Brown, rubbish-filled water flows slowly along an irrigation canal near Jordan’s border with Israel.
Shepherds by the side of the channel use the same water for their sheep.
“The water has been getting dirtier and it's level lower,” says one shepherd, Samer Mansour, 24. “It is our only source of water."
We lost some of the aquifers due to over pumping
Professor Jawad Al Barkri
When work – with US funding – started on the East Ghor canal in the 1950s, the channel was mostly fed by the Jordan River, its Yarmouk tributary and rainwater.
By the time construction on the showcase infrastructure project finished in the late 1980s, treated wastewater had become the canal's main source.
Rapid population growth, over-farming, geopolitical changes and more frequent droughts have compounded Jordan’s water problems.
The 110-kilometre canal originates in northern Jordan's Yarmouk River Basin and feeds large parts of the Jordan Rift Valley. The valley is a very dry region, of which many parts are below sea level, and accounts for one third of the 100,000 hectares of irrigated land in the kingdom.
The water feeding the canal was relatively plentiful before Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, consolidating its control of the River Jordan. Neighbouring Syria has increasingly dammed the Yarmouk since.
Better-quality water, a significant proportion of which comes from Israel under the 1994 Wadi Araba Treaty, has been diverted in the past decade to meet drinking requirements in Amman.
The shepherds, like Mr Mansour, receive water from the canal for free, as do the region's farmers.
But its declining water quality, and the smaller amounts being allocated to users, have contributed to a reduction in farm yields.
'Next year it will be worse'
Farm owner Abdulhadi Youssef says that the last good year for his tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and aubergines was 2013.
Mr Youssef grows his crops in 50 plastic greenhouses near the canal. His farm's output has declined steadily to 60 per cent of its levels eight years ago.
Water from the canal no longer comes daily, and its low quality has affected the soil.
The season, from September to April, is two months shorter, and several neighbouring farms have gone bankrupt, he says.
“As soon the weather heats up, the crops go bad,” he says.
His tomato harvest has declined from 900 boxes annually to between 350 to 500 boxes.
“Next year it will be worse,” he says.
At 100 cubic metres each year, Jordan's per capita share of water is one of the lowest in the world.
Rainfall, which averages about 100 millimetres a year, is also among the lowest.
'Water poverty in Jordan is extreme'
In Jerash, north of Amman, farmer Rateb Silwan expects a poor season this year because of drought.
He forecasts that his two-hectare plot will bring in 600 to 800 litres of olive oil, compared with 1,200 litres last year. The same plot used to bring in nearly 2,000 litres in the 1970s.
“Droughts were almost unheard of then. Now they happen every four years or so,” he said.
Some farmers in the Jordan Rift Valley, who can afford the investment, have switched from vegetables to dates.
Dates consume less water and bring in more money because of demand from the Gulf.
“If there was more water in the canal there would have been more date farming for sure,” says Hassan Al Sawalha, who manages a date farm in the area.
But agriculture expanded significantly in the past decade in the desert areas above the Jordan Valley.
Farms above the Jordan Valley are fed by groundwater.
Olive, peach and almond farms straddle desert roads from the north to the south of the kingdom.
These desert regions are mostly inhabited by tribes that are a bedrock of support for the Hashemite monarchy that has ruled Jordan since the kingdom was founded with British support 100 years ago.
According to official figures, many of the wells in tribal areas are illegal. Data shows that theft and leaks account for 30 per cent of losses in the water network every year.
Last week, Irrigation Minister Mohammad Al Najjar said the kingdom’s groundwater “is being exhausted”.
He steered clear of identifying the specific regions with illegal wells, saying only that farmers "caught red-handed are transferred to the judiciary”.
The immediate solution, the minister said, is to carry out an as-yet unrealised plan to desalinate water from the Red Sea and pump it north.
Agriculture accounts for 5 per cent of Jordan’s gross domestic product while consuming about 55 per cent of the country’s fresh water.
However, most of the water consumed in the Jordan River Valley is treated water, in contrast to unsustainable groundwater consumption in the highlands.
Jawad Al Bakri, an agriculture professor at the University of Jordan says groundwater is being pumped at double the safe yield of 300 million cubic metres a year, at least.
“We lost some of the aquifers due to over pumping,” he says.
Jordan’s policies of “expanding agribusiness and utilising desert areas to produce food” need to be altered, he says.
Prof Al Bakri says worsening water quality could eradicate 5,000 hectares of citrus farming in the Jordan Rift Valley.
He is working with the German Corporation for International Co-operation, or GIZ, on a plan to reduce the size of irrigated areas while increasing yields.
Although the plan takes into consideration local conditions and divides the kingdom into agricultural zones, instead of more uniform policies covering the country, it still requires government diktat.
Prof Al Bakri says efficiency can be achieved "by adopting suitable cropping patterns and studying demand” for each zone.
“Why do we have huge amounts of tomatoes? There are other, strategic crops,” he says, suggesting potatoes, carrots and onions instead.
He also suggested that farmers in certain areas could move towards livestock or medicinal oils, which need less irrigation, and less land, than other widely grown crops.
“Water poverty in Jordan is extreme,” he says.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
WHAT%20IS%20'JUICE%20JACKING'%3F
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Juice%20jacking%2C%20in%20the%20simplest%20terms%2C%20is%20using%20a%20rogue%20USB%20cable%20to%20access%20a%20device%20and%20compromise%20its%20contents%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20The%20exploit%20is%20taken%20advantage%20of%20by%20the%20fact%20that%20the%20data%20stream%20and%20power%20supply%20pass%20through%20the%20same%20cable.%20The%20most%20common%20example%20is%20connecting%20a%20smartphone%20to%20a%20PC%20to%20both%20transfer%20data%20and%20charge%20the%20former%20at%20the%20same%20time%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20The%20term%20was%20first%20coined%20in%202011%20after%20researchers%20created%20a%20compromised%20charging%20kiosk%20to%20bring%20awareness%20to%20the%20exploit%3B%20when%20users%20plugged%20in%20their%20devices%2C%20they%20received%20a%20security%20warning%20and%20discovered%20that%20their%20phones%20had%20paired%20to%20the%20kiosk%2C%20according%20to%20US%20cybersecurity%20company%20Norton%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20While%20juice%20jacking%20is%20a%20real%20threat%2C%20there%20have%20been%20no%20known%20widespread%20instances.%20Apple%20and%20Google%20have%20also%20added%20security%20layers%20to%20prevent%20this%20on%20the%20iOS%20and%20Android%20devices%2C%20respectively%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The bio
His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell
His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard
Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece
Favourite movie - The Last Emperor
Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great
Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
Kei Nishikori - wrist
Marin Cilic - adductor
The Gentlemen
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant
Three out of five stars
%20Ramez%20Gab%20Min%20El%20Akher
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStreaming%20on%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMBC%20Shahid%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20WallyGPT%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2014%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESaeid%20and%20Sami%20Hejazi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%247.1%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2020%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%20round%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Retirement funds heavily invested in equities at a risky time
Pension funds in growing economies in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East have a sharply higher percentage of assets parked in stocks, just at a time when trade tensions threaten to derail markets.
Retirement money managers in 14 geographies now allocate 40 per cent of their assets to equities, an 8 percentage-point climb over the past five years, according to a Mercer survey released last week that canvassed government, corporate and mandatory pension funds with almost $5 trillion in assets under management. That compares with about 25 per cent for pension funds in Europe.
The escalating trade spat between the US and China has heightened fears that stocks are ripe for a downturn. With tensions mounting and outcomes driven more by politics than economics, the S&P 500 Index will be on course for a “full-scale bear market” without Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts, Citigroup’s global macro strategy team said earlier this week.
The increased allocation to equities by growth-market pension funds has come at the expense of fixed-income investments, which declined 11 percentage points over the five years, according to the survey.
Hong Kong funds have the highest exposure to equities at 66 per cent, although that’s been relatively stable over the period. Japan’s equity allocation jumped 13 percentage points while South Korea’s increased 8 percentage points.
The money managers are also directing a higher portion of their funds to assets outside of their home countries. On average, foreign stocks now account for 49 per cent of respondents’ equity investments, 4 percentage points higher than five years ago, while foreign fixed-income exposure climbed 7 percentage points to 23 per cent. Funds in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan are among those seeking greater diversification in stocks and fixed income.
• Bloomberg
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
Torbal Rayeh Wa Jayeh
Starring: Ali El Ghoureir, Khalil El Roumeithy, Mostafa Abo Seria
Stars: 3
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
