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MANAMA — Bahraini Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa on Tuesday received HRH Prince Hassan, president of the Arab Thought Forum, who is participating in an inter-civilisation conference in Manama.

Sheikh Khalifa praised the distinguished relationship between Manama and Amman, adding that Prince Hassan’s participation has enriched the conference because he is known for his calls for promoting coexistence, dialogue and communication among civilisations.

Prince Hassan said human unity should wipe out all differences, commending Bahrain as a model of coexistence.

Later on Tuesday Prince Hassan, who is also the honorary president of the Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO), held talks with Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, chairman of the board of trustees of Bahrain’s Royal Charity Organisation.

Sheikh Nasser commended the JHCO’s efforts in aiding Syrian refugees.

KARAK — The Education Ministry has spent around JD46 million to build schools, classrooms and kindergartens across Jordan since the start of the year, Minister Mohammad Thneibat said on Tuesday.

During a visit to a number of Karak schools, he added that the ministry’s plan entails building 450 schools around the country to accommodate the increasing number of students and replace rented buildings.

The General Secondary Certificate Examination costs the Kingdom around JD26 million a year, Thneibat added, saying it is among the “highest” costs of high school examinations worldwide.

RAMTHA — Jordan is still in the study phase of establishing a nuclear reactor, Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani said Tuesday.

He added that the nuclear reactor is a strategic option for the country, stressing that Jordan is ready to utilise nuclear energy and export it in the future.

Stressing that he respects the opinion of opponents of the project, Momani said dialogue is the only way to deal with them.

At a press conference on the sidelines of a visit to the Jordan University of Science and Technology’s (JUST) nuclear engineering department, Jordan Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Khaled Toukan said the commission is in the final phases of signing an agreement with the selected Russian company to build the reactor, highlighting the role of JUST in supporting the nuclear engineering sector in the country.

Salah Malkawi, head of JUST’s nuclear engineering department, said 70 students have graduated so far with a degree in nuclear engineering.

AMMAN — Enefit, a joint Estonian-Malaysian consortium, said Tuesday it would abandon its $2.1 billion oil shale project in Jordan if no final agreement is sealed with the government soon, according to Andres Anijalg, project director for Enefit Jordan.

Meanwhile, the government said that it was seeking a lower price per kilowatt than what the company offered. 

The company, which plans to build a 553-megawatt oil shale-fuelled power plant, said it has not received a government response yet on a price it proposed to sell electricity from the plant and connect it to the national grid, a matter it said endangers the implementation of the entire project.

"We secured about $1.4 billion in financing for the project from Chinese banks and the deadline for this financing is mid-June. If we do not reach an agreement with the government on the price before mid-June we will lose the financing, and it will be hard and take a long time to secure another financing," Anijalg told The Jordan Times on Tuesday.

"If the government does not reply to us soon, we have no option but to abandon the project," he said.

Enefit Jordan BV is owned by Enefit (Eesti Energia AS), YTL Power International Berhad and Near East Investments Limited.

Anijalg added that the company has also awarded an engineering, procurement and construction contract to an international company and the deadline for this contract is December.

“We are running out of time. The price we proposed is very competitive but the government says it is very high,” said Anijalg.

The company proposed to sell a kilowatt/hour to the government at about JD0.08, he said, adding that this is cheaper than producing electricity using heavy fuel and oil.

The cost of producing one-kilowatt hour of electricity through heavy fuel or diesel stands at about JD0.18, he said.

“We think the price we proposed is very competitive and it is fixed for a very long period of time unlike fuels whose prices frequently fluctuate,” he added.

The Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted Secretary General of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Ghaleb Maabreh as saying that seeking a better deal is a “right exercised by the government”. He did not elaborate or set a deadline for a final reply.

On Tuesday, Anijalg said the company has spent about $30 million since 2008 on drilling, geological and other types of studies.

“We have not seen any serious discussions with the government until now. We hope a decision will be taken soon, otherwise we will not move ahead,” he said.

Anijalg added that the government notified the company on Tuesday that it may respond to the offer in a week. 

AMMAN — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Tuesday met with heads of delegations participating in the 10th Special Operations Forces Exhibition (SOFEX). 

SOFEX was inaugurated earlier on Tuesday by His Majesty King Abdullah at King Abdullah I Airbase in Marka. 

Ensour met with Pakistani Minister of Defence Khawaja Asif and the accompanying delegation in the presence of Pakistan Ambassador to Jordan Ahsan Azhar Hayat, and discussed ways to boost relations at all levels. 

The premier also met with the deputy defence minister of Brunei and discussed bilateral ties and ways to improve them in all fields. 

For his part, the Brunei official expressed his country’s keenness on developing cooperation with Jordan, noting that there are many students from Brunei in the Kingdom’s universities and institutes. 

The premier also met with other delegates and visited the King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau’s pavilion, where its director, Shadi Majali, briefed him on the products manufactured and developed in the bureau. 

AMMAN — King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) and Paramount Group, Africa’s largest defence and aerospace business, have partnered to produce an array of defence products and solutions. 

Paramount’s Executive Chairman Ivor Ichikowitz told The Jordan Times Tuesday that the two sides have agreed to establish a joint venture and “soon” set up in Jordan facilities to manufacture armoured vehicles and aircraft with latest defence technologies.

They will produce Combat Vehicle, Mbombe, and a range of aerospace solutions comprising the modernisation and upgrading capability of Hawk fighter aircraft, Mi 17 and Mi 24 Russian helicopters and the Super Puma, Ichikowitz said on the sidelines of the 10th Special Operations Forces Exhibition (SOFEX) 2014, which was opened the same day.

“This is a major strategic venture… The idea is to make Jordan an exporter of defence technologies, especially since the country has a great pool of talented human resources and solid experience,” the top executive said.

Production of armoured vehicles, some types of defence aircraft, and defence products and equipment will start in the next 12 to 13 months in Jordan, he added.

The new entity the two sides started has been named the Arabian Defence Industries (ADI).

“The venture seeks to meet the regional needs for such vehicles and aircraft, especially the Mbombe… Jordan will be exporting these vehicles and others, a project that will create scores of jobs for talented Jordanians,” he explained.

Ahmad A. Sallakh, chief executive officer of the KADDB Investment Group (KIG), stressed the importance of the deal for Jordan.

“The venture will significantly benefit Jordan and will utilise latest equipment and know-how of KADDB in this regard,” he said.

“It will greatly enhance Jordan’s capabilities in the defence field and make Jordan a power house in this regard,” Sallakh told The Jordan Times Tuesday.

In a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times, Shadi Ramzi Majali, chairman of KIG, said: “ADI brings together leaders in defence and aerospace innovation in a strong and unique partnership which will deliver world-class technologies and solutions, from the latest in armoured vehicle technologies to sophisticated aerospace technologies, including modernisation and upgrade capabilities of fighter and rotary wing aircraft for the specific requirements of defence forces in the region.”

According to the partners, ADI will present a wide range of defence technologies to the world’s markets.  The venture will also integrate KIG’s products in Paramount’s vehicles. These include Stallion II, the Dawsar 8x8 multi-purpose platform, Self-Propelled 105mm Gun, remote weapon station and the Pan-Tilt platform. 

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF), on Tuesday inaugurated the 10th Special Operations Forces Exhibition (SOFEX) 2014.

The exhibition brings together 371 world-renowned exhibitors in the fields of defence, homeland security and counterterrorism from about 41 countries.

After the opening ceremony, King Abdullah toured the pavilions of the exhibition, which showcase security equipment and technologies. The expo is held at King Abdullah I Airbase in Marka.

The Monarch also visited the King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau's (KADDB) pavilion and was briefed on vehicles developed by the bureau. His Majesty was also briefed on equipment and solutions on display by the participating exhibitors.

SOFEX was opened in the presence of several Royal family members, high-ranking officials and officers from the Kingdom and across the world.

In a speech at the opening, SOFEX Managing Director Amer Tabbaa said SOFEX is much more than a conference and an exhibition.

“It is a melting pot where the world’s foremost experts and developers from the global defence industry and governmental decision makers from the international community share perspective and gain insight on the latest trends and innovation,” he said.

The event is also a platform for discussing the emerging technologies that will serve as the foundation for the modern armies of tomorrow, said Tabbaa.

At the exhibition, the King attended military drills and parades.

On the sidelines of the exhibition, His Majesty met with heads of delegations, defence ministers and CEOs of the companies taking part in the event, which lasts through May 8.

Established in 1999 by a Royal Decree, KADDB is an independent government entity within the JAF that supplies efficient and cost-effective scientific and technical research, and development services in defence, security and automotive industries.

AMMAN — Some 500 senior executives in the telecom and technology field are scheduled to convene in Amman in June to look into ICT trends and growth strategies in the region.

During the two-day 11th Convergence Summit 2014, which opens on June 2, around 40 speakers from 15 countries will discuss next generation broadband networks, online and broadcast media, and payment solutions in mobile commerce and e-commerce, said Jawad Abbassi founder and general manager of the Arab Advisers Group, which is organising the event.

Sessions will also cover satellite platforms’ role in the convergence ecosystem, and the policies required to ensure timely and sufficient investments in infrastructure, he said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Zain Jordan CEO Ahmed Hanandeh told reporters that the summit plays a key role in highlighting the importance of integrating telecom with media in increasing the flow of information between different communities and improving the level of services. 

The summit, which will be held under the patronage of HRH Princess Sumaya, president of the Royal Scientific Society, comes amidst changing dynamics of telecom use and media consumption in the Arab world.

By May 2014, eight countries in the region have had some deployment of LTE networks for wireless broadband technology with more countries in line to start offering these services in the near future, according to a statement released by the Arab Advisers Group.

Moreover, fibre optics- based services are picking up in the region, with the majority of countries in the Arab world having the necessary infrastructure, and cities such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha are leading the way, the statement said.

With regard to media consumption patterns, pay TV adoption is growing in the Arab world — the number of subscribers exceeded 12 million by the end of 2013, and Arab Advisers Group projects it to reach 18.8 million by the end of 2017.

AMMAN — The Criminal Court prosecutor on Tuesday charged a man and his mother with manslaughter in connection with the stabbing death of their Saudi neighbour in an Amman suburb on Sunday, official sources said Tuesday.

The 67-year-old victim received multiple stab wounds to different parts of his body, allegedly inflicted by the suspects in the capital’s Rabia neighbourhood on Sunday night.

The suspects are a 22-year-old law student and his 64-year-old mother, a housewife, according to a senior official who is close to the investigation.

“The mother claimed to be the main perpetrator in the incident following a heated argument with their neighbour,” the source told The Jordan Times.

Meanwhile, her son retracted his previous confession to the police, denying any wrongdoing and refusing to cooperate with investigators, the source added.

But Criminal Court Prosecutor Ishaq Abu Awad, who is one of two prosecutors handling the case, is not convinced “that the mother did it alone”, according to the source.

“The victim was stabbed over 100 times with kitchen knives belonging to the suspects and Abu Awad believes that both were involved,” the source added.

In his initial testimony to police, the suspect told investigators that he “murdered his neighbour who lived above him because he was annoyed by a pounding noise the victim was making”.

The two had a heated argument that ended with the suspect reportedly stabbing his neighbour to death, the source said.

Abu Ishaq is still examining evidence and questioning witnesses and the suspects, a second source said.

Both suspects are detained at correctional and rehabilitation centres pending further investigation.

The Saudi national, who was living alone, has been residing in the Kingdom for a long period and investigators found dozens of old electric appliances “which could indicate that one of his hobbies was fixing old appliances”, according to the second source.

AMMAN — HRH Princess Sumaya, president of the Royal Scientific Society (RSS), on Monday evening spoke to students and families at the American Community School (ACS) about the importance to Jordan and the region of studying and developing science and technology. 

Introducing the princess, ACS Superintendent Larry McIlvain underlined how she has dedicated herself to fostering an environment in which home-grown solutions can be found for pressing issues facing Jordan and the region, according to an RSS statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times. 

McIlvain stressed that ACS, which contains a large number of students from Jordan as well as Americans and many other nationalities, is committed to reaching out locally to help foster sustainable development and a better life for all in the country. 

“We are determined to do all we can to make science work for Jordan and its people,” the princess said in her speech, noting that the RSS was founded in 1970 with that very vision in mind. 

“Its role to this day is to be the reference point for scientific knowledge and research in the Kingdom, to provide data, research and inspiration to solve problems through a diversity of expertise.” 

The princess stressed that “we must celebrate our often forgotten scientific heritage, and we must allow it to inspire a new age of discovery.”

“Critically, we must challenge ourselves to work harder and with more unity in order to achieve meaningful progress and sustainable development,” she added, expressing hope “that despite the pressures of a challenging regional and economic environment, government, academia and industry” will cooperate “to create the necessary environment for innovation to flourish”.

“We must own the future. And science must enable us to do so,” the princess said, noting that “Jordan has made great efforts in recent decades to develop a roadmap for development through science, technology and innovation.” 

The Princess concluded that “the key to everything is our talented and connected young people.” 

“Never before has a generation felt that they owned the future. I know that you have a deep respect for the past, for where you have come from. But you have a wonderful appreciation of where you are going. I hope that knowledge of your community’s past achievements will inspire you to take greater ownership of today’s fast-paced world of technology and innovation. I hope that you will embrace it and become a part of it and make science your tool for change and development.”

Princess Sumaya’s speech was the final talk in this cycle of the ACS Speaker Series, which will recommence in the autumn, with plans to invite the new US ambassador to Jordan to speak in October, the statement said.