Top Scoop Stories - 20 August 2007 News Summary

Monday, 20 August 2007, 2:00 pm
Article: The Scoop Editor

Today's Top Scoops - August 20, 2007

LEAD STORY:

Race Relations: UN Proffers Its Two Cents On NZ

NZ POLITICS:

Eco-warriorism: Greens Take Chainsaw To ANZ On Behalf Of Orangatung
Finance: Loan Shark Report On The Rampage
Monetary Policy: English Seeks To Decipher Cullen's Statements

BUSINESS SCIENCE & TECH:

Tourism: More Aussies Skipping Across The Tasman
Farming: Meat Industry Plans To Have Better Season
Health: Shellfish Warning Oakura Beach to Kawhia

WORLD:

East Timor News: Security Reform Key To Timor-Leste Stability
High Seas: UN Tribunal Welcomes Release Of Japanese Vessel
UN News: United Nations Staff Remember 2003 Baghdad Attack
In the Navy: No Evidence That Wreck Is The HMAS Sydney II

COMMENT:

Suzan Mazur: The CIA, Narcotics & Underworld: Doug Valentine IV
Sherwood Ross: Guantanamo - Military Interrogators Pose As "Lawyers" To Gather Information
Glen Ford: Karl Rove Off to Another Criminal Mission
Bill Berkowitz: Swift-Boating Hillary Clinton

LIFESTYLE:

Coiffure Culture: Wella Trend Vision Winner 2007

Race Relations: UN Proffers Its Two Cents On NZ - The report of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination raises a broad range of issues for discussion, says Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres. Although initial media focus has been primarily on the references to the Foreshore and Seabed Act, the Waitangi Tribunal and Treaty Settlements, there are 23 substantive issues specifically relating to New Zealand, of which seven are matters which the Committee particularly welcomes. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• Maori Party - Maori Party Unsurprised at UN bad report card [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0708/S00261.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0708/S00327.htm

Eco-warriorism: Greens Take Chainsaw To ANZ On Behalf Of Orangatung - The Green Party is urging New Zealanders to cut links to ANZ unless the banking group stops supporting a huge tropical rainforests logging company. Greens Co-Leader Russel Norman says the party is starting a campaign outside selected ANZ branches with colourful protests highlighting the banking corporation's links to firms destroying the last "paradise forests" of South East Asia. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0708/S00323.htm

Finance: Loan Shark Report On The Rampage - Acting Minister for Social Development and Employment Steve Maharey today welcomed a new report on 'fringe' lenders in South Auckland, saying it will help raise public awareness about the dangers of borrowing from high-interest credit providers.... The report found that the most common reason for borrowing was to meet the needs of everyday household expenses. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• Ministry Of Consumer Affairs - Pacific Consumers' Experience in Credit Markets [2]
• Family First - Govt Inquiry Into Loan Sharks Welcomed [3]
• Global Peace And Justice Auckland - Loan sharks report due for release tomorrow [4]
• Salvation Army - Protect Vulnerable from Casino Loan Sharks [5]
• Commerce Commission - Auckland Credit Providers Given Warning [6]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0708/S00309.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0708/S00246.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0708/S00245.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0708/S00211.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0708/S00204.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0708/S00187.htm

Monetary Policy: English Seeks To Decipher Cullen's Statements - Investors and households facing volatile markets deserve an explanation from Finance Minister Michael Cullen about his statements on monetary policy, says National Party Finance spokesman Bill English. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0708/S00325.htm

Tourism: More Aussies Skipping Across The Tasman - There were 173,000 visitor arrivals in July 2007, up 6,100 (4 percent) from July 2006, Statistics New Zealand said today. The increase was mainly due to 9,700 (15 percent) more visitors from Australia. Visitor arrivals from a number of New Zealand's other top source countries decreased compared with the same month of last year. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0708/S00357.htm

Farming: Meat Industry Plans To Have Better Season - Federated Farmers is warning farmers and meat companies they must work together to avoid another disastrous year, said the Federation's Meat and Fibre chair Keith Kelly. His comments come as early season lamb is due to hit the market. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• Wool Services - Drop in dollar [2]
• Reserve Bank - Reserve Bank Monitoring Financial Markets [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0708/S00356.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0708/S00328.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0708/S00237.htm

Health: Shellfish Warning Oakura Beach to Kawhia - The Health Protection Unit's of Taranaki District Health Board and Waikato District Health Board today issued a Public Health Warning advising people not to collect or consume shellfish from Kawhia in the Waikato to Oakura in Taranaki. The public health warning does not include Kawhia Harbour. Routine tests on shellfish samples taken from Mohakatino (near Mokau) this week have shown levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) at 1.65 mg/kg. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0708/S00074.htm

East Timor News: Security Reform Key To Timor-Leste Stability - The United Nations peacekeeping mission helping Timor-Leste recover from fighting last year that drove 15 per cent of the population from their homes has called for improved relations between the police and army, a strengthened legal framework, increased capacity and enhanced civil oversight as part of overall security sector reform. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0708/S00508.htm

High Seas: UN Tribunal Welcomes Release Of Japanese Vessel -.The United Nations International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) today welcomed news that authorities in the Russian Federation have released a Japanese fishing vessel and its crew -- detained for alleged illegal fishing in Russian waters -- in line with a Tribunal decision earlier this month. Russia released the Hoshinmaru and its crew yesterday, the same day it received a bond from the ship's owner, More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0708/S00509.htm

UN News: United Nations Staff Remember 2003 Baghdad Attack - United Nations staff members across the globe today solemnly commemorated the fourth anniversary of the bombing at Baghdad's Canal Hotel, where nearly two dozen people were killed and scores more injured in the deadliest attack against the world body's civilian personnel in history. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0708/S00511.htm

In the Navy: No Evidence That Wreck Is The HMAS Sydney II - The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has concluded its investigation of the area located near Dirk Hartog Island in Western Australia that was claimed to be the site of the wreck of the RAN's World War II cruiser, HMAS Sydney II. The Howard Government considers solving the mystery of the Sydney II an issue of national importance More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0708/S00520.htm

Suzan Mazur: The CIA, Narcotics & Underworld: Doug Valentine IV - Several years ago, when I was trying to make the distinction between Lewis Lapham, the Editor of Harper's Magazine -- whose roots are in an old San Francisco banking family -- and Lewis Lapham, the Central Intelligence Agency's man, I was directed to author Doug Valentine by Lou Wolf, Editor of Covert Action Quarterly, who described Valentine as one of the most knowledgeable people on the CIA... More [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0708/S00242.htm

Sherwood Ross: Guantanamo - Military Interrogators Pose As "Lawyers" To Gather Information - Military interrogators posing as "lawyers" are attempting to trick Guantanamo prisoners into providing them with information, "The Catholic Worker" (TCW) reports. This incredible and illegal practice contributes "to the prisoners' suspicions that the (real) lawyers are not to be trusted and could be aiding the government," TCW says in its July issue... More [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0708/S00251.htm

Glen Ford: Karl Rove Off to Another Criminal Mission - U.S. corporate media cannot accurately cover the crimes of Karl Rove, nor his exit from the White House, because Rove's career is a pure extension of the most ancient machinations of white supremacists. The Republican Party, heirs to the Dixiecrat legacy, needs Karl Rove to continue his work in the vineyards of racist political manipulation, suppression of non-white voters, and the production of lies by the ton... More [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0708/S00255.htm

Bill Berkowitz: Swift-Boating Hillary Clinton - A recent USA Today/Gallup Poll found that New York Senator Hillary Clinton "has significantly widened her lead over Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination." While it is still many months away from the first primaries and it is by no means a done deal, the former First Lady appears to be heading for the nomination... More [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0708/S00233.htm

Coiffure Culture: Wella Trend Vision Winner 2007 - The spot light shone on the New Wella Studio last night as hairdressers from around the country gathered to discover who will represent New Zealand at the annual Wella Trend Vision award international final in Barcelona, Spain. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0708/S00234.htm

ENDS

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