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AMMAN — The UNHCR currently has no plans to reduce the amount of cash assistance it provides to Syrian refugees in Jordan despite a decrease in funding.

UNHCR Jordan spokesperson Lilly Carlisle confirmed this fact in an interview with The Jordan Times on Thursday, noting that the cash assistance programme runs until the end of September.

The programme aided close to 130,000 individuals in Jordan in July of this year, almost 120,000 of whom were Syrian refugees, according to UNHCR data. This translates into a total of over $5 million of cash assistance in July distributed to Syrian and Iraqi refugees, as well as to refugees of other nationalities.

For 2019, the total amount of aid disbursed by the UNHCR is close to $40 million, according to data provided by the UNHCR. 

Cash assistance is distributed in varying amounts depending on the size of the family. A regular cash assistance payment consists of JD80 per month for a single person and up to JD155 per month for families comprised of seven individuals or more, according to information provided by Carlisle. 

In a 2017 report, most recipients surveyed by the UNHCR noted spending the majority of the money they received on their most costly necessity: Rent. 

According to a study carried out by the UNHCR in 2017, amongst Syrian refugees receiving cash assistance, almost all cash assistance recipients noted that cash assistance improved their living conditions, while only 4 per cent stated that the monetary assistance did not have an impact on their living conditions at all. 

Twenty-eight per cent of those surveyed by the UNHCR reported having less debts as a result of cash assistance, whereas 25 per cent of households said they were enjoying bigger portions of food and better quality food, 16 per cent said that they had better living accommodations and 3 per cent sent their children back to school as a result of such assistance.

Besides the income from the cash assistance programme, just 25 per cent of Syrian refugees in 2017 reported living off a wage. Among the other sources of income noted were cash and vouchers distributed by other NGOs, borrowed money, child labour, the selling of products made at home, aid from relatives living in Jordan and support from the individuals’ host community, according to a UNHCR report issued in 2017. 

AMMAN — The remnants of 14,000-year-old bread were found at an archaeological site called Shubayqa 1 site in north-eastern Jordan.

The scholarly journal “Proceedings in National Academy of Science” recently published an article about the discovery.

Researchers already started digging the site in 2012. “However, the remains were not identified as ‘bread’ until 2016,” said archaeologist Amaia Arranz Otaegui, who is affiliated with the University of Copenhagen.

Up to this date, the 14,000-year-old bread is the oldest bread found used for human consumption, Otaegui noted. The bread seems to have been a regular part of the diet of the Natufians, the hunter-gatherers living in the Levant region in the sedentary Late Epi-Paleolithic period.

“However, it is very early to draw conclusions about the Natufian diet. We need to study more than 300 archaeobotanical samples from the site,” Otaegui said, adding that the rest of the food, which includes more than 600 samples, yet remains to be identified.

So far, the available evidence suggests that the wild ancestors of domesticated crops such as wheat, barley, peas and lentils were not commonly consumed by the Natufian people.

Instead, they seem to have focused on the exploitation of club-rush, a plant from the family of papyrus, according to Otaegui, and gathered and roasted the tubers (the part of the plant that grows underground, like a root) and made flour out of them.

Otaegui’s team managed to produce such flour and was able to make bread out of it. “The taste was overall salty and a bit gritty,” she said, noting that the produced bread remains will be later analysed using a Scanning Electron Microscope and compared against the archaeological remains.

 Shubayqa is the only Natufian site so far analysed in the Black Desert (eastern Jordan), but “the available evidence suggests that cereals were not regularly consumed”, she highlighted.

“In Shubayqa 1 there are hundreds of food remains, but our suspicion is that most of them were made using club-rush tubers. Future analyses will confirm or reject this hypothesis,” Otaegui stressed.

AMMAN — A two-day workshop titled “Information Design in Action” on infographics, information designs and data visualisation was recently held at Platform in Amman.

The training, organised by Società Dante Alighieri in cooperation with Platform, targeted young professional graphic designers, thanks to the support of the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) and the EU Delegation in Jordan, a joint statement from the organisers said.

The workshop is part of a series of initiatives that EUNIC group is running to boost and support the “Creative Industries” sector in Jordan, according to the statement. Twenty participants were selected among 50 applicants.

Under the supervision of Italian graphic designer and illustrator Chiara Alduini, who has more than 10 years of experience in the field, the workshop transmitted new techniques of designing, taught planning and designing infographics and how to make information and data easily accessible and comprehensible, read the statement.

Alduini was quoted in the statement as saying that she was really satisfied with the workshop that offered her the opportunity to “create a bridge between graphic design in Jordan and Italy”, expressing her willingness to cooperate “more and more” with Jordan’s local design sector in the future.

During the workshop, the participants were involved in a simulation project based on a real briefing on various topics. At the end of the workshop the participants took part in a contest for the best simulation of a case. The three most innovative and original products won prizes.

The winners were Zayd Abidi, Hadeel Sayed Ahmad and Rana Jeries Mousa, according to the statement. 

AMMAN — The Foreign Ministry on Thursday condemned Honduras’ decision to launch a diplomatic mission in Jerusalem and the Republic of Nauru’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

These decisions go against international law, especially UN Security Council Resolutions 476, 478 and 2334, which stipulate that East Jerusalem is occupied territory that falls under the relevant international laws, and that any decisions seeking to change its status, legal position or demographic makeup are invalid, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Sufian Qudah said in a Foreign Ministry statement.

Qudah called on the international community to fulfill its legal, political and moral responsibilities by taking the necessary measures to protect Jerusalem’s status.

He urged the community to affirm that a two-state solution is necessary to resolve the conflict through ensuring the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international legal legislation and the Arab Peace Initiative.

AMMAN — The Foreign Ministry is following up on the death of a five-year-old boy whilst on a trip with his parents to the Turkish city of Trabzon, head of the Foreign Ministry’s Operations Centre Sufian Qudah said on Thursday.

The ministry’s operations centre and the Kingdom’s embassy in Ankara are following up with Turkish authorities on the circumstances surrounding the death, Qudah said, adding that preliminary reports indicate the boy died of natural causes, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. 

The ministry has begun measures to transport the body of the deceased back to Jordan upon his family’s request, Qudah said. He expressed his deepest sympathies and condolences to the boy’s family. 

AMMAN — A Jordanian man and his son who were kidnapped on August 17 in South Africa have been released, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Sufian Qudah stated on Thursday.

The ministry’s operations centre and the Jordanian embassy in the South African capital of Pretoria have followed up on the incident with specialised agencies in Jordan and South Africa since its beginning, Qudah said, adding that the citizens have been reunited with their family, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

The Jordanian embassy in Pretoria had spent Wednesday night overseeing the release of the two Jordanians, Qudah said, adding that the Kingdom’s Ambassador to South Africa Ibrahim Awawdeh confirmed their return to their family. 

AMMAN — Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al Sabah on Thursday received Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi who is on an official visit to Kuwait.

Safadi conveyed a message from His Majesty King Abdullah offering congratulations over Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah's recovery, wishing him continued good health and well-being, and the people of Kuwait continued progress and prosperity.

The two sides highlighted the deep Jordanian-Kuwaiti ties, with Safadi hailing Kuwait's supportive stances towards the Kingdom, a Foreign Ministry statement said.

The top dilomat also discussed with Kuwait Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al Sabah, who attended the meeting, means of bolstering bilateral ties and the latest regional developments.

Safadi and his counterpart highlighted the importance of following up on the implementation of the 17 agreements, memoranda of understanding and executive programmes in various fields to enhance cooperation. 

The deals signed by the joint Jordanian-Kuwaiti higher committee last February covered various fields such as legal and judicial cooperation, education, tourism, industry, meteorology, environment, civil administration development, oil, gas and renewable energy, as well as social affairs. 

The two ministers discussed ways of furthering cooperation in various fields, stressing the importance of intensifying efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the centrality of the Palestinian cause to the region, which cannot be resolved unless the Palestinians receive all their legitimate rights, especially to freedom and an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital along the June 4, 1967 lines, in accordance with international legislation and the Arab Peace Initiative. 

The two sides also reaffirmed their rejection of all unilateral Israeli measures that aim to change the facts on the ground and alter Jerusalem’s historical and legal status quo or that of its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The Kuwaiti official commended the Kingdom’s role under His Majesty King Abdullah’s leadership in protecting the Muslim and Christian sites in East Jerusalem under the Hashemite Custodianship of holy shrines. 

Safadi expressed gratitude for the Kuwaiti support to UNRWA, with the two sides underlining the importance of sustaining support to UNRWA so that it can continue playing its UN-mandated role towards the refugees.

Talks also went over the need to enhance efforts seeking to resolve the Syrian crisis through a political solution, which preserves the country’s unity and cohesion, restores security and stability, achieves national reconciliation and sets the stage for the voluntary return of refugees. 

The two sides also urged the international community to shoulder its responsibility through increasing support for the Kingdom, as a refugee-hosting country.

For his part, Sheikh Sabah hailed the Kingdom’s humanitarian role in hosting Syrian refugees.

Both sides also reaffirmed the importance of preventing escalation in the Arab Gulf and defusing the current crisis through dialogue to achieve regional relations that are built on the principles of good neighbourliness and non-interference in internal affairs.

The discussions also touched on resolving the Yemeni crisis in accordance with international legitimacy references, in addition to combatting terrorism, which, they said, contradicts all cultures and religions.

The importance of maintaining coordination and consultation between the two countries on various issues of mutual concern was also stressed, in the best interest of their peoples, with the officials highlighting their countries’ common vision. 

AMMAN — Interior Minister Salameh Hammad has pledged to resolve the issue of detainees arrested in the context of Ramtha’s weekend events by Sunday, MP Khaled Abu Hassan told Al Rai on Thursday.

Sixteen youth from Ramtha have been arrested on charges of illegal assembly, obstruction of justice and online publications in the aftermath of small-scale rioting in the northern border town over the weekend in protest of a Cabinet decision to enforce tighter regulations on the Jaber-Nasib border crossing between Jordan and Syria.

Abu Hassan has met with Hammad to urge him to resolve the issue of the 16 detained youth, among which are high school students, he said.

On Wednesday, a ban on entry to Syria through the Jaber-Nasib border crossing that had been imposed after the riots on 500 vehicles owned by “bahara” was lifted from 238 vehicles. 

“Bahara” is the Arabic term for sailors, used to describe drivers of vehicles carrying passengers to Syria, Iraq and other countries.

Following talks between Hammad and a committee formed from Ramtha dignitaries in the wake of the riots, the former pledged to lift the ban on the remaining vehicles and allow them to go back and forth through the recently reopened crossing, provided that drivers adhere to laws and regulations and apply the clauses mentioned in a memorandum of understanding agreed upon with Ramtha dignitaries.

The government specified last Friday a cigarettes allowance for arriving passengers of one carton, containing 10 packs with 200 cigarettes, instead of two cartons.

To curb cigarette smuggling primarily through the Jaber crossing, the decision also expanded the jurisdiction of customs personnel and security to include the no-man’s land between Jordan and Syria, entitling them to perform initial inspections on travellers before they enter the customs zone.

The decision also labels as “smuggling” any involvement in the possession of more than one box of cigarettes, containing 10 packs with 200 cigarettes, and stipulates applying strict legal procedures, including the seizure of vehicles containing extra boxes.

The recent decisions sparked outrage among some of Ramtha’s residents, a significant number of which work in passenger ferrying services.

Before the break-out of the crisis in Syria in 2011, a total of 1,200 passenger vehicles used to operate on the Ramtha-Daraa and Jaber-Nasib border crossings between Jordan and Syria.

AMMAN — The Senate on Thursday scrapped an article added by the Lower House to the Social Security Law that entitles lawmakers to old-age, disability and death insurances. 

The Upper House, which endorsed the remainder of the 2019 amendments to the bill as referred by the Lower House, justified its rejection to MPs' subscription amendment to its deviation from the original objectives of the law, noting that removing the provision in question would bear no effect on the right to voluntary subscription, which is available for lawmakers without Parliament having to incur further costs. 

Senators also argued that the article revokes the notion of the allowance that is granted to MPs from monthly allocations.

The bill is set to be referred back to the Lower House to resolve the dispute over lawmakers’ retirement benefits.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State Rajai Muasher defended the article endorsed by the Lower House, arguing that it “serves national interests” by encouraging the participation in elections of as many people as possible by ensuring that their financial rights would be preserved should they win. 

In addition, the SSC perceives allowances as part of the salary, Muasher argued.

SSC Director General Hazem Rahahleh said that monthly subscription fees would stand at JD300 per member.

The Lower House on Sunday endorsed the 2019 amendments to the Social Security Law, raising the age of early retirement for men to 55 from 50, provided that each member has rendered at least 21 years of service, while the earliest age women can get their benefits is 52 with at least 19 years of service. In the current law, women can retire at any age as long as they have subscribed to social security for 19 years.

According to the amended bill, deputies and senators are eligible for old-age, disability and death insurances upon their request, with deductions calculated according to their monthly stipends. 

Another major amendment to the new bill allows Jordanian subscribers to dip into their social security savings to cover the costs of their children’s higher education or pay for medical treatment expenses for themselves or members of their families.

AMMAN — High rainfall during last winter resulted in increased cereal yield during the current harvest season, especially in the northern region, Agriculture Minister Ibrahim Shahahdeh said on Thursday.

The minister said that the government has received a total of 20,113 tonnes of consumable barely and 40,122 tonnes of barely fodder from farmers, the Jordan news agency, Petra, reported.

Shahahdeh said that the government supports farmers through buying their wheat and barley at "excellent prices that are much higher than international rates", all with the aim of increasing local production of the strategic crops.

While only one million dunums of land in Jordan is used to grow wheat and barley, the country needs four million dunums of land to raise these major crops.

Farmers grow wheat across the country, but grains are mainly cultivated in Irbid and Houran plains in the north, Madaba and Husban in the central region and Arrabeh in the southern Governorate of Karak.

The Kingdom, which consumes more than 80,000 tonnes of wheat per month, imports over 96 per cent of its wheat needs as domestic production covers only around 4 per cent of demand.

Jordan imports the majority of its wheat from several countries, including Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Russia, Romania and the United States.