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AMMAN — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Sunday attended a ceremony marking the launch of the first wind farm in Jordan.

The 117-megawatt project, set up in Tafileh and developed by Jordan Wind Project Company at a cost of $285 million, will increase the country’s total power capacity by 3 per cent.

The project will work to generate around 400 gigawatt hours annually.

AMMAN — The Kingdom will observe a public holiday on Thursday, May 1, on the occasion of Labour Day, according to a communiqué issued by Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour.

AMMAN — The German Friedrich Ebert Foundation’s (FES) office in Amman is scheduled to monitor the Iraqi out-of-country voting process in Jordan, according to an FES statement.

In Jordan, the out-of-country voting process will take place on Sunday and Monday, the statement said.

Iraqi citizens eligible to vote can cast their ballots in 14 polling stations located in schools in Amman, Zarqa and Irbid.

“FES Amman has trained and will deploy 90 monitors, which will be observing the proceedings at all polling stations as well as the counting process, which will... [start] a few days after the elections,” the statement said.

AMMAN — In its fifth annual report launched on Saturday, the National Campaign for Defending Students’ Rights (Thabahtoona) recommended a review of the laws governing the work of universities and the Ministry of Higher Education.

At a press conference, campaign representatives said the government should provide support for public universities and take serious steps to deal with financial and administrative corruption.

Thabahtoona also called on the Higher Education Council to help set fees for private universities.

The report detailed campus violence incidents recorded by the campaign in 2013, and their causes and repercussions.

AMMAN — A gunfight took place in Ruseifa’s Kadisiyeh neighbourhood on Friday night between members of two tribes, according to the Public Security Department (PSD) media centre.

A PSD statement said gunmen opened fire at police officers who were there to break up the fight.

Five PSD personnel were injured, with four reported to be in fair condition, while the fifth is in critical condition, having sustained a gunshot wound to the neck.

Four people involved in the altercation were also injured and taken to hospital.

Several suspects were detained in cooperation with the Gendarmerie Department, and their firearms were confiscated.

Security forces were still present in the area on Saturday searching for other suspects, the PSD said.

AMMAN — Jordan Radio and Television Corporation (JRTVC) celebrates its 46th anniversary on Sunday.

JRTVC Director Ramadan Rawashdeh said the corporation has worked, since its establishment, to reaffirm Jordan’s national identity and convey the country’s message through its programmes.

Rawashdeh also highlighted the accomplishments of JRTVC, which was launched in April.

AMMAN — A corporal serving at the northern military region was promoted to sergeant in recognition of his efforts in finding a girl who went missing in Kufranja on Friday.

Corporal Mohammad Zu’bi was promoted based on directives by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Gen. Mashal Al Zaben.

A total of 250 soldiers from the northern military region had been deployed to search for three-year-old Lamis Bani Saeed when she was reported missing.

AMMAN — The Families and Friends of Persons with Disabilities (FFSPD) held its annual charity lunch on Saturday.

HRH Princess Muna, honorary president of FFSPD, attended the event along with HRH Princess Majda Raad and Minister of Social Development Reem Abu Hassan.

FFSPD members highlighted the society’s achievements and challenges.

The FFSPD serves people with intellectual, physical and multiple mild, moderate and severe disabilities, aged from infancy to 43 years.

Princess Muna honoured the society’s supporters and long-term partners.

AMMAN — Interior Minister Hussein Majali met over the weekend with Maan dignitaries to discuss the riots that started in the southern governorate last week which left one person dead and several people injured.

Meanwhile, His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF), on Saturday instructed authorities to send a helicopter to evacuate a man injured during Friday clashes between outlaws and security forces and treat him at King Hussein Medical Centre in Amman at the expense of JAF, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The riots in Maan began on Tuesday following the death of a citizen during a police chase of wanted suspects who attacked police guarding a court building. Angry citizens blocked the road with burning tyres, and several shops and banks were attacked and vandalised following last week’s deadly incident.

Majali, accompanied by Justice Minister Bassam Talhouni, discussed with a committee formed by Maan dignitaries and titled “Reform and Reconciliation Committee [RCC]”, the reasons that led to escalating the problem in Maan, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported Saturday.

Majali stressed that security forces are only targeting 19 outlaws and wanted individuals in Maan, Petra reported.

“The state must protect the system and Maan residents from this group of outlaws by enforcing law and order,” Petra quoted Majali as saying.

Meanwhile, the RCC members stressed during the meeting with Majali and Talhouni that the governorate faces several problems including poverty, unemployment and the “existence of a limited group of people with bad behaviour and criminal records that deals with drugs”.

“Some outlawed groups and organisations support these groups to resist police and Gendarmerie Forces in an attempt to destabilise the security of the Kingdom,” the RCC charged.

The RCC stressed that Maan citizens “will not allow anyone to use them for their personal agendas and at the same time called on the government to prepare a comprehensive plan to bring back normal life in Maan”, Petra added.

On Friday evening, four people were shot, including one in critical condition, named by Petra as Faraj Fanatseh, following a confrontation with police and Gendarmerie Forces.

“Two of the injured were transferred to hospitals in Amman and the remaining two are being treated in Maan,” an official source from Maan Government Hospital told The Jordan Times.

“I live around 500 metres from the city centre and every day in the evening there are confrontations between security forces and rioters, mostly shooting at each other and burning tyres,” a Maan resident told The Jordan Times Saturday.

Mayor of Maan Majed Sharari said Saturday that “the situation is under control and that an operations room works around-the-clock to monitor the situation”.

“We have met with officials and everyone is leaning towards calming things down for the benefit of all,” Sharari told The Jordan Times.

AMMAN — HRH Prince Feisal on Saturday reiterated the importance of the Special Operations Forces Exhibition & Conference (SOFEX) locally, regionally and internationally, as it meets the basic needs of all countries.

SOFEX, he said, is characterised by a focus on the latest advancements in special forces and national security equipment since they are fundamental for each country to enhance its safety.

In an interview with the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Prince Feisal, the chairman of SOFEX, said the support of His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF), was the direct reason for the international success of SOFEX since its inauguration in 1996.

SOFEX, which will be held for the 10th time this May, is the largest defence exhibition in the world and the only one in the region specialised in this field, Prince Feisal told Petra.

“It is the best place to showcase the most developed technology of defence and special operations forces,” he added.

“The exhibition provides an opportunity for small- and medium-sized enterprises and the biggest international companies in the defence industry to meet with leaders and decision makers of governments and armies of the world,” the prince noted.

A total of 362 companies from 35 countries have confirmed their participation in SOFEX 2014, which is scheduled to open on May 5, SOFEX Managing Director Amer Tabbaa said in previous remarks.

The exhibition, which will run through May 8, will be held on a 75,000-square-metre area at the King Abdullah I Airbase near Amman, with local, regional and international companies showcasing the latest special operations and technology equipment.

On the sidelines of the exhibition, a specialised conference is held where international leaders, experts and specialists discuss modern international security issues, the latest developments in the region and the world and the role of technology in dealing with these events, Prince Feisal said, commenting on SOFEX’s role in fighting terrorism.

Country leaders, defence ministers, army chiefs and senior officers from around the world attend the conference to work on building bridges of understanding and cooperation to foster international peace and security, he added.

Turning to the role of the army in SOFEX, Prince Feisal said the JAF provides everything that can contribute to the success of the event and benefits from the exhibition in developing its own capabilities.

“SOFEX provides many opportunities for joint cooperation between Jordan and other countries to benefit from advanced Jordanian defence equipment and technology, such as the King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau [KADDB] innovations,” he added.

KADDB covers part of JAF’s needs of equipment and defence weapons, which are manufactured according to international standards, Prince Feisal told Petra. 

KADDB also contributes to forming a solid basis for long-term joint investments in the international defence industry by establishing partnerships with distinguished international companies, he said.

SOFEX provides a suitable atmosphere to acquaint international firms with local companies and their manufacturing and marketing capabilities, the prince added.