Local

AMMAN — Committees formed by the Tourism Ministry and supporting institutions are conducting intensive field visits to tourism establishments on the road from Amman to Petra, the ministry said on Thursday.

The field visits are aimed at ensuring that all establishments serving tourists abide by the laws and regulations set by the ministry to enhance the quality of services offered to the Kingdom’s visitors.

Also on Thursday, Tourism Ministry Secretary General Issa Gammoh said the ministry, the Jordan Hotel Association and the Tourism Police formed a panel to conduct field visits to detect unlicensed furnished apartments illegally competing with hotel facilities licensed by the ministry.

DEAD SEA — Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh on Thursday stressed the importance of outlining criteria that define professional media.

At a workshop seeking to explore mechanisms to regulate the relationship between the Lower House and the media, Tarawneh said a limited number of people who have joined the media as intruders have harmed the reputation of other professional journalists.

At the workshop, organised by Al Hayat Centre for Civil Society Development, he called for re-examining the law governing the work of the Jordan Press Association, the Access to Information Law, the Press and Publications Law and the Penal Code, and every piece of legislation that may implicitly hamper the task of journalists in conveying the truth.

AMMAN — The Jordanian peacekeeping contingent in Côte d’Ivoire held a ceremony on Wednesday to mark the anniversary of the birth of Prophet Mohammad.

School students, members of the local community in Abidjan and several Arab expatriates attended the ceremony.

The contingent’s commander, Col. Salem Abu Al Ghanam, said Jordanian peacekeepers will continue providing aid to the people of Côte d’Ivoire.

At the end of the ceremony, the peacekeepers distributed schoolbags and copies of the Koran to attendees.

AMMAN — Public Security Department (PSD) Director Gen. Tawfiq Tawalbeh on Thursday asserted that inmates held at correctional and rehabilitation centres are not deprived of their human rights, adding that correctional facilities help prisoners reintegrate into society after their release.

Speaking at the conclusion of a two-year project to support the development of correctional and rehabilitation centres carried out in cooperation with the EU, Tawalbeh stressed that the PSD believes in rehabilitation programmes that help prisoners while they are in prison and after their release.

Speaking at Zarqa Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre, he expressed his appreciation of the EU’s support to boost human rights, especially at correctional institutions.

According to Torben Adams, project team leader, 45 training sessions with the participation of around 1,048 people were carried out under the project.

AMMAN — Interior Minister Hussein Majali on Thursday met with Bundestag Vice President Claudia Roth and discussed means to enhance bilateral ties.

Majali voiced the government’s commitment to covering the Syrian refugees’ security, education and health needs, calling on the international community to assist the resource-limited Kingdom to continue its humanitarian efforts.

Roth voiced her country’s appreciation of Jordan’s humanitarian assistance to the Syrian refugees.

AMMAN — The Education Ministry on Thursday launched an investigation to identify the party responsible for the hacking of its website, its spokesperson, Walid Jallad, said.

A technical panel formed by Education Minister Mohammad Thneibat will look into the incident, which took place early Wednesday, and take the necessary measures to prevent its recurrence, Jallad added.

The website (www.moe.gov.jo) was only disrupted for a short time and the ministry’s technical team managed to restore it soon after the hacking attack, Jallad said, adding that the online database was unaffected by the attack, which only affected the homepage.

The hackers referred to themselves as “Anonymous-JO”.

AMMAN/Zarqa — A 21-year-old man died of his injuries on Thursday after his car overturned near Al Ahliyya Amman University in Balqa Governorate, according to the Civil Defence Department (CDD).

Also on Thursday, eight people were injured in a traffic accident involving three vehicles on the Amman-Zarqa highway.

The injured were taken to Prince Feisal Hospital and Jabal Al Zaytoun Hospital, where they were reported to be in fair condition, the CDD said.

AMMAN — Work on renovating a 25km road in the border region near Ruweished will be complete by the end of February, Public Works Minister Sami Halaseh said on Thursday.

He added that 80 per cent of the road is ready.

Work on the road, which costs JD11.4 million, is supported by the UNHCR.

During a visit to the border guard forces, Halaseh — who was accompanied by UNHCR Representative to Jordan Andrew Harper — said the road will facilitate the transportation of Syrians from border crossings to refugee camps in the Kingdom.

The minister also checked on the Azraq camp, which is nearly ready to receive refugees.

It can serve up to 55,000 refugees in the initial phase, but can accommodate a total of 130,000, Halaseh said.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday sent a cable to the King Herald V of Norway congratulating him on the anniversary of his accession to the throne.

In the cable, King Abdullah sent his best wishes to the Norwegian king and the people of Norway.

Also on Thursday, the King sent a cable of congratulations to India’s President Pranab Mukherjee on the occasion of his country’s Republic Day and another to Australia’s Governor General Quentin Bryce on the occasion of her country’s national day.