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AMMAN — Prime Minister-designate Omar Razzaz on Thursday said that the government will disburse the June salaries for public employees before the Eid Al Fitr holiday.

Razzaz, during a meeting with presidents of industry and commerce chambers and businesspeople association, added that the employees' salaries will be disbursed regularly and without any hindrance, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Eid Al Fitr starts with the sighting of the new moon at sunset on the preceding day, in accordance with Islamic traditions.

The eid may either start on June 15 or 16. Omar Malhas, finance minister in the caretaker government, had earlier said that the government might not be able to pay part of the salaries if the Treasury does not receive June grants from donors as scheduled.

AMMAN — Caretaker Agriculture Minister Khalid Hneifat and Undersecretary of the Palestinian Agriculture Ministry Abdullah Lahlouh on Thursday agreed on final steps to register the Jordanian-Palestinian company to market agricultural products.

The company aims at enhancing the opportunities of agricultural investments and supporting low-budget farmers, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. Contribution to the company, which was an outcome of the first agricultural forum, will be secured from the Agricultural Risk Management Fund. 

AMMAN — Caretaker Interior Minister Samir Mubaidin, accompanied by directors of security departments, on Thursday visited security agents who were injured while on duty on Wednesday during protests at the Fourth Circle area  Area.

They checked on their health condition and treatment presented to them, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. The Jordan Press Association, the Irbid branch of the Professional Associations Complex and the Jordan Teachers Association on Thursday condemned the attack on a gendarme, who was stabbed while on duty.

Government Coordinator for Human Rights Basel Tarawneh and several representatives of civil society organisations visited the injured security agents. They expressed their rejection to the attacks on them and wished them speedy recovery, Petra reported. 

AMMAN — Ten injured Gazans who were receiving treatment at the King Hussein Medical Centre left the facility on Thursday after recovering.

Royal Medical Services (RMS) Director Maj. Gen. Muin Habashneh said that there are still 19 Gazans, after the dispatch of these 10, who are receiving treatment at the centre, and will be sent back to Gaza after concluding treatment, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The director stressed that the Jordan Field Hospital in Gaza works round the clock since 2009 and Gazans can receive medical services there at anytime whenever necessary. For their part, the recovered Gazans expressed their appreciation for His Majesty King Abdullah who always supports Palestinian issues in international events.

AMMAN — The Senate, through its social solidarity fund that was established early last year, on Thursday donated JD15,000 to the King Hussein Cancer Centre (KHCC). The support was handed in to KHCC Director Nisreen Qatamesh, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Senate President Faisal Fayez said that the chamber, through the fund, seeks to enhance social responsibility, voluntary work and social solidarity. Fayez said that the House has allocated JD160,000 of the fund’s assets for distribution to national institutions specialised in supporting social and youth fields in Ramadan.

For her part, Qatamesh commended the generous gesture of the Senate in supporting the centre’s noble message, noting that KHCC, since its establishment, has treated some 52,000 patients. 

AMMAN — The Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) on Wednesday was selected among the 101-150 best universities in the world in the Times Higher Education (THE) Young University Ranking of 2018.

The ranking, which lists the world’s best universities which are less than 50 years old, uses the same methodology as the Times World University Ranking. 

“This achievement would not have been accomplished without the commitment and cumulative efforts of all JUST staff and affiliates over the past years,”  JUST President Saeb Khreisat told The Jordan Times, highlighting that the university has advanced a total of 50 positions in the ranking since last year’s edition. 

“We are looking forward to achieving more progress and we have plans in place to do so,” Khreisat added, taking on the opportunity to call on all students and staff on campus to “work harder to make more progress in the future and to keep our prestigious position”.

“One of JUST’s major recent key success indicators is the establishment of the Nanotechnology Institute, which will serve as the nucleus for a national centre for research and development in the diverse fields of nanoscience and technology,” THE commented on the university’s profile in the ranking. 

The rating also highlighted the establishment of the Regional Institute of Infectious diseases and Antimicrobial Resistance in collaboration with Purdue University (USA), pointing out that the centre makes “far-reaching changes in alleviating national, regional and global threats of infectious diseases, providing rapid and effective regional responses, and strengthening Jordan’s health capacities”.

The university’s international outlook was also a factor worth highlighting, with 20 per cent of students enrolled at JUST being international students from a total of 48 countries. 

As for the global picture, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology was crowned as the world’s best young university in the new ranking, while two newcomers made it to the top ten this year including Paris Sciences & Lettres seizing the fourth place, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham standing at the tenth spot. 

The Young University Ranking was released in conjunction with The Times’ Golden Age University Ranking of 2018, where the University of Jordan (UJ) ranked in the 151st position worldwide among all universities established during the Golden Age of higher education, which took place between 1951 and 1967.

In a statement sent to The Jordan Times, UJ President Azmi Mahafzah said that “the progress achieved by the university today proves its universality”, stressing that the ranking is “one of the most privileged in the world”. 

“It is claimed that the highest number of researchers per million in the Arab world are located in Jordan,” THE said on its official website, pointing out that “among UJ’s 1,000-strong faculty are writers, analysts and literary critics, many of whom have taught at other universities in neighbouring Arab countries and around the world”.

“The university prides itself on having a global focus,” UJ’s profile on the ranking said, highlighting that the institution is a member of the International Association of Universities, the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World,  the Mediterranean Universities Union and the Association of Arab Universities.

Globally, the UK showed the strongest performance in the Golden Age University Ranking with a total of 23 universities included in the list, while 14 American universities made it to the ranking overall.

AMMAN — Some 300 quota refugees this week were received by Swedish Ambassador to Jordan Erik Ullenhag, who welcomed them at his residence to bid them farewell before their resettlement in Sweden later this year.

Quota refugees (or resettlement refugees) are usually people who are registered as refugees by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), but who cannot be offered a permanent solution in the country they are currently in and who are therefore offered resettlement in a third country, according to the UNHCR website.

Sweden, which is one of the few countries taking part in UNHCR’s resettlement programme, alongside the United States, Canada, Australia and other Nordic countries, has been organising information days like the one held at the ambassador’s residence in Amman, to provide future guests with the necessary tools to prepare themselves with resettlement. 

“Maybe we will all meet again in Sweden — I will speak to you in Arabic and, Insh’Allah, you will answer me in Swedish,” the ambassador told the attendees in his welcoming speech. 

Acknowledging that he did not learn “much Arabic” during his two years in Jordan, Ullenhag modestly explained that the quota refugees will probably be much quicker in learning Swedish in their new home country. He introduced them to a newly launched and user-friendly application for Arabic speakers to learn Swedish. 

The ambassador welcomed the 300 refugees who have been granted permanent residence permits in Sweden, noting that they are part of a total of 800 refugees from Jordan who will resettle in the Nordic country in 2018.

Resettlement states provide quota refugees with legal and physical protection, including access to civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights similar to those enjoyed by nationals, the UNHCR said, highlighting that “resettlement is a life-changing experience which is both challenging and rewarding. Refugees are often resettled to a country where the society, language and culture are completely different and new to them”.

To respond to the challenges stemming from such an important change, the attendees witnessed two presentations about Sweden, before being offered the chance to browse five different stations presented by embassy staff on various themes.

In one of the stations, guests got to observe an exhibition of letters from Syrian quota refugees already in Sweden. In the letters, the writers shared their thoughts and experiences of their lives in Sweden, giving future residents a chance to learn more about the resettlement process. 

In other stations, the Swedish ambassador and other embassy staff answered more general questions about Sweden, as well as acquainted them with Swedish geography and climate, through the display of a Swedish map that helped guests to better visualise their new country. 

The guests expressed their great appreciation for the initiative, highlighting the usefulness of such an informative day.

“Most asked questions about travel dates, family reunification and validation of foreign education,” said Shirin Jamshir, communication officer at the embassy, adding “when asked what they already knew about Sweden, many replied long and cold winters and two centuries of peace and stability”. 

“IKEA was also well known,” she added jokingly, stressing “with this reception, the embassy hoped to reach as many quota refugees as possible before their departure to Sweden. Mainly, we hoped to welcome the families and prepare them for their new lives in Sweden”.

AMMAN — Less than one hour after taking a decision to suspend all protests against the income tax draft law, the Professional Associations Council went back on its decision and said it was going ahead with protests until the bill is withdrawn.

The council held a meeting on Wednesday as thousands of Jordanians gathered at the associations' headquarters in protest of the controversial piece of legislation. 

After the meeting, representatives from the council told the protestors that the associations decided to suspend all protests and strikes to give the yet-to-be formed government the opportunity to withdraw the bill.

However, the announcement was received with anger by the protestors who said they wanted to go ahead with the protests, a reaction that prompted Ali Obous, head of the council, to announce that escalatory measures and lobbying against the bill would continue.

Obous said the council’s initial decision to suspend protests was meant to provide an opportunity to the upcoming government to respond to the demands of the thousands of Jordanians who have been demonstrating over the past week.

On Wednesday, workers in some sectors held a partial strike in protest of the bill across the country.

Mohammad Saleem, a doctor at a public hospital in Amman, said: “We are striking today as we reject the bill and reject all the government’s economic policies.”

“Today, we will only treat emergency cases coming to the hospital. The strike will not affect anyone’s life but we want to send a message that we do not want the bill,” he told The Jordan Times.

Hamed Al Mahasneh, a civil engineer, who took part in the sit-in at the association’s headquarters, echoed similar remarks.

“Our protests should continue because we are not against certain individuals in the government, but we are against the government’s approach and apathy to our demands,” Mahasneh told The Jordan Times on Wednesday.

“The government should be serious about fighting corruption and before asking people to pay taxes, public spending should be trimmed…. We hope the new government will be different,” he added.

Last week, the associations held a strike in protest of the law that received significant support from the associations’ members and the general public, but not all partners took part in this week’s as some said the new government deserves a chance.

Meanwhile, youth protests continued in Amman and other areas for the seventh day in a row, demanding change to economic policies and cancelling amendments to the Income Tax Law. 

It was reported that a gendarmerie officer was stabbed at the Fourth Circle and the suspect was arrested.

On Tuesday, His Majesty King Abdullah tasked Omar Razzaz, former education minister, with forming a new government.

King Abdullah instructed Razzaz and his in-the-making team to start a national dialogue about the Income Tax Law.

The bill mainly focuses on three aspects: improving tax collection, curbing tax evasion and boosting tax revenues, which are expected to increase by JD300 million annually.

The proposed law seeks to increase the number of income tax payers from 5 per cent to 10 per cent.

AMMAN — Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in the caretaker government Ayman Safadi on Wednesday met with the Irish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Coveney and discussed with him means of enhancing bilateral relations and regional developments, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The two ministers emphasised the existence of broad prospects for enhancing cooperation in economic and trade fields, and agreed to find institutional frameworks through which specialists will discuss cooperation and exchange of experiences in agriculture, education and information technology, as well as discussing ways to enhance trade and investment cooperation.

Safadi and Coveney also reviewed regional developments, especially those related to the Palestinian issue and the Syrian crisis. The foreign minister stressed that the continuation of the Israeli occupation and the absence of prospects for its demise threaten to push the region towards further escalation and conflict. The two ministers agreed on the importance of concerted efforts to break the deadlock in the peace efforts and start a real and effective effort to resolve the conflict on the basis of the two-state solution and in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy.

Safadi explained to the Irish minister the burdens on the Kingdom as a result of hosting 1.3 million Syrian refugees, only about 10 per cent of whom are in refugee camps. He said such a situation strains the sectors of education, health, labour and others.

Safadi also warned of the negative effects of the significant decline in international support for refugees and reductions in the allocations of United Nations organisations cooperating with the Kingdom to take care of their affairs.

Coveney valued Jordan’s “great humanitarian role” in hosting Syrian refugees and stressed the need for the international community to continue to provide the necessary support to meet their needs. 

The Irish minister, who visited the Zaatari refugee camp in Mafraq governorate, praised the quality and multitude of services provided by Jordan to refugees.

The two ministers agreed to maintain communication and political consultation between their two countries to serve the mutual interests and enhance opportunities for cooperation at the bilateral level and within the EU framework, in addition to coordination in their efforts to combat terrorism and promote global peace and security.

AMMAN — Prime Minister-designate Omar Razzaz has vowed to start dialogue with all stakeholders to come up with a fair tax system “that goes beyond the concept of collection”.

In a Tweet on Wednesday, Razzaz said the dialogue is meant to draw up a blueprint for comprehensive development whose outcomes would positively reflect on the livelihood of Jordanians, in a way that renders the relation between citizens and the government built on a clear social contract that well defines rights and obligations”.

Razzaz was entrusted to form a government after the Cabinet of Hani Mulki resigned amid public protests against economic polices and the income tax bill. 

The premier-designate was still picking his government, which His Majesty King Abdullah wanted to be “lean and efficient”.