Saudi Arabia launches 4 special economic zones to attract international investors

News Network
April 14, 2023

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Riyadh: Saudi Arabia has launched four special economic zones that will offer companies financial and non-financial incentives as it seeks to attract more foreign investment and position itself as a global business centre.

The aim of the new zones, which will be located in Riyadh, Jazan, Ras Al-Khair and King Abdullah Economic City, is to open up new opportunities for international investors, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

“Saudi Arabia is open for business and welcomes investors from all around the world to see first-hand the historic opportunities we have to offer,” the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said.

“The new special economic zones launched today will significantly impact how business is done in the country, create tens of thousands of jobs, and contribute billions of riyals to our gross domestic product.”

The zones will take advantage of the Kingdom’s strategic location to create new hubs for businesses across key growth sectors so that they can launch and expand companies and technologies that will help shape the future, according to the SPA.

They will support existing national strategies and create new links with international frameworks, building on the competitive advantages of each region of the country to support key sectors such as logistics, advanced manufacturing, technology, and other priority sectors in the Kingdom, it added.

The benefits to companies of operating in the zones will include: competitive corporate tax rates; exemption from customs duties on imports, production inputs, machinery and raw materials; 100 percent foreign ownership of companies; and flexibility to attract and hire the best talent worldwide.

The zones will also provide tremendous opportunities for developing the local economy, generating jobs, and localizing supply chains, officials said. They are said to represent a continuation of long-running initiatives that aim to transform the Kingdom into a global investment destination and a vital hub for global supply chains, by capitalizing on its position at the heart of global trade routes.

Thanks to a detailed program of regulations and incentives, the zones will offer rewarding and attractive benefits to foreign investors, officials said. The program will also allow for the acceleration of reforms required to facilitate business in all parts of the Kingdom, they added.

The new zones build on previous free-zone initiatives in the Kingdom, including the recent launch of an integrated special zone for logistics at King Salman International Airport in Riyadh. Together, they represent the first phase of a major, long-term program designed to encourage foreign direct investment, attract the most talented professionals from around the world, and promote entrepreneurship and economic development within the Kingdom, officials said.

The zones, which will be regulated by the Economic Cities and Special Zones Authority, will provide fresh solutions to the challenges many global businesses face as they attempt to localize and strengthen supply chains, they added, and help the Kingdom take advantage of key macroeconomic shifts to create a truly differentiated business environment, activating new sectors and value chains.

Saudi Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih, who is the chairman of the Economic Cities and Special Zones Authority, said: “This is an exciting moment. We are proud to see the launch of these four special economic zones that offer the chance for foreign investors to have a stake in the world’s fastest growing economy.”

The Secretary-General of the authority, Mr. Nabil Khoja, added, “With hugely attractive financial incentives, world-class infrastructure, business-friendly regulations and streamlined procedures for investors, there has never been a better time to be part of Saudi Arabia’s economic success story. The zones will become engines of growth, increasing the Kingdom’s export competitiveness, attracting talent, boosting technology and improving our global links.”

Special economic zones – or SEZs – are geographically defined areas that facilitate specific economic activities, such as investment, trade and employment, by providing competitive advantages and legislative frameworks that differ from the base economy. 

The newly launched zones cover a wide range of industries:

King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) SEZ

The premier destination for advanced manufacturing and logistics, from automobile supply chain and assembly to consumer goods, ICT to MedTech. Set in a prime location on the Red Sea, less than 90 minutes from Jeddah Airport, this 60km2 site offers unrivaled access to global trade routes through King Abdullah Port, ranked the world’s most efficient by the World Bank in 2022. Anchor investor Lucid, a leader in the global EV industry, will produce 150,000 EVs a year from its base in KAEC SEZ.

Jazan SEZ

An industrial center and key platform for trade with fast-growing markets in Africa and Asia. Jazan SEZ offers access to the largest port in the region for export of goods and import of materials, helping investors benefit from and contribute to large-scale infrastructure projects in Saudi Arabia and around the world, backed by easy access to both natural and industrial resources. Jazan is part of the Kingdom’s fertile southwestern region, providing opportunities for the manufacturing, processing and distribution of food products to cater for growing regional demand and meet food security challenges across the region.

Ras Al-Khair SEZ

A launchpad on the Arabian Gulf for leaders in the maritime industry, Ras Al-Khair SEZ is a fully integrated marine ecosystem, with a rich network of existing investors – 40% of the zone is already reserved – and myriad opportunities across shipbuilding and repair, offshore drilling and maritime value chains.

Cloud Computing SEZ, located in King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST)

In King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), a new Cloud Computing SEZ will serve as  a hub for emerging and disruptive technologies. A direct manifestation of the Kingdom’s ‘Cloud First’ policy, the Cloud Computing SEZ underlines the Kingdom’s commitment to digital innovation and the fast-growing tech sector. The Zone is based around an innovative hybrid model that allows investors to establish physical data centers and cloud computing infrastructure in multiple locations within the Kingdom. 

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News Network
October 1,2024

The Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah says it targeted Israel's Glilot military base and Mossad headquarters in the outskirts of Tel Aviv with salvos of Fadi-4 rockets.

Israeli reports said several settlers were injured in the rocket barrage from Lebanon on Tel Aviv.

The reports said the rocket attack from Lebanon was “the largest” since the beginning of the war.

Hezbollah earlier said it struck gatherings of Israeli troopers in artillery and rocket attacks on the northern part of the occupied Palestinian territories in retaliation for Israel’s deadly strikes on Lebanon.

In separate statements released on Tuesday, the resistance movement said the gatherings of the enemy troops were hit at the Shtula, Metulla, Avivim and Rosh Pina settlements.

The resistance also targeted the Doviv barracks with a Falaq-2 rockets as well as the gathering of Israeli forces near the settlement of Rosh Pina with a rocket barrage.

The resistance group added that it had conducted the operations in support of “steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and … their valiant and honorable resistance, and in defense of Lebanon and its people.”

The attacks came amid a major escalation in Israel’s acts of terror and aggression in Lebanon that saw the regime assassinating Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike on southern Beirut.

The death toll from Israeli aerial assaults across Lebanon since early October 2023 has reached 1,745 with some 8,767 injured, according to Lebanese government data. In response, Hezbollah has fired barrages of rockets and drones towards Israeli targets.

The deadly exchange of fire was sparked by Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed 41,615 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded 96,359 others over the past year.

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News Network
October 1,2024

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Mysuru, Oct 1: The Karnataka Lokayukta team on Tuesday arrived at the disputed plot in Mysuru and began investigation into the MUDA case against CM Siddaramaiah and his wife, news agency ANI reported. Snehamayi Krishna, the complainant in the case was also present with the team.

Sources stated that ED sleuths might issue a notice to CM Siddaramaiah at any time and issue summons to him for questioning. The sleuths are also keenly watching the movements of CM Siddaramaiah’s close associates and relatives, including a cabinet minister in connection with the MUDA scam.

Sources further said that there is a possibility of the ED conducting raids across the state on offices and residences of close associates of CM Siddaramaiah. The ED has also gathered information on bank accounts and financial transactions of CM Siddaramaiah and his associates.

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Monday registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), equivalent to an FIR by the police, against CM Siddaramaiah over the alleged irregularities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife Parvathi B.M. by the Mysore Urban Development Authority. The ED registered the case taking cognisance of the FIR registered against the Chief Minister by the Lokayukta police on September 27.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka Lokayukta probing the MUDA case has also expedited the probe. The sleuths led by Mysuru Lokayukta SP T.J. Udesh have visited the controversial land on the outskirts of Mysuru city. The petitioner, Snehamayi Krishna, also accompanied the team.

The move of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife to return 14 sites allotted by the MUDA to her has triggered a debate. BJP MLA from Mysuru T.S. Srivatsa stated on Tuesday that the move of CM’s wife is not acceptable. "The two commissioners who colluded in the MUDA scam are roaming freely even today," he said.

"CM Siddaramaiah first claimed that there was no scam at all. Later, he formed a commission and now there is an FIR against him. After committing the mistake, you offer to return the sale deed. The time is up. He will have to tender his resignation and I am sure he won’t be in the position until Dasara festivities," MLA T.S. Srivatsa stated.

T.J. Abraham, one of the petitioners in the MUDA case said, “I had demanded the MUDA commissioner to take back the allotted sites. He had written back saying the process would be initiated. They were waiting for the investigation report."

"CM Siddaramaiah has not approached the division bench or the Supreme Court to challenge the order against him because there is nothing to be challenged. Returning sites is not a big sacrifice. The Chief Minister has lost it," Abraham stated. 
 

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News Network
September 25,2024

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Hezbollah has launched a ballistic missile at Tel Aviv for the first time, triggering sirens in the city and elsewhere including Netanya, the Lebanese resistance group says. 

Warning sirens sounded in Israel’s economic capital Tel Aviv as a single surface-to-surface missile was intercepted by air defense systems after it was detected crossing from Lebanon, the Israeli military said.

There were no reports of damage or casualties and the military said there was no change to civil defense instructions for central Israel.

The Israeli military said that for the "first time ever" a missile fired by Hezbollah reached the Tel Aviv area. "It is the first time ever a Hezbollah missile reached Tel Aviv area."

Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging deadly fire since early October last year, shortly after the regime launched a genocidal war against the Gaza Strip following a surprise operation by Hamas.

Earlier, Hezbollah targeted the Israeli Ilaniya military base at the northern side of the occupied territories with a salvo of Fadi-1 rockets. 

The base is reportedly affiliated with the 146th Reserve Division of the Israeli military, which is part of the Northern Command.

The group announced in a brief statement that the operation was carried out in defense of Lebanon and its people. 

Hezbollah also said it targeted a military base near Safad twice with salvos of rockets.

The group stated that it targeted “the Dado base near Safad – the headquarters of the Israeli military’s Northern Command – with a total of 90 rockets in defense of Lebanon and its people.”

Hezbollah said in a separate statement that it unleashed a squadron of attack drones on the headquarters of the Israeli army’s Special Naval Task Force at the Alit Base.

The group said the attack on the Alit base, south of the major port city of Haifa, targeted “the locations of [Israeli] officers and soldiers” and achieved direct hits.

The Lebanese resistance movement has vowed to keep up its retaliatory attacks as long as the Israeli regime continues its Gaza war, which has so far killed at least 41,467 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

Hezbollah officials have repeatedly said they do not want a war with Israel while stressing that they are prepared in case it occurs.

Two Israeli wars waged against Lebanon in 2000 and 2006 were met with strong resistance from Hezbollah, resulting in the retreat of the regime in both conflicts.

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