08/05/2025

THURSDAY | MAY 8, 2025

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Cardinals hold final mass before papal conclave

Norway fund holds its breath OSLO: Opposition efforts to allow Norway’s US$1.8 trillion (RM7.62 trillion) wealth fund, the world’s largest, to invest in large defence companies appear to be faltering. The fund follows ethical rules decided by parliament that prevent it from buying stakes in the likes of Airbus, Boeing, BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin on the grounds they make components for nuclear weapons. Two opposition parties, the Conservatives and the Progress Party, have in recent months called on lawmakers to change the fund’s guidelines on that point, when European countries are ramping up military investment. Support for change also came from the head of the central bank, which operates the fund, who said in February, Norway “must be open to the possibility that what is considered to be ethically acceptable may change as the world again becomes marked by military rearmament and growing tensions between countries”. The Conservatives say it is no longer reasonable to exclude companies that make equipment critical to Norway and its allies’ battle power. The fund can invest in defence companies if they are not involved in the production of nuclear weapons and is therefore invested in the likes of Rheinmetall or Leonardo. But the guidelines prevent the fund from investing in several major defence companies. Progress, meanwhile, is presenting a private member’s Bill, which argues it is hypocritical of Oslo to ban its fund from buying shares in Lockheed Martin while buying 52 F-35 fighter jets from the US defence contractor at the same time. “This is to make capital available to the defence industry, which is especially necessary now,” said one of the co-authors of the Bill, Hans Andreas Limi. They would require support from other parties to overturn the will of the minority Labour government and allow one of the world’s largest investors to allot billions of dollars to defence companies. This could in turn encourage other investors sceptical of the defence industry to reconsider their views, given the fund has long been a leading voice on matters of ethical investing. But supporters of the change appear to be facing an uphill battle. Among those opposing the change, is the Finance Ministry, led by no other than former Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg of the Labour Party. “We believe it is too early for another full review of the guidelines now,” Deputy Finance Minister Ellen Reitan told Reuters. She said there had to be a broad consensus in parliament and reviews of the fund’s ethical criteria should not be made on an ad hoc basis. “Over time, it may be appropriate to change the criteria in the guidelines. Such changes should be made on the basis of comprehensive and thorough assessments where the criteria are seen in context,” she said. – Reuters They were excavated at the Piprahwa village near Buddha’s birthplace and have been attributed to a clan linked to the religious figure. Indian authorities said an inscription on one of the caskets confirms the contents, which include bone fragments, as “relics of the Buddha, deposited by the Sakya clan”. In an article written for Sotheby’s, Chris Peppe said his ancestor “gave the gems, the relics and the reliquaries to the Indian government” and that his family kept “a small portion” of the discovery. – AFP

o No clear frontrunner has emerged among prelates

the senior elector, will call on God to give the cardinals “the spirit of intelligence, truth and peace” needed for their task. Parolin, a frontrunner who was Francis’s number two as secretary of state, will then lead the cardinals in chanting the Latin invocation of the Holy Spirit: “Veni, Creator Spiritus”. The cardinals have spent days discussing the most pressing challenges facing the Catholic Church and the character traits its new leader needs. Burning issues include falling priest numbers, the role of women, the Vatican’s troubled balance sheets and how to adapt the Church to the modern world. Some 80% of the cardinals were appointed by Francis – an impulsive, charismatic champion of the downtrodden. We may never know how close a race it is. Having surrendered mobile phones, the red robed cardinals will swear an oath to keep the conclave’s secrets. The cardinals traditionally cast just one ballot on the first evening, burning the votes along with a chemical that produces black smoke if there is no decision, white for a new pope. – AFP

(4pm in Kuala Lumpur), presided over by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re. It was the last rite to be celebrated publicly before the Church’s 267th pope is presented to the world from a balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, likely several days later. Both Francis and his predecessor Benedict XVI were elected within two days, but the longest papal election in Church history lasted 1,006 days, from 1268 to 1271. With clerics from around 70 countries, this conclave is the largest ever, and the next pontiff will have to secure at least 89 votes: a two-thirds majority. The cardinals, who must be younger than 80 to take part, are staying at the Vatican’s Santa Marta guesthouse, where Francis used to live, and Santa Marta Vecchia, a building next door usually housing Vatican officials. At 3.45pm they set off from Santa Marta to gather at the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace. They then proceeded into the 15th-century Sistine Chapel for the conclave. Under a ceiling of frescoes painted by Michelangelo, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin,

‘AI key for health, education innovation’ JAKARTA: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said artificial intelligence will play a key role in unlocking new tools for health, education and agriculture at a meeting with Indonesia’s president yesterday. Indonesia is Southeast Asia’s biggest economy and has a population of around 280 million across its sprawling archipelago, with a growing demand for data centres and AI tech in the region. Gates visited President Prabowo Subianto and Indonesian philanthropists in Jakarta, where he spoke about his optimism that AI-driven innovation will help tackle global challenges. “AI is going to help us discover new tools. And even in the delivery of health and education and agriculture advice, we’ll be using AI,” he told a meeting. “Once we finish (eradicting) polio, we’d like to try and eradicate measles and malaria as well. We have some new tools for that. And of course, part of my optimism about the innovation is because we now have artificial intelligence.” UN agencies have been campaigning for four decades to eradicate polio, most often spread through sewage and contaminated water. The billionaire philanthropist has donated more than US$159 million (RM674 million) to Indonesia since 2009, mostly to the health sector including to fund vaccines, Prabowo said. Gates later visited an elementary school in VATICAN CITY: Cardinals from five continents held a final mass in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican yesterday before sealing themselves away to elect a new pope to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. A total of 133 cardinal electors are expected to take part in the conclave, the voting process to pick a successor to Pope Francis, who died last month after a 12-year papacy. No clear frontrunner has emerged from among the prelates – representing a range of progressive and conservative traditions within the Church – and the contest to lead the 2,000 year-old institution appears wide open. In a time of geopolitical uncertainty, the new pope faces diplomatic balancing acts, as well as Church infighting, the continued fall-out from the clerical child abuse scandal, and, in the West, increasingly empty pews. The “Princes of the Church” began a pre conclave mass in St Peter’s Basilica at 10am

Gates and Prabowo visit a school serving free meals in Jakarta. – REUTERSPIC

Jakarta alongside Prabowo to see students having free meals as part of a programme launched by the Indonesian leader. Prabowo also announced plans to give Gates Indonesia’s highest civilian award for his

“contribution to Indonesians and the world”. Microsoft chief executive officer Satya Nadella last year pledged a US$1.7 billion investment in AI and cloud computing to help develop Indonesia’s AI infrastructure. – AFP

Sotheby’s postpones historical gems auction after India backlash HONG KONG: Sotheby’s postponed an auction of gems with ties to early Buddhism after opposition from India, which said the jewels were the country’s cultural heritage. religious and cultural heritage of India and the global Buddhist community” and said the sale violated Indian and international law. parties, and we look forward to sharing any updates as appropriate,” the auction house said in a statement. Sotheby’s said the night before that the auction would “proceed as planned”.

It asked for the auction to be cancelled and the jewels repatriated to India, as well as an apology and full disclosure of provenance documents, according to the notice posted on X. Sotheby’s said the auction has been postponed “in light of the matters raised by the Government of India and with the agreement of the consignors”. “This will allow for discussions between the

The Piprahwa gems, which the auction house said dated back to around 200 BC and were unearthed in 1898 by Englishman William Claxton Peppe in northern India, were scheduled to go under the hammer in Hong Kong yesterday. The Ministry of Culture issued a legal notice on Monday calling the jewels “inalienable

The ministry wrote on X that it was “pleased to inform” readers that the auction was postponed following its intervention. The gems in the Hong Kong auction were part of a collection of close to 1,800 gems and precious metal sheets including amethysts, pearls and gold pieces worked into small beads.