Jordan News UpdatesThe Russian Coronavirus Control Center on Thursday said that the country recorded 740 COVID-19 deaths and 21,155 cases in the past 24 hours.
In a press statement, the center stated that total number of cases rose to 10.7 million and the death toll to 319,172, while the total number of recovery cases has reached 9.78 million.
Source: Jordan News Agency
The New York Times ranked the Dana Biosphere Reserve 25th out of 52 global sites that are considered the most prominent and most beautiful in the world.
The newspaper highlighted the Dana Reserve as a site worth visiting, which combines a deeply rooted history, unique environmental components and breathtaking natural beauty.
“Perched on a cliff overlooking the central valley of Jordan’s largest nature reserve stand the quaint Ottoman-era stone houses of Dana Village. Once abandoned by its original inhabitants, the settlement is being brought back to life through an ecotourism project that aims to preserve the area’s biodiversity by empowering local communities,” it said.
Speaking on Dana’s inclusion on the list, the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) said that the Dana Biosphere Reserve has won dozens of international awards, calling it a “treasure and natural and cultural heritage.”
Additionally, the Dana Biosphere Reserve is the first national reserve to be listed on the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization’s Man and the Biosphere Program, the RSCN added.
The Dana Reserve, it added, provides a unique model in environmental economy, creating job opportunities for the local community. Some 85 people from the local community are employed at the reserve, while 500 families benefit indirectly from it as the reserve purchases its supplies from the community.
Source: Jordan News Agency
A joint maritime drill implemented by the Royal Jordanian Navy and Saudi Arabia’s Royal Naval Forces, concluded on Thursday.
Codenamed “Safe Beach-five”, the five-day drill included combat techniques using a host of small- and medium-calibre guns with the aim of exchanging expertise and combat skills and achieving harmony in the implementation of joint military operations.
The drill is part of annual training plans and programs implemented by the General Command of the Jordanian Armed Forces – Arab Army to improve the efficiency of its personnel and to meet operational requirements and address challenges and potential threats.
Source: Jordan News Agency
A total of 4.5 million passengers traveled through the Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) in 2021, compared with 2 million in 2020, signaling a major increase of 120 percent year on year (YoY).
Chief Commissioner of the Jordan Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission Haitham Misto told Petra on Thursday that the airport handled a total of 46,603 aircraft movements in 2021 against 24,221 in 2020, indicating a growth of 92 percent.
Source: Jordan News Agency
The Senate on Thursday returned a package of amendments to the Constitution that had been approved by the lower chamber of Parliament after the senators rejected an amendment that imposed a conditional ban on commercial dealings between legislators and the government.
Nevertheless, the Senate passed all amendments as referred by the Lower House, except for Paragraph 2 of Article 75 of the Constitution.
The original amendment, as passed earlier by the Lower House, prohibits members of both chambers of parliament, while in office, from concluding any contract, lease, sale, barter, or any other type of contract with the government, public official institutions or public institutions or companies owned or controlled by the government.
The amendment to Articles 74 and 75 of the Constitution, which won a majority of 111 deputies, excluded cases in which the senator or deputy, prior to membership, is a shareholder or partner with ownership of at least 2%, and leases of land and property signed before membership in either chamber of Parliament.
The premise that the senators built their rejection of the amendment on is “that the state needs to contract with national companies and that the threshold of beneficial ownership is 5 percent or more.” Therefore, the Senators proposed that the threshold be increased to 5 percent instead of 2 percent approved by the Lower House.
The Senate’s amendment to the said article prohibits lawmakers from intervening in contracts that the government may sign with companies they have stakes in at the set ratio.
Source: Jordan News Agency
The Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) thwarted two attempts to smuggle “large” quantities of narcotic pills and raided 3 drug dealers in Zarqa governorate in possession of 21kg hashish and two firearms.
In a statement on Thursday, the media spokesperson for the Public Security Directorate (PSD) said the AND’s agents dealt during the past few days with three specific cases through their daily efforts to follow up, monitor and end all activities related to drug trafficking, promotion and smuggling.
In the first case, the AND tracked down a group of drug dealers and pushers in Zarqa governorate, who used a tent in a desert area to store narcotic substances, which was raided and 3 suspects were arrested, in possession of 21kg hashish, in addition to two firearms, one automatic, the official said.
Meanwhile at a border crossing, the AND agents suspected a cargo vehicle arriving to the Kingdom loaded with fruit and a thorough search was made. About 200,000 narcotic pills hidden in secret caches in the vehicle’s body were seized. The bust was carried out, in cooperation with the Jordanian customs and security services, the official noted.
After investigating the case, the identity of the shipment recipient was identified, who was arrested, alongside the truck driver, the official added.
In the last case, a drug dealer who owned “large” quantities of narcotic pills smuggled from a neighboring country for sale inside the Kingdom was nabbed, in possession of 40,000 narcotic pills, the official pointed out.
All cases and arrested suspects were referred to the State Security Court (SSC)’s public prosecutor, the spokesperson announced.
Source: Jordan News Agency