In a breakthrough for reproductive rights in Southeast Asia, anyone seeking a first-trimester abortion in Thailand can get one legally from February. Yet, they may still face resistance when turning up to a clinic, according to longtime abortion rights advocate Supecha Baotip. “Many doctors and nurses don’t want to do it, even though it’s now Read more
Memories of the role of the Sacred Heart church in the Havelock community in Marlborough were re-told at the final Mass in the earthquake-prone building held last month. Wellington archdiocese vicar-general Msgr Gerard Burns led the Mass, attended by about 60 people, saying it was a sad occasion. However, while it was sad for the Read more
With private companies planning to expand their offerings in orbital and suborbital space tourism and more and more civilians already shooting into space, one Jesuit astronomer said if he were ever offered the possibility, he would go. “I know enough to never say no to an opportunity,” Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, a planetary astronomer and Read more
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand, the Bishops’ agency for justice, peace and development, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2021 SINGout4JUSTICE song writing competition. The theme for this year’s competition is A NEW WAY FORWARD. Ever since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic the world has changed. We are faced with the challenge of Read more
Theodore McCarrick, a former US Cardinal, has been charged with sexually assaulting a teenage boy during a wedding reception in the 1970s, court records show. Court documents obtained by The Boston Globe shows that McCarrick is charged with three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14. McCarrick was defrocked in 2018 Read more
An 80-year-old Thai man was driven by his daughter and her husband to a village temple in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima on July 25. He was left to his fate, lying helplessly on a dirt trail leading to the Buddhist monastery of Wat Pa Suan Thamma Sawaddee. The octogenarian, who was infected with Read more
President Joe Biden is poised to nominate Caroline Kennedy to serve as ambassador to Australia in one of the highest-profile envoy selections yet by the White House. Kennedy, the daughter of former President John F. Kennedy, served as ambassador to Japan during the Obama administration. She is a longtime friend, ally and donor to Biden Read more
A network of Catholic nuns and their collaborators have launched a worldwide campaign to take on the $150-billion second criminal human trafficking industry. The “Talitha Kum,” network of women religious under the direction of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) is to help nearly 40 million people trapped in modern-day slavery through their “The Read more
A flash new bike parking facility on Auckland’s North Shore, complete with charging and repair stations, CCTV and toilets, is missing one important thing – bicycles. The bike park is part of the $36.1 million Toka Puia car park with 420 car parking spaces on Huron St, which opened last December to replace the loss Read more
One of the mosques at the centre of the Christchurch terrorist attack will be rebuilt as part of a $10 million development paid for by an international donor. A United Arab Emirates foundation, known for funding multimillion-dollar buildings across the world, enlisted an Australian architect to design a new mosque and events centre commemorating the Read more