Jordan News UpdatesThe Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) closed Tuesday’s trading session up by 0.55 percent at 2,187 points. A total of 4.2 million shares were traded through 2,675 transactions at a trading value of JD5.9million.
The closing prices of 29 companies with traded shares went up, while 29 others declined. The prices of the shares of 31 others remained unchanged.
SOURCE: JORDAN NEWS AGENCY
Cold weather conditions are expected to prevail countrywide on Tuesday despite a slight rise in temperatures, with clouds at low altitudes and southeasterly to southwesterly moderate winds, the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) said in its daily update.
On Wednesday, a new depression accompanied by a polar front is expected to bring snowfall in the mountainous regions, particularly in the areas located 800m above sea level, accumulating varyingly according to altitude.
Biting cold weather with rainfall will prevail in much of the country, the JMD said, adding that the downpour will be heavy at times, with thunderstorms and hail, causing flash floods in the valleys and low-lying areas.
The weather department predicts a further drop in mercury levels on Thursday, marking 7-9 degrees below annual average, with cloudy, rainy and icy-cold conditions across the Kingdom.
Today, the maximum and minimum temperatures in eastern Amman will range from 9 Celsius degrees to 2C during night, while highs in western Amman will be 7C and lows at 0C. The Gulf of Aqaba will see a fair 19C, dropping to 8C at night hours.
In a first in the Kingdom, the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) has introduced a robotic surgery system that is hoped to assist doctors to perform minimally invasive surgeries.
Doctors at the center have already used the system and successfully removed a cancerous mass from a patient, according to a KHCC statement released Tuesday.
“We are proud that Jordan has accessed the latest surgical technology that will have a significant impact on advancing the treatment we provide to our patients,” said Her Royal Highness Princess Ghida Talal, chairperson of the board of trustees of the King Hussein Cancer Foundation and Center (KHCF) and (KHCC).
She added: “Our commitment to keeping abreast with the latest developments in cancer treatment is part of the mission of the KHCF and KHCC to embrace cancer patients and treat them in a holistic manner and according to the highest international standards.”
The system allows surgeons to perform complex surgeries with greater control, accuracy and flexibility than conventional surgery. It also speeds up postoperative recovery because it is already minimally invasive. In addition, it will reduce patient waiting times for surgery appointments.
Nevertheless, the use of robotics will be decided by doctors and in certain surgeries such as prostatectomy, nephrectomy, hysterectomy and colectomy.
SOURCE: JORDAN NEWS AGENCY
The total number of global COVID-19 deaths has surged to 5.6 million, as of Tuesday, according to the Johns Hopkins University.
In its latest update, the university revealed that the current global caseload reached around 355.6 million, adding that more than 282.3 million patients have recovered from the disease.
SOURCE: JORDAN NEWS AGENCY
Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh Tuesday received Palestinian Transport Minister Assem Salem, in the presence of Jordanian Transport Minister Wajeeh Azaizeh.
The PM stressed the “special historical and brotherly” relations between the people of Jordan and Palestine, which His Majesty King Abdullah and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas are keen to enhance.
He reiterated Jordan’s strong support of the Palestinian people’s right to establish an independent state along the lines of June 4, 1967, with Jerusalem as its capital under the two-state solutions.
Jordan, Khasawneh stressed, stands with the Palestinians with all its abilities and expertise to help their steadfastness and the restoration of their legitimate rights.
For his part, the Palestinian minister lauded the Kingdom’s support, underlining the historical deep-rooted ties.
“We take pride in our relations with Jordan, which is our gateway to the outside world”, he said, noting tech support offered by Jordan to Palestinian ministries and institution in many domains.
The Palestinian minister indicated his ministry’s interest in benefiting from Jordan’s transport expertise and the use of smart applications and relevant legislation.
SOURCE: JORDAN NEWS AGENCY
The Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC) Tuesday said that the new electricity tariff will go into effect as of April, 2022, in line with a cabinet decision announced in August last year.
It said that the current tariff, which has been in place for years, will remain in force until the new one takes effect, and thus any undue rise in the electricity bill can only be ascribed to rising consumption during the cold weather conditions.
The EMRC assured that it is monitoring electricity distribution companies to check on adherence to meter read dates according to the commission’s instructions.
SOURCE: JORDAN NEWS AGENCY
Head of the Lower House Foreign Affairs Committee MP Khaldoun Hina said Tuesday that Jordan is keen on tranquility in southern Syria, which offers “a solid ground” for future cooperation between the two neighbouring countrie.
During a meeting with Russian ambassador Gleb Desyatnikov, Hina mentioned the electricity and gas supply lines to Lebanon, which run across Syrian territory, calling it the beginning of the restoration of security and stability on Syrian soil.
He stressed Russia’s key role in evicting terrorist groups from Southern Syria, calling for a crackdown on smugglers and not to allow any non-Syrian parties to stay close to the Jordanian border.
Hina said that any breakdown on the Jordanian-Syrian border could heat up the situation and whip up more chaos that will affect all parties, and this might be attributed to the return of terrorist organisations, the committee said in a press release.
Lawmakers highlighted the key Russian role in the Middle East, and also stressed the need to find a solution to the Palestinian issue.
For his part, Desyatnikov said that Moscow recognises the Hashemite custodianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, and also supports finding a solution to the Palestinian issue within international legitimacy resolutions.
He also said Russia valued Jordan’s position advocating for security and stability in Syria and the region at large, adding “we will cooperate and work with Jordan to restore Syria’s security and stability, especially the south of the country.”
The Russian envoy expressed his condolences to the Jordanian people over the recent killing of a number of Jordanian border guard soldiers during clashes with drug smugglers.
SOURCE: JORDAN NEWS AGENCY
Around 400,000 people have received the booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine so far, said Adel Bilbeisi, health adviser at the prime minister’s office and the official in charge of the COVID-19 crisis.
In a statement to the Jordan News Agency (Petra) Tuesday, Bilbeisi stressed the need to receive the third dose three months after the second shot, noting that it enhances immunity against the virus and its variants by 80 percent.
About 40 percent of the Kingdom’s population over the age of 18 were given the vaccine, 70 percent of whom got the first jab, and 65 percent got the second, the COVID-19 pointman indicated.
Bilbeisi predicted an increase in the number of coronavirus infections over the next two weeks as the fourth wave of the respiratory disease continues, which saw a spread of the Delta and Omicron variants. He said the peak of this wave will hit during the first week of February.
On hospital admissions, he assured that coronavirus patients’ admission and occupancy rate is “comforting,” reaching about 30 percent. Death rate from the virus has significantly dropped, he underscored, as the national immunization campaign continues.
On easing COVID-19 restrictions, Bilbeisi stated that the government will introduce new measures after the end of the fourth wave.
Moreover, Bilbeisi pointed out that the vaccination campaign targeting students from the 7th to the 12th grade has administered the first shot to 2,900 students out of the 972,440 students who have registered for the vaccine. He urged parents to give consent to vaccinate their children, which plays a major role in the return to in-person education.
Bilbeisi said that the ministry decided to immunize children aged 5-11 years old, but it has not yet been implemented due to the need for special procedures and arrangements.
“There are no compelling reasons for a lockdown,” assured Bilbeisi, underling that the Kingdom’s health sector is going strong. He pointed out that each country makes its own decisions regarding easing or lifting restrictions based on its epidemiological situation and vaccination rates.
He reiterated the need to get the vaccinations for anyone about the age of 11, calling on the public to adhere to safety procedures and precautionary measures including wearing a face mask, and social distancing.
“Talk of the end of the pandemic following the spread of the Omicron variant is misinformed,” Bilbeisi stressed, indicating that a virus that spreads quickly is unpredictable, especially as the vaccination rate is still below par.
SOURCE: JORDAN NEWS AGENCY
All government departments will close at 12:00pm Wednesday and Thursday will be a holiday for the public and private sectors under a government decision announced Tuesday as weather forecasts point to snowfall to start across the Kingdom tomorrow.
SOURCE: JORDAN NEWS AGENCY
The Ministry of Health reported Tuesday a record 11,813 Covid-19 cases as well as 14 deaths in the past 24 hours, raising the caseload from the pandemic to 1,164,339 and the death toll to 13,102.
The ministry said in the daily brief issued jointly with the Prime Ministry that 22.45% of 52,623 PCR tests collected across the country came back positive.
It said that the number of currently active cases stood at 57,439, including 151 patients that were admitted today to hospitals, raising the number of cases now hospitalized to 720.
On the capacity of hospitals, the figures showed that the occupancy rate of isolation beds in the northern region was 11%, intensive care beds 25% and respirators 9%.
In the central region, 20% of isolation beds were occupied, intensive care beds occupancy was 34% and respirators 14%, it said.
In the southern region, the occupancy rate of isolation beds was 8%, intensive care beds 5% and respirators 4%, according to the ministry’s figures.
It also reported that 3,493 Covid patients have recovered, bringing expected total recoveries after the end of the 14-day isolation period to 1,093,798.
The daily brief put the number of people who got the first dose of Covid vaccines at 4,564,321 and those who were double vaccinated to 4,181,239.
SOURCE: JORDAN NEWS AGENCY