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AMMAN — Around 800 clothing and shoe shops have shut down during the past five years due to an increase in rent, the Textile and Readymade Clothes Syndicate said on Thursday.

The clothing sector suffers from the repercussions of implementing the amended Landlords and Tenants Law for 2013, the president of the syndicate, Muneer Deyeh, told The Jordan Times. 

Five years after its implementation, the negative effects of the law surfaced, he said, adding that more than the 800 out of the 15,000 shops in the Kingdom might close soon.

Deyeh noted that the Landlords and Tenants Law of 2013 stipulated that any rent contract signed after the year 2000 allows landlords to make the renter leave once the contract is over, and puts no cap on the rent, leaving the negotiations to the landlords and the tenants, which has allowed landlords to impose very high rent.

The increased rent does not abide by laws or regulations, which leaves tenants with shops that might have become famous and known in an area with only two possible choices: Either leave because the landlord wants to rent out to someone else, or agree to pay a higher rent imposed by the owner in order to not lose everything they worked hard for, Deyeh explained. 

Deyeh said that thousands of shops have agreed to pay higher rents but then are not able to keep up with the cost, so they can neither quit the contract nor can they abide by it, which will “definitely lead to closing the shop”.

“No profit, high operational costs, high rent fees, debt and no movement in the sector” is causing uncertainty and instability, Deyeh said, noting that oftentimes the rent alone comprises over 60 per cent of overall fees and costs for shopkeepers. 

The syndicate president called for core amendments to the Landlords and Tenants Law in a way that re-evaluates the shops' rents and brings a new draft that is compatible with the sector's conditions.

He also urged landlords and shop owners to "have some mercy and humanity" on the merchant tenants and give them feasible rents as a way of cooperation.

Deyeh told The Jordan Times in mid-August that clothing sales during Eid Al Adha went down by 50 per cent compared to the same period in 2018.

In an interview with The Jordan Times in July, Deyeh outlined that Jordan’s taxes and customs on clothing and shoe imports are “the highest not only in the region but also in the whole world”.

In light of the many challenges, Deyeh repeated his call for the government to “take action before this vital sector faces even more grave losses”.

AMMAN — The Jordan Tourism Board, supported by the USAID Building Economic Sustainability through Tourism (BEST) project, on Thursday signed an agreement with SYNTAX, a local agency with local and international experience in brand development, to develop Jordan’s new tourism brand through a consortium with the UK-based partners, Something More Near.

This brand project marks Jordan’s first effort to develop a comprehensive tourism brand that will “accurately” reflect Jordan’s unique selling points and incorporate all tourism segments such as faith tourism, adventure tourism, MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions), wellness tourism and cultural tourism, according to a statement from the Jordan Tourism Board.

The project will begin with a brand audit during which key industry stakeholders from the public and private sectors will be consulted to ensure an accurate and marketable output, read the statement.

“We’re very excited to be starting this project with our partners, USAID BEST, who have supported the Jordan Tourism Board throughout the years in a multitude of ways. We’re also very enthusiastic to be working on a project of this scale with a local company that has the international experience and Jordanian outlook we need to make sure this project is a success,” Abed Al Razzaq Arabiyat, managing director of the Jordan Tourism Board, was quoted in the statement as saying.

“We are looking forward to streamlining all of our marketing activities under the umbrella of one overarching brand that shows the world what Jordan has to offer,” he added.

The SYNTAX-lead consortium was awarded the contract following an extensive tender process that included proposals from agencies from Jordan, the UK, Canada and the US, according to the statement.

The new Jordan brand will be launched during the first quarter of 2020, the statement concluded.

AMMAN — Better Work Jordan, with the support of the European Union (EU) on Thursday concluded an induction workshop on the Ministry of Labour’s inspection instructions for representatives of 14 authorised factories, benefitting from the simplified Rules of Origin (RoO), according to an EU statement.

The workshop brought together representatives from the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply and the Jordan Chamber of Industry and was organised as part of the second phase of the EU and the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) partnership to facilitate the ILO’s role in the monitoring of authorised companies under the EU-Jordan RoO Agreement, the statement said.

The agreement was signed in July 2016 in response to the Jordanian government’s commitment to create decent jobs for Jordanians and Syrian refugees under the Jordan Compact and in an effort to attract new investments and export more Jordanian products to the EU, according to the statement.

In July 2019, the Jordanian Ministry of Labour published the inspection instructions for factories all over Jordan that wish to benefit from the scheme, the statement said, adding that the instructions also identify the role of Better Work Jordan to assess and inspect these enterprises along with relevant national institutes, such as the Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply.

“So far, eight companies have been exporting within the framework of the simplified rules of origin, where exports amounted to 26.28 million,” Yasmine Khreisat, Director of Industrial Development at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply was quoted in the statement as saying.

The workshop, attended by 14 representatives from companies in the chemical, plastic, engineering and garment sectors, discussed the inspection-related instructions and ways of future collaboration between relevant actors that can benefit from the decision to simplify the RoO both in terms of trade and of improving working conditions at the factory level, read the statement.

Data has shown that better working conditions often ultimately reflect positively on productivity, boost competitiveness among national manufacturers and help open new markets for Jordanian products, according to the statement.

Tareq Abu Qaoud, Better Work Jordan Country Programme Manager said in the statement that the programme is “on the verge of a leading step among Better Work Global country programmes as we are moving with our core services beyond the garment sector to the chemical, engineering and plastics manufacturing sectors”. 

The programme “will work to increase compliance in these industrial enterprises in accordance with Jordanian labour law and international labour standards,” he added.

Better Work Jordan is part of the joint ILO-International Finance Corporation global Better Work Programme, which aims to improve working conditions and promote competitiveness in Jordan’s apparel industry, the statement said.

Currently, 90 factories, which employ over 95 per cent of the sector’s 70,000-strong labour force, participate in the programme, according to the statement.

AMMAN — The weather during the weekend is forecast to be moderately to relatively hot, according to the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD).

The JMD forecast moderate weather in mountainous areas and relatively hot to hot conditions in the rest of the country, with northwesterly moderate to brisk winds.

As for Saturday, a slight decrease in temperatures is forecast with moderate summer weather in mountainous areas and valleys and relatively hot weather in the rest of the Kingdom.

The temperatures in Amman on Friday will see a high of 30°C during the day and a low of 29°C at night, while on Saturday temperatures are expected to range between 29°C and 18°C.

In Zarqa, temperatures are forecast to hover between 33°C and 16°C on Friday, and between 32°C and 15°C on Saturday. 

Temperatures are forecast between 29°C and 19°C on Friday in Irbid, and 28°C and 18°C on Saturday. 

In Aqaba, temperatures are predicted to range between 37°C and 26°C on Friday and between 36°C and 25°C on Saturday.

The JMD also said fog formation is expected in the early morning hours in mountainous areas during the weekend.

AMMAN — Jordan and Egypt on Thursday discussed means to enhance cooperation, mainly in security, and mechanisms to regulate the Egyptian workforce in the Kingdom.

Interior Minister Salameh Hammad, during a meeting with Egyptian Ambassador to Jordan Sharif Kamel, highlighted the importance of rectifying Egyptian workers’ status in the Kingdom through obtaining work permits, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

For his part, Kamel said that the embassy constantly informs Egyptians to rectify their status to abide by relevant regulations.

AMMAN — Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti on Thursday met with US Central Command Gen. Kenneth McKenzie over the latest international and regional developments, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The two sides also went over military cooperation and coordination and means to enhance bilateral relations in a way that serves the best interests of both countries’ armed forces. On the sidelines of his visit, McKenzie attended 2019 Eager Lion drill, which concluded on Thursday.

AMMAN — Minister of Planning and International Cooperation and Minister of State for Economic Affairs Mohamad Al-Ississ said his key aim is to fulfil the Jordanian people’s desire for economic growth to create more jobs and improve the quality of services.

He noted that he will not “heed to the orders” of the International Monetary Fund, pointing to Jordan’s autonomy in that regard, according to a Planning Ministry statement.

The plan for economic reform, announced at the London initiative, was a Jordanian proposal, Al-Ississ said, adding that the government’s end-goal is to generate revenue and lower operational costs for businesses. 

AMMAN — Officials and members representing public, private and international organisations have come together for a workshop in Irbid to discuss best practices for mental health systems in Jordan.

Titled “Sharing Experiences and Best Practices about Mental Health System Strengthening”, the workshop was hosted and organised by Action Against Hunger’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Department, according to a statement from the organisers.

The workshop is part of the organisation’s multi-sectoral Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene and Mental Health intervention, with the support of the French Development Agency (AFD), and funded by the European Union’s Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian Crisis (the MADAD fund). This project is conducted in partnership with the Ministry of Health, the statement said.

“Working on the mental health sector should not be the responsibility of one organisation,” said Ahmad Bawaneh, director for Programmes for International Medical Corps Jordan and co-chair of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support.

Officials from the Ministry of Health, Irbid Directorate of Health, Jordanian Universities, AFD, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, CARE, International Medical Corps, and many other organisations attended the workshop.

“Mental health is sometimes an issue with a stigma attached to it, but it is really important that we overcome that, and help people to find the support and care that they need,” said Wouter Schaap, country director for Action Against Hunger’s Jordan Mission.

“Jordan has been recognised as one of the top countries in adopting and implementing programmes that are bridging the mental health gap and care practices at medical centres. As a developed country, we are known for offering health services to mental health patients,” said Fateen Janim, the director of the Disabilities and Mental Health Directorate at the Ministry of Health in Jordan.

“The ministry has been developing a national action plan for mental health support working with the World Health Organisation to implement psychological services in primary health centres to reduce the stigma related to specialised mental health care,” Fateen said.

The workshop emphasised on the need for working with community-based organisations in Irbid. A similar workshop was conducted in Dahuk in Iraq. Results from both workshops will be published and exchanged during the regional workshop, which will take place in December of this year, concluded the statement.

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld an October State Security Court (SSC) ruling sentencing a man to nine years in prison after convicting him of attempting to join terrorist groups and plotting subversive acts in the Kingdom in 2017.

The court declared the defendant, who is a supporter of the Daesh extremist group, guilty of threatening to conduct terrorist activities against security officers and handed him the maximum sentence.

Court papers said the defendant was following up on Daesh terror group’s activities and decided to adopt their ideologies and join them in their fight in Iraq in 2014.

"The defendant decided to target security officers and also decided to attack Israeli soldiers who are patrolling the borders and started studying Google Maps to accomplish his goal," court transcripts said.

The defendant was arrested before carrying out any of his plots after he was arrested by the General Intelligence Department," court papers said.

The defendant, through his lawyer, contested the verdict arguing that the SSC failed to present any solid evidence that could implicate him.

Meanwhile, the SSC's attorney general  had asked the higher court to uphold the ruling stating that the court abided by the proper legal procedures when sentencing the defendant.

The higher court ruled that the SSC followed the proper procedures when sentencing the defendant and that he deserved the verdict he received. 

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has upheld a January Criminal Court decision sentencing a man to 20 years in prison after convicting him of shooting and killing  a man in Amman in June 2015.

The Criminal Court handed the defendant the maximum punishment after convicting him of shooting and killing the victim on June 11.

Court documents said that a few days before the incident, the defendant had a heated argument with the victim and his relatives.

The families of the victim and the defendant decided to meet to resolve the problem and prevent further escalations, according to court transcripts.

However, conflicts and arguments were renewed and they ended up with the defendant grabbing a machinegun “and heading to the victim’s house”.

In the meantime, the victim, who had weak vision, was outside his house when the defendant approached him and opened fire, court papers said. 

“One of the five bullets that were fired struck the victim in the chest,” court documents added.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival, court papers said

The Criminal Court’s attorney general had asked the higher court to uphold the Criminal Court’s ruling stating that the court followed the proper procedures.

The defendant, through his lawyers, asked the court to hand him a reduced sentence since “he committed the murder in self-defence”.

However, the Cassation Court ruled that the sentence given was satisfactory.

“It was proven to court that the victim’s vision was weak and he was not carrying any weapon on the day of the incident,” the higher court ruled.

Therefore, the Court of Cassation added, the self-defence claim does not exist in this case.

The Cassation Court tribunal comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Yassin Abdullat, Saeed Mugheid, Naji Zu’bi and Nayef Samarat.