Top Scoop Stories - 23 August 2007 News Summary

Thursday, 23 August 2007, 2:10 pm
Article: The Scoop Editor

Today's Top Scoops - August 23, 2007

LEAD STORY:

Health: Disparities Of 1990s Closing

NZ POLITICS:

Questions For Oral Answer - Thursday, 23 Aug 2007
Defence: Kiwis make Big Bang In Afghanistan
Politics: If You Can't Beat Em' in the Polls Try The Companies Act
Electoral Issues: English Gives Burton Todays' Supplementary Questions
Scoop Satire: New Party Logos

BUSINESS SCIENCE & TECH:

Usury: Loan Sharks Don’t Fear Judith Tizard
Transport: First NZ Got The Sex Pistols Now Cheap Air Travel

WORLD:

U.S. News: Bush Attends Veterans Convention, Talks On Terror
Slave Trade: Slavery Prejudice Still Applied To Tribal Peoples
Animal Rights: UN Experts Probing Gorilla Killings Stress Local Role In Preservation
AIDS Front: New Un Handbook Aims To Help Countries In Asia-Pacific Region Respond To AIDS
Quake Update: Peruvian Quake Relief Efforts Continue, UN Seeks Urgent Funds

COMMENT:

Michael Collins: Notes from the Underground Part 1 - Why the 2004 Election Matters More than Ever

LIFESTYLE:

Photography: Exhibition Shows Reality Of War On Civilians
Fashion: NBA Tries To Restore Ak's Savaged Dignity With Fashion Comp
Kiwi Pride: Films by student, lecturers for Venice Film Fest
Fashion: Awards Groom Fashion Stars for Global Success
Opera: New Zealand Diva Debuts In Major Soprano Role

Health: Disparities Of 1990s Closing - Health Minister Pete Hodgson has welcomed the publication of new research showing that while inequality in health outcomes between ethnic groups and across income brackets grew steeply in the 1980s and 1990s, it appears that they have now stopped growing and may have even started to narrow. The Minister says that the report - Tracking Disparity - underlines the importance of the Labour led government's seven and a half year's of investment in New Zealand families More >> [1]

ALSO:

• University of Otago - Disparities in Death Rates No Longer Widening [2]
• Ministry of Health - Report: health inequalities are narrowing [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0708/S00392.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0708/S00090.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0708/S00091.htm

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY: Questions For Oral Answer - Thursday, 23 Aug 2007 [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0708/S00397.htm

Defence: Kiwis make Big Bang In Afghanistan - New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel in Afghanistan have recovered and disposed of more than 1200 individual high explosive items during four months in theatre. The New Zealand Explosive Ordinance Disposal (NZEOD) team are part of the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team (NZPRT) in Bamyan Province More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0708/S00307.htm

Politics: If You Can't Beat Em' in the Polls Try The Companies Act - This afternoon in the House I raised serious concerns around legal and official declarations made by John Key Labour Minister Pete Hodgson says. The ramifications if proven are serious. The penalties under the Companies Act for providing misleading or fraudulent statements include up to five years imprisonment or a $200,000 fine. This is over the threshold at which an MP must step down from Parliament. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0708/S00389.htm

Electoral Issues: English Gives Burton Todays' Supplementary Questions - National Party Deputy Leader Bill English has today taken the unusual step of releasing in advance the questions he intends asking in Parliament this afternoon about Labour’s position on electoral reform. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0708/S00394.htm

Scoop Satire: New Party Logos - Scoop's Lyndon Hood can reveal that in the wake of United Future's bold new logo , frantic efforts are under way by all other parties to spruce up their images. Except Phillip Field, that is, who seems to be busy with something else. Anyway, thanks to the famous hackability of Parliament's servers, some of the proposed logos have been obtained for the public's edification. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0708/S00276.htm

Usury: Loan Sharks Don’t Fear Judith Tizard - Loan sharks who target vulnerable Pacific consumers in Manukau City must be elated at the lack of response, from the Minister of Consumer Affairs, to a damning report into the behaviour of fringe lenders in Manukau City. That is the view expressed by Manurewa Community Board member Daniel Newman. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0708/S00262.htm

Transport: First NZ Got The Sex Pistols Now Cheap Air Travel - Virgin Blue Airlines and its three year old New Zealand subsidiary Pacific Blue today announced major plans for a new domestic airline for New Zealand with NZD$39* fares on sale from today for flights commencing in November 2007. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• WRCOC - Arrival of Pacific Blue is Good News for Wellington Economy [2]
• House of Travel - Domestic Travel Ready for Shake Up [3]
• Christchurch International Airport - Chch Airport secured as Pacific Blue home base [4]
• Christchurch and Canterbury Tourism - Cheaper domestic air travel boost for Christchurch [5]
• Joint Media Statement - Competition a Plus for Wellington [6]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0708/S00439.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0708/S00440.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0708/S00452.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0708/S00451.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0708/S00450.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0708/S00274.htm

U.S. News: Bush Attends Veterans Convention, Talks On Terror - "We fight for the possibility that decent men and women across the broader Middle East can realize their destiny -- and raise up societies based on freedom and justice and personal dignity. And as long as I'm Commander-in-Chief we will fight to win. (Applause.) I'm confident that we will prevail. I'm confident we'll prevail because we have the greatest force for human liberation the world has ever known -- the men and women of the United States Armed Forces," -- George W. Bush More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0708/S00595.htm

Slave Trade: Slavery Prejudice Still Applied To Tribal Peoples - Survival will release a report tomorrow comparing arguments justifying the eviction of the Kalahari Bushmen with those used to defend the transatlantic slave trade. The report marks the UN Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. Survival's director Stephen Corry said today, 'The Botswana government's defence mirrors historical arguments for the transatlantic slave trade. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0708/S00588.htm

Animal Rights: UN Experts Probing Gorilla Killings Stress Local Role In Preservation - A United Nations-supported expert team probing the recent slaughter of nine mountain gorillas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today wrapped up its visit to the country by stressing that local communities must be central to efforts to preserve the endangered species and to any profitable activities related to the primates. The mission spent 11 days in the DRC. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0708/S00584.htm

AIDS Front: New Un Handbook Aims To Help Countries In Asia-Pacific Region Respond To AIDS - Countries in the Asia-Pacific region today received a new United Nations handbook that focuses on the role of human rights in responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The Handbook on HIV and Human Rights is designed to assist the region’s national human rights institutions to integrate HIV into their human rights mandates. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0708/S00586.htm

Quake Update: Peruvian Quake Relief Efforts Continue, UN Seeks Urgent Funds - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today appealed to donors to urgently and generously fund its $6.1 million operation to provide food aid to 80,000 people worst affected by last week's deadly earthquake in Peru. The powerful quake, which measured 7.9 on the Richter scale and struck 161 kilometres south of the capital, Lima, More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0708/S00577.htm

Michael Collins: Notes from the Underground Part 1 - Why the 2004 Election Matters More than Ever - Imagine a night at the theater.* A magician comes on stage with a corpse in tow. A doctor from the audience confirms that it is in fact the very real human corpse of a middle aged white male. The magician passes his hand over the corpse just once... More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0708/S00284.htm

Photography: Exhibition Shows Reality Of War On Civilians - A photo exhibition, titled ‘Humanity in the Midst of Crisis’, which shows the cruel reality of the impact of war on civilians around the world, will be on display for a limited time in Wellington from 29 – 31 August. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0708/S00290.htm

Fashion: NBA Tries To Restore Ak's Savaged Dignity With Fashion Comp - While Queen Street was hosting its Boobs On Bikes parade at lunchtime, Newmarket retailers actively wooed Auckland’s best dressed women to its shopping district, with prizes worth over $4, 500 up for grabs. The competition to determine “Auckland’s most fashionable female shopper” More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0708/S00423.htm

Kiwi Pride: Films by student, lecturers for Venice Film Fest - A student and two lecturers from The University of Auckland's Department of Film Television and Media Studies (FTVMS) have had their films accepted in the short film category of the prestigious Venice Film Festival. Although strikingly different in their content, both films explore universal themes of violence and xenophobia and depart from the traditional New Zealand filmic landscape. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0708/S00280.htm

Fashion: Awards Groom Fashion Stars for Global Success New Zealand’s leading breakthrough fashion prize – the Deutz Fashion Design Ambassador Awards – will be announced at a glittering catwalk show on Thursday 13 September. Auckland’s ASB Tennis Centre is the ambitious new venue for the 7th annual Deutz Fashion Design Ambassador Awards Show. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0708/S00264.htm

Opera: New Zealand Diva Debuts In Major Soprano Role - The title role of Puccini’s Turandot is famed as a pinnacle role for soprano, reserved for singers whose voices are in full dramatic bloom. New Zealander Margaret Medlyn easily fits into this category. For Margaret Medlyn, the music of Turandot is a perfect fit. She discovered this when she followed a voice coach’s urgings a few years ago and learnt the role. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0708/S00257.htm

ENDS

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