Local

AMMAN — The British Council in Jordan on Tuesday organised an orientation session for Jordanian students planning to enrol in the University College London (UCL) in the UK.

Maral Dadourian, UCL’s international liaison and recruitment officer, briefed the students on the majors the university offers, living expenses in London, and the needs of Arab and international markets for these specialties.

Dadourian also noted that the UCL granted scholarships to Jordanian students as a way of boosting cultural cooperation between the two countries.

TAFILEH — Tafileh residents on Wednesday blocked a main road in protest against the “slow” progress in expansion work on the project.

They called on the Ministry of Public Works and Housing to establish a detour due to the delay in completing the project.

The director of the Tafileh public works department said there is a “clear” delay in the implementation of the project, which started two years ago. 

AMMAN — A 40-year-old man died on Wednesday after falling into a seven-metre well in the Taibeh District while he was drawing water, according to the Civil Defence Department (CDD).

CDD cadres took him to Princess Basma Hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. 

AMMAN — The Lower House on Wednesday condemned the terrorist attack which targeted Bahraini police in Manama, resulting in the deaths of three personnel.

In a statement, the Lower House said it supported the Bahraini people in confronting terrorism and would help Bahrain take all necessary procedures for ending terrorist attacks that.

The Lower House also expressed their condolences to the Bahraini leadership, parliament, government and families of the police personnel. 

AMMAN — Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Gen. Mashal Al Zaben on Wednesday started an official visit to the US to discuss ways of boosting cooperation in military training and coordination between the armies of both countries.

During the visit, Zaben is scheduled to meet with several senior military officials.

AMMAN — HRH Princess Sumaya on Wednesday inaugurated the second Wadi Rum conference titled “Desert and Men”.

Representatives from Saudi Arabia, Syria, Germany, the US, France and Jordan are attending the three-day conference, organised by the French embassy in Amman.

Jordan’s representative on UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee Moawiyah Ibrahim highlighted the importance of Wadi Rum as a natural and cultural site. 

AMMAN — Participants at a seminar on Wednesday, stressed the need to apply the national strategy for technical education, which has not yet been implemented.

Chaired by HRH Prince Hassan, president of the Arab Though Forum, the event focused on challenges facing the higher education sector and the need to reduce the number of university students and establish technical colleges.

Highlighting the importance of vocational education, the prince said universities need to bridge the gap with the local community and industries.

Participants at the seminar, who included former ministers, professors, university presidents and students, discussed several pressing issues related to education and its association with development, human rights and citizenship.  

AMMAN — The authorities on Wednesday dismantled three illegal pipes that were diverting more than 5,000 cubic metres of water daily to farms in south Amman, according to an official at the Ministry of Water and Irrigation.

Two of the pipes were attached to an 800-millimetre water main that conveys water from the Swaqa station, 70 kilometres south of Amman, to a water station in the Amman National Park, off the airport road, the official said. 

The first pipe, one kilometre long, was diverting 1,500 cubic metres of water to a group of farms located near Queen Alia International Airport, according to the official, who preferred to remain unnamed. 

The authorities discovered the second illegal connection some 700 metres away from the first, on the same water main, he said.

“The violator built a cabin to hide a two-metre deep hole, where he installed a valve on the water main to divert 2,000 cubic metres daily via a 500-metre pipe to several pools,” the official noted.

A joint team from the Water Authority of Jordan, the Jordan Water Company (Miyahuna), the Gendarmerie, the Royal Badia Forces and the Public Security Department carried out the inspections in south Amman on Wednesday morning, he said, adding that they seized several tankers which were being filled with water to sell to the public.

“We have issued tickets and the security forces referred those involved for investigation,” the official told The Jordan Times. 

The third violation was discovered in Um Al Amad, south of the capital, where 1,500 cubic metres of water was being diverted from another water main that supplies two districts with their share of water.

“The violator was using the diverted water to irrigate crops at several farms,” the official said, underscoring that such illegal pipes are one of the reasons behind the water shortage in Amman.

Last month, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said the government is committed to putting an end to all water violations, describing water theft as a form of corruption.

Since the ministry launched a crackdown on water violations in August last year, more than 7,000 illegal pipes have dismantled, 75.5 per cent of them in the capital.

The ministry registered 1,919 violations on water mains and 3,360 cases of gauge tampering in Amman alone between August and December last year.

The ministry said it is pressing ahead with its campaign to crack down on violators of the water network, calling on the public to cooperate with authorities and report violations.

AMMAN — A local project aimed at raising awareness on early marriage, human trafficking, child labour and violence against women was launched on Wednesday.

The Safety and Protection project is being implemented by Sisterhood is Global Institute/ Jordan (SIGI/J), as part of the USAID Social Participation Project (SPP).

“We want to raise awareness at the national level on such important topics and create an effective dialogue,” SIGI/J President Asma Khader said.

The senator told the gathering at Ya Hala Hall at the Sports City that dozens of activities will take place in various governorates in the Kingdom.

“Our aim is to reach 9,000 individuals in remote and small communities as well as other populated areas in various parts of the country,” Khader added.

She emphasised that the project will be the starting point to changing the mindset of individuals about certain beliefs that still support abusive behaviour in general.

The project’s activities will include 51 plays by an interactive theatre group that will demonstrate the negative psychological, moral, physical and social consequences of gender-based violence, early marriage, child labour and trafficking in persons.

In addition, a comprehensive media campaign and dozens of awareness raising activities will be held across the Kingdom, according to organisers.

The USAID SPP aims to enhance social coherence and communities’ ability to deal with new challenges at the local level and promote participatory approach in local communities.

It also aims to involve local communities in identifying their needs and dealing with the pressures in the region, internal political reforms and transformations, as well as socioeconomic and demographic changes. 

The project works in partnership with local communities, NGOs, associations, governmental departments and the private sector.

AMMAN — The Labour Ministry has shut down 103 factories and institutions since the beginning of this year for employing illegal guest workers and breaching the Labour Law a senior official said on Wednesday.

In addition, the ministry issued 2,681 tickets to institutions found in violation of the law, according to Labour Minister Nidal Katamine.

“A total of 6,692 illegal guest workers have been apprehended since the beginning of the year, while 2,329 guest workers have rectified their status,” Katamine said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times.

The ministry also decided to deport 489 illegal guest workers of different nationalities and issued warnings to 862 businesses for employing illegal guest workers, he noted.

“The measures are part of the ongoing campaign carried out in cooperation with the Public Security Department. We urge all guest workers and business owners to comply with the Labour Law,” Katamine added.

Meanwhile, Ayman Khawaldeh, head of the ministry’s inspection directorate, said all guest labourers must obtain valid work permits, or they will be deported.

“The ministry has also apprehended 681 illegal guest workers at circles and public squares,” Khawaldeh added.

Illegal guest workers are given a grace period to rectify their status, but if they fail to do so, they are sent back to their countries in cooperation with their embassies.

The ministry has posted the names of 270,000 guest workers whose work permits expired between 2011and 2013 on its website.
Last year, the ministry detained more than 23,000 illegal guest workers and closed down 803 institutions in violation of the Labour Law, according to official figures.

In addition, 4,429 labour-related complaints were registered in 2013, a 17 per cent drop compared to 2012, when 5,341 complaints were filed.

There are around 265,000 guest labourers who have valid work permits and around 500,000 illegal workers. Egyptians make up around 60 per cent of the guest labour force in Jordan, according to the ministry.