logo
CNA938 Rewind - Stock take today: Greenback weakens, an opportunity for investors?

CNA938 Rewind - Stock take today: Greenback weakens, an opportunity for investors?

CNAa day ago
Ahmed Aboutaleb migrated to the Netherlands when he was a teenager. It was a vastly different world from the poor Moroccan village in which he grew up. In 2009, he was the first immigrant to become mayor of a Dutch city. When he was co-awarded the World Mayor Prize in 2021, his citation described him as having 'acted as a father of a very large family… with courage, patience, and humility'. Mr Aboutaleb, who is an outspoken opponent of extremist ideology, shares why he believes so firmly in multiculturalism and how poetry has been a source of solace and strength throughout his life journey — in particular during the most challenging periods of his career in public service. Mr Aboutaleb was in Singapore in late-June 2025 for the International Conference on Cohesive Societies.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Tan Cheng Bock and Hazel Poa step down from PSP's top decision-making body
Tan Cheng Bock and Hazel Poa step down from PSP's top decision-making body

CNA

time30 minutes ago

  • CNA

Tan Cheng Bock and Hazel Poa step down from PSP's top decision-making body

SINGAPORE: Progress Singapore Party (PSP) announced on Saturday (Jul 5) that party founder Tan Cheng Bock and former secretary-general Hazel Poa have stepped down from its central executive committee, the party's top decision-making body. Dr Tan will be succeeded as party chairman by Mr A'bas Kasmani. Despite their resignations from the committee, both Dr Tan and Ms Poa remain members of the party. They were part of PSP's slate in West Coast GRC during the 2025 General Election. The party also confirmed that treasurer S Nallakaruppan has stepped down from his position but will remain in the party. To refresh its leadership, PSP said it has co-opted three new members into its central executive committee: Mr Sani Ismail, Mr Lawrence Pek and Ms Stephanie Tan. Mr Leong Mun Wai will remain as secretary-general of the party. PSP lost in all six constituencies it contested in the 2025 polls, ending its five-year presence in parliament through Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) seats held by Mr Leong and Ms Poa after their near-win in West Coast GRC in 2020. In particular, PSP's flagship West Coast-Jurong West GRC team – comprising party founder Tan Cheng Bock, Mr Leong, Ms Poa and newcomers Sumarleki Amjah and Mr Ismail – received 39.99 per cent of the vote, losing to a People's Action Party team led by Minister for Education Desmond Lee. In the 2020 General Election, Ms Poa contested under PSP in West Coast GRC West Coast GRC as part of a high-profile PSP team led by Dr Tan, alongside Mr Leong Mun Wai, Mr Nadarajah Loganathan and Mr Jeffrey Khoo. The team garnered 48.32 per cent of the vote – the best performance by a losing opposition team. That led to Ms Poa and Mr Leong being appointed NCMPs, bolstering PSP's visibility and their individual profiles. GE2025 DISAPPOINTMENT Given this, expectations were high going into the 2025 election. The poor showing – an eight-point drop – was met with disappointment within the party. Mr Leong described the results as "very shocking", adding that the PSP would study the results "seriously and humbly" and reconsider how it can gain further trust from Singaporeans. A few days later, he wrote in a Facebook post that the results were "disappointing" but did not signal the end for the party. 'Our call for checks and balances, an inclusive society and fairer opportunities for all remains unshaken. We will regroup, reflect, and return stronger.'

UK's Palestine Action loses bid to pause ban as terrorist group, World News
UK's Palestine Action loses bid to pause ban as terrorist group, World News

AsiaOne

timean hour ago

  • AsiaOne

UK's Palestine Action loses bid to pause ban as terrorist group, World News

LONDON — Pro-Palestinian campaign group Palestine Action's co-founder on Friday (July 4) lost a bid to pause the British government's decision to ban the group under anti-terrorism laws, with the group losing an urgent appeal meaning it will be banned from midnight. Huda Ammori, who helped found Palestine Action in 2020, asked London's High Court to stop the proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, before a full hearing of her case that banning the group is unlawful later this month. The High Court refused to pause the ban and, following a late-night hearing, the Court of Appeal rejected an appeal against that decision at just after 9.30pm GMT (5.30am Singapore time). British lawmakers this week decided to ban Palestine Action after its activists broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged two planes in protest against what the group says is Britain's support for Israel. Proscription will make it a crime to be a member of Palestine Action that carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Palestine Action has increasingly targeted Israel-linked companies in Britain, often spraying red paint, blocking entrances or damaging equipment. The group accuses the British government of complicity in what it says are Israeli war crimes in its ongoing bombardment of Gaza. Israel has repeatedly denied committing abuses in its war in Gaza, which began after Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct 7, 2023. Ammori's lawyer Raza Husain said the proscription marked the first time Britain had sought to ban a group carrying out such direct action, describing it as "an ill-considered, discriminatory, authoritarian abuse of statutory power". Critics of the government's decision, including some United Nations experts and civil liberties groups, have also argued that damaging property does not amount to terrorism. Defence firms targeted The group has particularly focused on Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems and Britain's government cited a raid at an Elbit site last year when it decided to proscribe the group. The decision to ban the group came as four members were charged over the incident at the RAF Brize Norton air base, in which military planes were sprayed with red paint. Husain said that was the only example of action targeting a government or military facility and previous incidents were against private companies, to support his argument against proscribing Palestine Action. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Britain's interior minister, has said violence and criminal damage have no place in legitimate protest and that Palestine Action's activities justify proscription. Judge Martin Chamberlain earlier ruled against Ammori's bid to pause the ban, saying that any harm to Palestine Action members or supporters did not outweigh "the strong public interest in maintaining the order" to ban the group. ALSO READ: Hamas warns Palestinians against cooperating with US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

Trump signs signature tax-cut and spending bill into law
Trump signs signature tax-cut and spending bill into law

Straits Times

time5 hours ago

  • Straits Times

Trump signs signature tax-cut and spending bill into law

U.S. President Donald Trump presents a sweeping spending and tax legislation, known as the \"One Big Beautiful Bill Act,\" after he signed it, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law a massive package of tax and spending cuts in a ceremony at the White House on Friday, one day after the Republican-controlled House of Representatives narrowly approved the signature legislation of Trump's second term. The bill, which will fund Trump's immigration crackdown, make his 2017 tax cuts permanent, and is expected to knock millions of Americans off health insurance, was passed with a 218-214 vote after an emotional debate on the House floor. "I've never seen people so happy in our country because of that, because so many different groups of people are being taken care of: the military, civilians of all types, jobs of all types," Trump said at the ceremony, thanking House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune for leading the bill through the two houses of Congress. "So you have the biggest tax cut, the biggest spending cut, the largest border security investment in American history," Trump said. Trump scheduled the ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House for the July 4 Independence Day holiday, replete with a flyover by stealth bombers and fighter jets like those that took part in the recent U.S. strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran. Hundreds of Trump supporters attended, including White House aides, members of Congress, and military families. The bill's passage amounts to a big win for Trump and his Republican allies, who have argued it will boost economic growth, while largely dismissing a nonpartisan analysis predicting it will add more than $3 trillion to the nation's $36.2 trillion debt. While some lawmakers in Trump's party expressed concerns over the bill's price tag and its hit to healthcare programs, in the end just two of the House's 220 Republicans voted against it, joining all 212 Democrats in opposition. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore PAP has begun search for new candidates; PM Wong hopes to deploy them earlier ahead of next GE Singapore 20 retired MPs spoke up on many issues in Parliament, helped successors prepare for new role: PM Wong Singapore $3b money laundering case: 9 financial institutions handed $27.45m in MAS penalties over breaches Singapore Banks tighten vigilance and processes following $3b money laundering case Asia JB petrol station shooting: Dead man with bullet wounds dumped at hospital Singapore Trilateral work group formed to address allegations of foreigners illegally taking on platform work Singapore Power distribution system in renewal project may be linked to Bukit Panjang LRT disruption: SMRT Singapore Rise in number of scam e-mails claiming to be from Cardinal William Goh: Catholic Church The tense standoff over the bill included a record-long floor speech by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who spoke for eight hours and 46 minutes, blasting the bill as a giveaway to the wealthy that would strip low-income Americans of federally-backed health insurance and food aid benefits. REUTERS

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store