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AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) on Saturday held a field tour for journalists from various media outlets to showcase its preparations for the upcoming winter. 

The tour focused on water drainage infrastructure and the cleaning of tunnel and box culverts, according to a GAM statement sent to The Jordan Times on Sunday. 

City Director Ahmad Malkawi accompanied the journalists to the main culvert in downtown Amman’s Saqf Al Sail area, which extends to Al Mahatta area, noting that it is undergoing maintenance. 

The environment directorate at GAM has completed the cleaning of the culvert, which will remain under supervision to prevent flooding and soil erosion in surrounding areas, as the whole area is very low, the statement said.

It added that the culverts are cleaned regularly to remove debris and dirt. 

Malkawi said that technical studies have been conducted with the aim of enhancing the culverts with new manholes that increase their capacity to absorb surface water, noting that during 2018 and 2019, JD11 million were allocated to implement the tunnel and box culvert tenders. 

He added that GAM is working on installing rainfall drainage manholes on the Saqf Al Sail culvert's surface, which will be attached using best practices based on the conducted studies. 

The tour focused on various streets in Amman that have been revamped and reopened with new sidewalks, lighting and rainwater drainage pipes. 

The Kheir Al Deen Almaani Street's reconstruction cost JD1.5 million, the statement said, adding that work done from the Cozmo culvert location up to the Haram Bin Qutbah and Ziad Alzakarneh streets was completed in two stages: The first cost JD800,000 and the second will be completed by the end of November at a cost of JD1.4 million. 

GAM is also constructing a 110-metre long box culvert at Wadi Al Tai (Khaled Bin Zaid Street) across from Khalil Al Rahman Mosque, the statement said, adding that the tender for it will be floated in the upcoming two weeks at a cost of JD2.6 million, covering the tunnel and box culverts meant to resolve Al Tai valley's problems. 

GAM said that the success of the emergency executive plan for this winter requires the combined efforts of GAM, citizens and public institutions to resolve issues that hinder the flow of water to drainage manholes, especially when people cover the rainwater drainage manholes with cardboard and carpets, according to the statement. 

The municipality again urged merchants and contractors to take preventive measures before the beginning of the season that prevent flooding of manholes, especially to avoid littering, causing closures in water drainage pipes. 

GAM urged the public to contact its emergency lines 065359970/065359971 to voice their concerns and complaints during the season, the statement added. 

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a May   Criminal Court ruling sentencing a young man to life in prison for robbing and murdering his customer in Amman in October 2014.

The court declared the 25-year-old defendant, who has a previous criminal record for theft and assault, guilty of stabbing the victim to death in Sahab on October 3 and gave him the maximum punishment.

Court documents said on the day of the incident the victim waved down the young man to catch a ride with him to a nearby area for 1JD.

When the defendant, who was intoxicated, reached the destination, he asked for 2JD, court papers said.

The victim refused and when he went to pay the defendant, he also pulled out two JD20 bills from his pocket, court documents said.

"The defendant spotted the cash and locked the doors and sped off asking the victim to give him all his money," according to court papers.

The victim refused so the defendant "drew a knife and stabbed the victim once in the heart and neck", according to court papers.

"The defendant dumped the victim's body in the street and sped away," court papers added.

The Criminal Court’s general attorney had asked the higher court to uphold the sentence, stating that the court had abided by the proper legal procedures when sentencing the defendant.

The defendant contested the ruling, arguing that he should get a reduction in penalty since he is young and deserves a second chance at life. 

However, the higher court ruled that the Criminal Court followed the proper procedures and that the defendant deserved the verdict.

The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Naji Zu’bi, Bassim Mubeidin, Majid Azab and Saeed Mugheid.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday stressed the important role of the private sector in achieving economic growth, creating job opportunities and improving citizens’ standard of living.

During a meeting at Al Husseiniya Palace with private sector representatives working in promising and traditional sectors such as tourism, microfinance, ICT, alternative energy, apparel, and filmmaking, King Abdullah highlighted the role of business owners and innovators as partners in achieving growth and developing economic sectors.

His Majesty stressed that achieving growth requires faith and positive action, noting that Jordan has made substantial progress in various fields, according to a Royal Court statement.

For their part, attendees expressed appreciation for His Majesty’s continued support for the private sector’s role in economic growth, which contributes to supporting the economy, improves citizens' standards of living, and provides job opportunities.

The private sector representatives also stressed the importance of partnership with the public sector and civil society institutions to create an economic environment conducive to growth, calling on young Jordanians to capitalise on available opportunities and not to hesitate in starting their own projects in various sectors.

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Yousef Issawi, Adviser to His Majesty for Communication and Coordination Bisher Al Khasawneh, and Adviser to His Majesty for Policies and Media Kamal Al Nasser attended the meeting.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah held talks with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov on Sunday at Al Husseiniya Palace, covering bilateral relations and regional developments.

During bilateral and expanded talks, keenness to enhance cooperation was stressed, especially in the fields of economy, trade, education, tourism, mining, pharmaceuticals and technical training, according to a Royal Court statement.

The expanded talks, attended by Prime Minister Omar Razzaz and senior officials from the two sides, addressed the importance of continued coordination and consultation between the two countries on issues of mutual concern.

Talks also covered efforts to reach political solutions to regional crises, as well as regional and international efforts to fight terrorism within a holistic approach.

For his part, Bulgarian Prime Minister Borissov emphasised His Majesty’s important international standing, due to his efforts in pursuing of peace and stability in the region, noting that the world is keen to hear His Majesty’s views.

AMMAN — The number of minors detained at juvenile detention centres affiliated with the Ministry of Social Development through September stands at 264, including five girls.

The minors are serving charges of robbery, murder and drug dealing among others, the Jordan News Agency Petra, reported on Sunday.

Ministry of Social Development Spokesperson Ashraf Khurais said that the ministry is working on implementing non-custodial penalties for juvenile offenders along with offering specialised rehabilitation programmes.

AMMAN — The West Amman Court on Sunday dismissed a lawsuit to dissolve the Jordan Teachers’ Association (JTA) council due to “lack of interest”. The lawsuit was filed against the JTA council by parents, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The court decision referred to a Court of Cassation decision that stipulated having an interest by the plaintiff for the case to be accepted, as the civil case must aim to defend a right or prevent attacks on a right.

Teachers and the government on October 6 signed an agreement under which teachers agreed to end their month-long strike after having their demand for an apology and rise in wages met. 

AMMAN — The Public Security Department (PSD) on Sunday announced that the King Hussein Border Crossing will be closed for cargo movement between Tuesday and Thursday, but will be open as usual for passengers during these days.

The PSD, in a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, called on the public to abide by these timings to save their time and effort. 

AMMAN — Customs personnel at the Jaber customs centre have foiled an alleged attempt to smuggle 2,425 cartons of cigarettes that were hidden in trucks entering the Kingdom.

Personnel also seized 720 e-cigarettes, 1,000 packs of e-cigarette flavours and 162 cartons of cigarettes that were hidden in the fuel tank of one of the vehicles, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Sunday.

All items seized and vehicles involved in the two cases were referred to the concerned department and are pending further investigations.

AMMAN — The Kingdom has witnessed a 25 per cent drop in the rate of medical tourists since 2016, according to the Private Hospitals Association (PHA).

During a press conference held on Saturday to announce the "International Healthcare Travel Forum" (IHTF2019) in Amman from October 26-28, PHA President Fawzi Hammouri attributed the decrease to former prime minister Abdullah Ensour's government’s decision to suspend and restrict certain visas for Arab nationals visiting Jordan for medical purposes. 

Competition has increased in recent years among countries that attract medical tourists, Hammouri said, noting the "we do not have the luxury of time and we have to prove Jordan’s capabilities in various branches of medical tourism".

The PHA president announced that the IHTF2019 will be the “largest” forum concerned with medical tourism and health travel in the region, organised by the association in cooperation with the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the Arab Hospital Federation (AHF), with support from the Jordan Tourism Board. 

"The forum discusses the regulations and instructions that facilitate the process of bringing patients, and the support to Jordan's competitiveness with other countries in the field," Hammouri said. 

He added that the health sector looks forward to the easing of visa restrictions.

The health sector in Jordan targets 250,000 medical tourists annually, while current figures show that there are only 200,000 annual medical visitors, he said. 

The forum will host over 700 participants from 45 Arab and foreign countries, including ministers who will give lectures on medical tourism and travelling for health, in addition to laws governing medical care and patients' experiences, among other related topics. 

AMMAN — Non-state actors claiming public authority should not be ignored by international aid agenda focusing on municipalities in order to reach the most vulnerable populations, argued a Dutch scholar in a report published recently.

The report titled “Beyond Municipalities: Understanding Authority in Low-Income Urban Neighbourhoods in Jordan and Lebanon” offers “key considerations for designing and implementing humanitarian and development interventions in low-income urban areas governed by multiple public authorities”.

The author of the report, which was funded by The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research — WOTRO Science for Global Development (NWO-WOTRO), is Dolf te Lintelo, a Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) based at the University of Sussex in the UK.

“We believe passionately that cutting-edge research, knowledge and mutual learning are crucial in shaping the transformations needed to reduce inequalities, accelerate sustainability and build more inclusive and secure societies,” IDS writes on its website.

The context of the report is the UN World Humanitarian Summit, which was held in Istanbul in 2016 with the aim to fundamentally reform the humanitarian aid industry to react more effectively to today’s crises, and called for making humanitarian action as local as possible.

 “When millions of Syrians fleeing civil war sought refuge in Jordan and Lebanon from 2011, initial efforts by the international humanitarian community targeted supporting national governments,” the report said, adding that these efforts shifted to recognising the vital role of municipalities.

“There are, however, good grounds to consider that, significantly, municipalities are not the only local actor governing (the relations between host and) displaced populations in urban areas,” the report noted, adding that these include “a wide range of governance actors”.

The report stated that humanitarian and development activities critical to achieving human protection objectives may be in tension with the attainment of geopolitical goals of stabilisation and state-building, where the former underwrite the legitimacy of local non-state actors, adding that “the reverse may be true too, where the absence of programming by municipal authorities and the international community allows non-state actor service providers to be the only authority in the area”.

Responders should recognise that local state and non-state authorities, which in many cases are intricately related, draw on a range of claims to legitimacy, by providing welfare, security and conflict resolution, controlling territory and monitoring populations, the report said, adding that “humanitarian actions, whether conducted or withheld, intervene in local struggles for power and authority, as a source of legitimacy”.

“Due to the extremely limited existing literature on the subject, there is an acute need for substantial primary data collection to support deeper knowledge and assessment tools for assessing the legitimacy effects of humanitarian and development interventions for state (including municipal) and non-state actors governing low-income urban informal settings”, the report concluded.