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AMMAN — HRH Prince Hassan called for the creation of a “Social Media Peace Corps” on Monday at an international peace conference in Rabat, themed “Living together: for a culture of dialogue”, according to a statement.

During his keynote speech, Prince Hassan highlighted the need for concrete facts to combat the negative ideologies afflicting Jordan and the Arab world from within. He added, “In attempting to preserve the traditions and customs of our shared civilisation, many individuals are undermining the very foundations on which it was originally built.”

Prince Hassan concluded that, “History, and the learning of the ancients can restore balance within Islam and within all of our mutual traditions.” Prince Hassan commended the roles of Their Majesties King Abdullah and King Mohammed VI of Morocco and in protecting the holy sites in Jerusalem.

AMMAN — The Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) and the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation on Thursday signed an agreement under which the foundation will provide JD0.5 million to support the project “Raising financial awareness in society”.

The project is aimed at spreading financial knowledge to enhance comprehensive and sustainable growth, according to a CBJ statement sent to The Jordan Times on Monday.

The plan is coordinated with public and private sector institutions including the ministries of education and planning.

It is also aimed at empowering citizens to manage their assets more prudently, the statement added.

AMMAN — The Council of Ministers, in its Sunday session, decided to adopt electronic tagging for convicts placed under house arrest, to replace detention.

The Judiciary will use tools of electronic tagging like an electronic ankle bracelet on suspended people, instead of jailing them at correctional and rehabilitation centres, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted Justice Minister Bassam Talhouni as saying.

According to web sources, electronic tagging is a form of surveillance which uses an electronic device (a tag) fitted to the person. It is commonly used as a form of electronically monitored punishment for people who have been sentenced to electronic monitoring by a court, or required to wear a tag upon release from prison.

Talhouni said electronic tagging preserves human rights and prevents the person from leaving the geographical space he or she is allowed to move within, according to limits set by the court. 

Moreover, the minister said the method is financially feasible as it saves the Treasury the money spent on those detained in correctional and rehabilitation centres.

Electronic tagging is a good alternative for conventional imprisonment, especially in cases involving less dangerous convicts who do not threaten social safety, Talhouni said, adding it is better to avoid mixing less dangerous convicts with those who have criminal records.

The minister said there is a committee concerned with reviewing the Criminal Procedure Law and it will work on amending the law by introducing the electronic tagging provision. 

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday met with several Arab members of the Knesset and discussed efforts to end the Israeli violations at Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, according to a Royal Court statement.

During the meeting at Al Husseiniya Palace, His Majesty highlighted Jordan's stands supporting the Palestinian people and their cause, and stressed the Kingdom's efforts to defend Islamic and Christian holy sites in the occupied city of Jerusalem.

Jordan has recently, through intensified diplomatic efforts, achieved an international recognition from the UN Security Council of the term “Al Haram Al Sharif” instead of Israel’s “Temple Mount”.

His Majesty has warned that if Israeli provocations in Jerusalem continue, with attempts of Judaisation of the holy sites in the city, dangerous repercussions will befall the region as well as its security and stability, because such actions stoke religious strife. 

King Abdullah said Jordan would continue to counter all Israeli violations out of its religious and historical duty as well as the Hashemite custodianship of Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites.

His Majesty stressed Al Aqsa Mosque is not to be shared or divided.

The King condemned Israeli falsification of facts and attempts to justify its violations and acts of aggression to the rest of the world.

His Majesty stressed the important role of Arab leaderships in Israel in supporting efforts to protect Jerusalem and its sanctuaries.

For their part, member of the Knesset lauded the role of His Majesty and the Hashemites in protecting the holy Muslim and Christian sites in Jerusalem to preserve their Islamic and Arab identity. 

They said Arab community leaders in Israel are willing to play a more active role in supporting the peace process and stopping the Israeli acts, and recognised the significance of the King’s efforts during the past year to lift all Israeli restrictions preventing worshippers from entering Al Aqsa Mosque.

The meeting was attended by HRH Prince Ghazi, chief adviser to the King for Religious and Cultural Affairs and the King’s Personal Envoy, Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, and Director of the King’s Office Jafar Hassan.

Knesset members who attended the meeting included Ahmad Tibi, Jamal Zahalka, Talab Abu Arar, Osama Saadi, and Aida Suliman.

In an interview with the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Deputy Speaker of the Knesset Tibi said members of the Jerusalem Committee of the Arab Joint List came to meet the King to put before him their view of the “dangerous plan” for Al Aqsa Mosque drawn by the Israeli government and the chairman of the Likud, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Tibi said the meeting highlighted the cooperation between the Jerusalem Committee and Jordan to preserve Al Aqsa Mosque as a place of worship for Muslims. 

Moreover, he noted the Arab Joint List thanked King Abdullah, Jordan’s government and the Jordanians for their efforts for Al Aqsa.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday arrived in Dubai on a short visit to the UAE to offer his condolences to Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and his family over the passing of Sheikh Rashid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Saturday morning, a Royal Court statement said. 

His Majesty, who arrived back home later in the evening, was accompanied by Their Royal Highnesses Prince Hassan, Prince Ali, Prince Hashem and Prince Rashid, along with Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh. 

Sheikh Rashid died at the age of 34 of a heart attack, according to reports.

He was the first son of Sheikh Mohammed and Sheikha Hind Bint Maktoum Bin Juma Al Maktoum. In addition to his role as Dubai ruler, Sheikh Mohammed is vice president and prime minister of the UAE.

Sheikh Rashid was an avid sportsman and horse-racing enthusiast. His younger brother Sheikh Hamdan is Dubai’s crown prince.

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh and UN Under-secretary general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien on Sunday discussed the humanitarian conditions of Syrian refugees and the impact of the refugee crisis on host communities. 

During a meeting, the two sides stressed the importance of arriving at a political solution for the crisis in Syria that guarantees the security of Syria as well as its territorial integrity, on the basis of the Geneva I Conference on Syria. 

Judeh highlighted the large burdens borne by the Kingdom as a result of hosting more than 1.6 million Syrians, despite its limited sources, stressing that the international community should shoulder its responsibility in this regard.  

On Saturday, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour received O’Brien and discussed the issue of the heavy burdens shouldered by Jordan as a result of hosting Syrian refugees, stressing the importance of helping Jordan to pursue its humanitarian mission.

Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury also met with O’Brien on Sunday. At the meeting, the two sides discussed the Kingdom’s needs and challenges resulting from the repercussions of the crisis in Syria and other regional conflicts. 

The minister called on donors, UN organisations and international financing institutions to work out mechanisms that can assist middle-income and conflict-affected countries like Jordan, stressing the importance of continued and growing assistance to help the Kingdom meet refugees’ humanitarian needs. 

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday met with the President of the European Council Donald Tusk, and stressed his "utter" condemnation of the Israeli assaults on Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, according to a Royal Court statement.

King Abdullah highlighted Jordan's condemnation of the attacks and efforts to stop them in coordination with influential players in the international community, stressing that Al Aqsa Mosque is not to be shared or divided.

In this context, the international community, especially the EU, should put a halt to the Israeli breaches, which constitute a clear violation of international legitimacy, the King said, noting these violations will have “grave” consequences and contribute to hindering all progress in the peace process.

The meeting’s agenda included a discussion of the regional and international anti-terrorism efforts under a comprehensive strategy, as well as the importance of reaching political solutions to the crises taking place in the region.

The King noted the burdens shouldered by Jordan as a result of hosting Syrian refugees, which requires donor counties and institutions to offer more support to enable the Kingdom to offer humanitarian services to the refugees.

His Majesty thanked the European countries for the support they offer to Jordan in this field.

For his part, Tusk commended the relations enjoyed by the European Council and Jordan, and voiced the council’s interest in deepening those ties to serve mutual interests.

Tusk also commended Jordan’s efforts, under the leadership of King Abdullah, to achieve peace and security in the region.

The meeting was attended by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan and the delegation accompanying Tusk. 

AMMAN — The Senate on Sunday won its duel with the Lower House over the 2015 decentralisation law, earning women, in the outcome, a quota the elected governorate councils under the said law.

The victory came during Sunday’s joint session, when an overwhelming majority of legislators voted in favour of the Upper House’s amendments to the law, under which 10 per cent of the elected governorate council seats are allocated for women. 

Subsequently, the number of the elected governorate council members will increase to 85 from 75 after adding the women’s quota.

The deputies themselves had initially approved a 15 per cent women’s quota, supporting a proposal by MP Wafaa Bani Mustafa in that regard, but they went back on their decision ahead of the final vote.

However, MPs had their own triumph during Sunday’s session, when they had their amendments to the Independent Elections Commission Law (IEC) and the draft prohibition of chemical weapons law endorsed by an overwhelming majority of lawmakers present.

In the final version of the IEC bill, appointment in the oversight body will be under the jurisdiction of the civil service by-law, as worded by MPs, and not according to a special by-law as senators wanted. 

Under the House’s changes made to the prohibition of chemical weapons bill, only tear gas in the form of grenades or aerosol cans and “no other chemical agents” shall be used by security bodies to control riots. 

The Senate had insisted that all chemical agents, including tear gas, should not be used, even in crowd control, as MPs had proposed.

Sunday’s joint session was the 16th since 1947 in which the two Houses met to resolve their legislative differences, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, said.

The present 17th Parliament has convened in six of these joint meetings so far to resolve lawmakers’ disagreements over 11 draft laws hitting a record in the number of disputes since the establishment of the Kingdom, according to Petra.   

According to Article 92 of the Constitution: “Should either House twice reject any draft law and the other accept it, whether or not amended, both the Senate and the Chamber shall hold a joint meeting under the chairmanship of the president of the Senate to discuss the matters in dispute.”

AMMAN — The Cabinet on Sunday decided to exempt charging devices of fully electric vehicles from customs duties and sales tax.

The decision, based on a recommendation by Finance Minister Umayya Toukan, will go into effect as of the date of its publication in the Official Gazette, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Previously, customs fees on electric car charging devices ranged between 5 and 30 per cent, depending on the estimated value of the device, Petra said, adding that the exemption was introduced to Article 14 of the 1998 Customs Law.

Based on another recommendation by Toukan, charging devices of electric cars were completely exempted from the sales tax.

The decision does not include hybrid cars that rely on electricity and traditional fuel, Petra noted. 

Currently, buyers of hybrid vehicles with engines smaller than 2,500cc pay 25 per cent of the value of the car as a special tax, while cars with larger engines are subject to a 55 per cent tax.

During the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa in May this year, held on the eastern shores of the Dead Sea, a memorandum of understanding was signed with manufacturers of electric cars — Tesla, BMW and Renault — to gradually adopt the use of electric vehicles in the public sector as an environment-friendly means of transport. 

In an initiative to support this move, Manaseer Group will offer supercharge services for electric vehicles at various gas stations throughout Jordan. 

Mercedes has also announced its intention to launch its electric car models in the Middle East, starting with Jordan.

By the end of this year, about 10 solar-powered electric car-charging stations are expected to be operating in Amman, according to the Jordan Competiveness Programme, which helped attract an investor to build the stations.

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has upheld a September 2013 Criminal Court ruling sentencing a man to death for murdering a man almost five years ago for reasons related to family honour in one of the Kingdom’s governorate.

The criminal court sentenced the defendant to death in mid-September after convicting him of murdering a man on November 15, 2010, who was engaged in an illegitimate affair with his sister, and then married her.

The relationship was disclosed after the defendant’s sister delivered a child out of wedlock, the court papers said.

The victim and the defendant’s sister were hastily married and were ordered by the governor to live in a different location, according to court transcripts.

The two moved to a different town, “but the defendant plotted to murder the victim, and two months later he learnt where the two resided,” according to the court.

Armed with a machinegun and other weapons, the court maintained, “the defendant barged into the victim’s house, stabbed him repeatedly then fired one round at him, and beat him with a blunt object until he made sure he was dead.”

“The defendant then left the house and headed to a relative and informed him that he killed the victim to cleanse his family’s honour,” the court added.

The defendant had contested the Criminal Court ruling demanding a lighter sentence since “he committed his murder in a fit of fury,” according to the 14-page verdict.

However, the five-judge tribunal at the Cassation Court disagreed and ruled that the defendant plotted the murder and therefore deserve the capital punishment.

“It was clear from the Criminal Court proceedings that the defendant planned the murder by monitoring the suspect as well as being in possession of a machinegun, a knife and a blunt object on the day of the murder,” the higher court ruled earlier this year.

The Cassation Court tribunal comprised judges Kareem Tarawneh, Yousef Tahat, Yassin Abdullat, Mohammad Tarawneh, and Bassem Mubeideen.