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AMMAN — The application period for scholarships and loans for the 2019/2020 academic year, implemented through the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, will begin on Tuesday and extend till midnight on Thursday, the ministry said on Monday.

The announcement was made to Jordanian students enrolled in the regular programme at public universities, working towards either a bachelor’s degree or an intermediate diploma, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.   

AMMAN — The West Asia-North Africa (WANA) Institute is leading the research and implementation of the regional project: “Towards More Effective Human Security Approaches in the Context of the Emerging Threat of Violent Extremism in Jordan, Lebanon and Tunisia”, which was implemented in 18 communities across Jordan, Lebanon and Tunisia, comprising 238 research activities with the participation of 1,732 participants, according to a WANA statement.

The aim of the research is to provide insight into human security approaches that empower community stakeholders to participate in and contribute to security dynamics. Several human security programmes have been implemented in the WANA region since 2014 to prevent violent extremism.

AMMAN — The government on Monday announced the second of four executive packages to improve the national economy, focusing on managerial shortcomings and administrative sloppiness. 

During an event held at the Royal Cultural Centre in Amman, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz said that the main goal is to have the government, Parliament and private sector work together to analyse problems and address them through practical solutions that the government can commit to.

His Majesty King Abdullah, in his recent speech at Parliament, voiced optimism towards the country's economy, the premier said, adding that the government is also confident, based on the ground realities. 

The first bundle discussed a few weeks ago focused on stimulating the economy and investment, Razzaz said, noting that initial results in the real-estate sector have shown progress, as this sector is directly related to 40 others. 

In the real estate sector, the prime minister said that the government compared sales between October 21 and November 11 in 2018 and 2019, which increased 93 per cent to 3,398 estates from 1,760. 

"We met with the real estate representatives to discuss what was achieved and what hindrances remain, and the feedback showed that there are still issues regarding funding for new families," Razzaz said.

He added that afterwards, the government contacted the governor of the Central Bank of Jordan and agreed a guarantee on loans, which would be provided by the Jordan Loan Guarantee Corp, standing at a value of JD100 million, and focusing on new families that wish to own a small apartment.

This guarantee will reduce risks and lower the interest rate for families, the premier said, adding that the government will continue to work on the sector until it resolves all of its problems. 

As for the transport sector, the prime minister said that the government reconsidered certain taxes and fees for gasoline, hybrid and electric vehicles, noting that the sustainable long-term solution lies in the public transport network. 

In terms of the tourism sector, the premier said that according to sector representatives their biggest challenge is the issue of visas, especially for restricted nationalities. This is why the government took measures to simplify visa issuance for all nationalities, whether online or in person.

He noted that it would be made much easier specifically for tourists who have visas to other countries, such as the Gulf or Europe, which proves that they do not “pose a threat” if they enter the Kingdom. 

Regarding managerial and administrative shortcomings, Razzaz said that eight institutions have been either merged with other entities or cancelled altogether, and ministries have a month to organise the changes.

The institutions include the Jordan Meteorological Department, which has been merged into the Ministry of Transport as one of its directorates, the Water Authority of Jordan into the Water Ministry, and finally, the Securities Depository Centre has been suspended with its tasks relayed to the Jordan Securities Commission and the Amman Bourse. 

The second aspect of the comprehensive plan will also mitigate spending, especially management-wise, the premier said, noting that a new unified purchasing system has also been issued, replacing 56 government purchasing systems, which will cover all authorities and departments, providing “full transparency” online. 

The third and final issue that the second bundle addressed is the time taken to process applications and the people involved in approving them, which led the government to send 175 pieces of legislation to the Lower House for reconsideration, to increase quality administration and remove hindrances. 

The premier concluded that this is the “gist of only one step in the right direction.”

AMMAN — Jordan’s stance is firm in condemning and rejecting Israeli settlements and their breach of international law, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Monday. 

“Israeli settlements in Palestine constitute a breach of international law and international legitimacy resolutions, the most recent of which was UN Security Council Resolution 2334,” Safadi stressed in a Foreign Ministry statement.  

He reiterated Jordan’s condemnation of Israeli settlements as a “unilateral measure that kills the two-state solution and undermines the prospects of regional peace”.

The minister stressed that “nothing can change the illegitimacy of settlements”, which have been denounced by the international community. 

Safadi warned of the threat posed by a shift in US policy on settlements and its impact on peace efforts at a time when the peace process is facing “unprecedented threats” as a result of unilateral Israeli policies and actions that impede the chances of a resolution to the conflict. 

“Settlements in occupied #Palestine are a blatant violation of Int’l law & UNSCRs. They are an illegal action that’ll kill 2-state solution. Jordan’s position in condemning them is unwavering. We warn against dangerous consequences of US change of position on settlements on MEPP,” Safadi tweeted.

“The occupation’s… abuse and breach of international legitimacy will not achieve peace or ensure security and stability,” Safadi said in the statement. 

The foreign minister reaffirmed the need for urgent and effective international action to safeguard what remains of peace prospects on the basis of the two-state solution, before Israeli violations and illegal measures make it “impossible”.

AMMAN — In cooperation with the University of Jordan (UJ), NUBUL for Training and Development launched its project “Kushk Al Khair” (Kiosk of Good) at the UJ on November 12, with the aim of employing needy students and providing support to the Student Support Fund (SSF) at the university.

In cooperation with the King Abdullah II Fund for Development, NUBUL employs students who are close to graduating and areregistered withthe SSF at the kiosk, giving them an income to pay their fees, NUBUL’s Founder and President KawtherQatarneh said.  

She added that after the project “gained acceptance” on campus, NUBUL raised the number of students working at the kiosk from four to six, with three of them females.

Sixty per cent of the project’s earnings go towards the SSF, while the rest of the profits are used to run the kiosk, Qatarneh said. 

“We call on the UJ to establish more charitable kiosks to help more needy graduating students registered in the SSF,” Qatarneh added, encouraging other Jordanian universities to follow in the UJ’s footsteps by creating similar projects to reduce the number of needy students.

Kushk Al Khair’s launch saw the attendance of UJ President Abdelkareem Qudah, NUBUL Honorary President Princess Deema Al Saud and the Arab Union Social Solidarity delegation,headed by Princess Hind Bint Abdulrahman.

NUBULwas established on the idea of transforming people from consumers to producers through entrepreneurial projects, Qatarneh said, adding that the organisation seeks to find university graduates with skills, capabilities and ambition to engage them in business.

For his part, NUBUL’s Operations Manager Ali Shahin said that the organisation will start its winter campaign in the beginning of December, distributing blankets and heaters to needy families. This campaign will be funded by revenues of NUBUL’s “Together… Against Poverty and Hunger” marathon, which was held on October 18.

NUBUL is an organisation that provides food aid to the poor, encourages solidarity and motivates volunteering.  It also supports women’s empowerment, organising an annual conference to that end, Shahin added. 

AMMAN — Following the announcement of the second batch of government economic reforms on Monday, economists concurred that the new measures are “promising strategies, albeit in need of further support”.

Prime Minister Omar Razzaz announced the cancellation and merging of eight institutions and ministries, as well as the minimisation of a number of commissions in the remaining bodies.

The government also said that a general framework will soon emerge for independent government bodies and institutions.

“It is a positive sign that the government is following a strategy that has an end goal to achieve. An inclusive economic reform plan is what is needed to stop the economic slowdown and initiate a boost instead,” said economist Husam Ayesh.

“More than 75 per cent of commissions created within ministries and government institutions after 2004 should be eliminated,” he added.

The elimination of “obsolete” government bodies was said by Ayesh to “have immediate positive effects on citizens because it cuts government spending and thus leaves more room in the budget for services and programmes that raise the quality of life”.

Although economists concurred that it was “impossible to accurately measure” what these reforms can contribute towards increasing the GDP or reviving the economy, given that they are “more general strategies than number-bound steps”, the reforms were agreed to be “an economic transformation and the stepping stone for a better future”, Ayesh said.

Among the reforms was the Central Bank of Jordan’s (CBJ) commitment to providing JD100 million in support of house ownership by low-income individuals.

Economist Adel Bino said that in the proposed programme, the CBJ “seems to have realised and partially fixed a problem that faced a previous similar programme”.

He told The Jordan Times in a phone interview that the CBJ had previously tried to implement a similar programme to support small- and medium-size enterprises, but that it did not succeed because “the loans were provided via commercial banks that require potential borrowers to put down large guarantees that the borrowers could not afford, and they also charged high and floating interest rates that, again, borrowers deemed too costly”.

Under the new reforms, Bino said, the “CBJ must have realised this, as they have now decided to provide assistance by at least partially guaranteeing repayment by low-income individuals”.

However, he said that from an economic point of view, this programme represents “a direct subsidy to low-income individuals that, although it may have favourable consequences in the short-term, may have detrimental consequences in the long-run, first, because these loans may be abused and borrowers may still default and second, because the CBJ may be viewed as a competitor to commercial banks”.

He noted that it might be a better strategy if the CBJ “worked on enhancing competition in the banking industry on the one hand and found alternative mechanisms for implementing its programmes instead of through commercial banks, on the other”.

Concerning other measures, government statistics announced by Razzaz showed that the real-estate reforms implemented under the first bundle have helped raise the number of sold real estates by 93 per cent. Measuring the period between October 2018 and November 2019 shows that the number went from 1,760 sold real estates in 2018 to 3,399 in 2019.

However, according to Bino, it is “hard to conclude” that the increase was a result of government measures alone.

Ayesh also added that economically, it would be better to take “more tangible steps rather than general strategies if the government wants to see immediate change”.

“Perhaps the government is currently unable to take bold steps such as reducing taxes or interest rates, but that would certainly yield greater, more striking positive effects, so hopefully we can see that in future reform batches,” he concluded.

AMMAN — The government on Monday approved a set of measures aligned with suggestions proposed by the Jordan Free Zones Investment Commission (FZIC), which included eliminating the weight tax on vehicles, lowering taxes on electric cars and returning consumption rates to their previous state. 

FZIC President Mohammad Bostanji told The Jordan Times over the phone on Monday that consumption rates were reduced to the original figures of 2016, and included all types of cars.  

Bostanji added that the government reduced taxes on electric cars from 25 per cent to 10 per cent for vehicles with a 250 kilowatt engine capacity, which represent 95 per cent of electric cars in the Jordanian market. Taxes on electric cars with an engine capacity of 251 kilowatts or more were reduced from 25 per cent to 15 per cent.

The FZIC president estimated that the reduction in price of electric cars would range between JD1,500 to JD2,000 per car, which would “positively affect” the electric car market, consumers’ demands and the environment.  

The weight tax on cars was replaced by a 4 per cent tax on their original values, which, according to Bostanji, would result in a reduction of taxes imposed on “average cars”.

Hybrid and gas-fuelled cars would also benefit from this replacement and the adjustment of the consumption rate, causing their costs to decrease by JD1,000 to JD1,500 per car.

“The resolutions would primarily benefit the citizens,” he said, noting that the government’s decisions will also “positively affect” the “vast majority” of traders.

In regards to the new measures, Bostanji also estimated that by the end of November, the number of cars going through customs in this month would increase by 15 per cent compared with October’s numbers.

The government’s resolutions agreed with 70 to 80 per cent of FZIC proposals regarding the car sector, he added, highlighting that the FZIC was “promised more enhancements” should the effects of the resolutions on revenues and economic activity meet the government’s expectations.  

Bostanji also expressed gratitude for the Finance Ministry’s cooperation, praising the economic approach the minister follows.  

AMMAN — Jordan and NATO on Monday discussed means to enhance cooperation, especially on the parliamentary level and in regards to the exchange of expertise. 

Receiving a delegation of NATO parliamentarians from the Sub-Committee on Future Security and Defence Capabilities (DSCFC), Prime Minister Omar Razzaz reviewed the challenges facing the Kingdom, which arise from unstable regional conditions, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Razzaz also pointed to the several refugee influxes the Kingdom has welcomed, the last of which was the arrival of Syrian refugees, noting that Jordan cooperates with regional and international entities to find solutions to regional conflicts. 

For their part, the NATO delegates said that their visit to the Kingdom aims at exploring further fields of cooperation and getting acquainted with Jordan's vision on the latest developments in the region and the priorities of the Kingdom's foreign policy. 

Senate President Faisal Fayez also met with the delegates and reviewed the repercussions of unstable regional conditions on the economy and security of the Kingdom, as Jordan has received some 1.3 million Syrian refugees, Petra reported. 

He highlighted Jordan's welcoming of refugees over the decades, noting its security and stability and the good treatment of refugees regardless of their ethnicities, religions or countries of origin. 

Jordan is among the countries that hosts the largest number of refugees, Fayez stressed, calling on the international community to bear its moral and legal responsibilities towards refugees.

For their part, the delegates expressed their appreciation for the Kingdom’s role in enhancing regional stability and security, conveying their keenness to enhance cooperation with Jordan through partnership and programmes.  

Later on Monday, First Deputy Lower House Speaker Nassar Qaisi also met with the NATO delegation. 

“The latest developments in the region require all entities to work together with a foundation of unity, coordination and continuous dialogue to defend security in the region and the world,” Qaisi said during the meeting, according to Petra. 

He highlighted Jordan’s adherence to finding peaceful solutions to all regional crises, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah. 

Qaisi stressed the importance of supporting Jordan’s efforts in hosting Syrian refugees, as caring for them is an international responsibility “that is not Jordan’s to bear on its own, given that the number of Syrian refugees has reached around 1.3 million or 25 per cent of the Kingdom’s population”.

Qaisi noted that the large number of refugees has exacerbated the economic challenges facing the Kingdom and taken a toll on living standards. 

“These heavy loads have drained health and education institutions and infrastructural components such as water and electricity of their resources,” Qaisi said. 

“Jordan has long suffered because of its firm stance on the Palestinian cause, yet, despite challenges, it has and will remain committed to its values and the Palestinian people’s right to an independent state,” Qaisi underlined. 

The official noted that Jordan has made “great strides” on its path towards comprehensive reform and in accordance with a “clear roadmap through which tangible achievements have been made”. 

The delegates expressed appreciation for Jordan’s work in various regional and international causes and its efforts in hosting Syrian refugees despite difficult economic conditions. 

“Mutual visits will contribute to converging perspectives on a number of issues of bilateral interest, especially those pertinent to enhancing security and stability,” the delegates said. 

AMMAN — Citizens took to social media to express their displeasure with the recent news that pumping from the Disi water conveyance project will be halted from Monday, November 25, until Thursday, November 28, affecting several areas in Amman and Zarqa.

In a statement, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation said on Sunday that the halt in pumping is aimed at enabling programmed maintenance work of the Disi Water Company to ensure continuous pumping year-round, while the Jordan Water Company (Miyahuna) specified in another statement that the Mujib and Zarqa pumping stations in particular need maintenance.

“In order to maintain the continuity of the pumping lines throughout the year, the water shares of some areas in Amman, Zarqa and Rusaifa will be affected by this programmed downtime,” said the ministry statement.

It called on citizens in affected areas to take necessary precautions by storing sufficient quantities of water to meet their needs during the period of suspension.

Facebook user Rawhi Saleh posted that Miyahuna “cuts off the water in the poorer areas of Amman and Zarqa instead of West Amman whenever they want to do maintenance”.

Mahmoud Balasmeh, a citizen of Zarqa, told The Jordan Times that the dissatisfaction on social media “reflects what people think as well. During the summer, the water is not pumped because of ‘deficiency’. In the winter, it is because of ‘maintenance’. When will we actually get our share of water?”

In their statement, Miyahna noted: “The maintenance work was scheduled for winter as that is when the demand is at its minimum. All necessary measures have been taken to ensure that the northern governorates are not affected.”

Miyahuna and the Disi Water Company both confirmed that they will “exert all efforts to complete the maintenance work within the specified time of 96 hours”.

Nuha Omoush, a resident of Zarqa, told The Jordan Times over the phone that the “expected timeframes that are usually announced are often violated, and many downtimes continue for at least a week afterwards”.

“Sometimes in the summer it would be announced that the pumping would be delayed for a day and then go on to be delayed for 14 days,” she added.

On a Facebook group for Ameer Al Hassan neighbourhood, one area that is to be affected next week, citizens talked of having to “frequently buy additional water tanks to supply more water”, as put by Tamer Hassan.

“We might as well store as much water as we can when it is pumped, because we do not know when the next time will be. Winter or summer, the situation is the same,” he added.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Omar Razzaz on Monday reiterated Jordan and Kuwait's "deep ties" in various fields.

During a meeting with a Kuwaiti industrial-commercial delegation headed by Director General of the Kuwaiti Public Authority for Industry Abdul Karim Taqi, Razzaz reaffirmed the Kingdom's keenness to advance mutual cooperation in the best interests of the two countries, notably in the economic and trade fields.

Kuwait is the top Arab investor in the Kingdom, the premier said, welcoming more Kuwaiti ventures and expressing the Kingdom's readiness to facilitate such enterprises, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

He also went over investment opportunities in vital infrastructure, transport and water projects.

Razzaz highlighted that Jordan advanced 29 ranks in the World Bank’s 2020 Ease of Doing Business Report, attributing the jump to the government's efforts in following up with investment-related issues and devoting attention to feedback from businesspeople. 

Minister of Industry and Trade Tareq Hammouri, Kuwaiti Ambassador to Jordan Aziz Daihani, President of the Jordan Chamber of Commerce Senator Nael Kabariti and President of the Jordan Chamber of Industry Fathi Jaghbir attended the meeting.

Hammouri pointed to the importance of joint coordination with Kuwaiti counterparts to penetrate global markets.

For his part, the Kuwaiti diplomat emphasised the necessity of activating the agreements that have been signed between the two sides, expressing pride in the volume of Kuwaiti investments in the Kingdom, which is the highest among Arab countries, reaching $18 billion.

He added that his country is seeking to increase this number, expressing appreciation for Jordan's efforts towards supporting Kuwaiti businesspeople in the Kingdom.

"We are pushing forward towards advanced economic relations," the ambassador said, expressing his country's support to Jordan in light of the difficult economic circumstances it is experiencing, and his confidence in Jordan's ability to achieve the desired improvement.

Kuwaiti Director General of the Public Authority for Industry AbdulKarim Taqi said that the Kuwaiti delegation's visit to the Kingdom is intended to explore investment opportunities in various fields, according to Petra.

For his part, Kabariti said that the government's recent package of incentives has gained the satisfaction of the Jordanian private sector, as well as Arabs and foreign investors.

Appreciating Kuwait's role in underpinning Jordanian exports, Jaghbir noted that Kuwait does not put obstacles in the path of trade exchange, highlighting that during the closure of the Jordanian-Iraqi borders, Jordanian exports to Iraq passed through Kuwait.