Saudi Arabia Asks Consultants To Reassess Feasibility of 'The Line' Megaproject
Saudi Arabia has asked consultants to reassess the feasibility of The Line, its ambitious 170km linear city project and centerpiece of the Neom initiative, as rising costs and falling oil prices force the kingdom to scale back its megaprojects. Middle East Eye reports: In April, The Financial Times reported that the CEO of Neom had launched a "comprehensive review" of the kingdom's megaproject. Neom, along with luxury Red Sea hotels and a ski resort, is the flagship project of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 plan to transform the kingdom's economy and reduce its dependence on oil revenue. Bloomberg reported in 2024 that Saudi Arabia was cutting back plans for The Line. Instead of 1.5 million people living there by 2030, Saudi officials were said to anticipate fewer than 300,000 residents. Meanwhile, only 2.4km of the city is expected to be completed by 2030.
In April, Goldman Sachs painted a bleak picture for Saudi Arabia's projects in a note to clients, projecting "pretty significant" budget deficits and more scaling back of megaprojects. Neom has already faced internal challenges. Nadhmi al-Nasr, who managed Neom's construction from 2018 to 2024, departed from his post in November. Nasr earned a chilling reputation managing Neom. He bragged that he put everyone to work "like a slave," adding, "When they drop down dead, I celebrate. That's how I do my projects." Two other foreign executives also left Neom at the end of 2024, according to The Wall Street Journal.
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Hollywood actor Sean Bean blasts plans to build thousands of houses on green belt near his hometown
The actor wrote: 'I would like to register my objection for the proposed mass building in the Handsworth area of Sheffield, where I grew up and spent some of the best years of my life.'
Woman's breasts balloon to 26lbs in just months... as doctors reveal diagnosis only 300 people have ever received
Thaynara Marcondes, 22 and from Brazil, was initially feared to have cancer, before doctors diagnosed her with a rare condition only recorded 300 times in medical literature.
Lord Ara Darzi has his £200,000 Richard Mille watch snatched from his arm by robbers who then flee on a speed boat on Italian island of Capri
The House of Lords member was seen in footage strolling through a narrow street between the Piazzetta and Via Camerelle in Capri at around 10:30pm on July 13.
Primark's new matching pyjamas and bedding that fans 'love' and say they 'need'
The new sets are on sale now
Nepo babies with music legend dads pose for a photo that rocks the internet
Two nepo babies whose dads are rock legends posed for a photo together that has gone viral, rocking the internet.
I slapped England winger Jack Grealish because of him calling me an 'ugly, little w****r' after Manchester Derby, football hooligan tells court
Hooligan Alfie Holt has received a banning order after admitting slapping Jack Grealish in the face - claiming he was provoked by the Manchester City star calling him an 'ugly little w*****'.
Microsoft Has a New Trick To Improve Laptop Battery Life On Windows
Microsoft is testing a new adaptive energy saver mode in Windows 11 that automatically turns energy saver on or off based on system workload instead of battery percentage, aiming to extend laptop battery life without dimming screen brightness. The feature is currently available to Windows Insider testers and expected to roll out later this year. The Verge reports: The energy saver mode in Windows 11 typically dims a display brightness by 30 percent, disables transparency effects, and stop apps running in the background. Non-critical Windows update downloads are also paused, and certain apps like OneDrive, OneNote, and Phone Link may not sync fully while energy saver is enabled. This new adaptive energy saver mode, which will only be available on devices with a battery, will automatically enable or disable without affecting screen brightness. That will make it less noticeable on devices like laptops, tablets, and handhelds.
"Adaptive energy saver is an opt-in feature that automatically enables and disables energy saver, without changing screen brightness, based on the power state of the device and the current system load," explains Microsoft's Windows Insider team.
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Fire crews raced to three grass fires in less than three hours in east London - forcing residents to evacuate
In less than three hours, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) were deployed to incidents in Dagenham, Hornchurch and Walthamstow.
Danny Dyer teases season two of saucy hit series Rivals and reveals how he's reinvented himself as the 'cheaper version of Gary Oldman' since leaving EastEnders
The actor, 47, who plays Freddie Jones in the saucy Disney+ show, reassured fans that they have no need to worry about the new instalment failing to live up to its predecessor.
The house that built Rory: Inside McIlroy's childhood home, his local pub and the 'lightning' putting green that forged a champion
This is Holywood, where a star was born 36 years ago, and an hour or so north from here is Royal Portrush, where that same guy will challenge for the Claret Jug this week.
Next shoppers say 'perfect every day' £9 t-shirts they want to buy in several colours
Next's Cap Sleeve T-Shirts are available in 15 colours and have proven so popular that the brand has introduced various multi-packs for shoppers to choose from
Davina McCall, 57, insists she's 'not scared of dying anymore' in powerful confession following life-changing brain tumour
Davina McCall has insisted she's 'not scared of dying anymore' following her life-changing brain tumour.
Spade-like hands sent up a machine-gun clatter of applause from the public seats: QUENTIN LETTS watches MPs discuss the prosecution - the persecution - of Northern Ireland veterans
Thirty old soldiers, many in berets, packed the public seats in Westminster Hall, the Commons off-shoot used for petition debates.
Green energy tycoon and top Labour donor calls for 'climate denial' to be made a criminal offence... as Ed Miliband brands Tories and Reform 'unpatriotic' for failing to back Net Zero goals
Green energy tycoon Dale Vince tweeted in support of Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, who branded the Conservatives and Reform 'unpatriotic' for not backing Net Zero goals.
The greatest showmance! As Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean retire, how their intense bond sparked years of romance rumours - despite both marrying other people
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have performed for the last time together after retiring from ice skating, four decades on from their gold win at the 1984 Winter Olympics.
US Defense Department Awards Contracts To Google, xAI
The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded contracts worth up to $200 million each to OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI to scale adoption of advanced AI. "The contracts will enable the DoD to develop agentic AI workflows and use them to address critical national security challenges," reports Reuters, citing the department's Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office. From the report: Separately on Monday, xAI announced a suite of its products called "Grok for Government", making its advanced AI models -- including its latest flagship Grok 4 -- available to federal, local, state and national security customers. The Pentagon announced last month that OpenAI was awarded a $200 million contract, saying the ChatGPT maker would "develop prototype frontier AI capabilities to address critical national security challenges in both warfighting and enterprise domains."
The contracts announced on Monday deepen the ties between companies leading the AI race and U.S. government operations, while addressing concerns around the need for competitive contracts for AI use in federal agencies. "The adoption of AI is transforming the (DoD's) ability to support our warfighters and maintain strategic advantage over our adversaries," Chief Digital and AI Officer Doug Matty said.
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ITV's new show Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters branded 'boring' and 'unwatchable' as viewers declare one 'annoying' star an 'attention seeker'
The new series, which coincides with 50th anniversary of Jaws, sees a bunch of famous faces, who are terrified of the sea, face their fears head on.
'It's one rule for us and another for the terrorist', one furious veteran tells ROBERT HARDMAN
Veterans of all stripes were in Parliament Square to support the public petition demanding that the Government does not repeal the Legacy Act.
NASA discovers 'super Earth' planet emitting mysterious signal
NASA has detected a mysterious signal coming from a distant super-Earth called TOI-1846 b, a planet nearly twice Earth's size and four times as heavy.