SYDNEY, Feb 27 — Australia is racing to identify the South Pacific’s most pressing funding needs as the United States moves to slash its foreign aid budget, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Thursday.

Crucial food, climate and medical programs in the Pacific islands were left in limbo after US President Donald Trump’s administration announced a 90-day freeze on foreign aid last month.

Wong said Australia had started auditing which Pacific programs were most at risk, with a view to shouldering some of the burden.

But Wong warned it was “unrealistic” to think Australia – already the Pacific’s largest aid donor – could totally fill the gap left by the United States.

Senior foreign affairs official Jamie Isbister said Australia had already started considering how it could step up.

“It is not a one-stop review and done. The situation is fluid and we have to look at how we adapt our programs in response to that,” he told a government hearing on Thursday.

The pair’s comments were made just hours before the United States confirmed it would slash US$54 billion from overseas development and foreign aid budgets – cutting 92 percent of multi-year contracts.

Many aid agencies in the South Pacific have spent weeks bracing for the impact of the anticipated cuts.

Aid-reliant Pacific nations Disaster-prone, isolated and threatened by rising seas, tropical Pacific island states are some of the most aid-reliant nations on Earth, development agencies say.

The United States has, for years, helped to buy life-saving medicine for tropical disease, combat illegal fishing, and better prepare coastal hamlets for earthquakes and typhoons.

In a foreign policy “snapshot” released on Thursday, the Australian government noted that Trump’s “America First” agenda would see the United States playing a “different role” in the world.

China, by contrast, continues to dish out hundreds of millions of dollars in aid, grants and loans targeted at the South Pacific.

In 2022, China spent US$256 million, according to the Sydney-based Lowy Institute think tank, up nearly 14 percent from three years earlier.

The United States spent US$249 million.

Australia provides the most aid to the Pacific – US$12.9 billion since 2008, according to the Lowy Institute.

Australia’s foreign policy snapshot, meanwhile, warned of turbulent times ahead.

“Authoritarianism is spreading. Some countries are shifting alignment,” Wong wrote in the paper.

“Institutions we built are being eroded, and rules we wrote are being challenged.

“Australians can see a scale of global challenges unprecedented since World War II.” — AFP

SIBU (Feb 27): Residents of Lorong Rantau Panjang Jaya 7 remain in uncertainty as new cracks and structural defects continue to emerge near their homes following a landslide on Feb 4.

They are urgently appealing for assistance from the relevant authorities, stating that the disaster has severely disrupted their livelihoods and well-being.

Currently, 43 landslide victims are sheltering at the evacuation centre at Kampong Bahagia Jaya Civic Centre.

While they stay at the relief centre during the night and on rainy days, they return home during the daytime.

“We are not sure how long the situation will last and we just hope somebody can stand out to help us resolve the predicament we are facing,” the residents said.

The landslide on Feb 4 affected both Lorong Rantau Panjang Jaya 7 and 12, causing a road collapse in front of the residential houses.

Eight families in Lorong Rantau Panjang Jaya 7 and two in Lorong Rantau Panjang Jaya 12 were impacted.

This was the first time the area experienced a landslide, and since then, more cracks have appeared on the ground and fences in front of the houses.

“The walls and ground in the backyards also developed noticeable cracks and other structural defects which left us in deep headaches,” they lamented.

One of the residents reported that the pillars of his car porch had developed cracks, and many of the existing fissures had widened.

Just yesterday afternoon, another section of soil from the collapsed road gave way.

“Hopefully, the relevant authorities will promptly carry out remedial work on the collapsed road to prevent the situation from worsening.”

Some residents have taken to social media, sharing videos of the damage in hopes of drawing attention from the authorities.

Meanwhile, Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) deputy chairman Mohammed Abdullah Izkandar Roseley, in a Facebook post, stated that SMC held a meeting on Feb 26 to gather feedback and estimated budgets from relevant agencies for immediate rectification work.

He said the meeting, chaired by SMC Chairman Clarence Ting and attended by officials from relevant government departments, endorsed the initial design and identified the developer responsible for constructing the retaining wall.

“SMC is committed to ensure an effective solution to restore safety in the affected area,” he said.

However, residents staying at the evacuation centre are frustrated with the food provided and sanitation issues at the facility.

They claimed that meals consist mostly of curry, which is unsuitable for those with stomach issues.

“Additionally, the toilets are broken and the flushing system is not working.”

Today, representatives from SMC, the Public Works Department (JKR), the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID), contractors, local community leaders, and three senior officials from Kuching visited the site to assess the situation.

KATHMANDU: Gempa bumi berkekuatan 6.1 melanda kawasan utara Kathmandu, Nepal, pada Jumaat, menurut Pusat Pemantauan dan Penyelidikan Gempa Bumi Nasional.

Gempa bumi itu berlaku di sekitar Bhairab Kunda, Daerah Sindhupalchok, Nepal.

Pusat Penyelidikan Geosains Jerman meletakkan magnitud gempa pada 5.6 dengan kedalaman 10 kilometer (km).

Pegawai kanan Daerah Sindhupalchok, Ganesh Nepali, berkata setakat ini tiada laporan mengenai kerosakan atau kemalangan jiwa akibat gempa bumi tersebut.

"Ia menggoncang kami dari tidur dengan kuat, menyebabkan kami bergegas keluar dari rumah. Orang ramai kini telah kembali ke kediaman masing-masing.

"Setakat ini, kami belum menerima sebarang laporan mengenai kerosakan atau kecederaan," katanya. - REUTERS