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AMMAN — The government is in the process of assessing offers it received for implementing part of the National Broadband Network project in the southern governorates, where public facilities are to be provided with high-speed Internet under the scheme.

The Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (MoICT) received nine offers to implement the project in Karak, Tafileh and Maan governorates, and is expected to announce the winning bidders soon, MoICT Secretary General Nader Thneibat told The Jordan Times on Sunday.

A specialised committee will assess financial and technical offers presented by bidders and announce results upon the completion of assessment, Thneibat said.

The government earlier announced that it allocated about JD90 million for the completion of the National Broadband Network from the Gulf Cooperation Council grant.

In 2011, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait pledged $5 billion in assistance to Jordan over the course of five years.

Work on the network, which started in 2003 and of which 35 per cent has been completed so far at a total cost of $36 million, was halted several times over the past few years due to lack of financial resources.

In a report released last week on broadband networks in the Middle East and North Africa, the World Bank said a potential partial or complete handover of the project to the private sector is expected to eliminate operational costs and free up public sector funds, especially since costs related to operation, maintenance and expansion of the network are proving to be too high for the government.

Work on the National Broadband Network will resume after the government allocates the necessary finances to complete the project, according to Thneibat.

AMMAN –– Hybrid auto imports increased by nearly sixfold last year compared with 2012, according to official figures.

A total of 14,565 electric battery-powered cars were imported last year, compared to 2,598 cars in 2012, Jordan Customs Department (JCD) figures indicated.

However, overall auto imports in 2013 –– including hybrid and conventional vehicles –– dropped by nearly 19 per cent, from 63,644 cars in 2012 to 51,845, according to JCD data compiled in response to a query by The Jordan Times.

Official figures estimate the number of hybrid cars on the Kingdom’s streets at around 30,000.

Nabil Rumman, president of the Jordan Free Zone Investors Association, attributed the increase in imports of fuel-efficient autos to the government’s decision to give tax cuts to motorists who replace their used cars with hybrids.

In a bid to renew the cars on the Kingdom’s roads and to address the ballooning gasoline bill, on June 1, 2012 the Cabinet decided to reduce the tax on small-engine hybrids from 55 per cent of the value of the vehicle to 25 per cent and to place a five-year age limit on all cars entering the local market.

The decision also granted motorists who trade in cars that are 10-years-old or more, a further tax discount, under which they pay 12.5 per cent in a special tax for hybrids while their old cars are scrapped.

“Hybrid sales went up because many people traded in their old cars with fuel efficient ones,” Rumman told The Jordan Times, adding that the number of motorists who purchased green cars subject to the 25 per cent tax was relatively small.

He blamed the five-year age limit imposed on cars allowed to enter the domestic market for the drop in overall auto imports.

“Most Jordanians can only afford to buy cars manufactured before 2000,” he said, indicating that on average 60,000 cars are imported every year.

Describing 2013 as a “good year” for auto importers, Rumman noted that 149,000 cars were re-exported from the free zone to regional markets, 80 per cent of them to Iraq.

Around 70 per cent of the cars that entered were Korean-made as most Jordanians prefer them due to their affordable prices and operational costs, according to Rumman.

“Cars made in Japan and the US are more expensive than those made in Korea and their maintenance is also costlier,” he explained.

AMMAN — Police on Sunday warned the public against individuals who pose as security personnel to rob people.

The warning follows the arrest of a “wanted and dangerous man who posed as a police officer and robbed people of their valuable belongings”, Public Security Department (PSD) Spokesperson Major Amer Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

The suspect is wanted for 50 criminal offences in addition to new charges that will be pressed against him for defrauding and robbing dozens of citizens of their cash and valuables, Sartawi said.

A search of his house, the police official added, uncovered some “of the goods that people complained were stolen from their homes and an undisclosed amount of cash”.

The suspect was ordered detained for 15 days at a correctional and rehabilitation centre pending further investigation.

PSD officials have repeatedly urged the public to be cautious, and ask to see a badge and identification card if they are approached by someone claiming to be a police officer.

If the individual refuses to show an identification card or a badge, people have the right to refuse any demand made by the individual, according to the police.

The police urged the public to immediately contact them on 911, and provide law enforcement officials with a description of the fraudsters and the make and colour of their vehicle, a PSD statement said.

AMMAN — Tkiyet Um Ali on Sunday honoured 165 of its main donors and supporters who help put food on the tables of underprivileged families across the Kingdom.

The celebration, attended by HRH Prince Ali, marked the 10th anniversary of the charity organisation's establishment.

The event highlighted the role played by individuals, private and public entities, organisations and commissions in supporting Tkiyet Um Ali's mission to make Jordan hunger-free by 2015.

The Tkiyet, which provides daily meals for 8,200 underprivileged families across the Kingdom all year long, aims to offer food to 20,000 families in need every day by 2014.

Beneficiary families receive food packages that consist of over 20 basic food items to cover their needs for the entire month.

Tkiyet Um Ali follows a "systematic method" to decide on the most deserving families, according to its vice chairman, Abdullah Touqan.

"We provide food to families with the greatest needs, and rehabilitate members of other families to enable them to support themselves, in cooperation with Tkiyet Um Ali's twin charity Dar Abu Abdullah," he said at the ceremony.

Tkiyet Um Ali selects beneficiaries after specialised social investigation teams conduct field visits to study the conditions of those in need, bearing in mind the number of family members.

Speaking on behalf of Tkiyet Um Ali's supporters, Bassam Abu Rumman said donors trust the organisation's method under which the donated money is turned into meals for the underprivileged.

"We as donors support Tkiyet Um Ali's role in boosting solidarity among members of society and its support for the underprivileged," he noted, encouraging individuals and groups to assist its cause.

Tkiyet Um Ali has 120 strategic partnerships with local societies with similar visions across the country, which helps in reaching more people in need, according to its officials.

The charity also provides 400 daily meals for passers-by at its headquarters in the east Amman neighbourhood of Mahatta, in addition to hot iftar meals during Ramadan for around 1,200 people every evening.

HRH Princess Haya launched the charity organisation in 2006 in memory of her mother, the late Queen Alia.

The project was originally a concept introduced by the late queen, who died in a helicopter crash in 1977 while returning from a trip to a government-run hospital in Tafileh.

The term “tkiyet” dates back to the Ottoman days, when prominent families opened facilities on their estates to offer food to the poor and homeless.