Charlotte Gallagher

Kaikki, johon haluat mennä, kuitenkaan koulu, koulutus, tuotanto, kaupungin, museo tai järjestelmä, kaikki tulee sisällä tässä yhden ison megastruktuurin. Mutta koska voit muuttaa kolme dimensiota, kaikki tulee olla melko lähellä. Lisäksi olisi skiresortti mountainsissa, joka oli kutsuttu Trajanaan, ja sieltä asian kesäpäiväpäivät olivat suunniteltuja vuonna 2029.

Over the past six months, certainly potentially more, work has slowed down significantly. And in fact, Saudi Arabia has just announced that they are redesigning what would have taken place there. And there's no longer going to be this megastructure. They're thinking instead about a much more modest proposal.

Niitä asioita, joita olin kuullut puheenjohtajien kanssa, oli, että se oli hyvin vaikeaa tuoda kriittisiä projekteja ja kuunnella niitä. Silloin ihmiset sanoivat, että nämä 9 miljoonaa ihmisiä, jotka tulisivat Neonille vuoteen 2030, mistä he tulisivat? Voimmeko rakentaa kaupungin, jossa heidät voidaan yhdistää vuoteen 2030? Mitä tämä vaatii? Kun Neon oli ensimmäisenä tuotettu vuoteen 2017, oli 500 miljardia Saudi-Arabian Suomalaisuuden rahoitusjärjestöstä.

They said, we don't think this is enough. The line, it looks like it's going to cost trillions. But they said that it was very, very difficult to get criticism listened to. And people who did try to raise those questions were either told to keep quiet or were pushed out. What we saw instead was Neon, as they started to sort of adjust to reality, they would say, well, you know, initially the first phase of the line was going to be some 10 kilometers. And they gradually cut that down until they were only going to build two and a half kilometers as the first phase.

And then late last year they started to announce, well, okay, it's not going to be ready by 2030. You know, this is a multi-generational project. And so we've seen this gradual climb down, which is also allowing people to save face, allowing Prince Mohammed to save face. That was Alison Killing of the Financial Times speaking to Tim Franks.

The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, has led tributes to Mark Tully, who reported for the BBC from there for many years. He said that Sir Mark, who was 90 and died in Delhi, left an enduring mark on public discourse. Mark Tully was known as the BBC's Voice of India. Ambarasan Etirajan reports.

That was Ambarasan Etirajan. And finally, thousands of people have queued at a zoo in Japan to see the country's final two giant pandas before they leave for China on Tuesday. The twin bears were born in Tokyo in 2021 to parents on loan from Beijing. Our Tokyo correspondent Shaima Khalil reports from UNA Zoo.

It's been a big day here at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo. Emotional for some, as large crowds gathered to say goodbye to Japan's beloved twin pandas, Shao Shao and his sister Lele. I am surrounded by panda souvenirs, stuffed toys, magnets, bags, hats.

The four-year-old giant pandas have been national darlings since their birth here, but their return to China was always part of the loan agreement. Many people here tell me that even though they knew that they had to go home someday, it's still hard saying goodbye. I've always liked pandas, but seeing the twins and witnessing their growth, especially since they were so small, has been such a joy. It's rather sad that they are leaving.

But considering their situation and thinking about their future partners, it really is better for them to be in China.

I've been bringing my boy here since he was a baby, so I hope it becomes a good memory for him. I'm glad we could come today to remember them. Record numbers have wanted to come here to see the pandas for the last time, so a lottery was drawn to pick the lucky visitors. But the viewing itself has also been restricted, about a minute or so. Just barely enough time to wave, to say goodbye, and maybe take a selfie.

China has long used these loans as part of its foreign relations, known worldwide as panda diplomacy. Loaning pandas when things go well, withdrawing them when relations sour. But this farewell comes against a particularly tense backdrop in the Japan-China relations, after the Japanese prime minister, Sanai Takeichi, said that Tokyo would respond militarily if China attacked Taiwan. Comments, of course, that infuriated Beijing.

Now this has cast doubt over whether Japan would be able to secure any new giant pandas once the twins leave. With Xiaoshanlele's departure, Japan will be without any giant pandas for the first time since 1972, the year it normalized diplomatic relations with China and got its first panda loan. Officials here say they have put in a new request. So far there's been no response from Beijing, as fans here wait and hope that diplomacy could avert a potential panda crisis.

That was Shaima Khalil reporting from Tokyo.

And that's all from us for now, but there will be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. You can also find us on X at BBC World Service. Use the hashtag Global News Pod. This edition was mixed by Charlotte Hazroy-Tajimska and the producers were Muzaffa Shakir and Steven Jensen. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Charlotte Gallagher. Until next time, goodbye.

Jos journalisti on ensimmäinen historiallinen kirja, mitä tapahtuu, jos se kirja on huono?

In 1999, four Russian apartment buildings were bombed. Hundreds killed. But even now, we still don't know for sure who did it. It's a mystery that sparked chilling theories. I'm Helena Merriman, and in a new BBC series, I'm talking to the reporters who first covered this story. What did they miss the first time? The History Bureau, Putin and the apartment bombs. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Charlotte Gallagher, and in the early hours of Friday, the 19th of December, these are our main stories.

After years of legal wrangling, TikTok signs a deal to save its future in the US.