Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - A futuristic Saudi megacity is to feature two skyscrapers extending across a swathe of desert and mountain terrain, according to the latest disclosures on the project by the kingdom's de facto ruler.

The parallel structures of mirror-encased skyscrapers extending over 170 kilometres (more than 100 miles), known collectively as The Line, form the heart of the Red Sea megacity NEOM, a plank of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's bid to diversify the Gulf state's oil-dependent economy.

First announced in 2017, NEOM has consistently raised eyebrows for proposed flourishes like flying taxis and robot maids, even as architects and economists have questioned its feasibility.

In a presentation Monday night, Prince Mohammed sketched out an even more ambitious vision, describing a car-free utopia that would become the planet's most liveable city "by far".

Analysts noted, though, that plans for NEOM have changed course over the years, fuelling doubts about whether The Line will ever become reality.

NEOM was once touted as a regional "Silicon Valley", a biotech and digital hub spread over 26,500 square kilometres (10,000 square miles).

Now it's a vehicle for reimagining urban life on a footprint of just 34 square kilometres, and addressing what Prince Mohammed describes as "liveability and environmental crises".

"The concept has morphed so much from its early conception that it's sometimes hard to determine its direction: scaling down, scaling up, or making an aggressive turn sideways," said Robert Mogielnicki of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

- Population boom -

Officials had earlier said NEOM's population would top one million, but Prince Mohammed said the number would actually hit 1.2 million by 2030 before climbing to nine million by 2045.

The eye-popping total is part of a hoped-for nationwide population boom that Prince Mohammed said would be necessary to make Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest crude exporter, an economic powerhouse.

The goal for 2030 is to have 50 million people -- half Saudis and half foreigners -- living in the kingdom, up from roughly 34 million today.

By 2040 the target is 100 million people, he said.

"That's the main purpose of building NEOM, to raise the capacity of Saudi Arabia, get more citizens and more people in Saudi Arabia. And since we are doing it from nothing, why should we copy normal cities?"

The site will be powered by 100 percent renewable energy and feature "a year-round temperate micro-climate with natural ventilation", a promotional video released Monday said.

Past environmental pledges by the kingdom, such as a vow to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2060, have sparked scepticism from environmentalists.

NEOM is well-positioned to harness solar and wind energy, and plans are also afoot for the city to host the world's largest green hydrogen plant, said Torbjorn Soltvedt of risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft.

"But the feasibility of NEOM as a whole is still unclear given the unprecedented scale and cost of the project," he said.

- Finding funds -

At just 200 metres (yards) wide, The Line is intended to be Saudi Arabia's answer to unchecked and wasteful urban sprawl, layering homes, schools and parks on top of each other in what planners term "Zero Gravity Urbanism".

Residents will have "all daily needs" reachable within a five-minute walk, while also having access to other perks like outdoor skiing facilities and "a high-speed rail with an end-to-end transit of 20 minutes", according to a statement.

Though NEOM will operate under its own founding law, which is still being prepared, Saudi officials say they have no plans to waive the kingdom's alcohol ban.

An airport is already operational at NEOM, and authorities announced in May it would begin receiving regular flights from Dubai, but it is unclear whether major construction of the megacity itself has commenced.

NEOM said Tuesday it would create 380,000 jobs by the end of the decade "whilst providing the ultimate work-life balance".

The "first phase" of the project, lasting until 2030, will cost 1.2 trillion Saudi riyals (roughly $319 billion), Prince Mohammed said.

Besides government subsidies, potential sources of funding include the private sector and an initial public offering for NEOM expected in 2024, he said.

Securing the necessary financing remains a potential challenge, though the current climate is more favourable than during the coronavirus pandemic that lowered oil prices.

"But funding is only part of the equation... demand is harder to buy, especially when you're asking people to be part of an experiment on living and working in the future," Mogielnicki said.

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The team, which led the development of the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) at Heriot-Watt university, believe the submersible machine is a game-changer for offshore wind farms, obviating the need for divers.

The engineers reckon it will soon be ready to perform inspections and maintenance at wind farms, transforming the nature of the high-risk and costly endeavours just as the industry is set for huge expansion.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised to make the UK the "Saudi Arabia" of wind power, with plans to generate enough electricity from offshore to power every UK home by 2030.

While Johnson is on his way out of office, the industry is banking on the expansion plans, especially after Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent the price of traditional carbon energy through the roof.

"We have to imagine that in 10, 15 years time there will be hundreds of wind farms, which means thousands of wind turbines all across the coast of the UK," Yvan Petillot, a robotics and autonomous systems professor at Heriot-Watt, told AFP.

"You also have hydrogen technology being developed and all of this will need to be maintained, inspected and serviced.

"What we are developing is remote technologies where people can inspect and maintain those assets from shore, without putting anyone in harm's way."

- Accumulation of micro-organisms -

In May the ROV, which is equipped with sensors and advanced software, conducted what is believed to be the first ever autonomous offshore wind farm inspection.

The device was deployed at French energy firm EDF's Blyth wind farm, off the coast of Northumberland, northeast England.

It successfully recorded videos that allowed researchers to assess the exterior condition of turbine foundations and cables.

Meanwhile its software created a 3D reconstruction model of parts of the energy company's underwater assets.

Petillot said the 3D model can pick up the accumulation of micro-organisms, plants and algae on the turbine foundations.

If a problem is detected, the ROV system can be deployed with a robotic arm to conduct a repair.

"The system will first do an autonomous inspection of the seabed and the structure, and build the 3D model that someone from shore can look at and say, 'there's a problem here'," Petillot said.

"Typically you would have corrosion on the system, you might have to turn a valve, you might have to connect a cable, you might have to change an anode and clean the surface if there is too much bio-fouling."

Maxime Duchet, an offshore wind research engineer at EDF, said the images and modelling will greatly enhance the ability to conduct operations and maintenance activities on-site.

- 'Safer and faster' -

Further tests are needed to estimate the time required to inspect all of the turbine foundations and to demonstrate the full potential of marine robotic technology, he noted.

"However, it is clear from these initial results that the technology can ensure safer and faster operations and a reduced carbon footprint," Duchet added.

Engineers, who use a joystick to pilot the vehicle, say the ROV can be left alone to perform its primary mapping task for most of the time.

If it becomes stuck, or lingers too long in a particular area, a pilot can commandeer it.

Petillot said a long-term benefit could be allowing more people to join the team managing the ROV remotely, who might not have been willing or able to work offshore.

It is incredibly difficult to find a diver or a qualified pilot for such projects, he noted.

In contrast, finding somebody to help control the system as though they were playing a video game should prove far easier, according to Petillot.

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 Paris (AFP) – AIDS researchers announced that a fourth person has been "cured" of HIV, but the dangerous procedure for patients also battling cancer may be little comfort for the tens of millions living with the virus worldwide.

The 66-year-old man, named the "City of Hope" patient after the Californian centre where he was treated, was declared in remission in the lead up to the International AIDS Conference, which begins in Montreal, Canada.

Birmingham (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Weightlifter Cyrille Tchatchet II is aiming for Commonwealth Games glory in his "home town" of Birmingham after a compelling journey since he competed in Glasgow in 2014.

Paris, France - Stem cell scientists say they have created "synthetic embryos" without using sperm, eggs or fertilisation for the first time, but the prospect of using such a technique to grow human organs for transplantation remains distant.

The breakthrough was hailed as a major step forward, though some experts said the result could not fully be considered to be embryos and warned of future ethical considerations.

In research published in the journal Cell this week, scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel said found a way to have mouse stem cells self-assemble into embryo-like structures in the lab.

They started by collecting cells from the skin of mice, then made them return to the state of stem cells.

The stem cells were then placed in a special incubator designed by the researchers, which continuously moved to mimic a mother's womb.

The vast majority of the cells failed to form anything.

But 50 -- 0.5 percent of the 10,000 total -- collected themselves into spheres, then embryo-like structures, the researchers said.

After eight days -- around a third of the 20-day mouse gestation period -- there were early signs of a brain and a beating heart, they added.

They were described as 95-percent similar to normal mouse embryos.

- 'Time will tell' -

If human organs could one day be grown in a lab, the technique could provide life-saving transplants for thousands of people every year.

Stem cell scientist Jacob Hanna, who led the research, told AFP, "The big problem for transplantation is that you need to find a matching donor and the DNA is never identical to the patient."

But using the new technique, one day scientists could take cells from a patient's liver, for example, use them to make stem cells, grow a synthetic embryo then "transplant them back into the patient", Hanna said.

"The cell will be made from the patient, so it will be the exact DNA -- no need to find donors and there can be no rejection," he added.

While they were the most advanced synthetic embryo-like structures ever grown, some scientists not involved in the research warned against calling them "embryos".

"These are not embryos," French stem cell scientist Laurent David told AFP.

He preferred to call them embryoids, the name for a group of cells that resemble an embryo.

However, David welcomed the "very convincing" research, which he said could allow further experiments to understand exactly how organs form.

Beyond organs, Hanna said the embryoids could also help identify new targets for drugs and potentially help find solutions for a range of issues such as pregnancy loss, infertility, endometriosis and preeclampsia.

"Time will tell," he said.

Hanna, a Palestinian who led the research at the institute in Israel, said, "Science is my escape from the harsh reality I face while living in my homeland."

"And I am one of the very 'lucky' ones," he added.

The first author of the Cell study is a PhD student from the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, who needs a special permit regularly renewed to allow him to work at the institute in the Israeli city of Rehovot, Hanna said.

- Ethical implications -

Hanna has founded a company, Renewal Bio, that he said "will be focusing on testing potential clinical applications of human synthetic embryoids".

He said they had ethical approval for such testing in Israel and it was legal in many other countries such as the US and UK.

"We should remember that synthetic embryos are embryoids and not real embryos and do not have the potential to become viable," he said.

But researchers not involved in the study said it was very early to consider using such a technique for humans.

Alfonso Martinez Arias of Spain's Pompeu Fabra University said the breakthrough "opens the door to similar studies with human cells, though there are many regulatory hoops to get through first and, from the point of view of the experiments, human systems lag behind mouse systems".

And aiming to get similar results from human cells is likely to open an ethical can of worms.

"Although the prospect of synthetic human embryos is still distant, it will be crucial to engage in wider discussions about the legal and ethical implications of such research," James Briscoe of Britain's Francis Crick Institute said.

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In the bustling capital Hanoi, all kinds of shoes are on sale: from $1,000 Gucci heels to $2 plastic slippers.

But for those seeking a nod to yesteryear, the hard-soled rubber sandals -- evocative of the communist state's resourcefulness under fire -- are available at markets and small stores alike.

- Uncle Ho's sandals -

Dao Van Quang paid $8 for a standard pair at a shop outside a Hanoi museum devoted to the country's revolutionary leader -- and dedicated rubber sandal wearer -- Ho Chi Minh.

"I wore rubber sandals when I was at school, in the 1980s," the 47-year-old from central Quang Nam province told AFP.

"They are of historical value, easy to wear and look nice."

At the museum, the well-worn pair belonging to the former North Vietnam president known affectionately as "Uncle Ho" are displayed in a glass box with his Chinese-style uniform.

Ho's sandals have even been lauded in national songs praising his simple lifestyle.

"These sandals helped Uncle travel a long way, and with them, he overcame difficulties to build the country," the lyrics of one song say.

The Vietnamese first began making rubber sandals in the late 1940s, during the First Indochina War against the French, using tyres from an ambushed army truck.

They found the sandals were cheap to make and survived well in wet, muddy and hilly conditions, as soldiers marched through thick jungle.

Later, during the Vietnam War, the simple but sturdy footwear became a symbol of the communist Viet Cong forces' ingenuity in their fight against the United States' military might.

Even in peacetime, the design remains popular for sustainability reasons, said Nguyen Duc Truong, who has spent his life crafting the shoes.

"I think there is still much potential for rubber sandals," the 58-year-old said.

- Rising popularity -

Vietnam is one of the world's top four countries for shoe manufacturing and its factories produce pairs for major brands such as Nike and Adidas.

The footwear export industry generated nearly $12 billion in the first half of this year, according to government figures.

While the humble rubber sandal does not quite generate the same revenue, it is high on heritage value and its popularity as a casual shoe is rising.

Vua Dep Lop, which started as a small business and became Vietnam's rubber sandal leader, sells the footwear for around $10 a pair.

At its workshop in Hanoi, shoemakers use sharp knives and chisels to craft the sandals from huge tyres that are almost the same height as the workers.

While the traditional black models are bestsellers, a colourful modern twist is helping the sandal appeal to a younger demographic.

Nguyen Tien Cuong took over the business from his father-in-law in 2011, and has sold more than half a million pairs of rubber sandals since then.

"We tried to make them softer and more fashionable. After changing the style and format, we started having more customers," he said.

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