Jordan king swears in new reform-mandated govt

Amman: Jordan`s King Abdullah II on Monday swore
in a new 30-strong cabinet led by Prime Minister Awn
Khasawneh, an international judge, tasked with bringing in
political reform.

The new cabinet includes 25 newcomers, among them Umayya
Tukan for the finance portfolio and Mohammed Raud as interior
minister, and two women, at higher education and social
development.

The line-up does not include opposition Islamists who
refused to join Khasawneh`s team.

The king a week earlier dismissed prime minister Maaruf
Bakhit`s government and replaced him with Khasawneh, 61, an
international Court of Justice judge, instructing him to focus
on political reform.

PTI