
CNA speaks to Cardinal William Goh about voting for the Pope
The Papal Conclave is an event shrouded in secrecy. But, for the first time, a Singaporean cast his vote in choosing the next Pope. Nicolas Ng speaks to Cardinal William Goh, who was in the room where it happened.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CNA
12 hours ago
- CNA
Thai PM Paetongtarn will not resign or dissolve parliament, ruling party official says
BANGKOK: Thailand's embattled prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra will not resign or dissolve parliament, a senior official from the ruling Pheu Thai party said on Saturday (Jun 21), risking a prolonged political crisis in Southeast Asia's second-largest economy. Sorawong Thienthong, who also serves as Thailand's tourism minister, said in a Facebook post that the prime minister would not quit, despite growing calls for her resignation after her apparent mishandling of a border dispute with neighbouring Cambodia. "The prime minister has clearly confirmed to us that she will continue to perform her duty to resolve various crises that the country is facing to the best of her ability," he said.


CNA
14 hours ago
- CNA
Beijing official overseeing Hong Kong warns of persisting national security threats
HONG KONG: A top Beijing official overseeing Hong Kong affairs has warned of persisting threats in the city as a China-imposed national security law approaches its fifth anniversary, while seeking to allay concerns about the law's impact on the financial hub's openness. Xia Baolong, the director of China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, said various forms of soft resistance continue to emerge in new forms and external forces have never ceased their intervention in Hong Kong. He was speaking at a forum on Saturday (Jun 21) about the law, attended also by the city's leader John Lee and other officials, "Hong Kong has transformed from chaos to order. But just as a tree desires stillness, the wind continues to blow," Xia said. The Beijing and Hong Kong governments deemed the law necessary to maintain the city's stability following anti-government protests in 2019. Under the law, many leading pro-democracy activists, including Jimmy Lai, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, were prosecuted. Dozens of civil society groups also disbanded. This month, authorities have stepped up their crackdown, including charging young activist Joshua Wong, who was already sentenced last year over a subversion case, under the law for the second time and targeting a mobile game app. Last week, China's national security authorities in Hong Kong and the city's police launched their first publicly known joint operation, raiding the homes of six people on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security. Critics say the political changes indicate that the Western-style civil liberties Beijing promised to keep intact when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997 are shrinking. But Xia said the law only targeted an extremely small number of people who severely endanger national security. He also sought to allay concerns about Hong Kong's openness and international position.


CNA
19 hours ago
- CNA
Taiwan central bank says US debt rising too fast may impact trust in Treasuries
TAIPEI :Taiwan's central bank governor warned on Saturday that rapidly rising U.S. debt could be "unfavourable" to the outlook for U.S. Treasuries and that U.S. President Donald Trump's trade policies have made investors cautious. Taiwan's $593 billion in foreign exchange reserves are more than 80 per cent made up of U.S. Treasury bonds, according to the central bank, which said earlier this month that Treasuries were "sound" and still favoured by investors. It added there were no worries about the dollar's position as the leading international reserve currency. Governor Yang Chin-long, in a speech posted on the central bank's website, said Trump's repeated criticisms of the U.S. Federal Reserve's monetary policy have caused concerns about its independence. "In addition, Trump 2.0's trade policy has made investors hesitant about holding U.S. Treasury bonds; Trump's budget, the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' may cause U.S. debt to expand too quickly, which is unfavourable to the outlook for U.S. sovereign debt," he said. "All of these have had a significant impact on the international monetary system centred on the U.S. dollar and based on U.S. creditworthiness." Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill is the centerpiece of his domestic agenda. The bill would lead to a larger-than-expected $2.8 trillion increase in the federal deficit over the decade, despite a boost to U.S. economic output, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected on Tuesday. Trump, in his first few weeks in office, also announced sweeping tariffs on a broad swathe of countries and trading partners, including Taiwan, only to pause them for 90 days in April to allow for talks to take place. Yang said Trump had been hoping the tariffs could resolve the U.S. trade deficit. "However, the tariff policy not only fails to solve the structural problems, it will also impact the U.S. economy, and threaten to further affect the outlook for global trade and the economy."