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AMMAN — The Criminal Court prosecutor on Sunday charged a man with manslaughter in connection with the alleged assault on his wife a day earlier in Russeifa, official sources said.

The victim was taken to hospital after allegedly being beaten up by her husband, but died the following day, Police Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi said.

“The victim informed investigators before dying that her husband had beaten her, and when we arrested him, he confessed to the incident,” Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

The body was transferred to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine (NIFM) at Al Bashir Hospital for an autopsy.

NIFM Director Adnan Abbas told The Jordan Times that the “injuries the victim sustained did not lead to her death”.

Abbas added that the victim had a medical history and she suffered from Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF).

“We need an additional week until we receive more medical examinations and lab results before ruling on the cause of the woman’s death,” the forensic expert said. 

FNF is a genetic disorder that causes recurrent episodes of fever that are typically accompanied by pain in the abdomen, chest, or joints. It most often occurs in individuals of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern descent, and the first episodes typically begin in childhood, according to the American College of Rheumatology’s website.

A senior judicial source told The Jordan Times that Criminal Court Prosecutor Sultan Shakhanbeh charged the suspect with manslaughter, but added that “this charge might change depending on the final report that will be issued by the NIFM”.

The official refused to reveal any further details regarding the incident.

Meanwhile, Sisterhood is Global Institute (SIGI) issued a report on Sunday stating that 20 women have been killed in Jordan since the beginning of the year in gender-related violence incidents.

The institute pointed out that this year’s figures are three times higher than last year’s, with seven cases reported in the Kingdom during the same period.

SIGI called on the government to “increase prison punishments for perpetrators of crimes that target women and children”.

The organisation also called on the government to provide free counselling and guidance programmes for Jordanian families to raise their awareness about gender-based violence and the legal and social services that are available for anyone in need. 

AMMAN — The Criminal Court on Sunday sentenced a 22-year-old man to death after convicting him of robbing and murdering a library owner in Zarqa in January 2017.

The tribunal sentenced the defendant remotely through special technology as stipulated by law, a senior judicial source told The Jordan Times.

“The defendant was being held in a correctional rehabilitation facility in Marka some 20 kilometres away from the tribunal’s headquarters in Juweideh, so the presiding judge opted to issue the sentence via a televised connection between the courtroom and the place where the defendant was incarcerated,” the judicial source said.

The court declared the defendant guilty of stabbing the victim to death with the help of a minor on January 4 and handed him the death penalty.

The minor is being tried separately at a juvenile court, according to the source.

Court papers said the defendant and the minor wanted to travel to Aqaba for “some fun times” but did not have the necessary cash.

“The two plotted to rob and murder the victim, whom they had known for a long time, to obtain some fast cash,” court papers said.

On the day of the murder, the court maintained, the two headed to the victim’s library, with one of them claiming that he had left a bag in the library's storage.

“When the three were inside the storage, the minor jumped on the victim and wrapped his head with a towel, while the defendant drew a switchblade and stabbed the victim repeatedly with it,” court papers said.

The two defendants "waited until they were sure the victim was dead, then took his money, mobile and car and left”, the court added.

“The two defendants attempted to sell the car but were unable to find a buyer, so they set it ablaze,” the court said.

The two were arrested shortly afterwards by police, court papers said.

Criminal Court Prosecutor Mohammad Khazaleh had asked the court to inflict the maximum punishment on the defendant.

The tribunal comprised judges Ibrahim Abu Shama, Khalid Abdullat and Ahmad Qatarneh.

The Court of Cassation is expected to start examining the death verdict within the next 30 days.

WASHINGTON, DC — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is “very supportive” of Jordan’s desire for a new programme that covers the years ahead, and the two sides agree that any such new programme could be a combination of structural reforms that can reliably increase growth and fiscal adjustments, which will put the debt to GDP ratio on a downward path, IMF mission chief to Jordan, Chris Jarvis, said.

“We are very open to discussions on a new programme… and as we think of the new programme we think of two priorities. First, is to identify structural reforms that can reliably increase growth that Jordan badly needs. Second, to continue the process of fiscal reform adjustments so the public debt to GDP ratio is set on a clear downward path even before the full benefits of the structural reforms are gained,” Jarvis said in an exclusive interview with The Jordan Times on the sidelines of the IMF’s annual fall meetings.

“Those two things together are a good basis for a new programme and my understanding is that this is also what the government would like, which is very important because ultimately what we think Jordan should do is less important than what the Jordanian government thinks that Jordan should do...If this is going to work, the policies have to be the policies of the government itself."

The IMF mission chief said that Jordan’s balance of payments “has been doing well and in fact better than we have projected at the time of the second review of the programme”.

In 2016, the IMF Executive Board approved a three-year extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) for Jordan for an amount equivalent to SDR514.65 million (about $723 million, or 150 per cent of Jordan’s quota) to support the Kingdom’s economic and financial reform programme. The programme was extended until March 2022.

“Exports are higher than we had projected and imports are a bit lower partly due to lower import prices… As a result of that, the current account deficit, which is key measures for the external health of the economy, is likely to be a bit lower than we have thought, which is a good thing and it is expected to be in the area of 5-6 per cent of GDP."

Jordan’s exports increased by 6.4 per cent in the first eight months of 2019 to JD3.785 billion compared to the same period of 2018. The Kingdom’s imports stood at JD8.952 billion in the January-August period of this year, declining by 5.2 per cent compared to the same period of 2018, according to figures by the Department of Statistics.

 “It is also a very good sign that the Central Bank of Jordan has been able to buy foreign exchange in the foreign exchange markets this year and at a steady and gradual pace of about $700 million so far this year, compared to sales of over $3 billion last year."

Jarvis, who will head a team in November to the Kingdom to conduct the Article IV consultation with Jordan to assess the country’s economy, said that the IMF team will also discuss what is needed to continue the programme engagement with Jordan and will focus on the 2020 budget, which is being drafted.

“We will be looking for measures in the 2020 budget that can bring the primary deficit close to the programme’s objectives, and that is important because Jordan’s debt is particularly high, which leaves it vulnerable and it is important to make some progress on that."

On the decline in revenues, he said that there have been some significant revenue slippages in 2019 for a number of causes.

“One of them is the lower prices on lower imports that have reduced sales tax revenues and customs duties revenues. There have also been some delays in things that were important for gaining revenues like delays in passing bylaws for corporate income tax. I was very happy to hear through that these bylaws are passed, which puts Jordan for a better position for 2020,” he said.

The third cause is that there is a big fall in cigarette tax revenue due to smuggling, which is resulting in non-payment of taxes. The government took steps to crack down on that and it is very important to continue to do that and prevent it from the reemerging again, Jarvis said.

“These revenues slippages are large and despite strong efforts made by the authorities, it is clear that the targets that we had for 2019 cannot now be achieved… We understand there is a limited amount to what authorities can do this year, but it will important that we try to restore things to achieve the objectives of the programme in 2020, and thus our discussions on 2020, budget will be an important part of our work."

Stressing the significance of the upcoming visit, he said: “It is important that we listen to what people in Jordan have to say and get good understanding of the problems they are facing.”

Jarvis emphasized that one feature of the current programme is measures to protect the vulnerable from the effects of adjustment. 

“One element has been plans for increases in the number of beneficiaries of the National Aid Fund, and we would like to see a continuation of that…in addition, subsidies and government support is well targeted as possible to the people who need it."

AMMAN — The Board of Directors of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) has issued a resolution appointing Hisham Dweik as director general of the ACC.

The decision comes in line with the board’s keenness to bolster local competencies, and pave the way towards further professional development, according to an ACC statement. Dweik is the 10th director general of the ACC, which was established in 1923.

Prior to his appointment, Dweik served as the ACC’s director of board affairs and the public relations directorate, ACC’s assistant director general for administrative affairs and deputy director general, before being appointed as acting director general  of the chamber last June.

AMMAN — Deputising for HRH Prince Hassan, chairperson of the Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies’ board of trustees, Social Development Minister Basma Ishaqat, attended the 2019 annual march of Caritas Jordan.

The march is an initiative by Caritas Internationalis to promote “the culture of fraternity and gathering among people”, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Wael Suleiman, general director of Caritas Jordan, said that the initiative is part of the health awareness programme that Caritas implements all year long with the participation of patients with chronic diseases, whose treatment plan includes walking and physical activity.

The event also aims to bring people together, regardless of their religions or ethnicities. 

AMMAN — The Jordan Teachers Association (JTA) on Saturday launched the First International Teacher Academy for Training.

The academy is part of the recently signed agreement between the JTA and the Education Ministry, which accredited the academy and training certificates it issues as part of the newly amended by-law, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

JTA member and academy director Ibrahim Assaf said that the academy exemplifies the syndicate’s keenness to develop teachers’ performance. Assaf also stressed that the academy is “not a substitute for any other institution”, and it “seeks to contribute to a comprehensive development structure for educational institutions and the educational process”. 

AMMAN — Twenty-one Jordanian companies are scheduled to take part in three exhibitions featuring food industries, trademarks, licensing, packing, machinery and manufacturing, which will start on Tuesday in Dubai.

Omar Abu Wishah, the president of the Jordanian Exports Association, which is organising the Kingdom’s participation in the three-day fairs, on Saturday said that the association is keen to promote national industries and open new export markets, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

AMMAN — A 17-year-old young man died on Saturday after falling from a moving vehicle in the Mugabalein area.

Civil Defence Department (CDD) rescue teams rushed to the scene and transported the deceased to Al Bashir Hospital, the Jordan news Agency, Petra, reported.  

AMMAN — The weather is forecast to be cloudy and rainy on Sunday, with a possibility of heavy downpours and thunderstorms in the east of the Kingdom, according to the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD).

On Monday, average seasonal temperatures are forecast in mountainous areas and valleys, and moderate weather in the Jordan Valley and Aqaba, with a chance of light rainfall in the northern and eastern parts of the Kingdom. 

The JMD forecasts a slight decrease in temperatures on Tuesday, with average temperatures for this time of year throughout the Kingdom, and a chance of light rainfall.

The JMD warned of torrents in low-lying areas, slippery roads in areas of heavy rainfall, low visibility due to dust formation in the south and east of the Kingdom, and thunderstorms and hail in some areas. 

Temperatures in Amman on Sunday are expected to range between 25°C during the day and 15°C at night. On Monday, temperatures are predicted to fall between 25°C and 14°C, according to the JMD. 

On Tuesday, temperatures are forecast to range between 23°C during the day and 13°C at night in Amman. 

In Aqaba, Sunday and Monday temperatures are expected to range between 33°C and 22°C, while on Tuesday they are forecast to hover between 32°C and 21°C, the JMD said.

AMMAN — World War I marks the beginning of using aerial photography in archaeology, as cameras and airplanes improved rapidly during the war, according to a British researcher.

The pioneer of aerial archaeology, O.G.S Crawford, was an observer in an airplane on the Western Front, said Director of Endangered Archaeology of the Middle East and North Africa Robert Bewley. 

“He was in charge of all the maps for northern France, so he knew the importance of linking what he saw from the air onto a map, as a record,” said Bewley, noting that when the war was finished, Crawford wrote the first basic articles on aerial archaeology, and undertook aerial photographic campaigns over southern England, culminating in the book  “Wessex from the Air in 1928”.

Regarding the Middle East, the Australian Flying Corps was active in the region during the war, the scholar continued, adding that several flights of the Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte (German Air Force) undertook large-scale, well-organised aerial photographic reconnaissance over Palestine and Transjordan. 

“Many of these photographs are now housed in the Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv in Munich, but some prints — confiscated by Allied forces — are to be found in the collections of The National Archives, in London,” Bewley said.

Additionally, the Aerial Archaeology in Jordan project has been photographing the trenches dug by the Ottoman and German forces to defend against the British, and these are clearly visible from the air, especially in the area around Maan, he continued. 

“These photographs were taken during the retreat of the Turks through Palestine in the dying months of the fighting in the region,” Bewley said, adding that there are a minimal number of historic aerial photographs from the early 20th century of the region, including Jordan.

Aerial photography of archaeological sites also shows the urban development of the country, Bewley remarked, stressing that the rapid growth of the population in Jordan over the past 20 years, with the concomitant rise in construction (roads, dams, city and town expansions) as well as an increase in agriculture has led to a “massive and negative” impact on the archaeological sites of Jordan.  

“These early aerial photographs, as well as the older satellite imagery [from the 1960s] are an important record to show the changes that have taken place, and in some cases are the only record of sites that have subsequently been destroyed,” Bewley said. 

“As archaeologists, we know we can’t preserve everything, but it is important we try to record as much as possible before it is destroyed.”