Now, Asia’s oldest tram network is on the brink of disappearing as authorities consider pulling the plug on a mode of transport that has become more nostalgia than necessity

International News via Reuters:

For more than a century, trams have rumbled past Kolkata’s crumbling colonial facades, with their chiming bells contributing to the city’s soundtrack as they ferried generations of commuters.

Now, Asia’s oldest tram network is on the brink of disappearing as authorities consider pulling the plug on a mode of transport that has become more nostalgia than necessity.

The West Bengal government plans to shut down the 152-year-old system, keeping only a short heritage route. The decision has sparked a court battle as residents and heritage advocates fight to keep the trams rolling.

“As children, we would take the trams for fun, but as I grew older it became a necessity,” said Abha Maity, 44, recalling rides to school and college. “I can’t imagine Kolkata without them.”

Once a highlight of the city’s streets, the wobbly trams now struggle for space amid traffic jams – competing with buses and yellow taxis – as Kolkata builds modern infrastructure and seeks faster transport.

Kolkata introduced horse-drawn trams in 1873 and electrified them in 1902. At its peak, the network boasted more than 340 trams and covered the entire city. Today, only two routes remain, with a fleet of about 10.

“When I joined, more than 340 trams were running. Now it’s down to seven or eight,” said Bacchu Sidda, a conductor for 36 years who still checks his duty roster pinned on a board at the last functioning depot in Gariahat.

The government began selling depots and scrapping cars years ago, prompting a citizens’ group called Calcutta Tram Users Association (CTUA) to take the fight to court. CTUA has campaigned since 2016 to save what remains of the system.

“I love my trams more than myself,” said Deep Das, 19, a journalism student and CTUA member. “If they disappear, it will be like a part of my body has left me.”

Despite resistance, authorities are pouring billions into upgrading Kolkata’s infrastructure, focusing on metro expansion, wider roads and new highways to ease congestion.

For now, the fate of Kolkata’s aging trams awaits a court review, as they continue carrying some passengers who view them as living memories of the city’s past.

Reporting by Sahiba Chawdhary; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus

Hundreds of people surrounded the site at Muan International Airport where the Boeing 737-800 crash-landed without wheels deployed, slammed into the barrier and exploded into a fireball on December 29, 2024

International News via Reuters:

A year after the worst air disaster on South Korean soil, families of the 179 people who died gathered around the battered concrete embankment where Jeju Air Flight 2216 crashed, demanding answers and a thorough investigation.

Hundreds of people surrounded the site at Muan International Airport where the Boeing 737-800 crash-landed without wheels deployed, slammed into the barrier and exploded into a fireball on December 29, 2024.

Relatives – who have said they are outraged by the lack of progress in finding out what went wrong – sobbed on Monday as they lit candles on a cake and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ for the 16 victims who were born in December.

PRESIDENT PROMISES REAL CHANGE

“We will not stop until the truth is finally revealed and those responsible are held accountable so that the lives of the 179 were not lost for nothing,” Kim Yu-jin, representing the families, said at a memorial service in the airport.

Addressing mourners, government officials and the Parliament speaker, Kim accused the government of focusing its energies on clearing up the aftermath of the crash rather than carrying out a proper investigation.

Relatives laid flowers on a memorial altar and looked on as the names of the dead were read out and displayed on a screen, written on cards in the shape of boarding tickets.

“I hope the investigation will be conducted thoroughly, so that those who deserve to be punished … are punished,” Ryu Kum-Ji, who lost both her parents in the crash, told Reuters.

President Lee Jae Myung – who came to office six months after the disaster – apologised to the families in a statement earlier on Monday and said it was his duty to make sure there was no repeat of the tragedy. 

“The disaster clearly revealed the systematic problems and limitations of our society,” Lee said.

“What’s needed now is not perfunctory promises or empty words but rather real change and action.” 

The government-led Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board has failed to meet a one-year deadline to release a report into the accident.

It said in a preliminary report in January that both of the plane’s engines sustained bird strikes in an earlier approach to the airport.

In July, investigators said the left engine, which sustained less damage than the right one following the bird strikes, was shut down before the crash landing.

Few other details have emerged since then, with questions remaining about the design of the runway including the heavy embankment, and what actions the pilots may have taken in the last few minutes of the flight.

Representatives of the families have raised questions about the board’s independence and expertise and said investigators appear to be blaming the pilots rather than looking into other factors.

Parliament has been reviewing a plan to overhaul the board.

Reporting by Dogyun Kim and Yunji Ha in Muan, Writing by Jack Kim; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus and Andrew Heavens

Azam Baki, chief commissioner at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, said the agency had also frozen six bank accounts belonging to a suspect and their family members as part of the probe

International News via Reuters:

Malaysia’s anti-graft agency said on Monday that it has raided several firms alleged to be involved in bribery linked to army procurement projects, days after the country’s army chief was placed on leave pending an investigation into the matter.

Azam Baki, chief commissioner at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, said the agency had also frozen six bank accounts belonging to a suspect and their family members as part of the probe. 

He did not provide details about the suspect or the companies involved, but said investigations were being carried out under an anti-corruption law related to corporate liability for bribery.

“MACC officers have conducted searches at several companies believed to be involved to obtain relevant documents and evidence,” Azam said in a statement. 

Malaysia’s army chief Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan was put on immediate leave on Saturday to allow room for authorities to fully investigate allegations involving him “without any conflict of interest”, defence minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said in a statement over the weekend, without providing specifics. 

Citing sources, state news agency Bernama reported last week that MACC had recorded statements from three people as part of a probe into army procurement projects between 2023 and 2025.

A preliminary review found that several firms had repeatedly secured high-value contracts, Bernama quoted one of the sources as saying. Reuters was unable to independently verify the report.    

Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by David Stanway

The Mexican Navy said the train, which derailed near the town of Nizanda, was carrying nine crew members and 241 passengers

International News via Reuters:

Mexican authorities said on Sunday that at least 13 people were killed after an Interoceanic Train carrying 250 people derailed in the southern state of Oaxaca.

The Mexican Navy said the train, which derailed near the town of Nizanda, was carrying nine crew members and 241 passengers.

Of those on board, 139 were reported to be out of danger, while 98 were injured, including 36 who were receiving medical assistance.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said on X that five of the injured were in critical condition, adding that senior officials had been dispatched to the site to assist the families of those killed.

The governor of Oaxaca, Salomon Jara Cruz, expressed condolences to the families of those killed in the accident and said state authorities were coordinating with federal agencies to assist those affected.

Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office has already opened an investigation into the incident, Attorney General Ernestina Godoy Ramos said in a social media post.

The Interoceanic Train, inaugurated in 2023 under former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, forms part of the broader Interoceanic Corridor project.

The initiative was designed to modernize the rail link across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, connecting Mexico’s Pacific port of Salina Cruz with Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf Coast.

The Mexican government has sought to develop the isthmus into a strategic trade corridor, expanding ports, railways and industrial infrastructure with the goal of creating a route that could compete with the Panama Canal.

The train service is also part of a broader push to expand passenger and freight rail in southern Mexico and stimulate economic development in the region.

Reporting by Natalia Siniawski; Editing by Tom Hogue and Michael Perry