Saudi Arabia Signs $10.6 Bln Deal to Develop Local Infrastructure

Officials sign the agreement on Saturday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Officials sign the agreement on Saturday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Signs $10.6 Bln Deal to Develop Local Infrastructure

Officials sign the agreement on Saturday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Officials sign the agreement on Saturday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia will invest 40 billion riyals ($10.6 billion) in developing local infrastructure projects, announced the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing.

Under the new agreement, nearly 90 million square meters will be allocated for the local infrastructure projects to provide over 150,000 housing units across 11 cities in an effort to accommodate around 750,000 people.

In addition, nearly 54 million square meters will be allocated for public areas, facilities, parks, road networks and public transport.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of a housing exhibition organized by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing in Riyadh, under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

The exhibition is set to run until September 28.

The deal was signed in the presence of Minister of Housing Majid al-Hogail, Minister of Tourism Ahmed bin Aqeel Al-Khateeb, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman al-Fadley, and Minister of Transport and Logistics Services Saleh Al-Jasser.

The housing ministry was represented by Undersecretary for Real Estate Development Abdul Rahman bin Abdullah Al-Taweel, while the National Housing Company was represented by CEO of NHC Eng Mohammad bin Saleh Al-Bati.

The company is the leading enabler of the real estate development sector and the largest major developer of suburbs and residential communities, and aims to increase the real estate supply in the Kingdom with various housing options.

This comes as part of the company’s efforts to achieve the objectives of the housing program as part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, by raising the proportion of housing ownership for Saudi families to 70 percent.



E-commerce Giant Alibaba Has Completed 3-year 'Rectification' Period

Alibaba Group has completed three years "rectification" following a fine levied in 2021 for monopolistic behavior. Reuters
Alibaba Group has completed three years "rectification" following a fine levied in 2021 for monopolistic behavior. Reuters
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E-commerce Giant Alibaba Has Completed 3-year 'Rectification' Period

Alibaba Group has completed three years "rectification" following a fine levied in 2021 for monopolistic behavior. Reuters
Alibaba Group has completed three years "rectification" following a fine levied in 2021 for monopolistic behavior. Reuters

China's State Administration of Market Regulation issued a statement on Friday saying Alibaba Group had completed three years "rectification" following a fine levied in 2021 for monopolistic behavior.
In 2021, the regulator slapped a record $2.75 billion fine on the e-commerce giant for abusing its market position by forcing merchants on its platforms not to work with rival platforms.
The regulator's statement said Alibaba's rectification work had achieved "good results" and that it would continue to "guide" Alibaba to continue to "regulate its operations and improve its compliance and quality."
The fine levied on Alibaba in 2021 came during a period of intense scrutiny for the business empire founded by billionaire Jack Ma, Reuters reported. A $37 billion IPO by the finance arm he founded, Ant Group, was also scuttled following Ma's public critique of the country's regulatory system in late 2020.
Alibaba, in its own statement, described the regulator's announcement on Friday as a "new starting point for development" and said it would continue to "promote the healthy development of the platform economy and create more value for society."