Latest news with #Karak
Kuwait Times
21-05-2025
- Business
- Kuwait Times
LuLu celebrates Tea Day with a world of flavors
KUWAIT: LuLu Hypermarket is delighted to celebrate International Tea Day across all its outlets in Kuwait with a week-long promotion that invites customers to discover the rich and diverse world of tea. This exclusive event brings together over 150 plus premium tea varieties imported from some of the most renowned tea-producing countries, including India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, the USA, Canada, and more. The celebration reflects LuLu's commitment to offering global tastes under one roof, making it a true paradise for tea lovers. From the boldness of traditional black teas and the comforting spices of masala chai to soothing herbal infusions, fruity blends, and the ever-popular Karak, the range promises something to suit every palate. As a special highlight for the summer season, LuLu is also featuring a refreshing selection of iced teas to help customers beat the heat with cool, flavorful sips. Throughout the promotion, all tea ranges will be available at special discounted prices, making this the perfect time to explore new flavors or stock up on your favorites. To enhance the experience, free tea sampling stations will be set up in-store, giving shoppers the chance to taste a variety of blends before making their selections. This immersive celebration not only showcases the global love for tea but also reinforces LuLu's role as a destination for cultural and culinary experiences. Visit any LuLu Hypermarket in Kuwait during this exciting week and join us in raising a cup to the timeless tradition of tea.
Zawya
20-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Jordan: JIEC attracts $338mln in investments, generates 11,000 jobs in 2024
AMMAN — The Jordan Industrial Estates Company (JIEC) achieved 'remarkable' investment results in 2024, attracting 211 new investments worth JD240 million. JIEC, in a statement issued on Monday, noted that these projects are expected to create around 11,000 job opportunities during various operational phases, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. JIEC said that the new investments were distributed across the industrial and service sectors. The company signed 175 industrial investment contracts with a total value of JD224 million, including 88 contracts with existing investors expanding their operations within the industrial estates, and 87 contracts with new investors, in addition to 36 service sector investment contracts. King Abdullah II Industrial Estate (AIE) in Sahab topped the list in terms of industrial investment attraction, securing 61 projects worth JD81 million, which are expected to generate some 1,900 jobs. It was followed by Al Hassan Industrial Estate, which attracted 46 investments worth JD30 million, with an estimated 3,800 job opportunities. Al Muwaqqar Industrial Estate secured 26 investments valued JD95 million, expected to provide around 4,700 jobs in their initial operational phases. Al Hussein bin Abdullah II Industrial Estate in Karak attracted 17 new investments worth JD5 million, anticipated to create about 170 job opportunities. Madaba Industrial Estate secured 14 industrial investments totalling JD7 million, JIEC said, expecting these schemes to offer around 322 jobs during initial operations. Regarding the origin of investments, the company revealed that 63 per cent were Jordanian, 25 per cent foreign, and 12 per cent joint Jordanian-foreign investments, covering a variety of productive sectors including plastics, engineering, paper and cardboard, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and construction. JIEC Director-General Omar Juwaid attributed the success in attracting investments to the investment climate, strategic locations of the industrial estates, and the incentives offered to industrial investors. Juwaid noted that 2024 witnessed a 'strong' performance in attracting industrial investments, coinciding with the completion of expansion phases and the tendering of additional industrial building spaces in several estates in order to accommodate new investments and meet investor demand for developed lands and ready-made facilities. He praised the ongoing government support for industrial investment in Jordan's industrial estates, highlighting specific incentives in Al Hussein and Tafileh industrial estates. Such incentives include electricity tariff reductions of up to 80 per cent for 10 years, listing investments on the productive branches programme, and a 50 per cent discount on container handling costs at the Aqaba port, the director-general noted. He said that the total number of industrial investments in the 10 industrial estates managed by JIEC has reached approximately 975 companies, with total investments exceeding JD3 billion and providing nearly 63,000 job opportunities. The completion rate of the first phase of Zarqa Industrial Estate reached around 60 per cent in 2024. The facility is expected to attract numerous industrial projects, 'positively' impacting the total number of investments, capital inflows and job creation across the estates. © Copyright The Jordan Times. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Jordan Times
19-05-2025
- Business
- Jordan Times
JIEC attracts JD240m in investments, generates 11,000 jobs in 2024
The Jordan Industrial Estates Company achieves remarkable investment results in 2024, attracting 211 new investments worth JD240 million (Petra photo) AMMAN — The Jordan Industrial Estates Company (JIEC) achieved 'remarkable' investment results in 2024, attracting 211 new investments worth JD240 million. JIEC, in a statement issued on Monday, noted that these projects are expected to create around 11,000 job opportunities during various operational phases, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. JIEC said that the new investments were distributed across the industrial and service sectors. The company signed 175 industrial investment contracts with a total value of JD224 million, including 88 contracts with existing investors expanding their operations within the industrial estates, and 87 contracts with new investors, in addition to 36 service sector investment contracts. King Abdullah II Industrial Estate (AIE) in Sahab topped the list in terms of industrial investment attraction, securing 61 projects worth JD81 million, which are expected to generate some 1,900 jobs. It was followed by Al Hassan Industrial Estate, which attracted 46 investments worth JD30 million, with an estimated 3,800 job opportunities. Al Muwaqqar Industrial Estate secured 26 investments valued JD95 million, expected to provide around 4,700 jobs in their initial operational phases. Al Hussein bin Abdullah II Industrial Estate in Karak attracted 17 new investments worth JD5 million, anticipated to create about 170 job opportunities. Madaba Industrial Estate secured 14 industrial investments totalling JD7 million, JIEC said, expecting these schemes to offer around 322 jobs during initial operations. Regarding the origin of investments, the company revealed that 63 per cent were Jordanian, 25 per cent foreign, and 12 per cent joint Jordanian-foreign investments, covering a variety of productive sectors including plastics, engineering, paper and cardboard, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and construction. JIEC Director-General Omar Juwaid attributed the success in attracting investments to the investment climate, strategic locations of the industrial estates, and the incentives offered to industrial investors. Juwaid noted that 2024 witnessed a 'strong' performance in attracting industrial investments, coinciding with the completion of expansion phases and the tendering of additional industrial building spaces in several estates in order to accommodate new investments and meet investor demand for developed lands and ready-made facilities. He praised the ongoing government support for industrial investment in Jordan's industrial estates, highlighting specific incentives in Al Hussein and Tafileh industrial estates. Such incentives include electricity tariff reductions of up to 80 per cent for 10 years, listing investments on the productive branches programme, and a 50 per cent discount on container handling costs at the Aqaba port, the director-general noted. He said that the total number of industrial investments in the 10 industrial estates managed by JIEC has reached approximately 975 companies, with total investments exceeding JD3 billion and providing nearly 63,000 job opportunities. The completion rate of the first phase of Zarqa Industrial Estate reached around 60 per cent in 2024. The facility is expected to attract numerous industrial projects, 'positively' impacting the total number of investments, capital inflows and job creation across the estates. Page 2
Jordan Times
19-05-2025
- Science
- Jordan Times
Archaeologists uncover multi-period sanctuary at Khirbat Balu'a in Karak
Remains of the Moabite citadel at Khirbet Balu'a on the Karak Plateau in the central Jordan (Photo courtesy of ACOR) AMMAN — A team of archaeologists has uncovered a multi-period sanctuary at Khirbat Balu'a, a significant archaeological site perched on the northern edge of the central Moabite Plateau, east of the Dead Sea near Karak. The site, one of the largest in the region, spans approximately 12,500 square metres and features remains from both the Iron Age and the Mamluk period (1250–1517). Massive Iron Age structures dominate the landscape, indicating the site's prominent role during that era. Friedbert Ninow from Theologische Hochschule Friedensau in Germany, who has led a research project at Khirbat Balu'a since 2008, said the latest excavations focus on the site's full occupational history rather than solely the Iron Age layers explored in earlier studies. Excavation efforts were guided by signs of illicit digging east of a monumental Iron Age structure known as the quseir. Surface finds included Nabataean-Roman pottery sherds and exposed architectural features. "Excavation revealed a stone structure that has been tentatively interpreted as an altar," Ninow said. In its earliest phase, the altar was a plaster-coated stone quadrangle measuring roughly 3.2 metres per side. It was later expanded and modified, with plaster-covered hewn stones and fill of fieldstones. Some plaster fragments bore traces of colour. In a subsequent construction phase, a stairway was added to the altar's northern side and a small podium built in front of the western wall. Ashes and bones found nearby suggest ritual use. Based on associated pottery, archaeologists date the structure to the Nabataean-Roman period. Similar altars have been found at Petra, Khirbet et-Tannur and other Nabataean sites. Near the podium, researchers uncovered a basalt sculpture of a figure standing on a pedestal. Though only the feet remain, the piece is believed to have originally stood 70–80 centimetres tall. Stylistic analysis suggests an Iron Age origin, making it a rare example of Moabite stone sculpture. A carved basalt stone embedded in the southern end of the podium may also be of Iron Age origin. 'It resembles volute capitals from Khirbat Al Mudaybi, about 40 kilometres south of Balu'a, dated to the late 8th or early 7th centuries BC,' said Ninow. He added that the altar may have been part of a larger temenos — a sacred enclosure — stretching eastward. The area included a floor of large, flat stones and was bounded by walls likely dating to the Iron Age. A test probe at the south-eastern corner of the site revealed a stone floor and pottery consistent with the Nabataean-Roman period. This suggests the Nabataeans may have repurposed older Iron Age structures to construct their sanctuary. 'If our interpretation of the altar and temenos is correct, this would represent a second Nabataean sanctuary at Balu'a, alongside the one located at Al Qasr to the west,' Ninow said.
Observer
07-05-2025
- Observer
Khareef's first drop and the price of paradise
When Salalah's first raindrop kisses the parched earth you can almost taste the sweet tang of wet frankincense on the breeze and hear the hush that falls just before the downpour. You might even catch the faint rumble of clouds on the horizon or the flutter of birds preparing for the storm. Children dart through newly carved wadis, their laughter echoing against slick stones. Behind that joy clings plastic the ghost of careless footsteps tangled in reeds and choking streams. Every khareef more than 200,000 visitors, Omani families and guests alike, pour into Dhofar's green valleys eager for cool air and cascading waterfalls. Oman Vision 2040 sets a national target of 11 million tourists by 2040 so our numbers will only grow. Yet each season Salalah's beauty is tested by this surge. In Wadi Darbat litter collects along the trails prompting enhanced clean up plans before the season begins. Volunteers from the Green Dhofar campaign, including many university students, collected nearly nine tonnes of trash between October and December 2023. Our love for this land is clear; the question is whether we are doing enough to care for it. Half a world away, Hawaii has answered a similar call. Beginning in 2026 visitors there will pay a small green fee of 0.75 cents added at checkout to hotel and cruise bills, with every dollar directed towards climate action and environmental conservation. An expected $100 million each year will restore eroded beaches, reduce wildfire risk and protect coral reefs. It is the first statewide tourism tax in the United States devoted entirely to conserving natural heritage and it carries a simple message: those who enjoy a place's beauty share responsibility for its upkeep. What if Oman made a similar pledge in Dhofar? A modest khareef contribution folded into every hotel bill or visa payment could help cover the cost of conserving its natural beauty. Local hoteliers and guides I've spoken with say they would welcome a small charge, if it kept sites clean and preserved our waters. True hospitality goes beyond open doors; it is the promise that what we welcome today will still inspire generations to come. Destinations around the world are learning that tourism and local recreation must help pay their way. Palau asks each visitor for a contribution to marine protection of $100. Bhutan includes a sustainable tourism fee in its daily packages. New Zealand is expanding its conservation levy. None of these measures drove travellers away. They drew in conscientious explorers who see a fee not as a toll but as a token of respect. For Oman the smallest gesture can carry the greatest meaning. Imagine a handful of baisas folded into your room rate, barely more than the price of a cup of Karak, collected as easily as a booking confirmation. In return, you see frankincense-shaped bins dotting the wadis, local artists painting simple signs urging us all to tread lightly and a roadside board tracking how many kilos of waste have been reclaimed. We do not need marble halls or sprawling endowments. We need the quiet pulse of a community taking care of its own: families, guides and shopkeepers each doing their part in real time. In that quiet space after the rain, when droplets rest on leaves and the air feels born anew, we remember that caring for paradise is an act both simple and profound. I sincerely hope that every grateful footstep here becomes a promise to protect this land we call home.
