25/05/2025

WORLD 7 ON SUNDAY MAY 25, 2025

S’pore aims to secure place in changing world

SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said yesterday the clean-up had begun in the country’s southeast after floods killed five people and inundated more than 10,000 properties. “We’re continuing to work closely across federal, state and local governments to make sure Australians get the support they need,” Albanese said on X. Damage assessments were under way in New South Wales’ hard-hit mid-north coast region after floods this week cut off towns, swept away livestock and destroyed homes, the state’s emergency services agency said. It estimated that at least 10,000 properties may have been damaged. Conditions had improved since Friday in the affected areas of Australia’s most populous state, the agency said. Even so, hundreds of flood-hit residents were still in evacuation centres, State Emergency Services commissioner Mike Wassing told a news conference in Sydney, with 52 people rescued on Friday night. The latest flood-linked death was that of a man in his 80s, whose body was found at a flooded property about 50km from Taree, one of the worst-hit towns, police said. Albanese said it was “awful to hear the news of more loss of life”. “All of our thoughts are with his loved ones and the community at this time,” Albanese said in a statement. The floods, sparked by days of incessant rain, submerged intersections and street signs in mid-north coast towns and covered cars up to their windshields, after fast-rising waters burst river banks. Tens of thousands of Australians remained isolated and thousands were without power yesterday. Many communities were still isolated, with 50,000 people estimated to be impacted, NSW State Emergency Services (SES) said. “We will continue to resupply those isolated residents by land, water and air as part of our multi-agency response,” SES Chief Superintendent Paul McQueen said. “We ask you to be patient, remain in a safe location and please don’t be tempted to drive through floodwaters or go sightseeing.” More than 600 flood rescues were carried out over the previous three days, prompting NSW Premier Chris Minns to praise the work of emergency services. “We would have had hundreds of deaths if it wasn’t for the bravery, the courage of emergency service workers in the last 72 hours,” he told journalists. The storms dumped more than six months’ worth of rain over three days, according to the government weather bureau, smashing records in some areas. – Reuters/AFP Australia begins clean-up after floods kill five

HONG KONG: Authorities here said they will open the city-state’s universities to more international students, highlighting those affected by the US government’s move to block Harvard from enrolling foreign nationals. The sharp escalation in US President Donald Trump’s feud with the prestigious university came as tensions simmer between Washington and Beijing over trade and other issues. The Trump administration’s decision on Thursday, which was temporarily halted by a US judge after Harvard sued, has thrown the future of thousands of foreign students SINGAPORE: The first priority of Singapore’s new government is to secure an assured place for the country in a changed world, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong after leading the swearing-in of the new Cabinet on Friday. Wong said Singapore cannot afford to stand still and must adapt nimbly to shifting global dynamics. “We will deepen our relations with the major powers, especially America and China. We will stay friends with both without being caught in their rivalry. We will engage openly and honestly with each in a consistent and principled manner,” he said in his speech at the end of the ceremony at the Istana. He said Singapore would also strengthen ties with friends, while seeking new partnerships. The government will also ensure that Singapore remains a trusted, reliable and respected voice on the global stage. Wong said in a world of shifting alliances, Singapore will be a steady and constructive partner – one that is willing and able to contribute to peace and stability, to advance dialogue and fraternity, and support a rules-based global order. “Our goal is not just to navigate this uncertain world, but to help shape it for the better by working with like-minded partners, upholding shared principles and values, so that small nations too have a place under the sun,” he said. Wong pledged that the government would use its mandate to serve all New Cabinet sworn in

Wong is sworn in as prime minister before President Shanmugaratnam. – AFPPIC

Singaporeans, regardless of race, language, religion or political preference. The prime minister said his new team – comprising a mix of experienced and new ministers – is committed to serving Singaporeans to the best of its abilities. “Our mission is clear: to always put Singaporeans at the centre of all we do, to listen to your concerns and to respond decisively,” he said, adding that every Singaporean will have a say in shaping the way forward. Earlier, Wong took and signed the Oath of Allegiance and the Oath for the Due Execution of Office before President and the lucrative income stream they provide into doubt. On Friday, Hong Kong Education Secretary Christine Choi called on universities here to welcome “outstanding students from all over the world”. She said local universities were making use of government measures, including relaxing the maximum limits on foreign students to attract more to Hong Kong. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology invited international students enrolled at Harvard, as well as anyone with offers to attend the elite school, to continue their studies at HKUST.

Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon. He was then presented with the instrument of appointment by the president. Next to be sworn in were Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing, and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Health Minister Ong Ye Kung. – Bernama “HKUST is extending this opportunity to ensure talented students can pursue their educational goals without disruption,” it said in a statement. It “will provide unconditional offers, streamlined admission procedures, and academic support to facilitate a seamless transition for interested students”. US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Thursday that the administration’s decision would hold Harvard “accountable for fostering violence, anti-Semitism and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus”. – AFP

Hong Kong to open universities to more foreign students

Rare wild cattle herded by helicopter PHNOM PENH: A helicopter successfully herded 16 critically endangered banteng onto a truck in Cambodia for the first time, conservationists said, marking a “significant achievement” in a country with high rates of deforestation.

Watch, as the government allows firms to clear vast tracts of land, including in protected zones. Conservation groups Rising Phoenix and Siem Pang said that 16 banteng found in the wild were herded over three days last week through a “mass-capture funnel trap” onto a truck before being relocated to a wildlife sanctuary. For the first time, a helicopter was used to guide them through the funnel in Siem Pang in northeastern Cambodia. The conservation groups said that the method “opens the way for further such operations to relocate banteng trapped in isolated forest patches. The banteng will be monitored and protected at the Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary. – AFP

Banteng are a type of wild cattle native to Southeast Asia and listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. Their natural habitat is forests and grasslands, but only a few thousand remain in the wild and they are mostly threatened by hunting, logging and industry. Cambodia has lost around 33% of its tree cover since 2000, according to Global Forest

The banteng being herded onto a truck. – AFPPIC