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National Geographic Lists ‘Jordan Trail’ among Best 21 Tourism Destinations for 2018

The Jordan Trail. (AFP)
The Jordan Trail. (AFP)
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National Geographic Lists ‘Jordan Trail’ among Best 21 Tourism Destinations for 2018

The Jordan Trail. (AFP)
The Jordan Trail. (AFP)

The Jordan Trail has been listed among the best tourism destinations for 2018 by National Geographic Travel.

This list features the top 21 cultural and nature destinations worth visiting during the upcoming year. The choices were divided into three main categories: cities, culture and nature.

George Stone, editor of National Geographic Traveler said: "Our mission is to inspire curiosity among our readers and encourage them to explore the world with passion and purpose.”

“The 21 destinations we chose for 2018 will definitely lead to a great year of delightful explorations, which represent a dream program for inspired travelers.”

“This list relies on the values adopted by National Geographic Travel ​​in learning about cultures and civilizations, and preserving heritage, environment, and sustainability,” he added.

For her part, Muna Haddad, president of the Jordan Trail Association, said: "This rank is well deserved. We are grateful to encourage visitors to take this amazing journey, to get to know Jordan closely, by hiking in the trail and experiencing the Jordanian hospitality.”

“Many adventurers have worked for many years to make Jordan's diverse nature available for all, by fulfilling the dream of Jordan Trail. This important recognition is a celebration of their efforts in placing Jordan on the global map of tourism,” she added.

The Jordan Trail is a long route that extends over 650 km, crosses the entire Jordan, from Umm Qais in the north to Aqaba in the south.

Haddad highlighted the continued support of partners and supporters for further development of the trail and to transform it into an economic catalyst in the regions it passes through.

The best tourism destinations in the world for 2018 are: Albania, Cleveland in Ohio, Dublin in Ireland, Friesland in the Netherlands, Harar in Ethiopia, Jordan Trail in Jordan, Jujuy in Argentina, Labrador in Canada, Madagascar, Malmo in Sweden, Oahu in Hawaii, Oaxaca in Mexico, Phnom Penh in Cambodia, Rua Neb in Tanzania, San Antonio in Texas, Santiago in Chile, Suraxan National Park in South Korea, Sydney in Australia, Tbilisi in Georgia, Tetouan in Morocco, and Vienna in Austria.

The Jordan Trail, run by the Jordan Trail Association, passes through 52 villages and crosses various natural areas, including forests, deserts and valleys. The Jordan Trail Association was established by a group of adventure enthusiasts in 2015 to develop and manage the trail.

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Wildlife Groups: Three Wild Bears Killed in Greece

FILED - 27 March 2025, Baden-Württemberg, Cleebronn: FILE PHOTO - A brown bear is photographed in an enclosure at the Tripsdrill Wildlife Paradise. Photo: dpa
FILED - 27 March 2025, Baden-Württemberg, Cleebronn: FILE PHOTO - A brown bear is photographed in an enclosure at the Tripsdrill Wildlife Paradise. Photo: dpa
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Wildlife Groups: Three Wild Bears Killed in Greece

FILED - 27 March 2025, Baden-Württemberg, Cleebronn: FILE PHOTO - A brown bear is photographed in an enclosure at the Tripsdrill Wildlife Paradise. Photo: dpa
FILED - 27 March 2025, Baden-Württemberg, Cleebronn: FILE PHOTO - A brown bear is photographed in an enclosure at the Tripsdrill Wildlife Paradise. Photo: dpa

Three wild bears were killed in Greece in two days, a couple of the country's leading wildlife groups said Monday, including a young female rewilded just weeks ago.

The Arcturos and Kallisto organizations said two of the bears had been found with gunshot wounds.
The third -- named Circe when she was rescued and nurtured for a year by Arcturos -- apparently ate poisoned bait.

They were found dead on Friday and Saturday.

All three incidents occurred in the Western Macedonia region, an area where local farmers have repeatedly complained of damage to their crops and incursions by the animals into inhabited areas.

Arcturos said Circe -- who was rewilded in late May after being found in a coma last August at the age of seven months -- had been left unburied for three days.

"Three dead bears in two days are not 'unfortunate incidents," AFP quoted the group as saying in a statement.

"They are the most tragic proof that the problem remains without any meaningful response, and that the operational readiness of the competent (state) agencies continues to show serious shortcomings," it said.

"A poisoned animal that remains in the field can be a secondary source of poisoning for other wild or domestic animals," Arcturos said.

Greece is home to over 700 wild brown bears, up from fewer than 500 a decade ago, the organizations said. It remains a protected species.

Varieties

UK PM Announces Ban on Social Media for Under-16s

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer attends a press conference at Downing Street in central London on June 15, 2026, to announce government action to protect children online. (Pool via Reuters)
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer attends a press conference at Downing Street in central London on June 15, 2026, to announce government action to protect children online. (Pool via Reuters)
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UK PM Announces Ban on Social Media for Under-16s

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer attends a press conference at Downing Street in central London on June 15, 2026, to announce government action to protect children online. (Pool via Reuters)
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer attends a press conference at Downing Street in central London on June 15, 2026, to announce government action to protect children online. (Pool via Reuters)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday announced a forthcoming total ban on social media for children under 16, saying that such platforms are "making children unhappy".

Starmer said that the government "will ban access to social media for all children under the age of 16", warning that these platforms are "exposing them to content that is dangerous" and "designed to be addictive".

The government said the ban will "include platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X" but not messaging services such as WhatsApp.

He added he hoped to pass the regulation by late December and for the ban to come into force in spring next year.

The prime minister also said the government would go further and take "world-leading action on gaming services and live streaming platforms".

The government said in a statement it would also be considering overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for under 18s, and would announce more detail in July.

Starmer said the upcoming ban was influenced by the experience of Australia, which in December became the first nation to ban people under 16 from social media.

The announcement follows a government-led consultation where British teenagers trialed social media bans and time limits on apps.

A spokesperson for YouTube responded with a warning that such a blanket ban would push children towards "less safe services".

Starmer said that the government was "taking action" on gaming services and live streaming platforms that allow strangers to contact children.

"Is there a situation in the offline world where you would just let your child pair up with a stranger? An adult that you don't know about? No. So we're taking action on that," he said, without giving details.

Canada's culture minister last week introduced legislation that would ban children under 16 from having social media accounts and require AI chatbot services to limit production of harmful content.

The proposed Digital Safety Act makes Canada the latest in a number of countries cracking down on social media platforms over concerns of harm to children.

Indonesia began enforcing its own social media ban for users under the age of 16 in March, while several European governments have announced their desire to make similar moves.

- 'Moral responsibility' -

The UK government's consultation on the issue, which closed in late May, attracted about 116,000 contributions, making it the second-largest response ever received.

Over 83 percent of parents who responded said the risks posed by social media outweighed the benefits for children, with 91 percent backing a minimum age of 16.

The UK announcement comes a week after the government said tech giants must stop children in Britain from being able to send and receive nude images on their devices.

Britain's interior ministry said it was giving companies including Apple and Google three months to introduce safety features to block children from taking and accessing naked photos on phones and tablets.

If they failed to do so, the government would introduce legislation forcing them to activate the technology, it warned.

Starmer's center-left Labour government said technology companies had a "moral responsibility" to "protect children from coercion, abuse and sextortion".

A law change would stop children from being able to access pornography, while also making it more difficult for child abusers to target children, it said.

According to analysis by the Internet Watch Foundation charity cited by the government, 91 percent of online child sexual abuse reports recorded in 2024 contained self-generated content from children themselves.

Varieties

Sydney Reopens Beach Under Heavy Patrols After Shark Attack

A beach closed sign is displayed at Coogee Beach in Sydney on June 13, 2026. (AFP)
A beach closed sign is displayed at Coogee Beach in Sydney on June 13, 2026. (AFP)
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Sydney Reopens Beach Under Heavy Patrols After Shark Attack

A beach closed sign is displayed at Coogee Beach in Sydney on June 13, 2026. (AFP)
A beach closed sign is displayed at Coogee Beach in Sydney on June 13, 2026. (AFP)

Sydney's Coogee Beach reopened on Monday under the watchful eyes of lifeguards and jet ski patrols, after a shark attack over the weekend left a woman critically injured and prompted a safety review at Australia's popular shorelines.

The 35-year-old victim was swimming about 30 meters (100 feet) from the shore on Saturday morning when she was bitten by a three-to-four-meter-long shark, sustaining serious injuries to her arms and lower left leg. She remains in hospital in stable condition.

Local authorities urged swimmers to be cautious.

"Our Lifeguards will continue JetSki patrols throughout the day, and Surf Life Saving NSW is operating a shark-spotting drone at Coogee Beach," Randwick City Council said in a statement.

Coogee, south of iconic Bondi ‌Beach, is symbolic ‌of Sydney's coastal lifestyle. The beaches, which lie east of the city, are famous ‌for ⁠their golden sands ⁠and dramatic coastal cliffs and draw millions of tourists from around the world every year, making water safety a high-stakes priority for the authorities.

"I wouldn't even dip my toe in at the minute," said local resident Ryan Brady. "I used to do a few lengths across the beach but I'd always have in the back of my mind is there sharks around but after, after the weekend, no. It's kind of a nail in the coffin for me."

Saturday's attack was the latest in a series of shark encounters off Australian beaches.

The week before, a man died after ⁠being attacked by a shark while fishing off the coast of Western Australia. Last ‌month, a 39-year-old man died after being attacked while fishing on ‌Queensland's Great Barrier Reef. Ten days before that, a 38-year-old was fatally mauled off an island near Perth in Western Australia.

Dozens ‌of beaches along Australia's east coast were closed in January after four shark attacks in two days.

While ‌shark encounters remain statistically rare, a Reuters analysis of data from the Australian Shark Incident Database shows a gradual rise in encounters, with the country averaging nearly 29 incidents per year over the last decade, up from an average of roughly 16 per year in the 2000s.

"We have seen more shark bites recently but that's probably more to do with population ‌increase," said Leonardo Guida, shark scientist at the Australian Marine Conservation Society.

Climate change was also a factor, he added, with warmer waters prompting people to go ⁠to the beach more ⁠often, and also changing sharks' movements.

"Climate is changing how our ocean works and sharks are just one aspect of it," Guida added.

SHARK CULL DEBATE

The attack has forced a regulatory review of aerial surveillance.

While emergency drones were deployed on Monday, Coogee normally faces strict flight restrictions because it sits directly beneath the flight path for Sydney's airport.

New South Wales Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said on Monday that nothing was off the table as the state considered safety measures.

Some experts said Saturday's attack was by a white shark, a protected species under environmental laws. However, the attack has again led some to suggest a cull, a highly contentious issue.

“It’s so wrong that we don’t cull sharks after attacks,” former conservative Prime Minister Tony Abbott said in a video posted on his Facebook page.

Australia already culls sharks as part of its shark meshing program and additional culling was unlikely to produce a measurable difference, said Emeritus Professor Rob Harcourt, from the Sydney Institute for Marine Science at Macquarie University.

"Other safety measures, including drones (and) smart drum lines, and their help with understanding and then predicting when foraging sharks are likely to be present, have already shown to be of high efficacy," he said.