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AMMAN () — His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday took to Twitter to commemorate the martyrs of Amman bombings as the country marks the tragic incident’s 12 anniversary.

His Majesty said the victims, as well as the service people who sacrificed their lives for the sake of their country, will never be forgotten.

"Martyrs of Amman bombings and all those who sacrificed for their homeland will always be alive in our hearts for what they offered for Jordan to stay strong and coherent by the will of its people,” His Majesty tweeted in Arabic.

A group of extremists perpetrated terrorist attacks on three hotels in Amman on November 9, 2005, killing 60 innocent people and injuring 200.

Using explosive belts, the terrorists targeted three hotels, first the hotel formerly known as Radisson SAS at 9:30 pm, followed by two other suicide bombings a few minutes later at the Hayatt Hotel and Days Inn. 

AMMAN — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday received Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at his residence in Amman.

Talks focused on the latest developments in the Middle East peace process and the latest regional developments and issues of mutual interest, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

During the meeting, Safadi conveyed His Majesty King Abdullah's greetings to President Abbas. 

For his part, the Palestinian leader voiced appreciation of King Abdullah’s supportive stances in favour of the Palestinian people, its national cause and its pursuit of an independent state within the pre-1967 lines and with East Jerusalem as its capital. 

The two sides stressed the need to continue with coordination and consultation between the two countries. 

The meeting was attended by Palestinian Presidency Spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeinah, Abbas’ adviser, Majdi Al Khalidi and Palestinian Ambassador in Amman Majdi Al Khalidi. 

Last month, King Abdullah met with Abbas over the Palestinian reconciliation agreement, which had reached in Cairo between Abbas’ Fateh and the Islamist Hamas group.

King Abdullah voiced Jordan's full support to the agreement, which would contribute to strengthening Palestinian unity.

The King described the reconciliation agreement as an important step in pushing forward the peace process and relaunching serious and effective negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis on the basis of the two-state solution.

The two sides agreed on the importance of working with the US administration to resolve the conflict and make progress on the ground in the coming period, especially in view of US President Donald Trump's commitment to working towards achieving peace between Palestinians and Israelis.

Days later, His Majesty received a phone call from Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh during which the Monarch reaffirmed Jordan’s full support for the Palestinians as they take on the challenges before them.

AMMAN — The Jordan Outdoor Association has contributed to three arrests related to illegal fishing at freshwater bodies in the Kingdom, an activist said.

The society, which has 535 members from various countries, has volunteers who monitor water bodies and report illegal fishing to the rangers at the Royal Department for Protecting Environment.

According to the Agriculture Law’s Article 8, fishing with drag-nets at freshwater bodies is illegal regardless of the net’s size.

Ramzi Handal, the association’s president, told The Jordan Times on Thursday they are a member of the Agriculture Ministry’s Committee for the Control of Fishing in Freshwater Bodies.

“In the three cases, which took place at the Mujib Dam, rangers confiscated their fishing nets”, said Handal.

He highlighted the society’s cooperation with the concerned authorities to curb illegal hunting and fishing to conserve Jordanian wildlife, adding that voluntary work is the basis of the association’s operations.

At the Mujib Dam, fishermen use fishing nets to collect carp fish in large amounts, which puts the species in danger, said the association’s president.

Handal said that the association had released flocks of the chukar bird into the wild, as part of its goal to protect this endangered specie in the Kingdom, which also suffers from illegal and unorganised hunting activities.

“Unfortunately, the hunting sport in Jordan is unregulated, which has left several local bird species, such as the chukar partridge, endangered,” Handal said.

He added that the association’s activities and projects are also meant to draw the attention of policymakers to the dangers threatening the country’s wildlife.

In September 2016, the Ministry of Agriculture issued a law banning the hunting of chukar and sand partridge for three years across the Kingdom.

AMMAN — SOS Children's Villages Jordan on Thursday celebrated the National Austrian Day with the visit of Austrian Ambassador Michael Desser and his wife Nanete to the SOS Village in Irbid, where they extended a JD5,300 refurbishment grant on behalf of the embassy.

The organisation works to support vulnerable children and families through family-based care, education, support for young adults and emergency programme for refugees, according to its website.

The couple and accompanying an delegation were received by the residents of the village in Irbid, to whom they distributed Austrian flags to the children, as a celebration of the Austrian national day, marked annually on October 26.

In a phone interview with The Jordan Times, Desser said that they were "overwhelmed" by the reception they received, both by the mothers, and in particular by the children who welcomed them with cultural presentations.

The diplomat toured the various facilities of the village after announcing the grant aimed at refurbishing and expanding the local multi-purpose hall and adding a computer centre. 

"Whenever we have the opportunity to find moral support or some kind of contribution, to strengthen both the village and the project, we will, so that we can transmit compassion for the children who are being taken care of in such a wonderful way," said the ambassador. 

After a tour of the village, provided by Muna Hamdan, the national director of SOS Jordan, the guests had lunch at the house of Mama Imtiaz, a SOS Village mother. 

During the lunch, one of the mother representatives Mama Najwa who has been with SOS Villages for the past 18 years, told the audience about the numerous success stories she has witnessed throughout her journey with the organisation.

Referring to one of her former "child", who recently opened a local supermarket in Irbid, she praised the "outstanding" achievement of the children SOS is fostering.

Several youth who have worked to empower their peers in the village were also invited to attend.

SOS Chairperson Reem Habayeb commended the “festive atmosphere” of the event and thanked the embassy and Austria for their support. 

SOS Children's Villages Jordan was first launched in Amman in 1987, and later expanded to various cities in the governorates of Irbid and Aqaba.

"The idea started off in Austria, and when the late King Hussein visited the country 30 years ago and brought it to Jordan," explained Desser.

The village operates on a family-based model through the support of village mothers, aunts, brothers and sisters who have regular family gatherings. 

“Securing a family for each child is our ultimate goal. We have succeeded in entrenching a very strong sense of belonging among our children in their alternative families, and now we are focusing on their integration into society,” Hamdan said at the event. 

“Even after leaving the village at the age of 18, we continue to provide them with the needed financial and psychological support…it is an umbilical cord that is never cut,” Habayeb told The Jordan Times over the phone.

AMMAN — Latest excavations from Mount Nebo provide new elements related to the architectonical evolution of the basilica of the Memorial of Moses, according to an Italian scholar. 

Davide Bianchi, a post-doctoral university assistant at the Institut für Klassische Archäologie at the University of Vienna said in a recent e-mail interview to The Jordan Times that one of their most important discoveries was the identification of the oldest Christian burial-shrine built by monks to commemorate Prophet Moses.

The archeologist said that this evidence allows them to include the coenobium (a monastery) of Mount Nebo within the network of the Jordanian monasteries related to the worship of biblical figures (the monastic complex of St Aaron, near Petra; the two religious compounds linked to the Prophet Elijah, in Thisbe and Wadi  Al Kharrar; and the Sanctuary of Lot at Deir ‘Ain ‘Abata, in the Zoara Valley). 

Bianchi, who has been engaged in the archaeological project of the Memorial of Moses directed by Father Eugenio Alliata for the past five years, said that the pottery and coins recovered in the preparatory layer of the oldest mosaic in the nave of the basilica suggest that the construction of the burial-shrine could be dated to the second half of the 5th century AD.

“During the surveys between 2012 and 2014, we also excavated one room of the monastery where we found a tannur oven”, Bianchi noted, stressing that these cooking facilities were mostly used for baking bread for food production and liturgical purposes, and maybe for the pilgrims visiting the shrine of Moses. 

This is important to note since “The Travel of Egeria” (the Roman pilgrim who visited the major Christian shrines in the Eastern Mediterranean between 381 and 384AD) reports that the ascetic monks of the Uyun Musa Springs would offer pilgrims their “blessings”, which were perhaps “blessed breads”, he speculated.

According to the Italian scholar, the archaeological data showed that even after “a traumatic event, probably the earthquake of 749 AD, the monks were able to implement an important restoration of the basilica”.

“We may assume that the last restoration of the basilica of Siyâgha took place after 762 AD. This date is suggested by the repaving of the mosaic floor in the church of the Theotokos, in the Wadi ‘Ayn Al Kanisah, that recalls the restoration activities in the Nebo region,” he emphasised.

The shift from the Umayyad to the Abbasid rule does not seem to have affected the monastic privileges and Mount Nebo’s monastic community’s financial availability, Bianchi underscored.

Bianchi hopes that within the next years, he will be able to continue his research with further analysis in the unexcavated areas of the monastery.

“I think that a deeper study of the monasteries in the Nebo region and in the Bishopric of Madaba will allow us to get a clearer picture of the evolution and functions of the sanctuary of Moses,” he concluded.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday sent a cable to Japanese Emperor Akihito, congratulating him on the anniversary of his accession to the throne, according to a Royal Court statement. In the cable, His Majesty wished the Japanese emperor and the Japanese people further prosperity and progress.

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Noor on Wednesday attended a dinner on the sidelines of the World Science Forum 2017 at the Dead Sea, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Thursday.

Her Majesty delivered a speech highlighting the importance of finding ways to preserve marine life from pollution, for its negative impact on climate change and global warming.

Her Majesty participated in a session on the role of science in the empowerment of women during the forum, attended few sessions and toured around several scientific exhibitions participating in the forum.

AMMAN — Chief Commissioner of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) Nasser Shraideh on Thursday briefed Hungarian President János Áder on major achievements ASEZA has accomplished, as well as its strategic plan for 2025.

During a meeting with Áder and an accompanying delegation, Shraideh highlighted the strong ties between Jordan and Hungary, adding that the meeting aimed at boosting ties in the tourist, trade and investments between the Kingdom and European countries in general, and Hungary in particular, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The Hungarian president stressed that his country is interested in investment opportunities in Aqaba and that urban developments in ASEZA constitute a “good model” that deserves investment.

He also commended Jordan as a safe tourist destination in the Middle East. Later in the day, Áder concluded his official visit to the Kingdom from Aqaba’s King Hussein International Airport.

AMMAN — A man, 50, died and six others were injured on Thursday when a pick-up truck overturned in Ruweished, the Civil Defence Department (CDD) announced. Mafraq CDD personnel administered first aid to the injured, before transferring them, along with the body, to the Ruweished Public Hospital, according to a CDD statement. The injured were reported to be in fair conditions. 

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki and Saudi Ambassador Prince Khalid Bin Faisal on Thursday inaugurated the Centre of Radiation Therapy at King Abdullah University Hospital (KAUH).

The project is funded by a Saudi grant through the Saudi Fund for Development with a value of $12 million as part of the Gulf grant, a Cabinet statement said.

The centre aims to provide cancer patients from the northern region with radiation treatment, which will make KAUH a major centre for all medical and treatment cases.

Several ministers and MPs attended the opening ceremony, said the statement.

The 2,000sq.m.-centre consists of two storeys and four rooms for radiation treatment, and will provide all required radiation therapy and other specialised medical equipment, the statement said.

The Saudi fund has also contributed to financing several development projects in Irbid, including a project at the Princess Basma Hospital worth $49 million, updating the cardiac catheterisation devices at KAUH with a cost of $8.8 million, funding projects at Yarmouk and the Jordan University of Science and Technology worth $10.35 million, and the smart buildings project at Irbid Economic Development Zone costing $2.29 million. 

Mulki praised the efforts of Saudi Arabia in supporting Jordan, assuring that Saudi Arabia constantly supports Jordan, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

For his part, the Saudi ambassador said that Jordan has been suffering for several years due to the Syrian crisis, especially the northern region, noting that Jordan did not complain about the presence of Syrian refugees. He added that this project will serve the local community and Jordan’s guests.

During a visit to the Jordan University of Science and Technology, the prime minister inaugurated the solar energy project implemented by JUST. 

He also highlighted the importance the project, funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development which is part of the Gulf grant.

Meanwhile, under the patronage of Mulki, an agreement was signed between Jordan and Canada for an additional grant amounting to 4.88 million Canadian dollars to improve solid waste management at Al Ekaider landfill and generating income for host communities, in cooperation with UNDP.

The agreement was signed by Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury and Canadian Ambassador to Jordan Peter McDougall.

Also on Thursday Mulki met with tribal leaders and dignitaries from Ramtha.

During the meeting, which was attended by a number of ministers, and MPs, Mulki said the government is keen to carry on the implementation of projects that concern the life of citizens.