News Shorts

Argentina`s President-elect Javier Milei to convert from Catholicism to Judaism

Thursday, December 7th, 2023

Argentina`s President-elect Javier Milei has decided to convert from Catholicism to Judaism, Azernews reports, citing foreign media outlets. According to the agency, the Argentine leader took part in a Jewish service in Buenos Aires on November 25, where he received a blessing from a rabbi. Upon arrival in New York on November 27, Milei went Read more

NZ’s first centre for depression recovery to open in Wellington

Thursday, December 7th, 2023

The country’s first community based Depression Recovery Centre is set to open in Wellington early next year, established by a not-for-profit charity. It will offer a therapeutic day programme for people with moderate to severe mental health issues, and hopes to serve 300 people per year, at purpose built premises in Cuba Street. The centre, Read more

Myanmar villagers find 18 burnt bodies after junta raid

Thursday, December 7th, 2023

Villagers uncovered 18 charred bodies after junta forces burned homes in a village in central Myanmar, residents and defence forces told Radio Free Asia. Junta soldiers and the military-backed Pyu Saw Htee militia attacked a village in Monywa township on Saturday morning. Roughly 80 soldiers stationed nearby stormed Kya Paing village and began torching houses, Read more

KiwiSaver hardship withdrawals double as New Zealanders struggle

Thursday, December 7th, 2023

New Zealanders are withdrawing money from their KiwiSaver schemes to help them through financial hardship at twice the rate of last year – and one supervisor says it’s largely because of rising interest rates. Data from Inland Revenue shows that there was $21.5 million withdrawn from KiwiSaver accounts for reasons of financial hardship in October, Read more

Using lead to restore Notre-Dame de Paris roof a big mistake, says professor

Thursday, December 7th, 2023

Judith Rainhorn, a historian specialising in the history of lead pollution, has criticised officials in charge of renovating the fire-damaged Notre-Dame de Paris for using lead, a highly toxic metal, for the world-famous cathedral’s new roof. “In this day and age, there are so many possible techniques and materials that we could obviously have found Read more

Mexican presidential hopeful pledges to eliminate gender ideology from schools

Thursday, December 7th, 2023

Eduardo Verástegui, filmmaker and aspiring presidential candidate in Mexico published a “manifesto” against gender ideology, pledging to eliminate gender ideology indoctrination from schools if he is elected president of the nation. Verástegui, producer of the box office hit “Sound of Freedom,” which exposes child sex trafficking, must gather almost 1 million signatures by early January Read more

ISIS claims deadly blast at Catholic Mass

Monday, December 4th, 2023

ISIS has claimed responsibility for a deadly explosion that ripped through a Catholic Mass service at a university gym in the southern Philippines on Sunday. At least four people were killed and dozens of others were injured in the blast at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City, according to authorities. In a communique, ISIS Read more

Nun aims to mobilise 100,000 sisters to fight against human trafficking

Monday, December 4th, 2023

An Indian nun who recently received a global honour for her efforts to combat human trafficking has called upon the estimated 100,000 religious sisters in her vast nation to join the fight. She said that by doing so, “we could save many lives.” Sister Seli Thomas, a member of the Sisters of Mary Immaculate in Read more

Activists call on NZ govt to do more for West Papua

Monday, December 4th, 2023

New Zealand’s government should confront Indonesia over its alleged human rights violations in West Papua, human rights activists and West Papua independence activists in Aotearoa say. The UN Human Rights Council has reported the human rights situation in West Papua has deteriorated, citing reports of torture and mass displacement. “We know the violence that West Read more

Pope keeps a jam-packed Thursday schedule, despite health struggles

Monday, December 4th, 2023

Although he was forced to cancel a scheduled trip to Dubai this week due to health concerns, Pope Francis kept a busy Thursday schedule with nine separate appointments. This was despite receiving ongoing antibiotic treatment for a flu-causing lung inflammation. In a statement Wednesday night, the Vatican said that the pope’s condition is “stable” and Read more