Month: July 2022

A slight drop in temperatures is expected on Sunday, bringing relatively hot weather in the highlands and the plains, while it will be hot in the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea, Aqaba and the Badia areas, the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) said in its daily update.

Over the next two days, similar weather conditions will persist, with northwesterly moderate winds, picking up at times, the JMD added.

The highs in Amman and other highlands across the Kingdom today will range between 34 and 29 degrees Celsius, dropping at night to 22C or even 20C in the southern highlands. In the Gulf city of Aqaba, it will be much hotter with mercury reaching a high of 40C and a low of 28C.

Source: Jordan News Agency

China’s digital economy reached $7.1 trillion in 2021, according to a white paper on the global digital economy issued by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology on Friday.

The country’s digital economy accounts for more than 18 percent of the amount of 47 major countries included in the research, ranking second after the United States, said the white paper.

“Digital economy is a key force driving China’s economic development,” the white paper indicated, showing that from 2012 to 2021, the average growth rate of China’s digital economy was 15.9 percent, and the country’s digital economy’s share in GDP increased from 20.9 percent to 39.8 percent.

According to the research, Germany, Britain, and the United States ranked among the top three in terms of their digital economy’s share in GDP, all exceeding 65 percent. While in terms of growth rate, Norway’s digital economy increased by 34.4 percent year on year, the fastest globally.

Source: Jordan News Agency

“Thoughts on Canvas” is the name of an exhibition by young artist Nour El Khatib. El Khatib’s reflections on growing up in the United States as a 17-year-old are on display at Gallery Ouitque, which opened its doors to the public on Saturday.

The exhibition features 15 pieces which El Khatib prepared in less than two weeks during her summer break in Jordan.

El Khatib claims that her creations have deep symbolic meaning and continues, “Art is a way of communication with everything around me, whether it be beauty or agony. Each piece is a reflection of a personal experience I have had, especially over the past two years as I have navigated my own mental health journey. I learned during these years that I can use art as a means of self-discovery and problem-solving. I was able to express myself, deal with some of my personal issues, and find peace of mind because of art.”

According to El Khatib, the beauty of any form of art is found in its capacity to convey a sincere message; even though her pieces may appear unconventional to some, El Khatib claims they reflect this. Each painting, in her opinion, conveys a message about a particular subject that cannot be expressed in words.

She explains that the beauty of art is that “it allows us to temporarily escape our troubled and chaotic reality.” She claims art is the only medium that allows her thoughts to flow freely and permits her to express herself indirectly.

Suhail Baqain, a visual artist, helped El Khatib realize her dream of running a gallery in her native nation. Despite her youth, El Khatib has an impressive way of expressing herself, according to Baqain, who believes she has a promising future in the arts.

Proceeds from her art sales will be donated to Khaluna Nefarhum, a charity that funds eye surgeries for impoverished kids.

The exhibition will be on display until Tuesday at Gallery Ouitque in Jabal Al Weibdeh, in the heart of Amman. Gallery Ouitque was established by young artist Lama Saada three months ago to serve as a cultural platform to support and embrace young talent and give them the opportunity to spread creativity.

The gallery was named Ouitque, which means ancient, and was inspired by the Phoenician civilization, particularly one of their oldest cities, (Utik), which fits with the old town of Al Weibdeh, which is now a center of art, culture, and beauty.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Twenty of the 28 rumors that circulated through local media and social media during the month of July came from social networking sites, according to the Jordanian Media Credibility Monitor, “Akeed.”

The observatory’s report, which came out on Sunday, said that there were fewer rumors in July than in June, when there were 39.

According to the report, security-related rumors ranked first with 10 out of 28 or 36 percent, followed by economic rumors with 7, or 25 percent, and public affairs rumors with 6, or 21 percent of the total.

With 3 rumors and 11 percent, health rumors ranked fourth, while political rumors ranked fifth with 2 rumors and 7 percent. No social rumors were recorded, the report revealed.

Twenty-six rumors, or 93 percent of the total 28 rumors, originated from local sources, such as social media or news websites, according to the report, while only two rumors, or 7 percent of the total, originated from foreign sources.

Twenty rumors, or 71 percent of the total, originated from local social media, while eight rumors, or 29 percent, originated from traditional media.

The observatory asserted that the fundamental rule when handling any content created by users of social networking sites is to not re-publish it unless it has been substantiated by a credible source.

The observatory cautioned that relying on the users of these sites as a source of news without considering the veracity of the content leads to the publication of a great deal of incorrect and inaccurate news, as well as the propagation of rumors and false information.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Jordan Europe Business Association (JEBA) and the Embassy of Spain have organized a Jordanian-Spanish evening with the participation of JEBA members who represent various economic sectors in Spain.

In a statement released on Sunday, JEBA President Ali Murad commended the embassy’s efforts to achieve the “highest level” of bilateral cooperation with Jordan in a variety of sectors of mutual interest.

In its future plans, the association will organize a number of initiatives aimed at advancing people’s businesses and strengthening Jordanian-Spanish economic ties, he said.

For his part, the Spanish ambassador, Miguel de Lucas, lauded the “solid bilateral ties” with Jordan and reaffirmed Spain’s commitment to advancing relations further in the interest of both nations.

During the event, the commercial attaché of the embassy highlighted investment opportunities, areas of cooperation, and trade between the countries.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Two of the hardest-hit U.S. regions have raised the alert level over the monkeypox outbreak.

San Francisco declared a public health emergency Thursday. The city accounts for 281 of California’s nearly 800 cases. The declaration gives health officials access to additional resources to deal with the outbreak.

New York, with nearly 1,400 cases statewide, made a similar declaration Thursday.

Worldwide, more than 21,000 cases have been reported in 78 countries, nearly all of them outside West and Central Africa, where the virus is endemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) raised the threat level to its highest ranking last weekend.

The U.S. case count is nearing 5,000, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The federal government has not declared an emergency but announced plans Thursday to distribute nearly 800,000 additional doses of monkeypox vaccine.

U.S. health officials said they had already distributed 340,000 doses, but many jurisdictions have reported that they have had to turn away patients because of short supplies.

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions.

Who gets monkeypox, and how?

The outbreak has been concentrated among men who have sex with men, though anyone can get monkeypox.

The virus spreads through contact with the rash that infected patients develop. It can also pass through bodily fluids, respiratory droplets after prolonged face-to-face contact or contaminated clothing, bedding or towels.

Men who have sex with men should have fewer sex partners in order to curb the spread, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday.

“This is an outbreak that can be stopped,” Tedros said. “The best way to do that is to reduce the risk of exposure.”

However, he added, intolerance of homosexuality would not help.

“Stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus, and can fuel the outbreak,” Tedros said.

What are the symptoms? Is it fatal?

The disease causes fever, headache, muscle pain, fatigue and swollen lymph nodes, followed by a rash, usually on the face, palms and soles of the feet. About a third of cases also develop a rash on the genitals.

The strain of monkeypox responsible for the global outbreak is rarely fatal but can be extremely painful, according to the CDC. About 10% of cases have been hospitalized “to manage the pain caused by the disease,” Tedros said.

Five deaths have been reported — three in Nigeria and two in the Central African Republic.

What about vaccines and treatments?

About 16 million doses of vaccine are available worldwide, but most will take several months to be packaged and distributed, according to the WHO, which is recommending vaccination only for people at high risk, including people exposed to an infected person, health workers and people with multiple sex partners.

People vaccinated against smallpox likely have some protection against monkeypox, which is a related virus. Smallpox vaccination ended after the disease was declared eradicated in 1980.

Several antiviral medications have been approved.

How unusual is this outbreak?

The current outbreak is the first time this many cases have occurred in such widely dispersed areas outside the endemic countries in West and Central Africa.

Europe accounts for two-thirds of the cases. Nearly one-fifth are in the United States.

WHO’s advisory committee did not agree on the magnitude of the threat at its meeting last Saturday, but Tedros made the decision to declare a “public health emergency of international concern,” the agency’s highest threat assessment.

Source: Voice of America