Top Scoop Stories - 23 October 2007 News Summary

Tuesday, 23 October 2007, 2:00 pm
Article: The Scoop Editor

Today's Top Scoops - October 23, 2007

LEAD STORY:

Housing Crisis: Poor Skip Warehouse Living And Go To Sheds

NZ POLITICS:

Questions For Oral Answer - Tuesday, 23 October 2007
Pacific News: Doubt Hangs Heavy Over Fiji 2009 Elections
Electoral Systems: Don Brash Speech On MMP Brought To Light
Corrections: Role Playing Cuts No Dice With Power
Tax Wars: Could Oz Tax Battle Cause Cullen Collateral Damage
"Operation 8": Protestors Call For End To Police "Terrorism"

BUSINESS SCIENCE & TECH:

Mainland News: South Island Population Reaches One Million
Environment: Tourism Company Fuels Up On Recycled Cooking Oil
Green Acres: King Country Farmers Catch Environmental Bug
Home, Sweet Home: Incentives For Building Affordable Housing

WORLD:

Pacific Affairs: Voting Under Way In Tokelau Self-Governmentt Ballot
Asian Affairs: Burma Agrees To Visit By United Nations Rights Rapporteur
Women & Children: Landmark United Nations Women's Conference Ends
Laptop of the World: Low-cost Laptop Project For Poor Children Closer To Reality

COMMENT:

Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman: Will the GOP election theft machine do it again in 2008?
Michael Collins: Destruction of Evidence - Ohio's 2004 Ballots
J. Sri Raman: The Return of Benazir Bhutto
Cookson & Davies: NZ Post Colonial? Yeah Right
Sam Smith: Why Hasn't John Edwards Done Better?

LIFESTYLE:

Theatre: Desire Arrives At Circa Via A Streetcar
Nature: Stubby Bird Becomes Warbling Crowd Pleaser
Dance: NZ Wins Hip Hop Champs In Serbia
Ballet: Cinderella a Soaring Success - Next Stop, China

Housing Crisis: Poor Skip Warehouse Living And Go To Sheds - Green Party Housing Spokesperson Sue Bradford is saddened but not surprised by reports in this morning's Dominion-Post newspaper, of people living in sheds because they can't afford to live anywhere else. "Many people in many different parts of New Zealand are living in totally substandard, unsanitary and insecure accommodation. What really shocked me was that the gentleman referred to in the Dom-Post article was actually paying $100 a week for the privilege," Ms Bradford says. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0710/S00400.htm

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY:

• Questions For Oral Answer - Tuesday, 23 October 2007 [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0710/S00399.htm

Pacific News: Doubt Hangs Heavy Over Fiji 2009 Elections - (Text + Audio + Photography): Scoop's Selwyn Manning reports that within 24 hours doubt was cast over a commitment by Fiji's military leader Frank Bainimarama to hold an election under the current constitution in 2009. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0710/S00301.htm

Electoral Systems: Don Brash Speech On MMP Brought To Light - To mark the anniversary of MMP, the NZCPR is delighted to publish - for the very first time - a speech written by Don Brash a year ago when he was Leader of the Opposition. The speech 'We Deserve Another Referendum on MMP' was never delivered. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0710/S00294.htm

Corrections: Role Playing Cuts No Dice With Power - Corrections' spending of $8,000 on role-playing for managers while it is dogged by serious staffing issues shows what a very strange contradiction it is, says National Party Justice & Corrections spokesman Simon Power. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0710/S00398.htm

Tax Wars: Could Oz Tax Battle Cause Cullen Collateral Damage - Michael Cullen should be eating his words now that both major political parties in Australia are promising far-reaching tax cuts, says National's Finance spokesman, Bill English. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0710/S00396.htm

"Operation 8": Protestors Call For End To Police "Terrorism" - Protesting this week's early morning raids and demanding that police abandon their threats of terrorist charges against the17 activists arrested protestors rallied around NZ over the holiday weekend. More >> [1] .

See also court reports from the bail hearing in Wellington [2] & Auckland [3] yesterday.

ALSO:

• Scoop Full Coverage - Full Coverage 2: Police Activist Raids [4]
• Simon Scott - Christchurch Protest Over Activists Imprisonment [5]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0710/S00302.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0710/S00292.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0710/S00293.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0710/S00340.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0710/S00339.htm

Mainland News: South Island Population Reaches One Million - The South Island's estimated resident population has exceeded one million for the first time, Statistics New Zealand said today. Rapid growth in several territorial authority areas contributed to the South Island's population increase. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0710/S00338.htm

Environment: Tourism Company Fuels Up On Recycled Cooking Oil - A leading Canterbury tourism company has taken steps to offset its carbon footprint by switching all its vehicles to bio-diesel. Hassle-free Tours is the first tourism operator in the region to make a complete switch to the cleaner, environmentally-friendly fuel produced in Canterbury by Biodiesel New Zealand which is made recycling cooking oil from restaurants and hotels. Hassle-free Tours operates seven vehicles which take visitors on tours of the Canterbury high country.More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0710/S00334.htm

Green Acres: King Country Farmers Catch Environmental Bug - A need to reduce stock losses initially sparked Barrie and Jude Tatham's interest in environmental protection work, but it didn't take long for them to realise that fencing marginal land also made sound business sense. While the limestone outcrops are an attractive natural feature of the King Country farm, they complicate farm management and are an extreme risk to livestock. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0710/S00335.htm

Home, Sweet Home: Incentives For Building Affordable Housing - REINZ has welcomed suggestions that the Government would enable councils to reward developers who provide 'affordable housing'. Housing Minister, Hon Chris Carter had said in a speech at the launch of Architecture Week that he was preparing an Affordable Housing Bill to give local councils enabling powers to promote the development of affordable housing. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0710/S00328.htm

Pacific Affairs: Voting Under Way In Tokelau Self-Governmentt Ballot - Voting has begun in the referendum to determine whether Tokelau, a group of three small and isolated atolls in the Pacific Ocean, should have self-government in free association with New Zealand, the team of United Nations observers monitoring the ballot has reported. The final results are expected to be announced on Wednesday. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0710/S00518.htm

Asian Affairs: Burma Agrees To Visit By United Nations Rights Rapporteur - A United Nations independent human rights expert will make an official visit to Myanmar next month to look into recent events there, the country's Government has confirmed. Foreign Minister Nyan Win, in a letter sent to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday, confirmed that it has agreed to the visit by Paolo Sergio Pinheiro, the Secretary-General's Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0710/S00517.htm

Women & Children: Landmark United Nations Women's Conference Ends - A landmark United Nations-sponsored conference aimed at generating political will and investment to slash maternal deaths has concluded with participants pledging to bolster efforts to improve women's health. 70 government officials pledged to make the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of improving maternal health "a high priority on the national, regional and international health agenda.More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0710/S00511.htm

Laptop of the World: Low-cost Laptop Project For Poor Children Closer To Reality - The 'One Laptop per Child' initiative, a pioneering project to give children in poor countries access to affordable computers, is in sight of becoming a reality, the United Nations advocate for the world's most vulnerable nations said today. The project is the brainchild of Nicholas Negroponte, who is on leave from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to head the 'One Laptop per Child' initiative. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0710/S00514.htm

Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman: Will the GOP election theft machine do it again in 2008? - With record low approval ratings for the Bush/Cheney regime and the albatross of an unpopular war hanging from the GOP's neck, do you think that a Democratic presidential candidate will win the White House, get us out of Iraq, and end our long national nightmare? Think again - the mighty election theft machine Karl Rove used to steal the US presidency in 2000 and 2004 may be under attack, but it is still in place for... More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0710/S00328.htm

Michael Collins: Destruction of Evidence - Ohio's 2004 Ballots - The 2004 presidential election was mired in controversy all over the country. Candidate Kerry's legion of volunteer lawyers was ready to fight anticipated election fraud. Serious challenges were defused when Kerry conceded the election in the early morning of November 3, 2004. Failing to recognize that candidates cannot concede the votes of citizens, the news media and political parties called it a night... More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0710/S00300.htm

J. Sri Raman: The Return of Benazir Bhutto - She came back, she was seen, she conquered - that might have served as the wrap-up line for the repeated footage on South Asian television channels of a former prime minister's return to Pakistan on Thursday. The summary, however, would not have stated the exact truth about the event. It was not just the bomb blasts that made it a horrendous homecoming for Benazir Bhutto... More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0710/S00334.htm

Cookson & Davies: NZ Post Colonial? Yeah Right - The orders are received. The men prepare, put their combat boots on, cover their faces and load their guns. The exits are blocked, the people are searched and terrorized and the activists are dragged away. Palestine, Iraq. Afghanistan? - not this time. It is Ruatoki on a Monday morning. The TV images of armed police blockading a small east coast town will shock many, but we should not be surprised... More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0710/S00305.htm

Sam Smith: Why Hasn't John Edwards Done Better? - When Democrats talk about things they don't like about John Edwards, they typically express skepticism about a wealthy trial lawyer advocating populist positions or his $400 haircut or the size of his 10,000 square foot home and 15,000 square foot barn. These same Democrats - and the media - never talk about Hillary Clinton's $1200 makeup job or the fact that when you add up the size of... More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0710/S00307.htm

Theatre: Desire Arrives At Circa Via A Streetcar - After three successful seasons of The Glass Menagerie and the heavenly sensation Angels in America at Downstage Theatre in October, Almost A Bird Theatre Collective is back with another classic masterpiece. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0710/S00235.htm

Nature: Stubby Bird Becomes Warbling Crowd Pleaser - Who says small, drab, grey insectivores can't be loved? The grey warbler (riroriro) has emerged as the surprise winner of Forest & Bird's Bird of the Year poll. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0710/S00225.htm

Dance: NZ Wins Hip Hop Champs In Serbia - NZ Hip Hop crew - Xbox 360 NZ Ambassadors, have just taken out the World Hip Hop title in an all out World final held in Belgrade, Serbia at 10pm on Saturday 20th October. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0710/S00229.htm

Ballet: Cinderella a Soaring Success - Next Stop, China - The Royal New Zealand Ballet's recent production of Cinderella has soared into the record books. Choreographed by Christopher Hampson, Cinderella has become the RNZB's most successful production to date - watched by nearly 44,000 people. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0710/S00222.htm

ENDS

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