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AMMAN — Security personnel have arrested a man for allegedly tying his 13-year-old son with an iron chain in their house in Zarqa, the Public Security Department (PSD) spokesperson said on Sunday.

The spokesperson said that following a tip-off, the PSD’s Family Protection Unit headed to the residence, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. Arriving at the house, security agents found the boy tied with a chain around his feet, and transferred the father and son to the unit for further investigation.

AMMAN — The Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) is ready to create an online platform providing access to business opportunities in Jordan and Palestine, ACC President Khalil Hajj Tawfiq said on Sunday. 

The platform would also include an array of data on the members of chambers of commerce and facilitate the exchange of information to track the needs of the two countries’ markets, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Hajj Tawfiq’s remarks came during a meeting between the ACC’s board of directors and the chamber of commerce and industry of Palestinian governorate Ramallah-Bireh, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

The meeting between the two chambers addressed the prospects of establishing a permanent exhibition for Palestinian products at the ACC’s headquarters for promotional purposes. 

Hajj Tawfiq pointed to the existence of 108,000 commercial institutions registered in Amman, 50,000 of which are registered with the ACC, operating in the agriculture, service and commercial sectors. 

Trade exchange between Jordan and Palestine has yet to reach its potential, Hajj Tawfiq said, noting that the value of Jordanian exports to Palestine stood at $78 million during the first half of this year, compared with $22 million in imports. 

The ACC president highlighted the chamber’s willingness to cooperate on the enhancement of relations between the two countries through an expansion of the base of Jordanian products in the Palestinian market and facilitating the passage of Palestinian goods to foreign countries, according to Petra.  

AMMAN — The Land Transport Regulatory Commission (LTRC) is in the process of licensing five school transport companies which will operate using a smart application enabling parents to track their children while on the bus.

“The LTRC will facilitate and grant licences for the five companies to promote their transportation services that will benefit public school students,” LTRC Media and Communication Director and Spokesperson Abla Wishah told The Jordan Times on Sunday.

After the licensing of these companies, they will be part of the ongoing public school transport project, which will start operating by the end of September, Al Rai Arabic daily reported, quoting an informed source.

The new project will serve all schools across the Kingdom and will cater to the needs of schools, the source said.

The public school transport system aims at serving public school students and reducing their use of private transport, which costs a lot and can expose children to traffic accidents, according to Al Rai.

Um Anas, who is a working mother of two and hires a private driver to take her children to public school in Quweismeh in Amman, said the cost is very high and her children’s school takes no responsibility for the students’ transportation.

“If this project is safe and has reasonable prices we won’t mind using it for our children,” Um Anas told The Jordan Times on Sunday.

AMMAN — The Jordan Teachers Association (JTA) on Saturday said it was adamant on starting an open strike Sunday after talks with the government regarding their demand of a 50-per cent raise bore no results.

In a press conference following the talks, JTA Vice President Naser Nawasrah told the press that teachers “will not enter the classrooms until those responsible for transgressions against teachers during Thursday’s protest are held accountable”, to which the government responded with a request for the syndicate to provide a list of all alleged violations during Thursday’s sit-in, pledging to investigate any cases of “documented” transgressions “seriously and transparently”.

For its part, the Public Security Department (PSD) said in its own press conference that its personnel “practised restraint” during Thursday’s protests, but they “were driven to the use of force by some protesters who were shoving their way to reach the Fourth Circle”.

The PSD also condemned what it labelled as offensive comments by some teachers against its personnel, and who were “demeaning them with comments about their level of education”.

The security agency stated that it detained 50 teachers during the protests for “illegally forcing their way through”, adding that 15 of them were referred to the Bayadir precinct, where they underwent protocol procedures.

The government reiterated on Saturday its commitment to dialogue as a way to improve the living conditions of teachers and public-sector employees as well as enhancing the educational process by boosting performance. 

In a statement following the talks with teacher representatives, the government affirmed its keenness on preserving the stature and dignity of teachers, as well as security personnel.

On Thursday, teachers from around the Kingdom took part in a sit-in in Amman during school hours demanding a raise that they say had been agreed upon with the government five years ago but never materialised, after which they announced the strike, dubbed “illegal” by the government at the time.

Nawasrah told the press on Saturday that the strike will take place in schools but teachers will not enter the  classrooms, noting that it was agreed upon by all the branches of the association around the Kingdom.

He noted that the syndicate sent an official demand for the government in May for the raise, which he described as “every teacher’s right since 2014”, adding that the JTA has been attempting to discuss teachers’ demands with the authorities throughout the summer holiday to no avail.

“Teachers’ dignity is the country’s dignity,” Nawasrah said, stressing that the JTA is committed to attaining its demands “peacefully”.

For its part, the government said in its statement that “dialogue is the foundation of understanding and agreement”, adding that agreement cannot be reached through strikes, which harm the interests of students and damage the reputation of the teachers involved. 

The government is dedicated to addressing teachers’ demands, however, it prioritises the best interests of students and their right to education, according to the statement. 

Increases in teachers’ wages and raises are connected to the development of their performance, in accordance with an agreement reached with the JTA’s previous council, the statement noted. 

The statement also reaffirmed the government’s “respect for the freedom of speech” and its protection, adding that everyone falls under the rule of law towards the protection of society and maintenance of its security without damaging public facilities or the public’s best interest.

AMMAN — Deputising for HRH Princess Muna, HRH Princess Sanaa Asem on Saturday attended the launch of “20 Years of Kingship”, a photo book by Zohrab Markarian.

The book documents His Majesty King Abdullah’s journey since his Ascension to the Throne, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

During the ceremony, held at the Royal Automobile Museum, a video presentation depicted some significant moments from His Majesty the late King Hussein’s life.

In a speech, Markarian reminisced on key events from his career as photographer for His Majesty the late King Hussein. 

AMMAN — Customs personnel at the Anti-Smuggling Department have thwarted an alleged attempt to smuggle a 40-foot container of fireworks and e-cigarettes that had been declared as household items, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The container held 1,200 packs of fireworks and seven packs of e-cigarettes including 500 cigarettes. The vehicle and the contraband were seized and the case has been referred to the customs’ prosecutor general, according to Petra.

AMMAN — A two-vehicle collision on Saturday claimed the life of one person and injured three others in Zarqa.

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, the Public Security Department said its personnel used special equipment to free one of the injured, who had been trapped in the car, before providing them and the others with first aid and transporting them to the Zarqa Government Hospital.

The injured were reported to be in fair condition, according to Petra.

AMMAN — Fisherman Ibrahim Tarawneh on Friday succeeded in catching one of the biggest fish in the Gulf of Aqaba known as “beluga sturgeon”, weighing around 312 kilogrammes. 

Tarawneh told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that after four hours of effort, he and his colleagues managed to reel in the fish, noting that the sturgeon is three metres long. 

The fisherman said that the presence of this species is rare in the Gulf of Aqaba, especially since it inhabits depths that reach up to 600 metres.

Tarawneh added that the fish cannot usually be found near Aqaba because it needs spacious waters to move and manoeuvre, which is not the case in the seaport.  

AMMAN — Ancient inscriptions found in the Eastern Desert reveal relations between Nabateans and bedouin tribes and depict daily life as well as major political events, wars and revolts, said a Jordanian scholar.

The 16 Safaitic (old Arabic used in southern Syria and northern Arabia) and Nabataean inscriptions were discovered in 2017, said Professor Younis Shdaifat from Mutah University in a recent interview with The Jordan Times, adding that there are many references to the Nabataeans in the inscriptions, dating between the 1st century BC and the 4th century AD.

“In light of the available evidence, it seems that Safaitic and Thamudic tribes lived alongside the Nabataeans and interacted with them politically, socially and economically,” Shdaifat elaborated, noting that a considerable number of these tribes constituted a component of the diverse population that was ruled by the Nabataean kings.

The royal family ruled from Petra while civil and military officials had been appointed to control other territories of the realm, according to the scholar.

“A form of federation existed between the capital in Petra and chiefs of these tribes,” Shdaifat said, adding that the Nabataeans might have made treaties with the bedouin tribes to consolidate sovereignty over the fringes of Nabataea or even parts of the urban centres.

According to David Graf, an American expert in Nabataean history, these tribes must have “had intimate connections with the Nabataean realm” with some of them even being involved in the Nabataean military and political actions, the professor explained.

“One of these inscriptions is dated to the year ‘in which the Nabataeans passed by’ while another inscription refers to a man who was ‘on the look-out for Nabataeans’,” Shdaifat noted.

Further significant events like the year when Nabataeans revolted against the Roman Empire are mentioned in the inscriptions, he continued, noting that other inscriptions refer to important Nabataean historical events such as the arrival of Syllaius from Rome and the year in which Obodas died.

The reference to the Nabataeans in these inscriptions shows the close social and political relations between the Nabataeans, the city-dwellers and the nomads of eastern Jordan, the scholar said.

One group of the texts in the inscriptions that were found is Nabataean and it includes three graffiti, two of which were written according to the Safaitic style of writing texts, while the third one is typically Aramaic, he emphasised.

The inscriptions are important, giving evidence about the Nabataeans but also about the bedouins, who were very much aware of regional and international actors in that period of Middle Eastern history, Shdaifat said.

AMMAN — Royal Court Chief Yousef Issawi, head of the follow-up committee for the implementation of Royal initiatives, on Saturday opened Alhidan Adventures Centre in Madaba.

The project aims at expanding adventure tourism in Madaba, 30km southwest of Amman, and increasing the number of visitors as well as creating job opportunities for local residents, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Wadi Hidan, with its water-filled canyons, offers a unique opportunity for adventure tourism enthusiasts.

Issawi toured the centre, pointing out that this project is an implementation of His Majesty King Abdullah's directives to enhance adventure tourism safety and organisation, along with promoting tourism products, boosting local community development and job creation.

Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature  General Director Yahya Khaled said that Wadi Hidan, as a tourist destination, has lacked a qualified cadre with relevant experience, noting that the new centre organises the area according to specific strategies.  

The centre has provided 26 permanent and temporary jobs to locals, improving their living conditions and incomes, he added.

Alhidan Adventures Centre provides experienced guides and professional equipment to help navigate the Kingdom's third-largest spring in Wadi Hidan, which runs down to the Dead Sea.