Ministry, wildlife authority confirm commitment to preserve environment
LONDON: A new online shopping platform is about to launch in the Kingdom to rival Amazon.
The $1 billion noon.com online shopping platform has just arrived in the UAE and Saudi Arabia will be next.
But which will offer the best value for bargain-deprived Saudi shoppers?
We sent our very own secret shopper to purchase a basket of goods from Noon.com, and compare the prices with likefor-like products at Amazon’s US marketplace.
The Arab News online shopping trolley included 10 items picked at random and including electronics, footwear, phones and toys.
The results reveal that the upstart noon basket came to $2,024 compared — more than 10 percent cheaper than rival Amazon with a total cost of $2,273.45.
But analysts say the difference may be about noon.com stealing a march on its more established global competitor by offering attractive launch discounts.
Still, the arrival of fresh competition is expected to benefit shoppers across the region that have long been denied the online shopping choice of their counterparts in Europe, Asia and North America.
Noon is a joint venture between Emaar Properties chairman Mohamed Alabbar, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the Kuwaiti franchise operator MH Alshaya.
The new site launched on Sept. 30 with offices in Dubai and Riyadh. RIYADH: The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and the Saudi Wildlife Authority have confirmed their commitment to preserving the environment.
The two government agencies also said that in this regard, they are working in tandem to develop protective mechanisms.
The ministry said that threats to the environment in Saudi Arabia include hunting and trafficking in migratory birds, local media reported.
The ministry also confirmed that birds have several environmental benefits to local plants and protect from pests.
It also said that it’s working with concerned authorities in the Kingdom to implement all regulations and decisions to protect migratory birds.
Regulations have been set up against hunting animals and wild birds, trading in endangered species and their products, and a decision has been made to ban the hunting of migratory birds in the Kingdom.
Moreover, the ministry has also undertaken measures to prevent the outbreak of the highly pathogenic avian influenza in the Middle East and the possibility of its transmission to humans due to migratory birds.
The ministry called on everyone to cooperate and participate in protecting the environment by reporting violations on its telephone number or communicating the information to the Saudi Wildlife Authority through its Twitter account.
The ministry added that more than 300 accounts on social networks have been detected which show clear violations of regulations in force in the Kingdom and directed the appropriate authorities to apply legal sanctions against them.
It added that it’s working to establish safe havens to protect migratory birds and directed authorities to intensify efforts to achieve a safe and sustainable environment.