MUST-READS

• Saudi Arabia sends 17th relief plane to Ukraine

  The plane was sent by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center to Rzeszow Airport in Poland, near the Ukrainian border, in preparation for a land route to Ukraine. The plane carried 60 tons of relief items, including generators and electrical appliances. A Saudi delegation, headed by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, visited the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in February on the first visit of its kind by a Saudi and Arab official to Ukraine since Russia started its “special military operation” against its neighbor.

• Saudi Arabia’s net FDI at $3.49 billion in Q4 of 2023
  Net inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) to Saudi Arabia reached 13.1 billion riyals ($3.49 billion) in the fourth quarter of 2023, up 16% from 11.4 billion riyals ($3.04 billion) in the third quarter, government data showed on Thursday.
  The kingdom hopes to attract $100 billion in FDI by 2030 to boost non-oil gross domestic product as part of a wider strategy by de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to diversify the economy away from its reliance on crude oil exports.

• Mixed Signals in the Latest Saudi Labor Market Report

  At face value, the Saudi labor market report released March 28 contained good news. The report showed that the overall unemployment rate (covering nationals and non-nationals) fell to 4.4% in the fourth quarter of 2023 from 5.1% in the third quarter. The unemployment rate for Saudi nationals dropped to 7.7% from 8.6% in the third quarter (and 8% in the fourth quarter of 2022), with the unemployment rate for Saudi women declining particularly sharply to 13.7% (down from 16.3% in the third quarter of 2023 and 15.4% in the fourth quarter of 2022). The unemployment rate for Saudi men remained unchanged at 4.6% between the third and fourth quarters of 2023, still above the 4.2% rate in the fourth quarter of 2022. The overall unemployment rates for Saudi women and all Saudis are at their lowest levels since the kingdom began collecting statistics.

• Saudi creative leaders go independent with agency launch

  “Proudly from Saudi Arabia, we’re a local advertising agency, which is creatively led, driven by ideas and innovation, and globally audacious. We are fast, young, and excited to deliver to the world what the advertising industry has been missing for some time,” said Sehly. The agency’s main focus is, but not limited to,  developing all creative communications for the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi (GEA) and Riyadh Season.

• Opinion: How Alat can turn Saudi Arabia into a global manufacturing hub

  There are a lot of positives for the new company: significant funding; large domestic demand from greenfield mega-projects like NEOM, and city transformations in Riyadh and Jeddah; and a developing low-carbon energy system that sustainable manufacturers need. But still, the size of the challenge is daunting. Alat is targeting the creation of 39,000 direct jobs in Saudi Arabia and a $9.3 billion contribution to GDP by 2030, with manufacturing activities across more than 30 product categories.

• Weather warnings issued across Saudi Arabia until Monday

  Moderate to heavy rain, leading to torrential rain, hail and high wind, has been forecast for Makkah region, including the Holy Capital, Al-Jumum, Al-Kamil, Bahra, Khulais, Taif, Maysan, Adham, Al-Ardiyat, Tarbah, Raniyah, Al-Muwayh, and Al-Khurmah. The Riyadh region will be affected by similar weather conditions, including the capital, Diriyah, Afif, Al-Dawadmi. Al-Quwayiyah, Al-Majma’ah, Thadiq, Marrat, Al-Ghat, Al-Zulfi, Shaqraa, Rumah, Huraymila, Darma, Al-Muzahmiyah, Al-Kharj, Wadi Al-Dawasir, Al-Salil, Al-Aflaj, Hotat Bani Tamim and Al-Hareeq.

• World Court orders Israel to halt Gaza famine; Hamas says ceasefire needed
  The World Court on Thursday unanimously ordered Israel, accused by South Africa of genocide in Gaza, to take all necessary and effective action to ensure basic food supplies to the enclave's Palestinian population and halt spreading famine.
  But Gaza's Hamas rulers said a ceasefire was needed to halt the humanitarian crisis.
  The order from the International Court of Justice came as Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters battled in close combat around Gaza's Al Shifa Hospital, where the armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they attacked Israeli soldiers and tanks with rockets and mortar fire.

• Israel strikes Syria hard as its pilots resume regular drills for northern war
   Israel carried out its deadliest strikes in months on northern Syria's Aleppo province early on Friday, stepping up its campaign against Iran's proxies in parallel with its war in Gaza.
  Israel has ramped up airstrikes Syria against both the Lebanese Hezbollah militia and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) since the Iranian-backed Palestinian faction Hamas's attack on Israel on Oct. 7, and in recent days its pilots have resumed regular practice for "deep" raids into Lebanon.

• Israel may cut off Palestinian banks from global banking system next week

  Palestinian banks could be cut off from the Israeli banking system starting next week following a decision by Israel’s finance minister to cease dealings between the two financial institutions, according to a report on Thursday by Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has two days to convene a cabinet meeting to discuss reversing plans by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to isolate Palestinian banks from both the Israeli and international banking systems.

• U.S. Census changes how it identifies people by race and ethnicity, creates Middle Eastern category for first time

  For the first time in 27 years, the U.S. government is changing how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity, an effort that federal officials believe will more accurately count residents who identify as Hispanic and of Middle Eastern and North African heritage. The revisions to the minimum categories on race and ethnicity, announced Thursday by the Office of Management and Budget, are the latest effort to label and define the people of the United States. This evolving process often reflects changes in social attitudes and immigration, as well as a wish for people in an increasingly diverse society to see themselves in the numbers produced by the federal government.

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