20/08/2025

WEDNESDAY | AUG 20, 2025

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Survivors claw through rubble

Nestled among its boughs is a nest box designed for the yellow-crested cockatoo, of which only 1,200 to 2,000 remain in the world. Although the birds are native to East Timor and Indonesia, one-tenth of those left are found in Hong Kong – the “largest cohesive remaining wild population”, according to Astrid Andersson, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hong Kong. Their future now hangs in the balance, due to habitat loss and, some suspect, a black market for the rare birds. The cockatoos’ numbers have stagnated, with far fewer juveniles than when Andersson began monitoring almost 10 years ago. FIRE AT ILLEGAL OIL WELL KILLS THREE JAKARTA: Firefighters were struggling to contain a three-day old fire at an illegal oil well that has killed at least three people and injured two others. Some 750 people have been evacuated from the densely populated areas around the site, located in Central Java province’s Blora region, Agung Tri, said a member of the provincial disaster mitigation agency’s rapid response team. The oil well was being operated without a permit by local residents when it caught fire on Sunday. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the blaze, but residents living near the well said they heard an explosion before the fire broke out, Agung said. – Reuters AILING THAI PRINCESS STABLE IN HOSPITAL BANGKOK: The Thai king’s eldest daughter, gravely ill in hospital for more than two years, is receiving treatment to stabilise her blood pressure because of a severe infection, the palace said yesterday. Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, 46, has been unconscious in hospital since falling ill due to heart problems in December 2022 during a dog training session. The Bureau of the Royal Household gave the first update on her condition in more than two years on Friday, saying she had suffered a “severe” blood infection. A second update yesterday said doctors were closely monitoring her condition. – AFP SI SAKET: Thailand has cleared more than 99% of landmines on its side along the Thai-Cambodian border. Director-general of the Department of Information at the Thai Foreign Ministry, Nikorndej Balankura, said: “We have cleared more than 99.5% of landmines on our territory, leaving only 0.5%, which is manageable and within our own resources.” He said Thailand would continue to call on Cambodia to cooperate in joint mine clearing efforts. He said a similar appeal would also be raised through the International Committee on Cooperative Compliance under the Ottawa Convention, adopted by the international community in 1997 to ban such weapons. – Bernama LANDMINES NEAR BORDER CLEARED

Local official Usman Khan said many of the houses had been built in the middle of the stream bed. “There was no way for the water to recede after the cloudburst struck 11 locations in the area,” he said. “It is immensely challenging to carry out operations here, as heavy machinery cannot pass through the narrow alleys.” The single road to the village was demolished at several points, while gravel was scattered across the site. Despite the challenging conditions, excavators were working at several sites to remove debris that had clogged the drainage channels and blocked the flow of water. – AFP

killed more than 350 people across mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, along the northwest border with Afghanistan. Torrential rains in northern Pakistan since Thursday have caused flooding and landslides that have swept away entire villages, with around 200 people still missing. And authorities have warned of fresh flash floods in the coming days. Fellow resident Gul Hazir said not one but several cloudbursts from two sides of the village struck the remote valley. “It was not the water that struck first. Rocks and stones smashed into the houses,” Hazir said.

o Rocks smashed into houses, says villager

BR I E F S

BAR DALORI: In the middle of the night, by the glow of their mobile phones, rescuers and villagers dug through the remains of flattened houses after massive rocks crashed down on a Pakistani village following a cloudburst. Using hammers, shovels, and in many cases their bare hands to clear the rubble and open blocked pathways, they searched through the debris in darkness. In just minutes, a torrent of water and rocks swept down on the village

of Dalori on Monday, destroying at least 15 houses, damaging several others and killing nine people. Around 20 villagers are still trapped under the debris. “A huge bang was heard from the top of the mountain, and then dark smoke billowed into the sky,” said Lal Khan, a 46-year-old labourer. “A massive surge of water gushed down with the debris.” The cloudburst above Dalori came a few days into heavy monsoon rains that have already

Soldiers survey damage at Bayshonai Kalay, in Buner district. – REUTERSPIC

Philippines, Australia, Canada hold joint sail MANILA: The navies of the Philippines, Australia and Canada were conducting a joint sail in the South China Sea yesterday. Palawan, is part of ongoing military drills between the Philippines and Australia.

joint activity to date, with 3,600 troops from both sides joined by a Canadian Navy contingent as well as US Marines. ALON started in 2023, the same year Australia and the Philippines elevated their ties to a strategic partnership in order to address the rising security challenges in the region, including in the South China Sea. – AFP

“Our activity is based on the premise that the exercise is anchored on the free and open Indo-Pacific with peace and prosperity in the region,” Colonel Dennis Fernandez told a media briefing, adding that the joint sail was taking place within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. The activity, which began on Sunday off the western province of Oriental Mindoro and will end in

Called ALON, a Filipino word for “wave”, the 15-day joint exercises, which began on Friday, include amphibious and land operations as well as live fire exercises designed to enhance the abilities of the two militaries to cooperate better. This year’s iteration is the largest

The Philippine frigate BRP Jose Rizal , Australian destroyer HMAS Brisbane and Canadian frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec were taking part in the operation, which a Philippine military official said was not directed at any country.

HK scientist puts hope in nest boxes to save endangered cockatoos HONG KONG: Above the streets of Causeway Bay, a fight to save an endangered species is unfolding in the branches of a cotton tree. The birds don’t make their own nests but depend on natural cavities in trees – about 80% of which have vanished in recent years. other food, became a “sanctuary” for them, Andersson said.

The cockatoos are now part of the city’s fabric, their loud squawks echoing through the sky at nightfall. Perched on streetlights, they sit calmly observing the humming traffic. “We genuinely thought they were just like an average parakeet,” said resident Erfan. Yellow-crested cockatoos are often mistaken for sulphur-crested cockatoos, commonly found in Australia rummaging through bins. The two are genetically distinct though, and the Australian species is not endangered. Merchants at Hong Kong’s bird market certainly know the difference. When AFP visited, sulphur-crested cockatoos were openly displayed, while yellow-crested ones were only shown upon request.

The nest boxes set up by Andersson are designed to resemble the hollows sought out by the birds. She plans to place about 50 around the city. The cockatoos’ existence in Hong Kong has been “a very positive story about human-wildlife coexistence”, said Andersson. The population in Hong Kong is an introduced one, with one urban legend recounting they originated from an aviary set free by the British governor of Hong Kong before surrendering to the Japanese in 1941. The modern flock’s ancestors are believed to be escaped pets. Hong Kong’s urban parks, full of mature trees bearing fruit, nuts and

Yellow-crested cockatoos resting atop a light pole in the Sai Ying Pun neighbourhood in Hong Kong. – AFPPIC

Selling ones bred in captivity is allowed but the breeders must have valid licences under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. There are no such registered breeders in Hong Kong. – AFP

A one-year-old bird was being sold for HK$56,000 (RM29,588) and a two month-old chick for HK$14,000. It has been illegal since 2005 to trade wild-caught yellow-crested cockatoos.