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AMMAN — The Ministry of Agriculture on Wednesday started distributing thousands of olive saplings to farmers in Ajloun Governorate to compensate for trees damaged in last December’s snowstorm.

Ajloun’s olive groves and vineyards sustained severe damage during a blizzard that hit the Kingdom in mid-December last year. 

The governorate, located 70km north of Amman, is one of the highest places in the Kingdom and was the most affected by the blizzard, with accumulated snow reaching over 70 centimetres.

“A total of 10,000 olive saplings of the best types will be distributed to Ajloun’s farmers free of charge,” Agriculture Ministry Spokesperson Nimer Haddadin told The Jordan Times.

The saplings, produced at Al Faisal Nursery in Ajloun, will be planted under the supervision of specialised staff from the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure their survival and sustainability, Haddadin added.

In addition, the ministry will plant some of the olive saplings alongside streets, he said.

The blizzard dealt a “strong blow” to Jordan’s forestry sector, according to officials and conservationists, who said that more than 20,000 trees were uprooted and hundreds of thousands of branches were broken due to the heavy snow.

In the Ajloun Forest Reserve, which extends over 12,000 dunums, a total of 1,047 trees, making up 20 per cent of the reserve’s green cover, were broken, while in Jerash Governorate, 48 kilometres north of Amman, more than 12,237 forest trees were uprooted in the Dibbeen Nature Reserve.

Conservationists said the forests witnessed severe damage in the snowstorm, warning that its impact will linger for years.

Illegal logging during winter, wild fires in summer and insufficient rain due to climate change are the main threats to Jordan’s shrinking green cover, which stands at less than 1 per cent of the country’s total landscape, according to experts.

AMMAN — Nine out of 10 people own cell phones in Jordan, which ranks third in engagement in social networking sites among Arab states, according to the 2013 Spring Pew Global Attitudes Survey.

The study, which covered 24 countries, showed that 95 per cent of Jordanians own cell phones, compared to 88 per cent in Egypt phones and 86 per cent in Lebanon.

Jordan was ranked among the countries where smartphone ownership is high, as 38 per cent of mobile holders have smartphones, as opposed to 23 per cent in Egypt, 12 per cent in Tunisia, 23 per cent in Russia, 17 per cent in Turkey and 37 per cent in China.

The Kingdom ranked second in Internet usage in the Arab world (47 per cent).

Lebanon topped the list with a 57 per cent Internet usage rate. Egypt came third (43 per cent), followed by Tunisia (40 per cent).

Of the total Internet users in Jordan, 84 per cent use social networking sites, compared to 88 per cent in Egypt, 85 per cent in Tunisia, 72 per cent in Lebanon and 79 per cent in Turkey.

"The availability of smartphones in Jordan has significantly increased the number of social media users and this trend is expected to continue to grow," an expert in the social media industry, who preferred not to be named, told The Jordan Times over the phone on Wednesday.

"Prices of smartphones are declining, which is encouraging more people to buy them and connect to the Internet," he said. 

Attributing the increase in cell phone ownership to the "strong competition" between existing operators, the expert noted that it "encourages people to have more than one mobile phone".

Using mobile phones to send text messages is the most popular activity among mobile users in Jordan, with 71 per cent of them using their phones to text. 

Some 48 per cent of mobile holders use their phones to take pictures and videos, 28 per cent to access social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, 13 per cent to get political news, 9 per cent to get health news and 5 per cent to make or receive payments, according to the study.

In Egypt and Lebanon, the percentage of those using mobiles to get political news is around 24 per cent.

Using the Internet is a daily habit for an overwhelming majority of users in the region, the report showed.

Around 84 per cent of Internet users in Jordan use the service every day, compared to 90 per cent in Lebanon, 82 per cent in Turkey, 82 per cent in Egypt, 77 per cent in Russia and 58 per cent in China.

Staying in touch with friends and family is the number one reason that drives Internet users to use social networking sites, according to the report, which indicated that 69 per cent of social network users share their views about music and movies, 64 per cent share views about religion and 63 per cent share views about politics.

In terms of age groups, the study indicated that 67 per cent of those aged between 18 and 29 use the Internet in Jordan, compared to 81 per cent in Lebanon, 70 per cent in Tunisia and 63 per cent in Egypt.

More than half, or 57 per cent of social networking site users in Jordan, are aged between 18 and 29.

Among those aged 18-29 years old, 95 per cent hold cell phones in Jordan, compared to 92 per cent in Egypt, 90 per cent in Lebanon, 90 per cent in Indonesia and 99 per cent in China.

AMMAN –– The majority of the 150-member Lower House on Wednesday voted in favour of a motion to expel Israeli ambassador to Amman and demanded the government to recall the Kingdom’s ambassador to Tel Aviv.

The vote was proposed by the House’s Palestine Committee after recent Israeli violations against Al Aqsa Mosque.

AMMAN — The Lower House urged the government on Tuesday to take a firmer stand as the Israeli Knesset has scheduled a renewed debate over a proposal to strip Jordan from its status as the custodian of the holy shrines in Jerusalem.

In response, 47 MPs signed a petition Tuesday calling for drafting and submitting a new legislation to cancel the 1994 peace treaty with Israel.

They criticised the government for not taking a “strong and solid” stand against the Knesset’s attempts to revisit Jordan’s role as custodian of the Islamic and Christian shrines in Jerusalem, in a bid to bring the holy city under full Israeli control.

MP Khalil Attiyeh told the MPs that Knesset member Ahmad Tibi informed him that Israeli lawmakers are going to discuss this issue in their session Tuesday.

News agencies confirmed that the debate was scheduled for Tuesday evening, but no vote was expected.

Several other MPs expressed their support for this proposal, with the chairman of the House Palestine Committee Yihya Saud urging the government to also expel the Israeli ambassador in Amman and recall the Jordanian envoy in Tel Aviv.

Last week, the same proposal was submitted by Knesset member Moshe Feiglin, who is also head of the “Jewish Leadership” faction of Israel’s governing Likud Party. He opposes a two-state solution and advocates that Israel annex the West Bank and Gaza.

He calls for full Israeli sovereignty on Jerusalem, revoking all peace accords that Israel signed with its Arab neighbouring countries, including the Wadi Araba Peace Treaty between Jordan and Israel in 1994.

Senior officials said that the Israeli Knesset does not have the power to cancel Jordan’s role as custodian of the holy sites in Jerusalem.

“Not one and not even 1,000 Knesset members can cancel the Hashemite custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy shrines in Jerusalem,” Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said last week.

‘High tension’ at Al Aqsa

Israeli occupation forces early Tuesday entered the sensitive Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City to “disperse stone-throwing Palestinian protesters”, a spokesman said, as quoted by Agence France-Presse.

The Israeli troops used stun grenades to disperse the Palestinians, Micky Rosenfeld told AFP, adding that there was “high tension” ahead of the discussions expected in the Israeli parliament of a plan to annex the site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount.

No vote is envisaged at the end of debate. Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu is opposed to the bill and commentators say it is unlikely to attract much support, AFP said.

The compound, or Al Haram Al Sharif, is Islam’s third-holiest site.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah discussed in Singapore on Tuesday with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong bilateral ties, with focus on economic cooperation, and developments in the Middle East peace process and the Syrian crisis.

Highlighting the need for more efforts to further cooperation between the two countries, the King noted that Jordan’s economy provides a safe and stable investment environment that investors can benefit from, especially in the fields of energy, water, transportation, tourism, services, education and pharmaceuticals, a Royal Court statement said. 

He pinpointed the incentives and benefits offered to foreign businessmen, in addition to the Kingdom’s strategic location, which serves as a gateway to regional markets.

Loong said his country is interested in benefiting from Jordan’s location for investments and building on the partnership with the Kingdom, which, he said, poses as a model to follow in the Middle East in its efforts to achieve comprehensive development and its advantage as “an oasis of security and stability”, according to the statement.

On Mideast peace, His Majesty reiterated that establishing an independent and viable Palestinian state within pre-1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital and in line with international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative is a regional and international interest as well as a higher interest for Jordan.

On Syria, the King reiterated Jordan’s unaltered stance that advocates a comprehensive political solution to the Syrian crisis that can safeguard the country’s territorial unity and end the suffering of its people.

The King also highlighted Jordan’s increasing burdens as a result of hosting the largest number of Syrian refugees. 

The Singaporean prime minister valued the King’s efforts to achieve peace and prosperity in the Middle East, expressing his appreciation for Jordan’s humanitarian assistance to the Syrian refugees.

The meeting was attended by HRH Prince Ghazi, King’s chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs and personal envoy, Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, King’s Office Director Imad Fakhoury and Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Hatem Halawani, among other delegates.

The King also met with a number of political, academic and intellectual leaders at the National University of Singapore Middle East Institute, where the discussion focused on the latest regional developments, especially the situation in Syria and the peace process.

The Monarch stressed the need to support peace efforts, reiterating that violence and tension would prevail if peace efforts fail.

He said that Jordan sees the two-state solution as the only way to end the decades-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The King also highlighted the tremendous burdens on Jordan’s limited resources as a result of hosting hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, calling on the international community to help the Kingdom carry out such a humanitarian mission.  

During the meeting, the King reviewed the reform steps Jordan has achieved, which started, at the political level, with constitutional amendments aimed at enhancing the principle of separation and balance between the three branches of government, the introduction of new constitutional and regulatory institutions such as the Constitutional Court and the Independent Elections Commission, before parliamentary and municipal elections were successfully carried out.

The King also stressed that the regional challenges would not be taken as an excuse to halt political and economic reforms, noting that the security and stability in Jordan did not come by chance, but rather as a result of the awareness of the Jordanian people and state institutions. The King went over the plans and programmes designed to enhance public participation in the decision-making process and the role of Jordanian women. 

The Monarch discussed the challenges that face Jordan, especially economic woes related to the energy sector. Answering a question about the Arab Spring, he said that it motivated Jordan to accelerate reforms.

Participants in the meeting praised the approach Jordan’s leadership adopted in dealing with various challenges that face the region, its efforts to achieve world peace and security, building a better future to the peoples of the Middle East and the Kingdom’s efforts to help the Syrian refugees.

Following his meeting with His Majesty, director of the National University of Singapore Middle East Institute Peter Slugglett expressed readiness to establish academic relationships with Jordanian universities through exchanging scientific research and advanced studies and specialised conferences and workshops. 

Slugglett explained that the institute, which was established in 2007, is considered one of the most prominent academic and research centres in Singapore, providing decision makers, business communities and civil society organisations with specialised studies and advanced analyses.

The King also paid a visit to Singapore Civil Service College (CSC) specialised in improving the administrative skills and capabilities of government employees.

During a meeting with the college’s staff, the King expressed his admiration and appreciation of their pivotal role in improving Singapore’s human resources, which reflects positively on the quality of services offered to citizens.

The Monarch also expressed Jordan’s willingness to benefit from Singapore’s outstanding expertise in human capital development through cooperation between the college and relevant Jordanian institutions, especially the King Abdullah II Centre for Excellence.

The King also underlined that Jordan is working on achieving real reform in the public administration and services sector as part of its comprehensive development strategy.

He also said that as part of Jordan’s ongoing reform process, the “White Revolution” was initiated to overhaul the public sector and enhance efficiency and improved government services.

His Majesty added that building the capacity of Jordan’s public sector is a must to increase productivity and better serve Jordanians.

The Monarch called on the college’s principals to build communication with their peers in relevant Jordanian institutions to help them achieve the administrative development to the public sector, in a way that enables the Kingdom to move ahead with its comprehensive development drive. 

Dean and Chief Executive Officer of the CSC Kwek Mean Luck said that the King’s visit to the college and his interest in training and rehabilitating human resources is a prelude to fruitful cooperation between the CSC and Jordanian public institutions, according to the Royal Court.

Kamel Mahadin, chief commissioner of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, who was present at the meeting, also expressed interest in building partnerships with the CSC to improve the Aqaba Centre for Excellence which is tasked with improving leadership and administrative skills.  

CSC started as a staff training institute in 1971 and was inaugurated as a statutory board under the public service division of the prime minister’s office in October 2001. The mission of CSC is to develop people for a first-class public service and is considered the core institution for public sector’s training, research and staff development. Moreover, its wide range of activities help build strategic capacity in governance, leadership, public administration and management for a networked government in Singapore.

The King arrived in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta later Tuesday, where he is scheduled to hold talks with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Indonesian economic figures.

The Monarch is also expected to deliver a speech at the high-level international conference on intercultural and interfaith dialogue.

RIYADH — Labour Minister Nidal Katamine on Monday stressed the importance of recruitment strategies that seek to boost and regulate the labour market.

In an address he delivered at the 2nd Arab Forum on Development and Recruitment in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Katamine also highlighted the need to eliminate child labour and to support programmes that provide employment opportunities for the young.

On the sidelines of the conference, Katamine met with several Arab labour ministers with whom he discussed ways to unify efforts to deal with the unemployment problem.

The three-day forum, attended by government officials and representatives of different labour organisations, seeks to arrive at general framework to support development and recruitment.

AMMAN — The Senate Education Committee, chaired by Senator Abdullah Oweidat, on Tuesday met with a delegation from the Jordan Teachers Association (JTA) who briefed the panel members on their demands, including amendments to civil service regulations.

The JTA is also calling for changes to its law and support for a document on teachers’ protection and security, which was prepared recently by the association.

MAFRAQ — One woman died and two other people were injured on Tuesday in an accident involving two vehicles in the Zaatari area on the road leading from Mafraq to Safawi, according to the Civil Defence Department media office.

The injured were transferred to Mafraq Public Hospital and their condition was listed as moderate. 

AMMAN — The State Security Court (SSC) on Tuesday issued a ruling on an embezzlement case at the Cairo Amman Bank branch in Wadi Al Tufah in Hebron.

According to court documents, the branch director, his deputy and three other employees were involved in embezzling $7 million.

The court sentenced all of them to prison terms ranging between four and eight years with hard labour. In addition, two clients were found guilty on charges of being involved the embezzlement and were sentenced to three-year prison terms.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour had referred the case to the SSC since the Cairo Amman Bank is one of the Jordanian banks responsible for the savings and money of Jordanians and because banks are a main pillar of the economy. 

AMMAN — The first American Education Expo, organised by US Study Global LLC, will be held at the InterContinental Hotel in Amman on February 27 from 2pm to 8pm, according to a US embassy statement issued on Tuesday.

“The expo brings together a number of American educational institutions, universities, colleges, community colleges and English language programmes, as well as American high schools engaged in study-abroad programmes,” the statement said.

The event will allow students to learn about the US education system and get answers to questions on a range of education-related issues including the cost of tuition, scholarships, housing and admissions, the statement added. Students register on: www.Ustudyglobal.com/fair-2014-ar.aspx.