The New Zealand Superannuation Fund has withdrawn its investment of $1 million in Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold over allegations of human rights offences committed by security forces around the company’s controversial Grasberg mine in Papua. According to Papua New Guinea Mine Watch (PNMW) Freeport has been directly or indirectly responsible for gross human rights abuses Read more
An English woman, Pat McEvoy, the wife of a former missionary in the Solomom Islands, and her four daughters have set up scholarships to assist girls from Malaita Solomon Islands to attend secondary school. Pat is going to the Solomon Islands to put into place the John McEvoy Scholarship for Girls with money she and her daughters have raised in England. It Read more
A documentary, “Tongan Ark”, about the Tongan philosopher Futa Helu will be screening at Mangere Arts Centre in Auckland on Saturday. Futa Helu, who died aged 75 in February 2010, was a Tongan philosopher. He studied philosophy, literature and mathematics in Sydney in the 1950s. His particular inspiration was the pre-Socratic thinker Heraclitus. When he returned Read more
History was made in Majuro last week with the official opening of a newly built mosque for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Located in the downtown section of the capital, directly across the street from the courthouse, the new mosque was blessed and then people enjoyed food as part of the celebration. The opening included reading Read more
When Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress met with Fiji President Epeli Nailatikau in Fiji last Friday he said China believed that all countries, big or small, rich or poor, strong or weak, are equal members of the international community, and that international affairs should be handled by all Read more
About 200 submissions from members and supporters of the Ecumenical Centre for Research, Education and Advocacy (ECREA) were made to the Constitution Commission in Suva, Fiji, last Friday. Father Kevin Barr of ECREA said they had conducted awareness programs and workshops for their members on how they could make their voices heard. He said workers had Read more
The Salvation Army, which is running care services for asylum seekers on Nauru Island, says facilities should be improved before women and children are transferred there. Salvation Army spokesman Paul Moulds says women and children should not be sent yet, because asylum seekers are sleeping in tents while the compound is under construction. “We certainly Read more
The police and fire service In Samoa are investigating the cause of a fire which destroyed the two storey centre for the Samoa Independent Seventh Day Adventist Church on Wednesday. Fire fighters were unable to save the multimillion dollar building in Apia. However they were able to contain the fire from spreading to nearby businesses Read more
The 10th meeting of the representatives of Lusophone Bishops’ Conferences took place in Dili (East Timor) from 6 to September 10. The theme of the conference was “The challenge of the sects, in the horizon of the new evangelization”. It was reported that at the meeting it was agreed sects have a greater impact among Catholics whose faith Read more
The Archbishop of Suva, Petero Mataca, has called for a recognition of parents as first educators of their children in his submission to his country’s Constitutional Committee The submission has recommended a provision for a proposed draft Education Decree to be harmonised to recognise the international value of a parent’s right to choose an education Read more