Jordan will reopen its airport next month to commercial flights from 10 countries deemed to have low-risk coronavirus levels, a government spokesman said.

Amjad Al Adayleh told the official news agency that a list of green countries from which flights will be allowed into Queen Alia International Airport, the kingdoms main airport south of Amman, include Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Hong Kong and Thailand.

No date has been set for the reopening, he said.

Mr Al Adayleh said any resident or national of the 10 countries with a low risk pandemic situation will be allowed entry into Jordan.

Travellers from these destinations will not be subjected to quarantine so long as they have undergone a Covid-19 test 72 hours prior to arrival, he said.

Mr Al Adayleh said that Jordan is a moderate risk country, citing continued infections from within the kingdom.

He said a major indicator of whether the coronavirus risk in Jordan could decrease would be 10 days passing without recording a single case traced to local sources of infection.

The danger is still there despite recording a limited number of local cases lately, Mr Al Adayleh said.

Jordan lifted most coronavirus-related bans last month but an overnight curfew remains in place and gatherings of more than 20 people are not allowed. The government said this week that schools would be allowed to reopen in September.

Official data shows that 1,200 people have been infected with the coronavirus in Jordan and 10 deaths have been recorded.

A doctor from the Palestinian ministry of health stands next to a map tracking the location of people infected with the coronavirus, in Hebron in the occupied West Bank. AFP

A worker checks the temperature of people who are going to pray at a mosque in Rabat, Morocco. With the exception of Friday prayer, mosques reopened for the first time since their closure in March following the coronavirus outbreak. AP Photo

A Palestinian youth sells sweets by the beach in Gaza City as coronavirus restriction eases. AFP

A health worker conducts a coronavirus test at a drive-through testing centre in the central Iraqi city of Najaf. AFP

A drive-through testing facility for coronavirus in the central Iraqi city of Najaf. AFP

An employee from the ministry of health during a radio broadcast that offers advice about the coronavirus precautionary measures at a radio station in Basra, Iraq. Reuters

A doctor displays a blood sample taken from a person suspected of being infected with the coronavirus in Hebron in the occupied West Bank. AFP

Dr Issam Mujahed, right, a member of the Pal-Med Europe, presents medical donations to doctors battling the coronavirus in Hebron in the occupied West Bank. AFP

A Palestinian man rides a bicycle with his child in Gaza City as coronavirus lockdown eases. AFP

People training at a gym after its reopening in Cairo, Egypt. EPA

People train at a gym after its reopening in Cairo, Egypt. EPA

A policeman wears a face mask as he reviews the passport of a traveller at Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca, Morocco. AP Photo

Updated: July 16, 2020 01:14 PM

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Coronavirus: Jordan to allow flights from 10 'low risk' countries - The National

Public health advocates and industry analysts are attributing the high smoking rates to widespread interference in local policy-making by the worlds major tobacco companies.

The rates are dangerously high and a predictor of a future public health catastrophe, said Firas al-Hawari, a physician and head of the cancer-control office at Ammans King Hussein Cancer Center. Public health advocates and industry analysts are attributing these alarming figures to widespread interference in policy-making by the worlds major tobacco companies, which are said to be allowed to operate in Jordan with comparatively fewer restrictions than in the UK and other countries boasting low smoking rates.

These companies continue to exercise as much political power as they can in wealthy countries, but theyre more successful in lower-income countries where they face less transparency, can operate more in the dark and overwhelm whatever civic societies exist, said Rima Nakkash, an associate professor of public health at the American University of Beirut.

An article by the Guardian has listed the following points after conducting an investigation of the tobacco industry in Jordan:

Meanwhile, studies from around the world keep indicating the potential of e-cigarettes to slash smoking rates. A 2019 report by the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), had indicated that contrary to fears by the FDA that vaping could be acting as a gateway to smoking, smoking rates continue to drop amongst all age groups.

The survey data indicate that contrary to the current widespread fear that vaping could be addicting a whole new generation to smoking all over again, cigarette consumption among teenagers, young adults, and the general population, actually continues to decline. Additionally, in line with similar claims by other studies, the report on the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), points out that actually e-cigarettes may be contributing to the downward trend in smoking.

Fewer than 1 in 6 people aged 12 or older in 2018 were past month cigarette smokers, notes the SAMHSA report. Cigarette use generally declined between 2002 and 2018 across all age groups. Some of this decline may reflect the use of electronic vaporizing devices (vaping), such as e-cigarettes, as a substitute for delivering nicotine.

Study Comparing The Effect of Smoking Vs Vaping Via Urine Sampling

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2019 Study: Jordan Has One of The World's Highest Smoking Rates - Vaping Post

In keeping with a regional crackdown, Jordan has been tightening restrictions on the Brotherhood over the last few years, forbidding their public rallies, arresting vocal government dissenters and shutting down offices.

Jordan's top court has dissolved the country's branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational movement.

"The Court of Cassation yesterday (Wednesday) issued a final verdict ruling that the Muslim Brotherhood group is dissolved ... for failing to rectify its legal status under Jordanian law," the official said on Thursday, requesting anonymity.

The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, is a movement with both charitable and political arms.

It has faced years of pressure, especially in the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, and has been outlawed as a "terrorist" group in Egypt and banned in several other countries.

READ MORE:Who are the Muslim Brotherhood?

Pressure on Brotherhood

Amman had tolerated the group's political arm for decades, but since 2014 authorities have considered it illegal, arguing its licence was not renewed under a 2014 law on political parties.

It continued to operate, but its relations with the Jordanian state deteriorated further from 2015 when the government authorised an offshoot group, the Muslim Brotherhood Association.

In April 2016, security services closed the Brotherhood's Amman headquarters and several regional offices, transferring their ownership to the splinter group in a step the movement denounced as political.

The original Brotherhood took the case to court in a bid to retrieve the properties, but the court in its verdict on Wednesday ordered it dissolved.

The Brotherhood argues that it had already obtained licences to operate under previous laws in the 1940s and 1950s.

Sheikh Hamza Mansur, head of the organisation's ruling council, said the group would appeal against Wednesday's ruling.

"The Muslim Brotherhood ... is a model of moderation and an important element in strengthening national unity, so dissolving it is not in the national interest," Mansur said.

The Jordanian breakaway group aimed to sever ties with the Brotherhood in Egypt, where hundreds of supporters have been killed and thousands detained since the army ousted country's first democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

Jordan's Islamic Action Front, a political party aligned with the original Brotherhood chapter there, has had 16 members of parliament since 2016 elections.

It had boycotted polls in 2010 and 2013. Polls are set for later this year but the coronavirus crisis has cast doubt over whether they will take place.

The Jordanian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood has wide grassroots support in the kingdom.

The movement is also banned in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries in the region, but is supported by Turkey and Qatar.

READ MORE:How Saudis influence the foreign policy of other Muslim nations

Source: AFP

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Jordan dissolves its Muslim Brotherhood branch - TRT World

Official images of Virgil Ablohs Off-White Jordan 4 have surfaced, revealing in detail what could be one of the years most coveted sneaker release. Decked out in a near-tonal cream upper with opaque fixtures on the lace eyelets, tongue/upper netting, and heel-tab, this latest release by the Louis Vuitton figurehead throws in the trademark touches in the Helvetica text on the upper and the AIR boldly bannered above the visible Air unit. The construction of these Off-White Jordans are also consistent with Virgils previous two Air Jordan drops, with exposed sponge at the sockliner and synthetic overlays attributing to that deconstructed look that the entire The Ten has been notable for. Zip-ties and classic Air Jordan hangtags will come attached, while the OG-style shoebox features enlarged holes. Recently, Virgil donated an autographed pair to be auctioned off for charity, raising over $100,000 towards key organizations that support the Black Lives Matter movement.

Prior to the COVID-19 situation, Nike had planned to release a full catalog of imaginative collaborations at the height of the Tokyo Olympics, done by the likes of Virgil Abloh, Yoon Ahn of Ambush, Matthew M. Williams, UNDERCOVER, and sacai. Although this Air Jordan 4 was not previewed at the brands Future Forum fashion show back in February, it was very much assumed that these would be available throughout the scheduled Games. Of course this years Olympics have been cancelled, but the Jordan release is fully expected to go down.

See the full official images of this Off-White x Air Jordan 4 by Virgil Abloh ahead and stay tuned for the official release on July 25th.

Update: Off-White x Air Jordan 4 WMNS Sail confirmed for July 25 DRAW release, $200 on Nike SNKRS.Update: Sizes for this release will begin with womens 3.5/mens 2 through womens 16.5/mens 16.

Off-White x Air Jordan 4 WMNSRelease Date: July 25th, 2020$200Style Code: CV9388-100

Make sure to follow @kicksfinder for live tweets during the release date.

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Where To Buy The Off-White x Air Jordan 4 WMNS Sail - Sneaker News

Horace Grant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kurt Rambis, and James Worthy. What do these names have in common? They are all NBA legends who also wore glasses each time they stepped into the court. They say the NBA in the 60s and 70s was different than what it is today. Now, this can be said for every sport under the sun. So why is it that we forget about this when we vote for an all-time greatest list? Is Michael Jordan really the best ever?

In the UFC, we have this widely used term called pound-for-pound. Using this, it is analyzed and measured who is a better player relative to various weight categories. It is interesting to see whether a welterweight can be better than a middleweight. However, there is no such data analytics tool in place, at least not until today, that can measure and claim that a given player from the 90s is better than one who played in the 60s. So how fair is it to compare two legends who played in totally different eras?

ESPN dropped its rankings of the College Basketballs Greatest of All Time bracket poll earlier this year. Fans voted for these NCAA level plays, with some head-turning results. Jordan and Larry Bird made it successfully to the Top 2 with a tie. Later on, Jordan was given the top rank after polling on Instagram.

Shaquille ONeal and Magic Johnson were some of those other big names that made the list. However, MJs following beat everyone.

In an interview, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar explained why this comparison does not make any sense. He said, Its not important to me because the people that would vote for Michael Jordan dont have the perspective. They didnt see me play. I wish I had seen Oscar [Robertson] play. They really change their mind about that Michael wasnt anywhere near the college flavor that Oscar was. So you know, it all depends on your perspective.

Although The Tower from Power is bigger than any ranking published out there, he looked disappointed. He would take names of many legends who played even before him and spoke about why the comparison is not good. He added, People who didnt see Bill Russell play have no idea. Hes stifled the whole league for 11 world championships. Michael Jordan had six. Its no comparison but people dont understand whats being compared.

The man with six rings and the whole of the 90s to his name had a charisma that was unbeatable. He scored a grand total of 1788 points in three college seasons. But still, players like Larry Bird comfortably averaged better than MJ. None of it mattered much to the millennials because they would majorly vote for the NBA champion they grew up watching.

So what is your take on this? Do you believe such rankings point towards anything or are they just to satiate a curious mind? Let us know your important views.

Read also- Hated To Leave: LeBron James Unhappy About Being Away From Family

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People That Would Vote for Michael Jordan Don't Have the Perspective: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar not Amused by All-Time Rankings - Essentially Sports

A day like today I can get a lot of confidence from, Jordan Spieth said Thursday after overcoming an early mishap to open the 45th Memorial Tournament with a two-under 70 at Muirfield Village Golf Club.

Spieths uneven golf over the last few years makes one wonder if he truly feels this way or if he is trying to talk himself into such sentiment. For now, assume the former, because on a blustery morning in Dublin, Ohio, Spieth was relatively steady when a lot of his high-powered peers struggled. His score put him two off the lead after the morning wave wrapped up play. He deserved to feel buoyed by the effort.

The outing, which included an eagle, a double bogey, three birdies and a bogey, was especially important given the way he missed the cut last week at Muirfield Village in the Workday Charity Open, a result that dropped him out of the world top 60 for the first time since July 2013. Spieth hovered around the cutline throughout his second round but looked securely inside it with two holes remaining. But he played a poor bunker shot at the par-3 eighth hole, his 17th hole of the day, leading to a double bogey. He finished at even par; two under made the cut.

It was only the second time in eight starts at Muirfield Village that Spieth missed the cut, the other coming two years ago in the Memorial. Thursdays 70 marked the sixth time he has begun the Memorial with a sub-par round, and he did it on a setup considerably more exacting than a week ago when the greens were slower and the rough more manageable.

Spieth eagled the par-5 11th hole, his second of the day, converting from four feet after an approach from 211 yards. But he gave it right back when he doubled the par-3 12th by coming up short in the water.

He shook it off quickly with a birdie at No. 13 from 12 feet. Key moment.

Yeah, I was fine, Spieth said of the miscue. You go into a day like today, even when you know the golf course was going to be challenging, its almost like going into a major championship. Youve just got to be a prepared for a little bit of everything, and it felt like I stayed really cool after 12 and then moved on and made a nice birdie on the next. Hit my best drive of the day, hit a wedge in there and made about a 12-footer. When that one went in, it was really nice. I felt like I was playing under-par golf. I felt like I hadnt missed a shot, so it was nice to be under par and not still at even.

Just knowing that the wind is going to pick up, you want to be a couple under making the turn there.

Spieth was seen working on the putting green at Muirfield Village on Sunday as the final round of the Workday Charity Open was being played. But it was his ball-striking that earned him a score that was tied for the third-best in the morning wave. He lost strokes to the field on the greens Thursday, but he was 3.882 in strokes gained/tee to green, which ranked second in the field in the early going.

I think putting is as challenging as anything in these conditions, he said, noting how the wind and the increased speed of the greens from a week ago made things tricky.

He hit eight fairways and 12 greens and generally stayed out of trouble after the 12th. So, just maybe, he did have a reason to feel a little more confident about his game. He has worked hard to find a swing that is more reliable. Its still a work in progress. But he is encouraged.

Ive actually made a lot of progress. It may not kind of look like that via results, but Ive made a lot of progress in how Im seeing sight lines, committing to lines. All in all, now its just about trying to kind of find the timing element as I go up the bag. The rest of the game is starting to feel kind of back to normal, and Im kind of piecing together my swing, but the timing element is whats kind of left for me. That just comes from on-course reps.

Hes had plenty of reps this truncated season. Workday was just his second weekend off in 12 starts. Reps matter. But reps like Thursday matter more.

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Jordan Spieth has no trouble getting off to good starts. But can this one finally lead to a good finish? - Golf Digest

NEW YORK (AP) For Michael B. Jordan, timing is everything. So when the SAG award winner marched in a Los Angeles Black Lives Matter protest last month demanding that Hollywood drastically increase its diversity in the executive ranks, it was a moment he felt prepared for.

I think its always been brewing in me, but I think timing is everything, you know? I mean, who knew that we was going to be in this pandemic? And on the heels of that, another senseless murder by law enforcement, said the 33-year-old Just Mercy star. Ive always chosen to be very strategic in wanting to speak when it really makes an impact and really mattersAnd I want to work and evolve and grow with people who feel that same sense of urgency.

Jordan, whose breakout Fruitvale Station role followed the events of a young Black man killed by an Oakland transit police officer, channeled the urgency for change and healing into A Night at the Drive-In. The goal is to celebrate multi-cultural and diverse voices in cinema, in hopes of ultimately bringing together communities. Jordan and his Outlier Society production company who hand-picked the movies is partnering with Amazon Studios.

Films show every other Wednesday through Aug. 26 and include blockbusters such as Crazy Rich Asians and Jordans own Black Panther, along with classics like Do the Right Thing and Coming to America. The screenings will show in 20 cities, including New York, Los Angeles and Houston, as well as smaller towns such as Savannah, Georgia, Augusta-Aiken, South Carolina and Knoxville, Tennessee.

Attendance is free, with most moviegoers chosen by local community organizations and nonprofits. The initiative is also raising voter registration awareness.

We wanted to find a way for us to (show) stories that fed our soul, that inspired us, that made us laugh, Jordan said. We wanted to give people an opportunity to find relatability through cinema, and we were able to put together a pretty eclectic list of some old favorites and some newer films that kind of checked off all those boxes.

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Outlier Society and Amazon Studios also partnered with Path Water, Pipcorn Popcorn and Partake Cookies all owned by people of color to provide free refreshments during the double- feature programs.

Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, said the partnership falls into the companys efforts to support social justice initiatives.

Going through the conversations around supporting Black Lives Matter and changing the carousels on (Amazon Prime Video), all of that was never done as a, OK, We better do these things out of a reactive we want to keep up with the guys or gals down the street, Salke said. It really was a point of pride for the company to be able to say, We care deeply about this.

As the Black Lives Matter slogan has pirouetted in American from divisiveness just a few years ago to wide acceptance, theres been criticism that many major brands and corporations are only now supporting the movement for optics with no real plans to advocate for diversity, even within their own walls. But Salke says her group is planning beyond the present.

Once the protests are over, all that energy going into all of that has to go into holding ourselves accountable and holding our teams and everyone else accountable. And weve talked about that in terms of every aspect of our business, she said. The good intention period is over And we are going to make sure that those checks and balances exist.

Jordan, who says he cant remember ever staying home this long as Hollywood remains mostly dark because of the COVID-19 shutdown, remains committed to holding the film and TV industry to the fire on diversity. But his macro goal is to see change reflected in all aspects of society.

Jordan and Jamie Foxx starred in last years Just Mercy, the first major studio project made with the inclusion rider, the contractual provision mandating the consideration of people from underrepresented groups for cast and crew positions. The rider was initiated as a way to change long-term under-representation of people of color and women in Hollywood.

What were doing right now while we have the energy and the momentum, lets continue to keep the conversation pushing forward, Jordan said. Lets address the disease, not just the symptoms.

___

Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at twitter.com/garyghamilton

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Michael B. Jordan wants you to view a drive-in movie, on him - The Associated Press

"That Arnie and Jack era that brought golf into where it is today, it would have been really cool to play back then. I would have liked to see how my game stood up then, just because of the clubs that were being used, having to control your spin a lot better than you do now. I just think there was a lot more precision with less of the distance and it would have been really interesting to see."

The use of St Andrews as the venue for The Open For The Ages also drew approval from Spieth, who finished one shot outside of a play-off when the Championship was last contested over the Old Course in 2015.

"It's just a fantastic links course, it stands the test of time," added the three-time major-winner.

"We absolutely look forward to it and love going, and are really glad it's in the rotation. I honestly wish it was in the rotation every couple of years because it's the home of golf. The R&A clubhouse, how you play right into town there at the end, the 17th and 18th holes, they're just incredible and you always have a fantastic finish there."

The Open For The Ages is in association with HSBC.

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The Open For The Ages | Jordan Spieth Honoured To Feature - The Open