Day: November 27, 2022

The wholesale price index picked up by 5.49 percent in the third quarter of 2022 compared to figures in the same period of 2021.

According to the Department of Statistics’ (DoS) quarterly report issued Sunday, the rise was mainly driven by the increase in the group price of fuel, minerals, and construction materials by 12.03 percent, group price of machinery and equipment by 6.85 percent, group price of motor vehicles, motorcycles, and car parts by 4.89 percent, group price of agricultural raw materials, grains, food, beverages, and tobacco by 2.99 percent, as well as group price of textiles, clothing, and personal and household goods by 2.44 percent.

During the first nine months of 2022, the index edged up by 5.79 percent compared to the corresponding period of 2021, the report indicated.

The rise in the group price of fuel, minerals, and construction materials by 13.57 percent drove the January-September increase, in addition to the group price of machinery and equipment by 6.15 percent, group price of motor vehicles, motorcycles, and car parts by 3.88 percent, group price of agricultural raw materials, grains, food, beverages, and tobacco by 3.56 percent, and group price of textiles, clothing, and personal and household goods by 2.82 percent.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) has organized a joint workshop in cooperation with the Arab Potash Company (APC) to conduct an environmental impact assessment on the project of constructing a new red potash warehouse in Aqaba.

In a statement on Sunday, ASEZA’ Head of Environment Studies, Taghreed Ma’aytah, indicated that the workshop is the last consultative phase of the assessment, prepared by the advisory team at Al-Rawabi Consulting Company, to ensure the protection of the environment and reduce the negative impacts of the warehouse on the surrounding sources of water and energy.

The project involves the construction of a new warehouse for red potash at the southern port of Aqaba, in order to prevent any contamination between red and white potash and increase the storage capacity of the APC.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Border guards at the Jaber Border Crossing have seized 10,000 Captagon pills and one kilogram of crystal meth hidden inside a truck coming from Syrian territory.

The illegal substances were found inside two cartons of cigarettes hidden in the truck’s cabin, said a statement issued Sunday by the Jordan Customs Department.

The Jordan Customs Department and security apparatuses are working side by side to protect the national economy and citizens from smuggling attempts, the statement added.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Jordan’s trade balance deficit in the January-September period of 2022 increased by 32.8 percent, hitting JD8.137 billion compared to JD6.125 billion in the same period of 2021.

According to a monthly report issued by the Department of Statistics (DoS) on Sunday, total exports in the January-September period of 2022 reached JD6.7 billion, up by 42 percent compared to the JD4.7 billion recorded in the same period of 2021.

National exports in the same period of 2022 rose by 44 percent, reaching JD6.169 billion compared to JD4.283 billion in the same period of 2021, figures showed. The value of re-exports was at JD530.7 million, up by 21.6 percent compared to the JD436 million recorded during the same period of 2021, the DoS added.

Imports also went up by 36.8 percent, reaching JD14.837 billion compared to the JD10.844 billion recorded in the same period of 2021.

On a monthly level, figures showed that total exports in September 2022 reached JD773.2 million, up by 30.7 percent compared to the figure reported during the same month of 2021.

National exports in September 2022 rose by 33 percent, reaching JD714.8 million compared to the figure reported during the same month of 2021. The value of re-exports in September was at JD58.4 million, up by 7.9 percent compared to the figure reported during the same month of 2021.

Imports also went up by 30.5 percent, reaching JD1.823 billion compared to the figure reported during the same month of 2021.

According to the report, the trade balance deficit in September 2022 increased by 30.3 percent, amounting to JD1.05 billion compared to the figure reported during the same month of 2021.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Jordan Insurance Federation (JIF) and the International Federation of Islamic Takaful and Insurance Companies (IFTI) on Sunday signed a joint cooperation agreement, aimed to exchanging expertise and achieving common goals.

The agreement came on the sidelines of the activities of the Arab symposium, held under the theme: “Risk Management, Compliance, Anti-Money Laundering and Cyber Security”.

The agreement focused on the issue of organized training carried out by the two federations to raise efficiency of human resources and open training areas for insurance workers and other related sectors.

Under the agreement, the two federations’ representatives were granted special treatment in terms of subscription fees, while their members will be granted incentive discounts to to participate in IFTI-organized conferences, seminars, training programs, and workshops.

The agreement was signed by JIF Chairman , Majed Smeirat, and IFTI Head, Reda Dahbour.

Source: Jordan News Agency

A regional seminar on funding sources diversification and investment opportunities in the Arab social insurance institutions on Sunday kicked off in Amman aimed to enhance social protection programs.

The symposium is organized by the Arab Labor Organization (ALO) and Arab Association for Social Security, in partnership with Jordan Social Security Corporation (SSC).

Deputizing for Minister of Industry, Trade, Supply and Labor, SSC Director General, Mohammad Tarawneh, said during the opening ceremony that Covid-19 pandemic revealed fragility of economies that failed to offer social insurances, which caused poverty expansion in those countries.

Program diversity and social security development succeeded in achieving their goals, and had the “greatest” impact in alleviating pandemic-related effects and other global crises that adversely impacted societies, he noted.

This joint effort also showed the “urgent” need to provide social protection for sectors uncovered by social protection systems and introduce packages of programs and policies that enhance efficiency of labor markets to reach social safety, he pointed out.

Noting the “remarkable” challenges facing insurance sustainability for Arab social insurance institutions, he said the key solution to realize sustainable insurance benefits systems and their continuity in performing their duties are investing in portfolios and conducting actuarial studies.

The two-day event will go over future prospects for financing social protection systems to achieve financial sustainability, and shed light on tax-financed pensions to ensure a minimum income, according a SSC statement.

It also tackled coverage expansion of social security institutions for all economic sectors’s workers and proposed ways to benefit from the “leading” Arab and global experiences in this regard, the statement noted.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Minister of Interior Mazen Faraya and French Ambassador Alexis Le Cour Grandmaison on Sunday discussed means of enhancing cooperation in security fields and the current regional developments.

During the meeting, Faraya called for leveraging security expertise to bolster regional stability, combat crime, exchange visits, and conduct training and rehabilitation programs in light of the increasing instability in many regional countries. “All countries must join hands to mitigate the effects of instability and achieve global security and safety,” he added.

The two countries have strong relations in various fields, he noted, calling for achieving the aspirations of the two countries’ peoples.

For his part, the envoy affirmed Jordan’s role in maintaining stability and security in the region thanks to its wise leadership and people’s rejection of violence and extremism, pointing to the importance of increasing cooperation programs to serve joint interests.

Source: Jordan News Agency