TOPSHOT - Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet and his wife (C) press a button to start the groundbreaking ceremony of the Funan Techo Canal in Kandal province on August 5, 2024. Manet on August 5 launched the controversial $1.7 billion canal project that aims to provide a new link from the Mekong River to the sea. Manet called the 180-kilometre (110-mile) project "historic" and vowed to "finish it at all costs". (Photo by TANG CHHIN Sothy and TANG CHHIN SOTHY / AFP)