Day: April 13, 2022

Heavy rainstorms and hail have left nearly 400,000 households without power in Ziyang, southwest China’s Sichuan province, the country’s authorities said late Tuesday.

The extreme weather damaged 42 10-kilovolt power lines across the city, leaving over 350,000 households without power.

In Anyue County, approximately 10,000 people in 11 townships were affected by the storms, with 20 people sustaining minor injuries.

The county recorded precipitation of up to 108.6 millimeters and was hit by its strongest gale since records began, which packed winds of up to 134.6 kilometers per hour, according to the county’s meteorological department.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday condemned the ongoing extremists’ calls to intensify the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif compound.

In a statement, Ministry Spokesperson Haitham Abu Al Foul warned against allowing the extremists to carry out provocative acts that violate the sanctity of the holy site, which is a place of worship for Muslims only.

The spokesperson also called on respecting the legal and historical status quo of Jerusalem, and to stop all measures that impede the ability of worshipers to reach Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ) has collaborated with the German Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association (BORDA) to build an updated geographic database and create a sanitation hot spots map “vulnerability assessment” to identify areas with vulnerable sanitation systems.

A statement by the Ministry of Water on Wednesday said that identifying areas with sanitation reform priority requires evaluation and analysis of indicators, using a Geographic Information System (GIS).

It added that the map would guide decision-makers in the government, private entities, donors and international organizations to plan and implement sanitation projects on account of needs and priorities.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and Turkey’s “Solvest Trade and Industry Limited Company” on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to mine copper in Abu Khashaba Canyon and Ghor Fifa in southern Jordan.

The deal was signed by Energy Minister Saleh Kharabsheh and the company’s president. The mining project will be implemented on a 20-km² plot of land after studies had shown large and concentrated quantities of copper ore, the minister said in a press conference.

During the MoU’s one-year period, the company will conduct several mining and exploration studies to evaluate copper underground repositories, he added.

He said the studies will include remote sensing, geochemical mining, sampling, drilling and 3d modeling.

According to Kharabsheh, if the project is proven feasible, the company will submit a preliminary economic feasibility study for copper mining. If the company decides to go further with the project, a deal will be signed under a special law, he noted.

Kharabsheh stressed the importance of the agreement in “giving the sector the attention it needs” to leverage natural resources and focus on manufacturing and attracting investment.

Source: Jordan News Agency

An armed masked man on Tuesday morning threw a smoke bomb in a Brooklyn subway in New York and fired 33 rounds of a semi-auto weapon, injuring at least 29 people.

Police later identified Frank James, 62, as a “person of interest” in the shooting but have not yet determined if he was the triggerman, New York Post reported. The convict had previously made “bizarre” threatening rants on YouTube.

The cause of the shooting is yet to be known, said police in a press conference after the incident.

US Law Enforcement forces said the perpetrator was wearing a gas mask and an orange construction vest but fled the scene.

Source: Jordan News Agency

-Some 63% and 61% of Jordanians believe that the government succeeded in supporting Palestinians and Jordan Armed Forces (JAF)-Arab Army, respectively, a poll conducted by The University of Jordan’s Center for Strategic Studies (CSS), revealed on Wednesday.

The survey, conducted between March 27 to April 2, sought to examine Jordanians’ opinions on Dr. Bishr Khasawneh’s government a year-a half after after its formation.

Speaking at a press conference Wednesday, CSS director said the survey was implemented on a national sample comprised of 1,268 Jrespondents, and 320 participants are opinion leaders.

Regarding the key poll results, 42% of Jordanians thought the government’s succeeded in improving the Kingdom’s health system and increasing the insured categories.

Moreover, 48% respondents said the gov’t developed the healthcare centers network, meanwhile 49% believed the gov’t consolidated the rule of law principle and 9% thought it succeeded in providing job opportunities, according to the survey.

In addition, 36% and 40% of Jordanians and opinion leaders, respectively, trust the government, compared to 44% who showed confidence in it in a poll conducted after a year of the Cabinet’s formation, the poll showed.

Meanwhile, 54% and 95% of Jordanians and opinion leaders, respectively, follow up the current government’s decisions since its formation until now, the survey revealed.

In this regard, 36% and 39% of Jordanians and opinion leaders, respectively, believe that the government “successfully” assumed the responsibilities of the last stage.

Source: Jordan News Agency