Top Scoop Stories - 20 December 2007 News Summary

Thursday, 20 December 2007, 2:00 pm
Article: The Scoop Editor

Today's Top Scoops - December 20, 2007

LEAD STORY:

Sword Falling: Logan Culls Himself For Good Of MFE

NZ POLITICS:

The TVNZ Charter: Mainstays of Maori Programming Secure
Politics: St Peter Delivers His Final Judgment
Auckland Issues: Banks Stand on Eden Park Funding Vindicated
Strike Action: Fish Thieves Likely To Have Happy Holidays' - Fisheries Mystified
Spoilsportery: Speaker Wilson Attempts To Ruin Parliamentary Rugby

BUSINESS SCIENCE & TECH:

Charity: Starship To Get NZ First Free Auction Dollars
Energy: Plug Pulled On New Plymouth Power Station
Science: NZ Joint Venture Developing Superconductor Technology

WORLD:

TIME's Person Of The Year: Vladimir Putin Interview With Time Magazine
Head Bangers: Canada's Commercial Seal Hunt Is Inhumane
Avian Influenza: Indonesian Man Dies Of H5N1 Bird Flu Infection
New Best Mates: Solomon Islands & Switzerland Establish Diplomatic Relations
Inhumanity: UN Overwhelmingly Backs Call To Suspend Executions

LIFESTYLE:

Spirit Of Xmas: Persecuted Tribe Receive Kiwi Gifts
Somnambulism: Don't Fall Asleep And Miss This Presentation!
Kids These Days: Students Guide To Raging Released
Movie Magic: Jackson's Affair With Hobbits' To Continue
Music: Radio NZ To Podcast Split Enz Doco For Xmas

Sword Falling: Logan Culls Himself For Good Of MFE - Hugh Logan today announced his resignation as Chief Executive of the Ministry for the Environment. He will leave the job on the 1st of February. Mr Logan said he was proud of what the Ministry had achieved, under his leadership, in changing environmental policies in the 18 months he had been in the role: "We have made significant progress on issues such as climate change, emissions trading, waste management, energy policy, and a suite of other sustainability programmes." More >> [1]

ALSO:

• Public Service Association - PSA Sad To See Logan's Destinguished Career End [2]
• National Party - Hugh Logan falls on sword ahead of report [3]
• Govt - Trevor Mallard: Comment on resignation [4]
• SSC - The resignation of chief executive of MFE [5]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0712/S00268.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0712/S00277.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0712/S00466.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0712/S00465.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0712/S00269.htm

The TVNZ Charter: Mainstays of Maori Programming Secure - Te Mangai Paho and TVNZ have reached an agreement over funding for the national broadcaster's three core Maori programmes Te Karere, Marae and Waka Huia. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0712/S00265.htm

Politics: St Peter Delivers His Final Judgment - UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne has released the annual list of the worst behaved MPs. The list is compiled from Parliament's records and covers the number of times MPs have either being expelled from the Chamber, or asked to withdraw and apologise. The list doesn't cover parliamentary dust-ups. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0712/S00452.htm

Auckland Issues: Banks Stand on Eden Park Funding Vindicated - Mayor John Banks of Auckland City Council confirmed in an interview to 'Darpan-The Mirror' his council will commit $22 million for the upgrade of Eden Park. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0712/S00261.htm

Strike Action: Fish Thieves Likely To Have Happy Holidays' - Fisheries Mystified - The effects of threatened industrial action by Fishery Officers over the Christmas / New Year period will not be known until next week, says Ministry of Fisheries Acting Chief Executive Stan Crothers. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0712/S00261.htm

Spoilsportery: Speaker Wilson Attempts To Ruin Parliamentary Rugby - Ms Wilson has asked the Clerk of the House and the Acting General Manager of Parliamentary Service to consider the issue of participation by their staff in parliamentary sports teams that involve Members of Parliament and sponsorship. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0712/S00449.htm

Charity: Starship To Get NZ First Free Auction Dollars - More than $420,000 was raised for three childrens' charities by this year's Air New Zealand Kids @ Christmas Charity Auction. This is $150,000 more than was raised by the same auction last year. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0712/S00361.htm

Energy: Plug Pulled On New Plymouth Power Station - Contact Energy today confirmed that the 31 year old New Plymouth power station will not be re-opened. In September, asbestos was discovered in areas of the plant where it was not previously recorded. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0712/S00359.htm

Science: NZ Joint Venture Developing Superconductor Technology - Christchurch-based General Cable has partnered with New Zealand's Industrial Research Ltd (IRL) to develop and commercialise a revolutionary high-temperature superconducting wire (HTS) for use as a component in AC power transformers, DC generators and large electrical motors. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• Industrial Research Ltd - Venture a milestone for High Temp Superconductors [2]
• NZ Govt - Deal heralds multi-million dollar export potential [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0712/S00052.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0712/S00053.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0712/S00450.htm

TIME's Person Of The Year: Vladimir Putin Interview With Time Magazine - "It is true that during humanity's two major tragic conflicts, the first and second World Wars, Russia and the United States were allies. So there is something that objectively leads us to come together in difficult times. I think we do so probably because of geopolitical alignment and geopolitical interests. But, obviously, there is also some kind of moral component in our cooperation during the most difficult times." More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0712/S01071.htm

Head Bangers: Canada's Commercial Seal Hunt Is Inhumane - The Canadian government's claim that 98% of the seals are killed humanely in the commercial seal hunt is exposed in the report as being scientifically incorrect. This report reveals the truth about Canada's commercial seal hunt. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0712/S01086.htm

Avian Influenza: Indonesian Man Dies Of H5N1 Bird Flu Infection - A 47-year-old man from Indonesia's Banten province on the western tip of the island of Java has become the latest human fatality from avian influenza, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) has reported. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0712/S01067.htm

New Best Mates: Solomon Islands & Switzerland Establish Diplomatic Relations - Solomon Islands and the Swiss Confederation [Switzerland] have established formal diplomatic relations after the signing of a joint communiqué between their representatives to day in Canberra, Australia. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0712/S01076.htm

Inhumanity: UN Overwhelmingly Backs Call To Suspend Executions - ''This landmark resolution is a major step towards ending this cruel and inhuman punishment and is an important contribution to protecting human rights,'' said Yvonne Terlingen of Amnesty International. ''The death penalty is inhuman, inherently arbitrary and innocent people are invariably executed." More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0712/S01091.htm

Spirit Of Xmas: Persecuted Tribe Receive Kiwi Gifts- One of the world's most persecuted indigenous tribes will receive nearly one thousand pieces of Kiwi clothing for Christmas. For over eighty years under British rule in India, the entire Pardhi tribe were classified 'criminal' based on anecdotal evidence from corrupt police. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0712/S00250.htm

Somnambulism: Don't Fall Asleep And Miss This Presentation! - We all sleep for one third of our lives, but how much do you know about what actually goes on? In this seminar presentation by the makers of the Fringe Festival production Sleep/Wake, you will learn about the science of your sleep. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0712/S00251.htm

Kids These Days: Students Guide To Raging Released - Promoters have today unveiled two of the most essential pieces in the Big Day Out puzzle for 2008 - the site map and stage times for the one day music festival in Auckland on Friday 18 January. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0712/S00246.htm

Movie Magic: Jackson's Affair With Hobbits' To Continue - Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema have jointly announced today that Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will serve as Executive Producers of two films based on "The Hobbit."... Peter Jackson and New Line have also settled all litigation relating to the "Lord of the Rings" (LOTR) Trilogy. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• Massive Software - NZ Software for 'The Golden Compass' [2]
• Scoop Features: LOTR Headlines [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0712/S00240.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0712/S00247.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/features/onering.html

Music: Radio NZ To Podcast Split Enz Doco For Xmas - Radio New Zealand has announced a landmark agreement with Warner Music Australia and Split Enz Management which will allow free public access to on-line podcasts of Enzology, the acclaimed ten-part radio documentary of the Split Enz story. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0712/S00248.htm

ENDS

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