Day: July 18, 2022

Amman, Minister of Labor Nayef Istitieh on Monday met Australian Ambassador Bernard Lynch to discuss enhancing cooperation in various spheres and exchanging expertise.

During the meeting, Istitieh underscored the “friendly and strong relations” connecting Jordan with Australia which lay the ground for further collaborations in employment and vocational and technical training.

For his part, Lynch said Jordan and Australia are connected by “friendly and robust ties” that bolster joint cooperation, expressing his country’s appreciation of relations between the two countries’ leaders

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman, The Jordan Free and Development Zones Group (JFDZG) announced several investment opportunities available as of August 1st for the departure and arrival stations of the Ajloun sky tram, or teleferique, project.

According to a JFDZG statement issued Monday, opportunities include establishing multiple restaurants and cafes, as well as offers to rent shops.

The statement called on those willing to invest to visit the JFDZG’s headquarters near the Seventh Circle or through its website: www.jfdz.jo

Source: Jordan News Agency

Ramallah, The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Monday cautioned against the consequences of Israel’s planned approval of new settlement projects in the occupied Palestinian lands and East Jerusalem.

It noted that such designs were deferred until after US President Joe Biden’s tour of the region, in a “heinous exploitation of the visit with the aim of deepening and bolstering settlements as a competitive issue in the Israeli elections.”

It explained that settlements have “catastrophic risks” to the chances of achieving the two-state solution and establishing an independent, viable and contiguous Palestinian state along the borders of June 4, 1967, as cited by Biden himself in a press statement in the West Bank city of Bethlehem last week.

The ministry urged the international community and the US administration to be alert and attentive to this matter, as Biden candidly and clearly demanded a halt to unilateral actions, foremost of which is settlements.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman, Jordan on Monday denounced a terrorist attack that targeted a hotel south of Somalia, killing and injuring several people.

In a statement, Haitham Abu al-Foul, Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, underlined the Kingdom’s strong condemnation of this “cowardly terrorist attack,” rejecting all forms of violence and terrorism.

He also expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the Somali government and people and wished the injured a speedy recovery

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman, The Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Monday launched a campaign, dubbed “Participation is a Solution”, to promote public awareness of the political modernization scheme and relevant legislation and enhance participation in the political process.

The campaign targets the general public, new voters, youth, women and political parties to update them on the Political Parties’ Law and relevant measures, according to a press release.

The first phase of the campaign uses a set of awareness tools, including direct meetings in universities and schools and periodic encounters with civil society institutions in the governorates and the media community in various cities, it said.

It also employs the IEC’s social media accounts to produce films to be broadcast on visual media outlets and brochures on voter and electoral lists and winners of parliamentary seats and women quota seats in local and general constituencies.

Through the campaign, the IEC seeks to partner with relevant civil society institutions, donors and academic and media institutions to reach the largest possible segments, while continuing programs currently held in universities (I Participate) or school initiatives with the start of the next academic year, the statement added

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman, The Social Security Investment Fund (SSIF), the investment arm of the Social Security Corporation (SSC), had assets totaling JD13.3 billion at the end of the first half of 2022, up from JD12.3 billion in the same period in 2021, indicating an 8.4 percent return rate, said its CEO Kholoud Saqqaf in a statement on Monday.

Breaking down the fund’s investment portfolios, Saqqaf stated that bonds account for 55.4 percent of the total assets, followed by stocks at 19 percent, financial market instruments at 13.1 percent, real estate investments at 5.7 percent, loans at 3.1 percent, and tourism ventures at 2.4 percent.

The SSIF’s top executive indicated that the fund’s revenue in the January-June period of 2022 jumped to JD371 million, signaling a growth of 18.6pct from the JD313 million recorded in the same period of 2021. She pointed out that revenue growth was primarily driven by higher returns on bonds, financial market instruments, and dividends received from companies in which the SSIF has equity.

Furthermore, Saqqaf said a bullish Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) reflected positively on the fund’s stock portfolio, which recorded book profits amounting to about 25.1 percent in the January-June period of 2022, while the fund’s share of the cash dividends for companies’ profits was at JD109.6 million. She revealed that the fund also bought additional stocks in major banking institutions since the beginning of the current year.

As for the bonds portfolio, the SSIF CEO indicated that it constituted 55.4 percent of the fund’s overall portfolio for the current year, achieving a return rate of 5.9 percent

Source: Jordan News Agency