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AMMAN — The Criminal Court on Monday sentenced a 23-year-old man to death for robbing and murdering a female university student in Zarqa in December 2013, judicial sources said.

The defendant was convicted of stabbing the victim, a Sharia student at Al al Bayt University, 37 times on different parts of her body with a knife in a bus in a terminal in Zarqa Governorate, 22km east of Amman, on December 3, 2013.

The court acquitted the defendant of attempted rape and molestation charges that were pressed against him by the Criminal Court prosecutor, “for lack of evidence”, a senior official source said.

The defendant fainted when presiding Judge Talal Aqrabawi read the verdict, according to his lawyer, Zahra Sharabati, and the judicial source.

“The defendant shouted that he was innocent and did not kill her and then fainted,” Sharabati told The Jordan Times.

Sharabati added that she plans to appeal the verdict at the Cassation Court.

Court papers said the defendant, who was employed at the National Electricity Power Company, wanted to develop an “innocent relationship to become an affair or marriage but she refused”. 

“The man was enraged that she rejected him and decided to take revenge, so he lured the victim to the bus and stabbed her repeatedly, took her mobile and fled,” a second judicial source told The Jordan Times.

However, the defendant retracted his confessions during court proceedings and claimed that he went to the bus to meet the victim and found her murdered, according to Sharabati.

He became confused, took her mobile and left, the lawyer added. 

The bus driver found the victim in the early morning hours of December 3.

Investigators traced the phone and calls made on it, which led them to the defendant.

Criminal Court Prosecutor Ramzi Nawayeseh had asked the tribunal, which also comprised judges Ayman Ghazawi and Ashraf Abdullah, to inflict the maximum punishment on the suspect.

Monday’s verdict will automatically be reviewed by the Cassation Court within the next 30 days.

AMMAN — Apartments offered by the housing sector are expected to drop by 15 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a sector leader said Monday.

The Greater Amman Municipality’s (GAM) procedures in issuing licences for housing companies take five to six months, and issuing construction permits needs another six months, Jordan Housing Developers Association President Kamal Awamleh said, blaming GAM for taking a long time to provide the necessary documents.

Awamleh noted that it takes only 10 days to obtain these papers in Irbid, 80km north of Amman, and Balqa, 35km northwest of the capital.

“This slow pace in issuing these documents will contribute to raising the prices of apartments in Amman by almost 8 per cent in 2015,” Awamleh argued, adding that housing companies need 12 months for permission and another 10 to build these units.

He said companies usually make a 15 per cent profit in selling their apartments, but with these slow procedures it takes them two years, instead of one, to sell their products, which means a 50 per cent drop in their profits.

“The Department of Lands and Survey [DLS] announced that apartment sales dropped by 14 per cent and land sales also went down by 26 per cent during the first two months of 2015,” Awamleh noted.

Real estate trading last year registered a record JD7.76 billion, 22 per cent higher than in 2013 when it stood at JD6.34 billion, according to the DLS annual report issued earlier this year.

Awamleh said land sales to housing companies recently declined by 90 per cent, attributing the decrease to the fact that many companies stopped their investments and moved to other sectors, or moved abroad to destinations like the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, where it is more profitable.

“The local market needs 40,000 to 45,000 apartments annually, with housing companies producing 95 to 97 per cent of them,” he said, noting that the sector includes 2,500 companies most of which are based in the capital and Irbid.

Awamleh called for increasing the pace of issuing the required documents and opening an investment window for the sector, due to its important role in the national economy.

AMMAN — Already in his childhood, Yasser Khattab was a troubleshooter with an urge to help other people, his country and “humanity”.

The established inventor started with attempts to prevent the damp spots on the walls in his house, a problem, he noticed, bugging many households in the country.

This inclination to use his talent and experience to help others has evolved to target stubborn international problems. 

He has 56 patents and hundreds of ideas in the pipeline, he says, but his signature invention would rid the world and marine life from the dangers of oil leaks.

Now, at the age of 45, Khattab is a well-established inventor. His office is located close to the Ottoman ‘Ten Bridges”, area spanning the valley of the Yarmouk neighborhood in east Amman. 

Apart from being an inventor, Yasser Khattab can call himself an interior designer, architect and sculptor. “All that drives me is the desire to create something new and unique.” 

The walls of his office are covered with framed awards and certificates of recognition, among which from the “global initiative for humanitarian leadership”, and intellectual property certificates. Above a brown couch hangs a patent related to “a substance for blocking fuel leaked in the water”, which Khattab obtained in Lebanon, due to “bureaucratic complications in Jordan’s patent registration process”.

“I want this invention to be developed by Jordanian industries,” Khattab firmly says, hoping this will secure the Kingdom with the one unique and lucrative product that could make a difference to its economy and future. 

The patented invention concerns a powder mix facilitating the cleaning up of oil leaks at sea. 

When the conventional method is applied, the polluted area is surrounded with barriers and the oil is then sucked from the water’s surface. According to Khattab, this method has cost the company British Petroleum 25 billion dollar so far in the clean-up of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Mexican Gulf. 

“My invention is cheaper and more environmentally friendly,” Khattab says. Through the use of nanotechnology, he came up with a water-based material that can be scattered over the oil slack. It transforms the oil into solid, floating lumps, which can be removed very easily from the surface. According to the Khattab, his invention would reduce the cost of the cleanup to 10 to 15 per cent of the conventional method’s costs. “(And) it does not negatively affect the environment,” he adds. On top, “I invented another substance that can be used to turn the solid masses into oil liquid again and hence it can be reused.”

At the entrance of his office, Khattab, who has six honorary doctorates from various universities, has installed a glass container of about one cubic metre, filled with soil and a water puddle in the middle. “It’s been here for more than a year,” Khattab smiles. This model represents another resourceful invention of his and one that is very good for Jordan’s water harvest, he says.

The sand soil is covered with one of his products “Smart Penetration”, making the sand surface 100 per cent waterproof, he claims. The product is not patented but he currently has four successful pilot projects on farms in Jordan Valley. 

He has dug holes into the soil and covered these with an impermeable layer. This prevents rainwater from seeping into the sandy earth and provides farmers with a cheap water reservoir which they can use for irrigation or to water their livestock. “My product is tested and is absolutely harmless to the environment,” he says. Moreover, he claims he has invented a substance that prevents evaporation, pointing to his small experiment and insisting that the water had been there for an entire year without shrinking. 

With twinkling eyes, Khattab comes running with wood, bricks, a carton and paper to show his waterproofing invention in practice. Thick drops of water remain lying on a paper towel Khattab previously sprayed with his liquid chemical solution. 

Khattaab has further developed insulation solutions for, amongst others, tiles and concrete. Other inventions include a substance fortifying cement and a method to recycle waste material from stone factories to produce design tiles and other products, which he showed to The Jordan Times. 

“Unfortunately, I don’t have the funds to further develop many of my projects yet,” he says. A lack of funding seems to be a recurrent problem for him. 

At least one foreign company has extended offers to him, he claims, but he refused because “they wanted to buy me, not my inventions.”

The inventor, a goodwill ambassador and envoy of at least two international organisations, hopes to be offered a fixed contract by which he will be able to develop his work himself in his country.

AMMAN — The government is aware of challenges facing the residents of Ramtha District, which is the most affected by the repercussions of the Syrian crisis and hosts huge numbers of refugees due to its proximity to the Syrian border, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said Monday.

Heading a ministerial team on a visit to the district, some 90km north of Amman, Ensour met with community leaders and residents, and said that Jordan has not received enough support to deal with the refugee crisis over the past four years, and its efforts on the issue have not been fairly appreciated.

The prime minister stressed that this situation forces Jordanians to better manage and distribute their resources, utilising them justly and transparently, the Jordan News, Petra, reported.

Earlier this month, His Majesty King Abdullah urged ministers and officials to “leave their offices and go to the field,” reiterating the importance of establishing connections with citizens in their places of residence as part of government policies.

Ensour reiterated the government’s commitment to fulfilling its promises and more, noting that it is dedicated to serving citizens.

The premier noted that the Ramtha visit had been scheduled in January but was postponed over the death of air force pilot Muath Kasasbeh.

Referring to residents’ demands, Ensour said the district has witnessed some developments but more is needed.

At the same time, the premier urged Ramtha residents to take into consideration the fact that the current circumstances are the hardest the country has faced throughout its history, according to Petra.

He also stressed that despite all regional challenges, “we still meet to discuss issues related to development, education, water, employment and universities, which is an achievement that countries bigger than Jordan, in terms of size and money, cannot realise.”

The premiere also said that all residents’ demands are fair, but financial constraints require distributing resources according to priorities.

Ramtha District Director Bader Al Qadi said the area has received 70,000 Syrian refugees, which “greatly” affected its vital sectors.

In previous remarks to The Jordan Times, Qadi estimated the indigenous population of Ramtha at 80,000.

In response to Ramtha residents’ demands, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Mohammad Thneibat said the ministry has floated tenders to build 13 schools and classroom expansions and will work to meet the district’s needs of schools by next year.

Planning Minister Imad Fakhoury noted that the government has allocated JD8 million from the Gulf Cooperation Council grant to implement infrastructure projects in Irbid and Ramtha, while Health Minister Ali Hiasat said the ministry increased the number of doctors and nurses at Ramtha Public Hospital, which will also receive a new ambulance within the next few weeks.

Public Works Minister Sami Halaseh said the ministry is currently implementing nine school projects, which will be ready by September.

Social Development Minister Reem Abu Hassan said the ministry’s directorate in the district has received 40 applications for housing units for underprivileged families, 17 of which meet the conditions, noting that 11 beneficiaries will receive residences this year.

During the tour, Ensour visited Ramtha Public Hospital, where he met patients and listened to their remarks regarding services, with some of them complaining about shortages of medical supplies and cadres.

AMMAN — Tawjihi students and teachers on Monday complained about the General Secondary Certificate Examination’s initial schedule recently proposed by the Ministry of Education. 

Education Ministry Spokesperson Walid Jallad said in a statement published on the ministry’s website that the summer session exams will start on June 3 and conclude on June 16.

Jallad added that the ministry will provide families and their children with a two-week period to submit their remarks and suggestions over the schedule. 

Hussein Obeidat, a mathematics teacher, told The Jordan Times the schedule is tight and that scientific courses need a lot of time to be revised. 

“The tight programme will have a negative impact on students’ academic achievements,” he said over the phone. 

Students’ Tawjihi scores decide in which university they can study and what majors they can choose.

Muath Tubasi, a Tawjihi student, said students have three “difficult exams” without breaks in between under the proposed schedule.  

“The ministry said it decided on this programme so that we can avoid having exams during Ramadan. They don’t have to do this. It’s better if they schedule two exams during Ramadan so that we can have breaks,” he added. 

Bahaa Yasouri, a student in the industrial stream, said the ministry can schedule “an easy exam” between these difficult ones. 

“We are supposed to sit for the Islamic studies, mathematics and industrial science exams without having breaks. They can replace the mathematics with an easier course such as computer science and then things will be OK,” he suggested. 

Jordan Teachers Association Spokesperson Ayman Okour stressed the importance of giving students enough breaks so that they can concentrate well. 

“We received a lot of complaints from families and our role is to submit these remarks to the ministry, which will take the right decision.” 

Okour said students can sit for exams during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, when Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn until sunset.

Many students have done so in the past, he added.

Ramadan, which is expected to start either on June 19 or 20, starts the day after the sighting of the crescent moon.

Jallad was not available for comments despite several attempts by The Jordan Times to reach him.

AMMAN — A total of 6,845 private cars entered Jordan from Saudi Arabia between Wednesday and Friday through the Omari border crossing as Saudis and expatriates come to spend a 10-day holiday here, according to official data. 

Spring break, also known as the second semester break for schools in Saudi Arabia, started Friday, and Saudi families usually head to Jordan during this period.

Jihad Hajji, media director at the Jordan Customs Department (JCD), said 1,556 private cars crossed the border last Wednesday, with the number of vehicles increasing to 2,502 on Thursday and 2,787 on Friday. 

Hajji added that the Saudi visitors came to spend the holiday in Jordan, which is the case every year, and Jordanian expatriates were among the visitors. 

The number of automobiles that entered Jordan over the past weekend was more than four times higher than average, as around 500 vehicles usually enter the Kingdom on a daily basis, according to the JCD official.

Hajji told The Jordan Times that the JCD and border authorities are gearing up for summer as Jordan is expected to be a preferred destination for tourists from the Gulf region, particularly Saudi Arabia. 

The customs department has boosted its cadres at the Omari crossing and has taken several measures to facilitate and speed up entry procedures for visitors from the Gulf, he said. 

The increase in visitor inflow from the Gulf state was also registered at Queen Alia International Airport, according to an official at its operator, Airport International Group, who said that thousands of Saudis arrived in Jordan by air over the weekend. 

The official, who preferred to remain unnamed, told The Jordan Times that no exact figures were available but noted that several thousand Saudis landed at the airport between Wednesday and Friday. 

Travellers from Saudi Arabia constitute the largest number of tourists to Jordan, with an estimated 1 million people entering the Kingdom by land, according to official figures. Last summer, 154,920 cars entered the Kingdom from Saudi Arabia through the Omari crossing. Official figures estimate the number of Jordanian expatriates at around 750,000, the majority of whom live in the Gulf states.

Over 300,000 Jordanian professionals are based in Saudi Arabia, followed by the UAE with nearly 200,000.

AMMAN — The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on Monday stressed the role of the region’s governments in implementing a series of regional ICT initiatives.

Addressing the ITU’s Regional Development Forum for Arab States in Amman, Brahima Sanou, director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, said several initiatives proposed by Arab states were launched in 2014, covering broadband, cybersecurity, ICT for the environment, smart learning and ICT for persons with disabilities.

He added that the implementation plan for these five initiatives will be presented in Amman during the forum, which concludes Tuesday.

Sanou stressed that the implementation of these regional initiatives requires a multi-stakeholder approach led by the region’s governments.

“We will extend our hands to all stakeholders in the region and outside the region for the implementation of the initiatives,” he said at the event.

ICT Minister Majd Shweikeh said the ICT sector and its development is among the country’s top priorities.

“The rapidly growing developments in the ICT field require the cooperation of all and intensified efforts to overcome challenges at present,” the minister added.

Referring to regional initiatives, Shweikeh stressed their significance to the development of the ICT field.

Mohammad Taani, chief commissioner of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC), which held the event in cooperation with the ITU, said the usage of ICT tools has become a right for each individual and these tools play a pivotal role in realising change and raising awareness.

Taani stressed Jordan’s keenness on taking part in the development of regional ICT initiatives.

Several issues are being discussed at the two-day forum, including development of broadband access and adoption, use of ICT for sustainable development and smart learning.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday underlined the significance of the “leading” role Jordanian women play in sustainable development, voicing his appreciation for the “huge” efforts they exert in all walks of life.

At a meeting with a number of women activists, attended by Her Majesty Queen Rania, the King stressed the need to activate women’s participation in building the community socially, economically and politically in a way that counters challenges and further enhances the partnership between the public and private sectors, and civil society organisations.

His Majesty cited the “advanced” and “tremendous” achievements realised by Jordanian women both at the local and international levels, calling for supporting women in all governorates and improving their capabilities as effective members of society, according to a Royal Court statement.

The activists highlighted their success stories in different areas, presenting their ideas for initiatives and projects that would enhance the status of Jordanian women.

They also cited economic projects implemented by Jordanian women who started their ventures with “great ideas and very limited financial means”, but were nonetheless successful.

The activists stressed the importance of empowering women to make their participation in public life more effective, expressing their appreciation of Their Majesties’ support for women.

Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh and King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan attended the meeting.

In an interview with the Jordan News Agency, Petra, social activist Aysha Mseidein said she has been serving with charitable societies since the 1980s, during which she established a number of charities in Tafileh Governorate, including one that provides care for people with albinism, a disorder characterised by little or no melanin production.

“The society accommodates 22 people between the ages of one and 69. It provides them with training to improve their capabilities and integrate them into society,” Mseidein said, adding that the facility also provides them with medical devices, including special glasses, which cost JD500 each.

Hadeel Abdul Aziz, founding member and director of the Justice Centre for Legal Aid, spoke about the centre’s role in providing free legal support to underprivileged and vulnerable segments of society.

With 24 legal clinics across Jordan, the centre reaches out to more than 500 individuals a month, providing them with various legal services and raising awareness on their rights, Abdul Aziz added.

For her part, Samar Mhareb, the director of Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD)-Legal Aid, noted that the organisation has been serving Iraqi refugees in Jordan since 2008.

The organisation also helps other underprivileged segments to empower them and enable them to practise their rights, she told Petra.

AMMAN — The Cabinet on Sunday approved a 2015 draft law governing the transfer of independent government agencies’ revenues to the Treasury and referred it to the Lower House.

The draft law obliges each department that receives state revenues — including taxes, fees, fines, debts, rents and any funds they generate — to transfer it to the General Budget Department’s (GBD) account in the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ), the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The draft law also stipulates that no government agency has the right to directly deduct any amount of money or spend from it, while the GBD will have the power to allocate funds that meet the financial needs of each agency according to its budget.

The new law applies to all public institutions, including those whose legislations stipulate the allocation of revenues to its employees or any third party whether through direct or indirect channels.

The law also aims at increasing transparency regarding the volume of government revenues and expenditures, and improving oversight over state revenues, according to Petra.

The size of revenues of the financially and administratively independent state institutions is estimated at JD813.7 million in 2015, while their spending is put at around JD1.8 billion. 

Meanwhile, the Council of Ministers approved a 2015 draft law regulating the work of money exchangers and referred it to the Lower House after withdrawing the 2005 version of the law, according to Petra. 

The new law aims to expand the types of companies licensed to practise money exchange, removing restrictions that obstruct the flow of foreign investments and money to and from the Kingdom.

The draft law includes conditions and requirements for licensing new exchange companies, and increases the powers of CBJ through imposing regulations on money exchange companies that ensure their adherence to rules in order to guarantee their fiscal positions remain at safe levels, Petra said.

AMMAN — The Lower House on Sunday referred Jordan's projected nuclear programme to an already-formed investigation committee examining energy-related cases.

The controversy over the country's nuclear programme began when MP Mahmoud Kharabsheh sent around 50 queries to the government.

 Unconvinced by the government's replies, the veteran lawmaker requested an inquiry into the issue, a right MPs have by virtue of the House’s by-laws.

Last Tuesday's House session saw a heated discussion between Kharabsheh and Jordan Atomic Energy Commission Chairman (JAEC) Khaled Toukan over the latter’s answers to a query by the MP about the envisioned nuclear programme.

Kharabsheh (Balqa, 1st District) said the replies he received from the JAEC to his query on the country’s projected nuclear programme were “the wrong answers”, claiming that the “unneeded” project will “deplete” public money.

Kharabsheh also said Jordan is financially and technically unable to move ahead with the nuclear programme, citing the country’s economic woes and its limited water resources.

He added that the 16th Parliament, of which Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour was a member, had recommended that the nuclear programme be frozen, claiming that Toukan has “concealed” information in a report by French firm AREVA which revealed that the Kingdom’s uranium reserves are “commercially unviable”.

In response, Toukan said that building a nuclear reactor requires in-depth studies, and several international companies in the field have been consulted and have conducted scientific studies on the country’s nuclear project.

He added that 25 experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency have visited Jordan and released several reports on the selected sites for the nuclear projects, insisting that Jordan’s uranium reserves are “promising and commercially viable”.

Jordan’s nuclear programme entails building two nuclear reactors with a total capacity of 2,000 megawatts (MW) and at a total cost of $10 billion.

The country, which annually imports 97 per cent of its energy needs at a total cost of 20 per cent of the GDP, has become the third Arab state to pursue peaceful nuclear energy, with the United Arab Emirates set to build four reactors with a combined 5,600MW capacity by 2020, and Egypt reaffirming in 2013 its plans to establish a 1,000MW reactor by the end of the decade.