At least 46 killed in Pakistani airstrike as Taliban vows retaliation

A Pakistani airstrike in Afghanistan’s Paktika province reportedly killed at least 46 people, mostly civilians, including children, according to Afghan Taliban spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat.

Six more people, mostly children were wounded in the region, Mr Fitrat said, according to AFP.

“Barmal district of Paktika was bombed by the Pakistan Army late today. Most of civilians whom are Waziristani refugees, were targeted, and a number of civilians including children were martyred and injured,” the Afghani ministry of defence said in a statement.

Security officials, speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said the airstrike targeted a training facility in Paktika province, bordering Afghanistan, with the aim of killing insurgents.

Local residents told the AP that at least 13 people were killed, adding that the toll could be even higher.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Khurasani, the spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has claimed a toll of 50 people, including 27 women and children.

The TTP is a separate group and a close ally of the Afghan Taliban that seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as US and Nato troops withdrew from the country after 20 years of war.

Countries across the world have been hesitant to recognise Afghanistan’s Taliban government due to the harsh measures it has imposed since its takeover, especially in restricting the rights of women and minorities.

Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban government denounced Tuesday’s attack, calling it an “act of aggression” in violation of all international principles, claiming most of the victims were refugees from the Waziristan region.

“The Islamic Emirate will not leave this heinous act unanswered; rather, it considers it its right to defend its territory and sovereignty,” Afghanistan’s ministry of national defence said.

Pakistan’s government and military officials did not immediately comment on the alleged attacks.

The latest incident follows an earlier air strike by Pakistan on Afghanistan’s border that killed eight civilians in March.

Since the Taliban’s takeover, Afghanistan’s border tensions with Pakistan have escalated.

Islamabad has accused Taliban authorities of harbouring militant fighters and allowing them to strike Pakistan – allegations which Kabul has denied.

While Pakistan has experienced several militant attacks in the last two decades, there has been a marked uptick in recent months.

Islamabad has accused the Taliban of not doing enough to curtail militant activity across the shared border – an accusation that the Afghan Taliban denies, claiming it does not encourage attacks on any country.

Three killed after armed men open fire at Haiti hospital reopening

Two reporters and a police officer were killed and several were wounded on Tuesday in a gang attack in Haiti on the reopening of Port-au-Prince’s biggest public hospital, Haiti‘s online media association said.

Street gangs forced the closure of the General Hospital early this year and authorities had pledged to reopen the facility in Haiti‘s capital on Christmas Eve. But as journalists gathered to cover the event, suspected gang members opened fire.

Robest Dimanche, a spokesperson for the Online Media Collective, identified the killed journalists as Markenzy Nathoux and Jimmy Jean.

Mr Dimanche said an unspecified number of reporters were also wounded in the attack, which he blamed on the Viv Ansanm coalition of gangs.

The Haitian Association of Journalists confirmed two reporters and a police officer were killed, and seven reporters were wounded in what it called “a macabre scene comparable to terrorism, pure and simple”

Earlier yesterday, Haiti’s interim president, Leslie Voltaire, said in an address to the nation that journalists and police were among the victims of the vicious Christmas Eve attack. He did not specify how many casualties there were, or give a breakdown for the dead or wounded.

“I send my sympathies to the people who were victims, the national police and the journalists,” Mr Voltaire said, pledging “this crime is not going to go unpunished.”

Later, the government put out a statement saying it is “responding firmly to the attack.”

“This heinous act, which targets an institution dedicated to health and life, constitutes an unacceptable attack on the very foundations of our society,” it said.

Earlier, a video posted online by the reporters trapped inside the hospital shows what appeared to be two lifeless bodies of men on stretchers, their clothes bloodied. One of the men had a lanyard with a press credential around his neck.

Another video posted online, which also could not be immediately verified, showed reporters inside the building and at least three lying on the floor, apparently wounded.

Radio Télé Métronome initially reported that seven journalists and two police officers were wounded. Police and officials did not immediately respond to calls for information on the attack.

Street gangs have taken over an estimated 85 per cent of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. They forced the closure of the General Hospital early this year during violence that also targeted the main international airport and Haiti’s two largest prisons.

Authorities had pledged to reopen the facility on Tuesday but as journalists gathered to cover the event, suspected gang members opened fire.

Johnson “Izo” André, considered Haiti’s most powerful gang leader and part of a gang coalition known as Viv Ansanm that has taken control of much of Port-au-Prince, posted a video on social media claiming responsibility for the attack.

The video said the gang coalition had not authorised the hospital’s reopening.

Haiti has seen journalists targeted before. In 2023, two local journalists were killed in the space of a couple of weeks — radio reporter Dumesky Kersaint was fatally shot in mid-April that year, while journalist Ricot Jean was found dead later that month.

In July, former prime minister Garry Conille visited the Hospital of the State University of Haiti, more widely known as the General Hospital, after authorities regained control of it from gangs.

The hospital had been left ravaged and strewn with debris. Walls and nearby buildings were riddled with bullet holes, signaling fights between police and gangs. The hospital is across the street from the national palace, the scene of several battles in recent months.

Gang attacks have pushed Haiti’s health system to the brink of collapse with looting, setting fires, and destroying medical institutions and pharmacies in the capital. The violence has created a surge in patients and a shortage of resources to treat them.

Haiti’s health care system faces additional challenges during the rainy season, which is likely to increase the risk of water-borne diseases. Poor conditions in camps and makeshift settlements have heightened the risk of diseases like cholera, with over 84,000 suspected cases in the country, according to Unicef.

Bangladesh seeks Sheikh Hasina’s extradition from India

Bangladesh has formally requested India to extradite ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina for “judicial process”, nearly five months after she fled to New Delhi during a bloody anti-government protest.

Ms Hasina has been living in New Delhi, close to the Indian parliament, for months after fleeing in haste by helicopter as thousands of people marched toward the presidential palace in Dhaka on 5 August.

Touhid Hossain, Bangladesh’s foreign affairs adviser, told reporters on Monday that Dhaka has sent a diplomatic note to India’s foreign ministry. He did not elaborate on the judicial process.

The head of Bangladesh’s interim government, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has demanded that India send Ms Hasina back so that Bangladesh can try her for what it says are “crimes against humanity” during the anti-government protests and crimes committed during her 15-year-long authoritarian rule.

The Yunus government revealed in November that about 1,500 people died in the protests that brought down the Awami League government, and as many as 3,500 may have been forcibly abducted during Ms Hasina’s rule.

The protests, which began in July as a student-led movement against public sector job quotas, escalated into some of the deadliest unrest since Bangladesh’s independence in 1971, with the police accused of open firing on demonstrators.

Mr Yunus’ has vowed to ensure justice for victims of what he referred to as the “autocratic regime’s wrath”. “We will prosecute all the crimes committed over the past 15 years,” he added.

The Dhaka-based International Crimes Tribunal has issued arrest warrants for Ms Hasina and her close aides, and the government has sought help from Interpol for her arrest.

Ms Hasina’s US-based son, in a statement posted on his Facebook page, criticised the move hours after Monday’s request by the interim government, questioning the process and credibility of the tribunal handling the charges against her.

“The judges and prosecutors appointed by unelected … regime to conduct farcical trial process through International Crimes Tribunal makes it a political witch hunt that forsakes justice and marks another ongoing onslaught to prosecute (Hasina’s) Awmai League leadership,” said Sajeeb Wazed.

“The Kangaroo tribunal and subsequent request for (Hasina’s) extradition comes while hundreds of leaders and activists are extrajudicially killed, framing of outrageous murder charges, illegal incarceration of thousands by law enforcement and violent attacks including looting, vandalism and arson are going on with impunity every day fueled by denial of the regime,” he said.

The Indian foreign ministry said it had received Bangladesh’s request but did not immediately provide details. Ties between the two allies have become strained since Ms Hasina took refuge in New Delhi and over India’s protests against targeted violence against minorities in Bangladesh

Dhaka’s request to New Delhi came two weeks after India’s foreign secretary visited Bangladesh, with both countries expressing hope to clear the clouds and pursue constructive relations.

Shyam Benegal: Pioneer of India’s parallel cinema movement dies at 90

Shyam Benegal, known as a pivotal figure in the Indian parallel cinema movement of the 1970s and 1980s, has died at the age of 90.

He died on Monday in Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra, due to a chronic kidney ailment, his daughter Pia confirmed to several Indian media outlets.

“He passed away at 6.38pm at Wockhardt Hospital Mumbai Central. He had been suffering from chronic kidney disease for several years but it had gotten very bad. That’s the reason for his death,” she said.

Benegal is celebrated for classics such as Ankur (1974), Nishant (1975), Manthan (1976), Mandi (1983), and Zubeidaa (2001), which explore themes of social reform, women’s rights, and the divisions inherent in Indian society.

A recipient of 18 National Film Awards, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award — India’s highest honour in cinema — and the civilian honours of Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan, Benegal’s contributions to cinema are unparalleled.

Born on 14 December 1934 in Hyderabad, in the south-central Indian state of Telangana, Benegal began his career in advertising before transitioning to filmmaking. His debut film, Ankur, set him apart with its incisive storytelling that explored the caste system and rural feudalism.

The filmmaker often expressed his dislike for the term “middle cinema”, frequently used to describe his films. “I hate that term. What is that? I would say my cinema appeals to the urban, middle-class literate audience who do not need to be spoon-fed,” he told Hindustan Times in 2023.

On the subject of filmmaking, Benegal was clear — his politics influenced every single one of his works. “I don’t remember who said this: ‘Every social act of yours is also a political act whether you like it or not,’” he told the Press Trust of <em>India</em> in a 2022 interview.

“One has to be as objective as possible and the second point is to be sympathetic. If you are not objective, you are already colouring the story with your subjectivity. Sympathy is necessary. When I say sympathy, I mean empathy so you can be one with the subject.”

Ankur, which played at the Berlinale and was nominated for the Golden Berlin Bear, went on to win multiple national film awards and launched the career of actor Shabana Azmi. Benegal is also credited with launching and advancing the careers of several other celebrated Indian actors, including Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah, Saeed Jaffrey, and Om Puri.

His film Manthan, set within the backdrop of the world’s largest dairy development programme in India, centred on the idea of rural empowerment. The first crowdfunded Indian film, it was entirely produced from funds provided by 500,000 farmers who donated Rs 2 (£0.019) each. A restoration of the film released in the Cannes Classics section in 2024.

His next film, Bhumika in 1977, focused on women’s rights. He followed up with Junoon in 1979, a film based on Ruskin Bond’s novella, A Flight of Pigeons, and followed the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British. Among his other most memorable films are Kalyug (1981), a modern-day adaptation of the Indian epic Mahabharat; Mandi (1983), a satirical comedy about a brothel located on prime real estate that attracts the attention of politicians who want it moved; and Zubeidaa (2001), based on the life of the ill-fated actress Zubeida Begum, who marries into a royal family.

Benegal’s contributions extend beyond cinema. His 53-episode television drama Bharat Ek Khoj (1988), based on Jawaharlal Nehru’s The Discovery of India, is still regarded as one of the most influential works on the history of the Indian subcontinent. In 2014, he created Samvidhaan, a 10-episode television mini-series on the making of the Constitution of India.

His last work was the India-Bangladesh co-production Mujib: The Making of a Nation (2023), a biopic on the life of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father and first president of Bangladesh.

Just a few days before his death, several actors gathered to celebrate his 90th birthday, with Azmi sharing what may have been one of the last photographs of the filmmaker.

In the photo are Azmi, Shah, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Divya Dutta, Rajit Kapur, Atul Tiwari, among others.

On his birthday, in an interview with PTI, Benegal described how he spent the day, adding that he was still working. “We all grow old. I don’t do anything great (on my birthday). It may be a special day but I don’t celebrate it specifically. I cut a cake at the office with my team. I’m working on two to three projects; they are all different from one another. It’s difficult to say which one I will make. They are all for the big screen.”

Tributes poured in for Benegal as soon as news of his death broke.

“It is impossible to describe in a few words what Shyam meant to me. I wonder what I would have become if he hadn’t had faith in me when no one else did. He and Nira (Benegal, wife) were a huge support in my difficult days. He did whatever he could with his life – right to the end. Not many people can claim to have done that,” Naseeruddin Shah said in a statement, reported The Hindu.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said: “Deeply saddened by the passing of Shri Shyam Benegal Ji, whose storytelling had a profound impact on Indian cinema. His works will continue to be admired by people from different walks of life. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti.”

“He created ‘the new wave’ cinema. Shyam Benegal will always be remembered as the man that changed the direction of Indian Cinema with films like Ankur, Manthan and countless others. He created stars of great actors like Shabama Azmi and Smita Patil. Farewell my friend and guide,” wrote filmmaker Shekhar Kapur.

“Saddened by the passing of Shyam Benegal ji, a visionary filmmaker who brought India’s stories to life with depth and sensitivity. His legacy in cinema and commitment to social issues will inspire generations. Heartfelt condolences to his loved ones and admirers worldwide,” the leader of the opposition in India, Rahul Gandhi, posted on X.

Hong Kong national security police offer bounties for six ‘fugitives’

The Hong Kong administration has issued bounties for six pro-democracy advocates in exile and revoked the passports of seven other campaigners.

The police issued arrest warrants under Hong Kong’s draconian national security laws. They announced a HK$1m (£102,700) reward for information on each of the six activists, accused of offences such as secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces.

The list includes Tony Chung, the former leader of the now-defunct pro-independence group Studentlocalism; UK-based Carmen Lau, a former district councillor and current activist with the Hong Kong Democracy Council; British-based commentator Chung Kim-wah and Chloe Cheung, an activist with the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong.

The other two activists are former actor Joseph Tay, who co-founded the Canadian-based NGO Hong Konger Station, and Canadian-based YouTuber Victor Ho.

The six were named in the third round of arrest warrants and bounties issued for pro-democracy activists since the former British colony began offering rewards on dissidents in exile in July 2023. Tuesday’s arrest warrants take the total number of wanted people to 19, including former lawmakers Dennis Kwok and Ted Hui along with prominent activists Nathan Law and Simon Cheng.

The move to add more names to Hong Kong’s wanted list comes as the city strives to revive economic growth and refurbish its international reputation after a years-long crackdown on dissent that attracted global criticism.

Critics have accused the Chinese government of throttling dissent with the help of the national security laws, imposed in 2020 in the wake of pro-democacy protests, which makes it easier to arrest and detain protesters.

“[I] will not back down only because of an arrest warrant and a bounty,” Carmen Lau wrote on X. “And I hope to have every one of you standing with me in this fight for Hong Kong.”

Chloe Cheung, 19, wrote on Instagram: “Fear cannot restrain me, and suppression cannot silence me.”

The police previously warned members of the public against supporting the activists financially and told them that they risk violating the law by doing so.

Chris Tang, the security secretary, said the six activists had engaged in activities such as speeches, social media posts and lobbying for Hong Kong officials and judges to be sanctioned by foreign governments, thus endangering national security.

China’s office for safeguarding national security in Hong Kong said it supported the actions, as the individuals had engaged in “anti-China” and destabilising acts. Others were deemed to have advocated independence from China for Hong Kong.

The secretary said notices with black and white photographs of the “fugitives” have been posted in public places, such as the international airport.

Nathan Law, the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, earlier told The Independent that there was a heavy mental toll and “the fact that the bounty is out there is a signal of the [Hong Kong] government stepping up intimidation”.

“So the possibility of me facing a kind of cross-border abduction is getting higher and higher, just because of how diligent and aggressive the stance of the Chinese government is,” he added.

Maya Wang, associate China director at Human Rights Watch said in a statement on Tuesday said: “The Hong Kong government’s latest round of arrest warrants and bounties against six Hong Kong activists is a cowardly act of intimidation that aims to silence Hong Kong people.

“We call on the UK and Canadian governments to act immediately to push back against the Hong Kong government’s attempts to threaten Hong Kongers living in their countries.”

Additional reporting by agencies

Driver in Hunan car ramming incident handed suspended death penalty

A court in China has handed down a suspended death sentence to a man for driving his car into a crowd of students outside a primary school in Hunan province.

The attacker, identified as Huang Wen, was arrested at the scene in November after he repeatedly rammed his car into the crowd, injuring about 30 people, including 18 children.

Huang reportedly got out of the vehicle once it malfunctioned and began attacking bystanders with a weapon before being apprehended by parents. He was subsequently handed over to the police.

Videos posted on social media of the aftermath showed children and adults lying on the ground receiving treatment, with some students running away from the scene. Shortly after, the videos were taken down by the government.

The Changde Intermediate People’s Court on Monday handed Huang the death sentence with a two-year reprieve, usually commuted to life in prison if the convicted commits no further crimes during the suspension period.

The court stated that he rammed his car into the crowd after losing invested money, directing his frustration at the bystanders.

“Huang Wen chose an unspecified number of innocent primary school students as his main targets. His criminal motives were despicable and his malice is objectively deep,” the court said.

The court said the attacker’s behaviour resulted in multiple injuries, significant damage to public and private property, and psychological trauma for the witnesses, which led to the harsh sentence.

Huang’s attack occurred just a week after a man drove into people exercising at a sports complex in the city of Zhuhai, located to the south, killing 35 people and wounding dozens.

China this year witnessed a spate of violent incidents that have shocked the country and ignited a discussion about the toll of economic slowdown and the phenomenon of “taking revenge on society”.

At least eight people were killed and 17 wounded after a former student went on a stabbing rampage at a vocational college in eastern China last month. The accused, 21, identified only by the surname Xu, was due to graduate this year but failed his exam.

According to police records, there have been at least 19 incidents of violence in China this year in which the attacker was unknown to the victims, resulting in 63 deaths and 166 injuries.

This marks a sharp rise from last year when 16 people were killed and 40 injured.

The deadly tsunami hit Thailand 20 years ago – trauma will never go

The 20-year-old freshman student was still asleep that Sunday morning at the family’s house on the Andaman Sea coast of southern Thailand when her mum, sensing something wasn’t right, woke her up saying they needed to leave right away.

The day is forever seared in Neungduangjai Sritrakarn’s memory: Dec. 26, 2004, the day the deadly Indian Ocean tsunami struck across South and Southeast Asia, after a 9.1 magnitude earthquake off the west coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island.

It was one of modern history’s worst natural disasters.

Neungduangjai’s mom had noticed a strange pattern of whitecaps on the sea, just as a relative who returned from a fishing trip came by to warn them. They grabbed all the family members’ essential documents and hopped on motorbikes.

Within minutes, Neungduangjai, her mother, father, brother and sister were speeding away, trying to get as far as they could from their village of Ban Nam Khem. Looking back, Neungduangjai saw a surging wall of water, taller than her home, moving toward shore from far away.

She had never seen anything like it.

They got about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) away when the wall of water crashed into the shore of Phang Nga province and caught up with them, knocking them off their bikes. The water was dark, sweeping all kinds of objects, man-made and natural.

Nuengduangjai pulled herself to her feet but could barely stand in the moving mass — the water was almost up to her knees.

She didn’t know at the time that the tsunami had hit a dozen countries, leaving about 230,000 dead, around a third of them in Indonesia. Some 1.7 million people were displaced, mostly in the four worst-affected countries: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.

Along Thailand’s Andaman coast, at least 5,400 people were killed and some 3,000 remain missing to this day, according to the Thai government.

The shrimp farm where Neungduangjai’s family worked and lived was wiped out.

In its place today is a thriving bar and restaurant — the fruits of Neungduangjai’s rebuilding efforts — with a porch looking out to a beautiful sea view. A view she said wouldn’t be there if not for the tsunami that destroyed parts of the coast.

In Phang Nga, life has been rebuilt and the tourists are back — on the surface, all is fine.

Neungduangjai, who was home from her studies in Bangkok for the New Year break when the tsunami hit, said her immediate family survived but they lost five relatives, including her grandparents. One of her uncles was never found.

After a week of staying with relatives in nearby Ranong province, she went back. She remembers the stench of death and how she thought everything had been moved from its original place.

“There were bodies everywhere,” she said. “When I returned to the village, I couldn’t recognize a single thing. … Everything was different.”

Though tourists have little reason to notice them, reminders of the tragedy abound today in Phang Nga — signs showing an evacuation route, tsunami shelters near beach areas, several memorials and museums displaying wreckage and photos that tell the story of that day.

Sanya Kongma, the assistant to Ban Nam Khem’s village chief, said development has come a long way, and that the quality of life in the village is good compared to 20 years ago.

But the haunting memories and the trauma of what they lived through are very much present and fear is never far away, he said.

“Even now … if there’s an announcement from the government on TV, or whatever, that there’s an earthquake in Sumatra, everyone will be spooked,” he said.

About once a year, a siren blares off in a tsunami evacuation drill. But what is meant to reassure residents of their safety can cause some survivors to relive their pain.

Somneuk Chuaykerd lost one of her young sons to the tsunami while she was out at sea, fishing with her husband.

The 50-year-old still lives in the same spot, the sea right at her backyard. In evacuation drills, she has learned to keep an emergency tote bag with all important documents. The bag is in her bedroom, along with a photo of the little boy she lost.

But the siren freezes her up every time and sends her heartbeat racing. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to grab,” she says. “It’s so scary.”

But she has made peace with the tragedy and has no plans to move away.

“I live by the sea. This is my living. I don’t have anywhere else to go,” she said.

As for Nuengduangjai, for years after the tsunami, every time she looked at the sea she would get a panic attack. A roaring sound of waves haunted her in her sleep.

She chose to move back home after college and make a living right next to the sea. She is proud of her bar and restaurant.

“I’m still scared, but I have to live with it, because it’s my home,” she said. “Some people moved away, but I did not. I’m still here.”

Ho Chi Minh City gets first ever metro line after a decade of delays

Ho Chi Minh City has launched its first metro line after 17 years of planning and delays, with thousands of excited residents flocking to ride the metro.

The $1.7bn, 20km project, mostly funded by Japanese loans, was initially approved in 2007 with a budget of $668m but faced major hurdles over the years. The metro aims to ease traffic congestion and pollution in the city of 9 million people.

The city was one of Asia’s last major urban centres not to have a metro, according to Nikkei Asia.

The opening of Ho Chi Minh City’s (HCMC) first metro line generated a lot of excitement among the residents, with hundreds queuing at the Ben Thanh station for a free test ride.

The city, burdened by 8.4 million motorbikes and increasing road congestion from automobiles and trucks, urgently needed a mass rapid transit solution to alleviate its traffic chaos, local residents said.

The project faced numerous challenges, including a funding shortage from the Vietnamese government, which prompted Japanese contractors to escalate their concerns through the Japanese embassy in Vietnam, The Bangkok Post reported, citing government reports.

The escalating costs required repeated approvals from Vietnam’s parliament, the outlet reported – a process that proved to be excruciatingly slow.

The metro line stretches from the historic Ben Thanh Market in District 1 to suburban Thu Duc City, ending at Suoi Tien Amusement Park in District 9 in HCMC. Ticket prices range from 6,000 to 20,000 Vietnamese Dong (£0.19 to £0.63), though rides are free for the first 30 days of official operation, which began on Sunday.

The service will run 200 trips daily.

Reactions to Ho Chi Minh City’s new metro ranged from enthusiasm to sarcasm. A VnExpress reader praised its beauty – “it is so beautiful. I can’t wait to try it” – while a Facebook user humorously noted that while the world has reached the moon, HCMC is just getting its first metro.

The city plans six additional lines, but funding remains a challenge.

“I know it (the project) is late, but I still feel so very honoured and proud to be among the first on this metro,” office worker Nguyen Nhu Huyen said.

“Our city is now on par with the other big cities of the world,” she added.

Last year, Planning and Investment Minister Nguyen Chi Dung urged the central government to address financing for future projects.

While celebrated as a milestone, experts say its short-term impact on traffic may be limited due to only 14 station stops. Professor Vu Minh Hoang at Fulbright University Vietnam told AFP that the metro line’s “impact in alleviating traffic will be limited in the short run”. However, he said that it was still a “historic achievement for the city’s urban development”.

The metro “meets the growing travel needs of residents and contributes to reducing traffic congestion and environmental pollution”, the city’s deputy mayor Bui Xuan Cuong said, but added that the authorities had to overcome “countless hurdles” to get the project over the line.

Japanese ambassador to Vietnam, Naoki Ito, said: “We hope this will set a good precedent for urban development in Vietnam and lead to further development of the country.”

Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, director of Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Tourism, said the metro line would boost tourism by offering “convenient connections” to cultural, historical, and entertainment sites, creating “a complete journey for both local residents and international visitors”.

Additional reporting by agencies.