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The one big story. Making sense of the news with our BBC experts around the world

The one big story. Making sense of the news with our experts around the world. Insights you can trust, Monday to Friday, from the BBC. With Katya Adler.

The one big story. Making sense of the news with our experts around the world. Insights you can trust, Monday to Friday, from the BBC.  Episodes will be ready by 10:30 GMT.

Host Katya Adler and our BBC teams guide you through one major global news story each episode.

From Beijing to Boston, Baghdad to Bangalore, our unrivalled reach will take you beyond the headlines to help understand and explore what’s happening.

The Global News Podcast brings you the latest updates and, on The Global Story, we will drill deep into a single story.

From the climate emergency, to the burning questions around Artificial Intelligence, to the movements of money and markets, and the power of the ballot and the bullet.

Katya Adler has been a BBC correspondent and editor for more than 25 years, covering conflicts in the Middle East, political and economic crises in Europe, and drug cartels in Mexico. 

The Global Story team would like to hear your stories and experiences on the issues that we’re covering on the podcast. Please get in touch: theglobalstory@bbc.com #TheGlobalStory and tell us your thoughts on what you would like us to talk about.

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The Global Story: Neom: Can Saudi Arabia afford to build the futuristic mega-city?

15/05/2024 GMT

Neom: Can Saudi Arabia afford to build the futuristic mega-city?

BBC World Service - The Global Story, Neom: Can Saudi Arabia afford to build the futuristic mega-city?

Glowing sand, levitating trains and a fake moon...can the Saudis make it a reality?

Neom, Saudi Arabia's ambitions city of the future, promises a car-free, carbon-free space open to all. At the heart of the plans are two skyscrapers as tall as the Empire State building, carved into the desert in a straight line for more than 100 miles. But can this dream ever become a reality?

BBC Verify's Merlyn Thomas has been investigating allegations that Saudi security forces were permitted to use lethal force while clearing inhabitants from the vast building site. Our Middle East Business Correspondent, Sameer Hashmi, tells us that Saudi Arabia is banking on Neom to help future proof its economy, but that they might struggle to cover the rising costs of the project.

The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We’re keen to hear from you, wherever you are in the world. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory.

The Global Story is part of the BBC News Podcasts family. The team that makes The Global Story also makes several other podcasts, such as Americast and Ukrainecast, which cover US news and the war in Ukraine. If you enjoy The Global Story, then we think that you will enjoy some of our other podcasts too. To find them, simply search on your favourite podcast app.

This episode was made by Richard Moran. The technical producers were Gareth Jones and Hannah Montgomery. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

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