Association for Foodstuff Merchants, said in remarks to The Jordan Times the government should have lowered taxes on essential commodities rather than luxury items, indicating that the government had rejected a proposal to remove the 1 per cent customs service fees on food items such as rice, sugar and vegetable oil that are exempted from taxes. 

“I’m really shocked that the government reduced taxes on luxury items. It seems that making food prices affordable to consumers is not a priority for the authorities,” he said. 

Haj Tawfiq noted that the government has also rejected a request by importers and the association to lower the 16 per cent sales tax on nuts and coffee to combat smuggling, adding that the value of smuggled quantities of these products are estimated at JD80 million so far this year.  

He said that imported frozen poultry is subject to 25 per cent customs duties and 4 per cent tax. 

Also on Sunday, Consumer Protection Society (CPS) President Mohammad Obeidat said he was also “shocked” by the government move to lower taxes on luxury items, noting that the decision should have covered basic commodities. 

In a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times, the CPS president said the government decision was not studied properly as it would not serve the interests of consumers “as importers and traders of these items will not lower their prices”. 

Obeidat said the decision also deprives the Treasury, “which suffers from a financial deficit and widening debt levels”, of millions of dinars in revenues. 

Industrialists have also expressed concerns over the government move by saying it would harm local industries. 

A government official, who preferred to remain unnamed, said the decision is aimed at stimulating demand in the domestic market, adding that the majority of food items are already exempted from taxes and customs duties.  

AMMAN — Websites of public agencies and ministries should be more interactive and regularly updated to be of value to users and media outlets, a study recommended Sunday.

The study by the Centre for Defending the Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ) revealed that websites of public agencies provide information in a rigid format and all look the same, indicating that they need to become more user-friendly.

The websites also lacked e-services and electronic applications to allow users to obtain information under the Access to Information Law, the study showed.

The study called on the government to conduct a massive media campaign to educate the public about e-services available to them.

“There is definitely a need to upgrade these websites regularly and change their working mechanism… They need more development,” Nidal Mansour, head of CDFJ, said during a workshop held in collaboration with the Hayat Centre on the current status of and challenges faced by websites of public agencies.

Participants indicated during the workshop that information on public agency websites is usually outdated, calling for improved archive and search functions.

They also stressed the need for these websites to become more interactive and a source of newsworthy information for the media and the public. 

The public authorities should also pay more attention to developing websites and responding faster to inquiries and complaints lodged via the website, the study recommended.

The government should issue directives to public agencies requiring them to make e-applications to enable the public to obtain data under the Access to Information Law, the study said.

The study also suggested that training be provided to website managers on how to provide information in a simple and informative manner, calling for a mechanism to monitor the performance of these websites in this regard.

AMMAN — The Scientific Research Support Fund (SRSF) on Sunday signed four agreements with public and private universities to support scientific research projects in the medical and pharmaceutical fields at a total value of JD341,000, SRSF Director General Abdullah Zu’bi said.

The University of Jordan, the Jordan University of Science and Technology and Al Zaytoonah University of Jordan supported one project each, he added.

Three other scholarships were awarded to higher education students from the Hashemite University, in the amount of JD4,500 from SRSF to support their master’s theses, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

AMMAN — Border Guards received 226 Syrian refugees during the past 72 hours and transferred them to shelters and camps allocated for this purpose, an army source said Sunday.

Royal Medical Services cadres provided healthcare services for the sick and injured, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

AMMAN — A man died and another was injured on Sunday when a vehicle hit them in the Waleh area, the Civil Defence Department (CDD) said in a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

CDD cadres took the injured to Princess Salma Hospital where he was listed in fair condition.

Seven people were also injured in a two-vehicle collision in Jiza, and were taken to Nadim Hospital where they were listed in fair condition.