GLOBAL FAST AND COST EFFECTIVE MEGA PROJECTS. ....

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Saudi Neom’s Mega Projects: Everything You Need to Know

When it comes to smart, innovative, and futuristic projects, NEOM never fails to surprise us! With the numerous investment opportunities it offers, NEOM has become the place to invest for a better, progressive future.

1. The Line

Part of NEOM’s vision includes building a zero-carbon city that is expected to house about 9M people and extend for around 170 km! The city, known as The Line, will be completely run by renewable energy and will have no place for roads, cars, or emissions! The project aims to prioritize the well-being of those living in the city while also preserving the environment. 

2. OXAGON

NEOM’s second project includes building an innovative city, known as OXAGON, where state-of-the-art technologies are brought right to your fingertips! Through OXAGON, Saudi Arabia aims to grow the economy by bringing together industry 4.0 technologies, automation, and innovative solutions to create a new future.

3. TROJENA

Just because NOEM will have all these tech-savvy and environmentally friendly projects does not mean it will not have tourist attractions as well! As a way to align with its principles of sustainability, NEOM introduced TROJENA, a place where people can enjoy mesmerizing landscapes, nature, and innovation.

4. Green Hydrogen Project

The Green Hydrogen Project is a joint venture between NEOM’s water and electricity subsidiary, ENOWA, ACWA and Air Products. Through this project, the three partners aim to produce and export world-class ammonia. This project will also include developing the world's largest green hydrogen plant in NEOM, which further supports the Kingdom’s mission in a sustainable and net-zero city.

5. Hydrogen and Innovation Development Center (HIDC)

ENOWA is also leading the way for the creation of the first hydrogen and innovation center to help push for more research on clean fuel. In addition to using hydrogen fuel cell technology, HIDC will also work with Aramco on the development of synthetic fuel.

6. Vertical Mobility System 

NEOM and Volocopter, a personal air vehicles specialist, started working together to develop the world’s first public vertical mobility system. Given the fact that there will be no roads or cars, this project will serve the way for air taxis to take over and revolutionize the way people commute within NEOM.

Ultimately, at the heart of NEOM is the drive to create a sustainable and innovative city that brings a better and cleaner way for people to live and work. 

02

Alibaba and the 40 spies? Belgium frets over Chinese mega project

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Belgian politicians are beginning to worry a massive Chinese project at Liège airport in the south of the country is more about spycraft than aircraft.

Members of the country's parliament are debating whether China is looking to give its spies a firmer foothold in Europe through a landmark logistics hub being built by the e-commerce giant Alibaba.

Alibaba's €100 million investment has long been welcomed in Belgium as a way to help revive the struggling economy of the French-speaking region of Wallonia. The freight and parcels hub, on 220,000 square meters leased at the airport, is expected to become operational this year.

The mood on China is souring in the EU, however, amid tit-for-tat sanctions and boycotts against European products by Chinese consumers.

"We should realize that Alibaba is not just a simple private operator, but an agent of the Chinese Communist Party, under the orders of the regime, for instance in the repression of the Uyghur minority through its facial recognition software," said Samuel Cogolati, a member of the Green Ecolo party in the Belgian parliament, who is leading the charge on the file.

"We must reappropriate ... control over these digital giants and screen these Chinese investments, without naivety. We must open our eyes, guarantee our security, basic freedoms and protect the personal data of Belgian citizens," he told POLITICO.

At a meeting of the parliamentary justice committee last week, Cogolati pressed Belgium's Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne on the issue. And the minister sounded pretty worried too.

“Chinese intelligence officers could have access to sensitive and secure areas of the airport … The future economic importance of Liège airport to China can't be underestimated,” the Flemish liberal said, according to Belgian press reports of the meeting. “Alibaba will also have to obey the Chinese security apparatus in the event that it wishes to have access to the potentially sensitive commercial and personal data held by Alibaba in connection with its activities in Liège.”

Neither Van Quickenborne nor Alibaba responded to requests for comment from POLITICO.

The Chinese embassy in Belgium firmly rejected the accusations.

“Some Belgian parliamentarians, institutions and the media … baselessly suspected that Alibaba’s Liège Airport logistics project cooperates with the Chinese government’s espionage activities and poses a threat to citizens’ privacy and national security,” it said in a statement. Requirements under China’s national intelligence law, it added, “respect and protect human rights.”

Beijing and Brussels now seem to be trying to smooth over relations at the ministerial level. Earlier this week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi talked to his Belgian counterpart, Sophie Wilmès, and called on Belgium to “play a constructive role in the EU” and “promote the long-term and steady development of China-EU relations.”

“Belgium is the heart of Europe, and has long been a bridge for China-Europe exchanges,” Wang added, according to the Chinese readout.

And Wallonia knows full well the value of that bridge because Liège has already benefited enormously from Alibaba’s presence. According to a spokesman for the city’s airport, freight soared from 9 million parcels in 2018 to 362 million parcels in 2019, and 548 million last year mainly thanks to Alibaba and its subsidiary Cainiao Smart Logistics Network.

Laurens Cerulus contributed reporting.

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03

Cabinet reviews progress of mega projects

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KUWAIT CITY, Sept 5, (Agencies): During its weekly meeting at Al-Saif Palace on Monday under chairmanship of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al- Sabah, the Cabinet reviewed the recommendations of the ministerial committee on mega development projects and the financial affairs.

HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad chairs Monday’s Cabinet meeting.

The committee, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister Defense and Acting Minister of Interior Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah raised suggestions to remove the obstacles facing the implementation of the mega projects, said Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Oil and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Dr. Mohammad Abdullatif Al-Fares following the meeting. The Cabinet members reviewed the recommendations of the committee on economic affairs, chaired by Al-Fares, including the proposal of Minister of Finance, Minister of State for Economic and Investment Affairs Abdul-Wahab Al-Rusaid on putting cap on spending in the three fiscal years ahead.

They mandated Al-Rushaid to adopt whatever measures he deems proper to on the limits of spending and set the necessary guidelines and regulations for the government agencies in keeping with the state budget. The Minister was also tasked with issuance of circulations regulating the budget appropriations pursuant to the provisions of Act 31 (1978), and the budgetary and auditing rules. The Cabinet then discussed some suggestions pitched by a public services committee, comprised of various state bodies, over planned initiatives aiming to enhance Kuwait’s food security, referring the matter to the country’s Government Performance Follow-Up Agency.

The aforementioned body will be tasked with compiling a special report on these initiatives, which include forming designated storage facilities to boost food security, a plan that requires more coordination among state bodies. Finance Minister Abdul-Wahab Al-Rushaid then briefed the Cabinet on the existential financial challenges facing Kuwait, all of which require a raft of reforms to usher in financial stability, he underlined, while his ministry’s efforts to address the matter were praised by the Cabinet.

The talks then turned to current happenings around the world, mainly a recent spate of terrorist attacks in a number of countries, including a deadly attack targeting a food convoy in Somalia and a bomb blast that ripped through a mosque in western Afghanistan, both of which left scores of people dead or injured. The Cabinet strongly condemned these incidents, in addition to an assassination attempt on Argentina’s Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, saying Kuwait backs global efforts to root out the scourge of terrorism.

The Kuwaiti Cabinet on Monday mandated Minister of Finance, Minister of State for Economic and Investment Affairs Abdul-Wahab Al-Rushaid with putting a cap on government spending for the coming three fiscal years. Al-Rushaid has to adopt whatever measures he deems appropriate to limit spending and set the necessary guidelines and regulations for the government agencies in keeping with the state budget. Under the decision, adopted during the weekly Cabinet meeting, the minister is authorized to issue circulations to regulate the budget appropriations pursuant to the provisions of Act 31 (1978), the budgetary and auditing rules, and the final accounts.

The Council of Ministers have put in place a number of solutions for faltering housing projects, on top of which are the cities of South Sa’ad Al-Abdullah and South Sabah Al-Ahmad, in addition to a number of other new housing projects such as Al-Mutla’a Residential City and South Abdullah Al-Mubarak Suburb, reports Al-Qabas daily. The sources indicated that the most prominent solutions to the housing crisis came through the recommendation to give priority during the coming period to the approval of a number of laws that will contribute to accelerating the allocation of new cities, explaining that the new laws that ended with the recommendations should be approved urgently as soon as the sessions are held. The package of laws include, the real estate developer law, the real estate finance law, the smart cities law, the central cooling law and the building sustainability law.

The same sources said the Council of Ministers has asked the concerned authorities, led by the Public Authority for Housing Welfare, the Kuwait Credit Bank, the Kuwait Municipality and the Ministry of Electricity and Water, to take the necessary measures towards preparing draft bills and to take the approvals of the concerned authorities in order to issue them, explaining that the draft real estate developer bill was completed after taking the approval of the concerned authorities, the fatwa and legislation department, and pending the Council of Ministers sending the draft law to the National Assembly and expediting its decision.

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