Qassem Abdu Monday took the oath of office before Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh after a Royal Decree approved his appointment as President of the Legislative and Opinion Bureau.
Source: Jordan News Agency
Day: April 11, 2022
The World Health Organization said on Monday it is tracking a few dozen cases of two new sub-variants of the highly transmissible Omicron strain of the coronavirus to assess whether they are more infectious or dangerous.
It has added BA.4 and BA.5, sister variants of the original BA.1 Omicron variant, to its list for monitoring. It is already tracking BA.1 and BA.2 – now globally dominant – as well as BA.1.1 and BA.3, according to Reuters.
The WHO said it had begun tracking them because of their “additional mutations that need to be further studied to understand their impact on immune escape potential”.
Viruses mutate all the time but only some mutations affect their ability to spread or evade prior immunity from vaccination or infection, or the severity of disease they cause.
For instance, BA.2 now represents nearly 94% of all sequenced cases and is more transmissible than its siblings, but the evidence so far suggests it is no more likely to cause severe disease.
Source: Jordan News Agency
Minister of Agriculture, Khaled Hneifat, on Monday uncovered a new plan to expand the cultivation of field crops (wheat and barley).
The plan includes key themes represented in allocating interest-free loan packages to farmers through the Agricultural Credit Corporation (ACC) to finance costs of production requirements for field crops, and providing seeds to farmers in the areas of cultivation.
Speaking to dialogue session at the Jordan Society for Scientific Research (JSSR), Hneifat said the ministry will provide seeds needed to grow wheat and barley in alignment with geographical areas and the climatic condition of the cultivation areas.
He added that the government will continue to buy local wheat and barley at subsidized prices and higher than international price of these crops to support the sector and reach the highest possible production of these strategic crops, despite the scarcity of water, climatic changes and low rainfall, which greatly affected these crops.
Attendees of the session discussed key plans, strategies and ideas that support the expansion of wheat and barley cultivation, as these crops constitute strategic materials and the cornerstone of the food security pyramid.
They also covered the Agriculture Ministry’s role in supporting all efforts, overcoming challenges, and setting necessary plans to help farmers and achieve the largest possible returns.
Source: Jordan News Agency
Canada said on Monday that it was imposing sanctions on companies in the Russian defence sector and that it was studying options for additional measures in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Monday’s sanctions impose restrictions on 33 entities in Russia’s defence sector for providing assistance to Russia’s military in the conflict, Reuters cited the government as saying in a statement.
“These entities have provided indirect or direct support to the Russian military and are therefore complicit in the pain and suffering stemming from Vladimir Putin’s senseless war in Ukraine,” the statement said.
“Canada continues to monitor the situation, coordinate actions with its international partners and explore options for new measures,” it said.
Canada has imposed sanctions on more than 700 individuals and entities from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus since the invasion on Feb. 24, according to the statement.
Source: Jordan News Agency
Minister of State for Media Affairs, Faisal Shboul, on Monday met at the Prime Ministry with a number of presenters of morning radio shows, as part of the periodic meetings he holds with representatives of media institutions.
Shboul, who is also the government spokesperson, underlined the growing importance of media in communicating, raising awareness, not giving in to rumors and rejecting hate speech.
“The media is currently facing many difficulties and challenges, most notably the poor advertisements and entities preferences to advertise on social media outlets,” Shboul added.
“Countries have identified two types of lost profits on the media, the first relates to the media outlet itself, and the second type relates to countries that impose taxes on advertisements,” He explained.
He noted that the decline in the advertising industry and social media dominance over it made imposed new challenges on media outlets that require collective work to confront.
During the meeting, Shboul highlighted government measures to limit the hike in commodity prices as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, in order to alleviate pressures on citizens, such as reducing customs duties and restructuring them.
For their part, the presenters discussed a number of local issues, most notably the importance of tightening oversight over markets to control the hike in prices of basic commodities by some traders.
They underscored the importance of strengthening government communication with radio stations, activating the role of media spokespersons in ministries and government institutions, to ensure the delivery of information and service to citizens, and to counter rumors that target national achievements.
Source: Jordan News Agency
Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya announced on Monday the introduction of a new entry visa to the Kingdom for a period of five years for several trips, in a bid to ease procedures for tourists and investors.
The decision also grants visa holders a temporary three-month stay that is obtained directly at border posts on each trip.
The ministry said in a press release that it is working to constantly review procedures that will help enhance its national role in achieving economic development, promoting investment, creating a safe environment for investors and simplifying procedures for their travel to and from the Kingdom.
Source: Jordan News Agency
Dozens of Jewish settlers and extremists on Monday raided Al Aqsa Mosque/ Haram Al Sharif in occupied Jerusalem and carried out provocations and prayers at the compound under the escort of Israeli police.
Hardline Jewish groups have called for holding a simulation of the “Passover sacrifice” this afternoon at the Umayyad Palaces adjacent to the walls of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in the Old City of Jerusalem.
The call came after a rabbinical meeting that discussed imposing Passover prayers at Al Aqsa, and following calls from far-right rabbis and pledges from leaders of so-called “Temple Mount” groups to hold the Passover sacrifice rituals at Al-Aqsa on Friday evening, the 14th day of the holy month of Ramadan.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest shrines, is the scene of daily raids by Jewish zealots and settlers, both in the morning and evening, excluding Fridays and Saturdays, in the occupation authority’s attempt to impose the temporal division of the sacred site.
Source: Jordan News Agency
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Moderate weather forecast on Monday
Temperatures on Monday are forecast to slightly drop, bringing spring weather conditions in the mountains and the plains while it will be warm elsewhere, the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) said in its daily update.
Clouds will appear at high and medium altitudes, with northwesterly moderate to brisk winds, stirring dust in the Badia.
On Tuesday, the Kingdom will be affected by a relatively cold and wet air mass, that will push temperatures 3-5 degrees Celsius below annual average. The weather will be partly cloudy in the mountains and the plains, and pleasant in other areas, the JMD added.
Mercury levels will slightly edge up on Wednesday, but relatively cold weather will persist in high areas, the weather department said.
Mercury in Amman today will range between a high of 25 degrees Celsius and a low of 8C at night, while the port city of Aqaba will see a high of 31C, sliding to 17C at night.
Source: Jordan News Agency
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti said that the Jordan Armed Forces- Arab Army (JAF) continues to develop its units and enhance their capabilities to effectively carry out their tasks in defending the country.
He spoke during a Ramadan Iftar banquet on Sunday evening with officers of the Special Battalion 101, one of the units of the King Abdullah II Special Forces Group, in the presence of the assistant for administration and manpower and the group’s commander.
Huneiti met senior officers and conveyed to them the greetings of His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, expressing his pride in the battalion’s efforts.
Source: Jordan News Agency