Jordan's King Abdullah II gives a speech during the inauguration of parliament in Amman on December 10, 2020. AP
Jordan's King Abdullah II gives a speech during the inauguration of parliament in Amman on December 10, 2020. AP
Jordan's King Abdullah II gives a speech during the inauguration of parliament in Amman on December 10, 2020. AP
Jordan's King Abdullah II gives a speech during the inauguration of parliament in Amman on December 10, 2020. AP

Jordan 2021 Cabinet reshuffle: Who are the kingdom's new ministers?


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Jordan’s King Abdullah this week appointed new ministers of interior and justice in a Cabinet reshuffle after their predecessors stepped down for breaching emergency Covid-19 containment rules.

Eight other new ministers were appointed to the 28-minister Cabinet.

Bisher Al Khasawneh, a former diplomat, is still prime minister. The king appointed Mr Al Khasawneh in October amid a surge of coronavirus deaths and infections.

Labour Minister Maen Qatamin resigned after the reshuffle because the additional role he played to promote investment had been taken away.

The main roles to change hands were interior and justice.

It came after ministers were caught two weeks ago attending a banquet at a restaurant without observing coronavirus restrictions, in  breach of the country's emergency law.

The two ministers, Samir Mubaidin and Bassam Al Talhouni, were among the highest-ranking officials in charge of enforcing virus rules.

Here are the new names in Jordan’s Government:

Interior Minister Mazen Al Faraya

Jordan's King Abdullah II swears in Mazen Al Faraya as the Minister of Interior at Basman Palace. Courtesy Royal Hashemite Court
Jordan's King Abdullah II swears in Mazen Al Faraya as the Minister of Interior at Basman Palace. Courtesy Royal Hashemite Court

Mr Al Faraya is an army officer and headed the coronavirus response team.

Justice Minister Ahmad Al Ziadat

Mr Al Ziadat was dean of law at the University of Jordan and has a PhD from Britain.

Minister of State for Media Affairs Sakhr Dodin

Jordan's King Abdullah II swears in Sakhr Dodin as Minister of State for Media Affairs at Basman Palace. Courtesy Royal Hashemite Court
Jordan's King Abdullah II swears in Sakhr Dodin as Minister of State for Media Affairs at Basman Palace. Courtesy Royal Hashemite Court

The position is the same as the government’s spokesman. Mr Dodin is an engineer-businessman. He sits on the board of several charities.

Culture Minister Ali Al Ayed

Jordan's King Abdullah II swears in Ali Al Ayed as new Minister of Culture. Courtesy Royal Hashemite Court
Jordan's King Abdullah II swears in Ali Al Ayed as new Minister of Culture. Courtesy Royal Hashemite Court

Mr Al Ayed was Mr Dodin’s predecessor. He was Jordan’s ambassador to Israel in the late 2000s.

Transport Minister Wajih Azaizeh

Jordan's King Abdullah II swears in Wajih Azaiza as Minister of Transport at Basman Palace. Courtesy Royal Hashemite Court
Jordan's King Abdullah II swears in Wajih Azaiza as Minister of Transport at Basman Palace. Courtesy Royal Hashemite Court

Mr Azaizeh was minister of social affairs twice in the last decade. He is a member of a government committee entrusted with maintaining the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Irrigation Minister Mohammed Al Najjar

Jordan's King Abdullah II swears in Mohammed Al Najjar as Minister of Water and Irrigation at Basman Palace. Courtesy Royal Hashemite Court
Jordan's King Abdullah II swears in Mohammed Al Najjar as Minister of Water and Irrigation at Basman Palace. Courtesy Royal Hashemite Court

Mr Al Najjar has held the same ministerial position multiple times in the last decade. He headed several departments in the government’s water sector in the 1980s and 1990s and was in charge of a sewage master plan for Amman and the adjacent city of Zarqa.

Agriculture Minister Khaled Al Huneifat

Mr Al Huneifat held the same position three years ago. Before that he headed the municipality of Tafileh in southern Jordan.

Education Minister Mohammad Abu Qudeis

Mr Qudeis taught mechanical engineering in the United States and headed the University of Yarmouk in north Jordan.

Legal affairs minister Mahmoud Kharabsheh

Mr Al Kharabsheh was a lawyer and an intelligence officer.

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Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

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A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

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Race card

6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1.600m

7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 2,000m

7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,600m

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4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

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Atletico Madrid 1 (Costa 39')

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Friday Valladolid v Osasuna (Kick-off midnight UAE)

Saturday Valencia v Athletic Bilbao (5pm), Getafe v Sevilla (7.15pm), Huesca v Alaves (9.30pm), Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid (midnight)

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Monday Celta Vigo v Cadiz (midnight)

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Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.