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AMMAN — The Higher Education and Scientific Research Ministry on Sunday announced that all the 42,647 students who applied for grants, loans and scholarships for the scholastic year 2017/2018 have been accepted.

The ministry on Monday is planned to announce the initial lists of public university students to benefit from these grants, loans and scholarships for the bachelor's and diploma degrees, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Students can check the initial lists on www.dsamohe.gov.jo, and they can contest the lists electronically for one week starting on Monday.

Since its establishment in the academic year 2004/2005 until the 2016/2017 year, the ministry's student support fund has offered more than JD139 million as loans and JD89 million in grants.

AMMAN — Community archaeology is about archaeologists adopting a new mindset — one that takes into account the maintenance and safety challenges that ensue as archaeologists excavate and expose walls and installations from past civilizations to the open air, according to a Norwegian scholar.

“Back in the day our primary concern was to do good fieldwork and publish our results in reputable venues, Oystein LaBianca, a professor of anthropology at Andrews University in Michigan, US, said. 

 “As for the impact of our excavations on the landscapes and communities where we dug, it was beyond our control or responsibility to concern ourselves with that,” LaBianca told The Jordan Times in a recent e-mail interview. 

“I am grateful to Stanley Beikmann, landscape design professor at Andrews University and member of our excavation team, for suggesting that archaeologists need to start thinking about the places where they excavate as if they were botanical gardens — places specifically dedicated to growing and showcasing a wide range of plants, each labelled with its Latin and common name.” 

“The comparison is apt,” the scholar explained. “Instead of cultivating plants, archaeologists excavate in the ground exposing to the elements a wide range of standing ruins and installations that not only need to be interpreted and labelled, but that also need to be cared for on an on-going basis by well-trained caretakers;” adding that “just as botanical gardens need on-going tending, so do archaeological sites”.

"This is what community archaeology is about and what we have tried to do at Hisban," underscored LaBianca, saying that he is pleased that the idea is starting to catch on among fellow archaeologists as well as among many members of our host community.  

This shift towards engaging with the local community has also required a shift in how archaeologists go about organising their fieldwork. While the older expeditionary approach works fine if all researchers  are concerned about is digging and publishing — one can come as often or as seldom as they like — a field school approach is required if they are to succeed with engaging the local community in protecting, preserving and presenting the site, he explained. 

“The field school has us returning every year to the site so as to continue building collaborative partnerships in the local community,” the professor said, emphasising that they have found that with their field school approach archaeologists can bring a wider range of faculty experts and students to their projects — not only archaeologists, but also faculty and students with expertise in such fields as architecture, communication, community development, landscape design, media and much more.  

“Our field school is thus not primarily about digging up the past, it is equally concerned with building local partnerships and capacity for the sake of protecting, preserving and presenting our site,” he said.  

“Jordan’s vast archaeological heritage is really akin to Saudi Arabia’s vast oil reserves,” the Norwegian archaeologist emphasised, noting that "at the present time, however, only a select few major archaeological reserves are seen as having potential as part of an expanding heritage economy — places like Petra, Jerash, Um Qais, and so on”.

The fact is that if the less frequently visited sites were adequately tended, places such as Neolithic Beida in Petra, or Umm er Rasas near Madaba or Tell Al Umayri (Jordan’s Bronze and Iron-Age Pompey) — they could become part of a country-wide programme of themed tours that would transport visitors into fascinating past worlds. Such intentionally educational tours would not only deepen understanding of the past, they would also offer valuable lessons from the past for present and future generations, he underscored. 

AMMAN — UNRWA said Sunday it has not received any official notification from Washington about the US government's alleged decision to freeze its funding for the UN agency that provides aid to Palestinian refugees. 

In a statement to The Jordan Times on Sunday, UNRWA Spokesperson Sami Mshasha said that the relief agency, "only through the media", learned that the US administration has frozen its funding for the agency.

"We emphasise here that we have received no official notification from the US administration about any decision concerning the freezing of the US funding for UNRWA," Sami said.

In a report on Friday, later denied by a State Department official, the Axios news site said Washington had frozen $125 million in funding for UNRWA.

Axios’ report came a few days after US President Donald Trump threatened to withhold future aid payments to Palestinians. Axios said the funding was frozen until the US government finishes its review of aid to the Palestinian Authority.

Last Tuesday, Trump said he would withhold money from the Palestinians, accusing them of being "no longer willing to talk peace" with Israel.

"We pay HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They don't even want to negotiate a long overdue peace treaty with Israel ... with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?" Trump said on Twitter.

Axios claimed that the sum, a third of the annual US donation to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, was supposed to be delivered by January 1, citing three unidentified Western diplomats.

Reuters quoted unnamed State Department official as saying that, “[Axios] story is very misleading. Just because they were expecting the money on the first, and they did not get it at that time, does not mean it was suspended or cancelled. 

“Deliberations are ongoing, and we have until mid-January to make a final decision.” Asked if any preliminary decision had been made, the official replied: “No. And reports to that effect are false.” 

The US is the largest donor to the relief agency, with a pledge of around $370 million as of 2016, according to UNRWA’s website.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Sunday formed a committee to handle all affairs related to the social security network, the term referring to the funds allocated to ease the impact of lifting subsidies in the 2018 budget.

The committee will be headed by the social development minister with the membership of labour, health, media affairs, ICT, finance and industry ministers, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The panel is tasked with “sustaining and institutionalising” the JD171 million network, which was announced during the discussions of the general budget of 2018.

Initially, the government trusted the Financial Committee at the Lower House to set the eligibility criteria as it was examining the budget bill. The parliamentary panel made recommendations and set conditions that were accepted by the government, including that all civil and military employees whose salary is below JD1,500 would be entitled to the cash subsidy. 

They also requested the government to add the 60-69 age category to free medical insurance, among other requests. 

The ministerial team formed Sunday will focus on setting “transparent standards of selecting the social segments eligible to receive government subsidies, in addition to approving the mechanisms of delivering the support”.

Mulki called on citizens to subscribe to the government’s electronic platform to be able to post their applications for the support during this month. 

This January, the government has launched its website (www.da3mak.jo) and app (daamak), to enable beneficiaries to subscribe and receive the support.

The government will support military and civil public employees and retirees of military, government and the Social Security Corporation, in addition to the beneficiaries of the National Aid Fund.

The rest of support-eligible citizens will receive the support quarterly or biannually.

The government has also allocated JD10 million to support the military and civil consumer corporations to help them stabilise prices, JD10 million to include more families in the National Aid Fund and JD5 million for food rations at schools in underprivileged regions.

AMMAN — Trade volume in the Kingdom’s real estate market in 2017 reached JD6.062 billion, dropping by 14 per cent when compared to 2016's total of JD7.057 billion, the Department of Land and Survey (DLS) announced on Sunday.

Northern Amman registration office ranked first with trade volume of JD1.262 billion, followed by central Amman registration office with JD792 million, while eastern Amman and southern Amman offices saw a trade volume of JD701 million and JD644 million, respectively, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported, citing a DLS statement. 

Trade volume at Amman offices and the DLS headquarters amounted for 71 per cent of the Kingdom's trade, totalling JD4.289 billion.

DLS revenues in 2017 stood at JD310.5 million, going down from JD333 million it collected in 2016, marking a 7 per cent decrease. 

A total of 2,775 real estate transactions were filed by non-Jordanian investors, 2,060 of which involved apartments and 715 lands.

Iraqis topped foreign investors in the real estate market with a total value of JD157.2 million, amounting for 49 per cent, followed by Saudis whose trade volume totalled JD63.4 million or 20 per cent, while Syrians ranked third with JD18.1 million that equalled 

6 per cent. 

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Saturday met Arab foreign ministers who are members of an Arab League committee tasked with following up on efforts to address the repercussions of the US decision recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and relocating the US embassy in the city.

The taskforce comprises foreign ministers of Egypt Sameh Shoukry, Palestine Riyad Al Maliki, Saudi Arabia Adel Jubair, Morocco Nasser Bourita and UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Qarqash, as well as Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

During the meeting held at Al Husseiniya Palace, His Majesty stressed the importance of intensifying efforts and coordinating Arab stances to support Palestinians in maintaining their legal and historical rights in Jerusalem and realising their aspiration of establishing the independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

King Abdullah reiterated that the Jerusalem issue has to be solved within the final status talks that lead to a lasting and just peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis, based on the two-state solution, international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, according to a Royal Court statement. 

The King highlighted the importance of supporting Jerusalemites’ resilience and protecting the Arab character of Jerusalem and its Muslim and Christian holy sites, calling for building on the international consensus on the legal status of the city. 

He also reiterated that Jordan, based on its Hashemite custodianship of Muslim and Christian sites in the city, will exert all efforts to shoulder its religious and historical responsibilities in safeguarding these holy sites in Jerusalem. 

The meeting also focused on the best means to face the US decision that contradicts international legitimacy resolutions, which stipulate that the status of Jerusalem cannot be decided except through negotiations between relevant parties. 

His Majesty and the ministers agreed on intensifying efforts to find a political means to achieve progress towards a solution that ends the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in a way that meets the Palestinian people’s rights to freedom and establishing their independent state. 

The Arab League had earlier announced the formation of a micro Arab ministerial team of the foreign ministers of Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as the Arab League chief to follow up on the negative consequences of the US decision on Jerusalem and explain its dangers in view of the historical and religious status of Jerusalem for Arabs and Muslims.

The ministerial delegation was named upon Arab League decision 8821, which was issued in an Arab League Council meeting called for by Jordan and Palestine in December.

Also on Saturday, His Majesty met separately with Bourita who conveyed a message from Moroccan King Mohammad VI on bilateral relations and the regional developments.

King Abdullah conveyed his greetings to the Moroccan king, and stressed the deep-rooted brotherly ties between the two kingdoms, voicing his keenness to further develop them at all levels, according to a Royal Court statement. 

AMMAN — The micro Arab ministerial team tasked with following up on the repercussions of the US decision recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and relocating the US embassy in the city, on Saturday concluded meetings that were held at the Foreign Ministry.

The Arab League, upon a call by Jordan and Palestine, had announced the formation of a micro Arab ministerial team of the foreign ministers of Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as the Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

The meetings, headed by Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, went over the best means to address the repercussions of the US decision that contradicts international legitimacy resolutions, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Participants highlighted the importance of intensifying efforts aimed at reaching a political solution that ends the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and heralds the establishment of the independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. 

At a joint press conference with Aboul Gheit after the talks on the status of Jerusalem, Safadi said that Jordan would seek international recognition of the Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital after Washington recognised the holy city as Israel’s capital.

“There is a political decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and we will strive to reach an international political decision to recognise a Palestinian state... with [East] Jerusalem as its capital,” Agence France- Presse quoted Safadi as saying.

Safadi said that the committee will work jointly to stop any other country from recognising the city as the capital of Israel and relocate their embassies into it, according to Petra. 

The minister added that the team will continue supporting the legitimate rights of Palestine to boost its status on the international map, including through platforms of international organisations and conventions.

There will be no security, no stability and no safety in the region without implementing the two-state solution to end the Arab-Israeli conflict, he stressed. 

Safadi noted that team members agreed to hold a broader meeting at the Arab League ministerial council later in the month to present recommendations and acquaint Arab ministers with outcomes of the meetings, until reaching the envisioned goals that would neutralise the US decision. 

In response to a question on finding another sponsor of the Mideast peace process, Aboul Gheit said that the recent resolution by the Arab League ministerial council stressed that the US decision took Washington “out of the settlement framework”.

AMMAN () — Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi met with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubair and stressed both kingdoms’ keenness to further boost strategic historical ties at all levels, Petra reported.

During their meeting, held after a micro Arab ministerial delegation meeting, Safadi and Jubair agreed that the two countries would be working to further improve “fraternal, strategic and historical relations in all fields to serve mutual interests and Arab and Islamic causes”, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The two officials also went over regional developments, mainly in Syria, Yemen and Libya, as well as the war on terrorism and Iran’s interference in regional affairs. 

In remarks to the press following the meeting, Safadi said the pan-Arab meeting in Amman “provided an opportunity” for the two kingdoms to discuss their bilateral affairs, in implementation of directives by the two countries’ leaders.  

AMMAN — With funding to UNICEF Jordan dropping in 2017 and its 2018 budget being only 20 per cent covered, the UN agency warned of the possibility of suspending or even halting some of its programmes if the “worrying” trend of drop in aid continues, according to UNICEF Jordan Representative Robert Jenkins.

Vulnerable children will be negatively affected if the trend continues and already rising rates of child labour and early marriages among children will continue to grow as families are going through tough economic conditions, Jenkins said in a recent interview with The Jordan Times.

UNICEF Jordan’s budget for 2018 is roughly $200 million across all sectors of water, education, sanitation, health and social protection and reaching all vulnerable children. The agency is only 20 per cent funded for 2018, the UN official said.

There is a 25-per cent reduction in the agency’s 2018 budget from 2017 levels and funding received in 2017 was roughly 30 per cent less when compared with 2016, he said.

“There is a worrying trend of a decrease in funding to UNICEF and if this trend continues, we need to make some difficult choices in prioritising and that is incredibly challenging, recognising the continued pressure in the country including the economic pressure and the continuing large refugees population and the limited natural resources including water,” he said.

“It is absolutely critical that we maintain the level and scope of our programmes or in the end children will be negatively affected…That is what is keeping me up at night and we are trying to do all we can to continue to engage with our key donor and the international community and stress on the need to sustain assistance to Jordan, specifically that we are building measurable results and very successful programmes,” he added.

If the downtrend in funding continues, it could lead to suspending some programmes, he said.

“It could mean reducing the scale and scope of some programmes and fewer [children] reached and it could mean also stopping some programmes… If we remain at 75 per cent unfunded, one can imagine how the impact will be on our programmes in all areas,” Jenkins added.

Acknowledging the “great efforts and support” by the government and Jordanians and the support extended by the donor countries to the Kingdom, he said the Jordanian community and authorities have been generous in openness and providing all they can.

Warning of the risk of global attention being shifted to other key humanitarian crises including in Bangladesh and Africa, he said UNCIEF Jordan will continue to engage donor countries, while stressing on the need for sustaining aid as “the continued vulnerabilities remain among the population in Jordan”.

“Rates of early marriage are increasing and more among the refugee population and child labour is also rising,” he said.

“If support is not continued at the level it has been, we will see families having to increasingly make negative coping mechanisms like child labour and early marriage…We are concerned that if we are unable to continue engagement with the vulnerable communities at the same levels these trends will continue,” Jenkins added.

However, he described 2017 as a “strong year full of achievements for UNICEF”.

“We worked very closely with the government of Jordan and all key ministries that deal with children in various sectors of health, education and water, among others,” he said.

The number of Syrian children who are enrolled in schools in 2017 is 130,000 including in camps and host communities. The number of Syrian children enrolled in the catch-up and dropout programmes in 2017 reached 5,600 and the number of Syrian children enrolled in KG2 is more than 3,000, according to Jenkins.

“As funding drops, our constructive and productive areas of interventions and programmes such as increasing access to kindergartens, professionalising teachers and improving social development system and social workers are likely the areas that need to be compromised.

“We are in a challenging era and it is important to recognise that there will be direct negative impact on vulnerable children across all nationalities,” he said.

AMMAN — Jordan is an “outstanding” destination with opportunities for adrenaline adventures provided by its landscape, The Sunday Times has reported recently.

“The Kingdom has a lot of history. Petra, the lost city of the Nabataeans, is like a dream. The Dead Sea is astonishing. There are crusader castles and Roman cities,” said the newspaper.

“It’s all amazing, but, in the best sense, it’s old news. What most of us haven’t previously recognised — and the Jordanians are only just waking up to themselves — are the outstanding opportunities for adrenaline and adventure that the country’s landscape provides,” according to reporter Chris Haslam.

“Despite its proximity to Iraq, Israel and Syria, Jordan is pretty safe. As the locals say, ‘it’s a quiet house with noisy neighbours’. So you’ll have to create your own excitement. Here are the trips to do it,” added the paper.

Murad Arsalan, a Jordanian tourist guide who is specialised in adventure trips, told The Jordan Times that the Kingdom has “countless” activities and adventures across its deserts and canyons that are “unsung” for the world.

Arsalan, who has been shortlisted as runner-up for the best tour leader of one of the UK’s leading travel agencies, said that the adventures include: Canyoning, trekking and rock climbing.

“It is amazing to camp in Wadi Rum, but it is one the top rock climbing destinations in the globe,” said Arsalan, adding that the valley is a UNESCO world heritage site.

The tourist guide underscored the importance of the book “Treks and Climbs in Wadi Rum, Jordan” by Tony Howard in 1984, which introduced the attraction to international climbers.

The newspaper outlined a number of trips in the Kingdom including hiking the “secret” back trail of Petra starting from Little Petra, biking from the Dead Sea to the Red sea for around 450km, following the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia in Wadi Rum, and trekking the 400-mile Jordan Trail.

At the many canyons of the western edge of Jordan, the guide said, people can explore the ravines in activities that include scrambling, swimming and abseiling.

Some of the canyons are well-known such as the wadis of Mujib and Karak, while many have seen less explorers such as Wadi Himarah, which has the highest waterfall in Jordan, said Arsalan.

For the Jordan Trail, Arsalan said that people can hike the entire route or choose part of it such as the Dana-to-Petra section, which is one of National Geographic’s best 13 trails in the world.

It is believed that prophets Jesus, Moses, and Mohammad all walked this path, according to the guide.

The trail has already been billed as the “Inca Trail of the Middle East”, according to several travel guides and agencies.

Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) Director Abed Al Razzaq Arabiyat told The Jordan Times on Saturday that the report reflects the efforts of the board in “placing Jordan on the world’s tourism map” despite the regional turmoil and the economic challenges facing the Kingdom.

He added that the JTB has hosted several writers, journalists and bloggers, who explored Jordan, lived in Jordan and told the world about their experience in the Kingdom. 

Recently, Petra and the Jordan Trail were chosen to be among the “best” global destinations to visit in 2018 by international travel magazines such as National Geographic and Condé Nast Traveller.

In recent remarks to The Jordan Times, Toursim Minister Lina Annab said that tourism figures in 2017 where higher than expected, adding that the figures will keep increasing this year.

The World Trade Organisation’s figures have indicated a 4 per cent drop in tourists’ numbers in the region in 2017, but Jordan witnessed a hike instead, the minister said.

The number of overnight tourists until the end of November increased by 9.5 per cent, reaching 3.911 million visitors, compared with 3.574 million during the same period of last year, the ministry’s figures showed.

Meanwhile, the number of one-day visitors during the first 11 months of this year increased by 6.4 per cent in comparison to the same period in 2016.