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King Abdullah Gets COVID-19 Jab as Jordan Reopens Economic Sectors

Jordan’s King Abdullah II was vaccinated alongside his son and Crown Prince Hussein and his uncle Prince Hassan in Amman on Jan. 14, 2021, the royal palace said. (Twitter/@RHCJO)
Jordan’s King Abdullah II was vaccinated alongside his son and Crown Prince Hussein and his uncle Prince Hassan in Amman on Jan. 14, 2021, the royal palace said. (Twitter/@RHCJO)
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King Abdullah Gets COVID-19 Jab as Jordan Reopens Economic Sectors

Jordan’s King Abdullah II was vaccinated alongside his son and Crown Prince Hussein and his uncle Prince Hassan in Amman on Jan. 14, 2021, the royal palace said. (Twitter/@RHCJO)
Jordan’s King Abdullah II was vaccinated alongside his son and Crown Prince Hussein and his uncle Prince Hassan in Amman on Jan. 14, 2021, the royal palace said. (Twitter/@RHCJO)

Jordan’s King Abdullah II received a COVID-19 vaccine jab on Thursday, a day after the country launched its inoculation campaign.

Also, Crown Prince Hussein and his uncle Prince Hassan received the vaccine jab, according to a tweet by the royal palace.

Jordan kicked off its COVID-19 vaccinations on Wednesday with injections for health care workers, people with chronic illnesses and those over the age of 60.

It also suspended Fridays' blanket lockdown and ordered the gradual reopening of economic sectors.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Jordanian Health Minister Nathir Obeidat said that the situation has changed over the past weeks but hoped for further improvement following the national vaccination campaign.

Also, the Head of the Amman Chamber of Commerce Khalil Hajj Tawfiq hailed the recent decisions by the government, saying that it would alleviate the economic hardship that everyone is suffering from.

Jordan’s Prime Minister Bisher Al-Khasawneh had announced earlier easing restrictions on the mobility of citizens and the closed sectors.

Regarding education, Minister of State for Media Affairs and Government Spokesperson Ali Al-Ayed said in-class attendance will start gradually in Feb for the second semester while abiding by precautionary measures and protocols set by the Ministry of Education.

Al-Ayed pointed out that new procedures include stopping the Visit Jordan platform for those arriving in the Kingdom by air who are only required to bring a PCR test with a negative result within 72 hours of the date of arrival, in addition to testing upon arrival at the airport, except for children.

He stressed that reopening sectors and easing procedures constantly depends mainly on the commitment of citizens and businesses to the necessary means of prevention from the pandemic.

Jordan has recorded 16 deaths and 1,075 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, bringing the total number of infections since the beginning of the crisis to 312,043, while death toll has risen to 4,107.

The health ministry on Thursday noted that the total number of cases of a more contagious variant first identified in England had risen to 25, with most of the people who arrived in Jordan from abroad.

The government has said it hopes to vaccinate a quarter of the country’s 10 million inhabitants, and the jab would be given free of charge to Jordanians and foreign residents.

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Sudan’s Paramilitary Unleashes Drones on Key Targets in Port Sudan

Smoke billows after a drone strike on the port of Port Sudan on May 6, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Smoke billows after a drone strike on the port of Port Sudan on May 6, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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Sudan’s Paramilitary Unleashes Drones on Key Targets in Port Sudan

Smoke billows after a drone strike on the port of Port Sudan on May 6, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Smoke billows after a drone strike on the port of Port Sudan on May 6, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

Sudan’s paramilitary unleashed drones on the Red Sea city of Port Sudan early Tuesday, hitting key targets there, including the airport, the port and a hotel, military officials said. The barrage was the second such attack this week on a city that had been a hub for people fleeing Sudan's two-year war.

There was no immediate word on casualties or the extent of damage. Local media reported loud sounds of explosions and fires at the port and the airport. Footage circulating online showed thick smoke rising over the area.

The attack on Port Sudan, which also serves as an interim seat for Sudan's military-allied government, underscores that after two years of fighting, the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces are still capable of threatening each other’s territory.

The RSF drones struck early in the morning, said two Sudanese military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Abdel-Rahman al-Nour, a Port Sudan resident, said he woke up to strong explosions, and saw fires and plumes of black smoke rising over the port. Msha’ashir Ahmed, a local journalist living in Port Sudan, said fires were still burning late Tuesday morning in the southern vicinity of the maritime port.

The RSF did not release any statements on the attack. On Sunday, the paramilitary force struck Port Sudan for the first time in the war, disrupting air traffic in the city’s airport, which has been the main entry point for the county in the last two years.

A military ammunition warehouse in the Othman Daqna airbase in the city was also hit, setting off a fire that burned for two days.

When the fighting in Sudan broke out, the focus of the battles initially was the country's capital, Khartoum, which turned into a war zone. Within weeks, Port Sudan, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) to the east of Khartoum, turned into a safe haven for the displaced and those fleeing the war. Many aid missions and UN agencies moved their offices there.

The attacks on Port Sudan are also seen as retaliation after the Sudanese military earlier this month struck the Nyala airport in South Darfur, which the paramilitary RSF has turned into a base and where it gets shipments of arms, including drones.