Top Scoop Stories - 28 November 2007 News Summary

Wednesday, 28 November 2007, 2:00 pm
Article: The Scoop Editor

Today's Top Scoops - November 28, 2007

LEAD STORY:

Transport: AA Welcomes Practical Import Emissions Standards

NZ POLITICS:

Human Rights: Auckland More In need of Human Rights Fighters As Capital De-Amnestied
Race Relations: Patu! Historic NZ Doco Screening
Health: Poor Child Health Trends Reversible
Emma Agnew: A Future Leader Lost
Crime Fighting: Locke Taser Complaint
Happiness: New Zealanders have great quality of life

BUSINESS SCIENCE & TECH:

Transport & Energy: Pike River Coal Announces New Coal Transport Route
The Gift Of Giving: Lingerie By Far The Most Desirable Gift This Xmas
Weather: Blue Skies Welcomes MetService/NIWA Agreement
Horticulture: Safety First This Harvest Season

WORLD:

Foreign Affairs: Gates Asks Congress Not To Derail Iraq Progress
Technology & Crime: AFP Hosts International Forum On High Tech Crime
Media: Iraqi AP Photographer Held By U.S. To Be Charged
Annapolis Conference: Time for Mideast Peace Is Now, Says President Bush

COMMENT:

Bernard Weiner: CheneyBush Burned Again - Too Near the Plame
Greg Palast: Rainforest Indians versus Big Oil
Stateside At Annapolis: Here's Hoping!
Bill Berkowitz: No Second Acts, Except in Iraq
Michael Collins: Scott McClellan - Where are the Headlines?
BuzzFlash.Com: Will the Supreme Court Steal the 2008 Election

LIFESTYLE:

Kiwi Pride: NZ In Lonely Planet Signspotting Book
Theatre: Saucy Fairies Returning Midsummer
Glassy Art: Doyle Glass Acquisition Prize Awarded

Transport: AA Welcomes Practical Import Emissions Standards - The AA is pleased with the announcement of the revised Vehicle Exhaust Emissions Rule today... Today's announcement of a phased approach means that the industry and motorists' fears of a shortage of imports and large price rises are likely to be unfounded for petrol vehicles, although small price increases may still occur." More >> [1]

ALSO:

• Business Council for Sustainable Development - Public back emissions controls, want incentives [2]
• Business Council for Sustainable Development - New Zealanders Worried About Air Quality [3]
• Foley Motors Ltd - New Law Hides Significant Downside to the Consumer [4]
• Independent Motor Vehicles Association - Missed Opportunity to Reduce Vehicle Emissions [5]
• Sustainable Busniess Network - New used import emission standards are vital [6]
• Public Health Association - Campaign Against Emissions Standards Slammed [7]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0711/S00455.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0711/S00454.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0711/S00456.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0711/S00571.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0711/S00565.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0711/S00530.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0711/S00141.htm

Human Rights: Auckland More In need of Human Rights Fighters As Capital De-Amnestied - Amnesty International appoints new CEO Patrick Holmes and will consolidate into one national office, in Auckland. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0711/S00457.htm

Race Relations: Patu! Historic NZ Doco Screening - PATU! (NZ 1983) "A major documentary of our time" 8:30pm, Fri. Patu tracks the most controversial, and the most contested, event in recent New Zealand history - the 1981 South African rugby tour. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0711/S00462.htm

Health: Poor Child Health Trends Reversible - Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) has urged all political parties to take heed of the Paediatric Society's latest report into childhood diseases. The trends are alarming, but the report shows they have easily identifiable causes and can be fixed with the right policies. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• Every Child Counts -Children's health falters [2]
• Paediatric Society of NZ - Taking the Pulse of NZ Child and Youth Health [3]
• 0800Whatsup - Kiwi Children Face Mental Health Problems [4]
• Public Health Association - Health, housing, ed must work for child health [5]
• Auckland University - Child health shames us again [6]
• NZ Govt - Gov committed to the challenge of Child Health [7]
• Maori Party - Children Blighted by Poor Health status [8]
• The Family Party - Child & Youth Research a wake up call [9]
• Lindsay Mitchell - Teenage Birthrate Almost Ten-Fold in Poorest Areas [10]

• Greens - Obesity strategy several steps short of adequate [11]
• PSA - Obesity Response Won't Help Most At Risk [12]
• Fight the Obesity Epidemic - Government response on obesity disappoints [13]
• Living Streets - Walk Away From Obesity [14]
• Obesity Action Coalition - Government Response to Obesity Report 'Weak' [15]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0711/S00133.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0711/S00447.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0711/S00135.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0711/S00137.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0711/S00128.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0711/S00125.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0711/S00522.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0711/S00521.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0711/S00439.htm
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0711/S00440.htm
[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0711/S00533.htm
[12] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0711/S00143.htm
[13] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0711/S00140.htm
[14] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0711/S00139.htm
[15] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0711/S00136.htm

Emma Agnew: A Future Leader Lost - Disability Issues Minister Ruth Dyson today paid tribute to Emma Agnew, and offered her sincere condolences to Emma's family and friends. "Emma was a future leader of the Deaf community,"said Ms Dyson. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0711/S00556.htm

Crime Fighting: Locke Taser Complaint - Green Party Police Spokesperson Keith Locke is asking the Police Complaints Authority to consider whether the introduction of the Taser stun gun would be contrary to New Zealand's commitments to the UN. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• Greens - Superfund should end investment in Taser torture [2]
• Maori Party - Government urged to take tool of torture seriously [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0711/S00526.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0711/S00564.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0711/S00538.htm

Happiness: New Zealanders have great quality of life - Most New Zealanders believe they have a very high quality of life, according to the results of a national survey released today. The biennial Quality of Life survey measures the perceptions of over 7,500 residents ... More >> [1]

ALSO:

• Quality of Life Project - Quality Of Life Report 2007: General Media Release [2]
• Wellington, Porirua and Hutt Cities - Quality Of Life Report 2007 [3]
• Christchurch City Council Quality Of Life Report 2007 [4]
• Manukau City Council - Manukau City on Quality Of Life Report 2007 [5]
• Auckland City Council - Aucklanders rate their quality of life highly [6]
• Hamilton City Council - Hamilton Quality of Life report results for 2007 [7]
• North Shore City - North Shore City provides a high quality of life [8]
• Rodney District Council - Residents Rank Rodney Highest [9]
• North Shore City - Quality Of Life Report 2007 [10]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0711/S00461.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0711/S00460.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0711/S00283.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0711/S00286.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0711/S00285.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0711/S00278.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0711/S00276.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0711/S00275.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0711/S00273.htm
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0711/S00272.htm

Transport & Energy: Pike River Coal Announces New Coal Transport Route - Pike River Coal Limited has today announced it will transport its premium hard coking coal by rail to Lyttelton, Christchurch for export under a new agreement signed with Solid Energy NZ Limited (Solid Energy). The 18 year agreement to use rail, supersedes previous transport arrangements with West Coast Coal Company Limited.. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0711/S00568.htm

The Gift Of Giving: Lingerie By Far The Most Desirable Gift This Xmas - Whether she's been naughty or nice, it has been revealed that lingerie is top of most Kiwi women's Christmas wish lists, in a recent Bendon Desirability Survey. Intimate apparel took out the vote as the most desired gift with 57% choosing lingerie over other gifts including perfume, flowers, manicures and foot massagers. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0711/S00575.htm

Weather: Blue Skies Welcomes MetService/NIWA Agreement - Blue Skies Weather managing director Tony Trewinnard is cautiously optimistic that the memorandum of undertsanding between MetService and NIWA, announced today, will be of benefit to the weather industry in New Zealand. "Previously both state owned organizations have soaked up large amounts of tax payer's money for sometimes questionable benefit to the country", he said. "The hot air has gone up, but the rain hasn't always fallen out evenly" More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0711/S00573.htm

Horticulture: Safety First This Harvest Season - Farm owners are being urged to keep safety top of mind during the pressure of harvesting season. One of New Zealand's largest rural insurers, NZI, says lack of preparation before harvesting season begins can be a recipe for accidents. For example, a tractor fire can halt harvest activities in an instance. Tractor fires often happen over the summer period causing extensive damage and lost time. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0711/S00576.htm

Foreign Affairs: Gates Asks Congress Not To Derail Iraq Progress - Important progress the military is making in the war on terror would be derailed if Congress doesn't pass a supplemental war spending bill "in short order," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told the Killeen, Texas, Chamber of Commerce yesterday. Congress has passed supplemental measures, but each includes timetables for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. President Bush has vowed to veto any spending bill that contains this language. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0711/S01231.htm

Technology & Crime: AFP Hosts International Forum On High Tech Crime - The role of intelligence gathering during the investigation of high tech crime will be the primary focus of an international forum hosted by the Australian Federal Police in Canberra this week. The forum is designed to promote open discussion aimed at preventing and resolving crime in the virtual world. It follows a decision by the AFP to create a new operational area focusing on emerging crime types and future technology. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0711/S01232.htm

Media: Iraqi AP Photographer Held By U.S. To Be Charged - The U.S. military has said it plans to prosecute an award-winning Associated Press (AP) photographer it has held in prison for more than 19 months without charge for alleged links to Iraqi insurgents. Bilal Hussein, an Iraqi citizen who worked as a freelance photographer for AP in Ramadi and Fallujah, has been detained since 12 April 2006. He has not yet been charged or put on trial. As early as this week, the military plans to submit a complaint against him through the Iraqi justice system. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0711/S01227.htm

Annapolis Conference: Time for Mideast Peace Is Now, Says President Bush - The time has come for a Palestinian state and peace in the Middle East, but Israelis and Palestinians will need international help, President Bush told representatives at a one-day conference at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. "The time is right. The cause is just. And with hard effort, I know they can succeed," Bush said November 27, following a joint meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0711/S01215.htm

Bernard Weiner: CheneyBush Burned Again - Too Near the Plame - Bush and Cheney being fingered in the Plamegate scandal by former White House press secretary Scott McClellan is not news. More than a year ago, Americans learned about CheneyBush's complicity in the outing of Valerie Plame as a covert CIA operative -- a treasonous act that put America's national-security at risk... More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0711/S00421.htm

Greg Palast: Rainforest Indians versus Big Oil - War Paint and Lawyers: Rainforest Indians versus Big Oil Greg Palast investigates for BBC Newsnight - TONIGHT Chevron: "Nobody has proved that crude causes cancer." More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0711/S00417.htm

Stateside At Annapolis: Here's Hoping! - Dawn in Maryland was a sky of blue and gold ribbons, coincidentally, the colors of the Navy Academy at Annapolis. Media were gathered together at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (above), wanded by State Department uniformed security officers, sniffed by dogs, then put on buses and taken to the Naval Academy campus... More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0711/S00415.htm

Bill Berkowitz: No Second Acts, Except in Iraq - Earlier this decade, Manuel Miranda spent a good deal of time figuring out how to pilfer documents related to the Democratic Party's strategy for dealing with President George W. Bush's judicial appointments. He helped convince Republican Party senators to threaten the use of the so-called "nuclear option", a procedure that would have ended the minority's right to...More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0711/S00419.htm

Michael Collins: Scott McClellan - Where are the Headlines? - Former Bush press secretary Scott McClellan accused George W. Bush and Dick Cheney of deceiving the public about a devastating blow to the national security and safety of United States... More >> [1]

ALSO:

• BuzzFlash.Com - Scott McClellan Didn't Out Bush, Cheney Did [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0711/S00389.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0711/S00376.htm

BuzzFlash.Com: Will the Supreme Court Steal the 2008 Election - To begin the BuzzFlash editor's blog, I ran a series on how the Republican blitzkrieg to fill the federal bench with partisan hacks - beginning seriously with the Reagan Administration - has profoundly and negatively impacted the Constitutional balance of powers... More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0711/S00391.htm

Kiwi Pride: NZ In Lonely Planet Signspotting Book - New Zealand road signs feature in the latest Lonely Planet laugh-out-loud funny photos of signs around the world book Signspotting 2... In the Bay of Plenty a sign reads: 'Stop and Taste Te Puke' but the book doesn't understand Maori pronunciation and it includes the comment: 'Mmmm....haven't had a taste of that for a while'. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0711/S00356.htm

Theatre: Saucy Fairies Returning Midsummer - Upskill Productions in association with award-winning Producer Greg Wikstrom Presents the 25th anniversary production of the acclaimed NZ reworking of A Midsummer Night's Dream. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0711/S00350.htm

Glassy Art: Doyle Glass Acquisition Prize Awarded - The 2007 recipient of the Doyle Glass Acquisition Prize is Keith Grinter, a graduating Whanganui UCOL Bachelor of Fine Arts (glass) student. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0711/S00345.htm

ENDS

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