Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics

Wednesday, 23 June 2004, 4:42 pm
Article: Alastair Thompson

TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS
Scoop Is In The House
LEAD STORY: Winston Asked To Respond To Scampi Bribery Allegations
National Abandons Plans To Change Anti-Nuke Legislation
MORE NEW ZEALAND HEADLINES:
South Korean Captive Beheaded In Iraq
Firas Al-Atraqchi: Beheadings Murdering The Name Of Islam
INTERNATIONAL NEWS HEADLINES
STORY OF THE WEEK: Civil Unions Bill - Hard News & More Is There!
Big News: What Civil Unions Are Not

SCOOP COLUMNS:
The Inside Oil On Politics & Business
FLASHBACK: When Guy Wallace Put Scott Watson In The Frame
Torture Memos: IV With Center for Constitutional Rights
Bev Harris Gets Organised, Prepares For Battle
Sonia Nettnin At The Chicago Palestine Film Festival
Sam Smith: Pilgrimages And The Likeability Of Liberals
Ivan Eland: Bush Is Sticking To His Story

OTHER NEWS (Just Politics)
Meet The Families Commissioners
Parolees In Backpacker Hostels?
Nauru Mission Parameters Should Be Explained Says Mapp
ACT's Would Be Kiwi Farmer Applauds Kiwi Initiative
Some Wishful Thinking From Newman On Her Courts Bill
Tourism Takes Place In Sun As No.1 NZ Export Earner
Who In National Is In Charge Of Tax Policy?
Sutton Sees Implications In WTO Cotton Decision
Mallard's School Closure Decisions Elusive - English
PM Launches Innovation 2004 Festival
NZ Providing Example To World With Sign Language Recognition

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...TODAY'S PHOTO STORY...

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00355.htm
GG Meets Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in Berlin

Scoop Is In The House

- For today's questions see… Questions for Oral Answer - Wednesday, 23 June 200 [1] ALSO Questions for Oral Answer - Tuesday, 22 June 2004 [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00350.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00317.htm

LEAD STORY:
Winston Asked To Respond To Scampi Bribery Allegations

- A spokeswoman for Speaker Jonathan Hunt has confirmed this afternoon that NZ First Leader Winston Peters has been given a week to respond to allegations that Ross Meurant solicited a bribe on his behalf from parties involved in the Primary Production Select Committee's Scampi Inquiry. See... Winston Peters To Respond To Bribe Allegations [1] RELATED: - Winston Peters - Peters Takes Legal Advice Re TVNZ and RNZ [2] - Joe Cave - Select Committee Scampi Decision Fishy [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0406/S00206.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00364.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0406/S00229.htm

National Abandons Plans To Change Anti-Nuke Legislation

- The National Party caucus has decided to leave unchanged the anti-nuclear legislation banning visits to New Zealand of nuclear armed and nuclear powered ships. See... National decision on ship visits issue [1] REACTION: - Govt. - Not yet gone by lunchtime [2] - ACT - Nuclear Ships Issue Proves Blind Alley [3] - Princes St Labour Branch - Nat’s Nuclear Meltdown [4]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00336.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00340.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00335.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0406/S00222.htm

MORE NEW ZEALAND HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0406/S00233.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0406/S00286.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0406/S00283.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0406/S00277.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/CU0406/S00157.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/ED0406/S00081.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0406/S00223.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00347.htm

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0406/S00194.htm
IMAGE: Iraq - Militants Behead South Korean Captive

South Korean Captive Beheaded In Iraq

- Iraq: South Korean translator Kim Sun-Il’s body was found beheaded after a deadline ended demanding that South Korea cancel plans to send 3000 troops to Iraq. See... Iraq: Militants Behead South Korean Captive [1] ALSO: Annan Condemns Murder Of Korean Interpreter [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0406/S00194.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0406/S00271.htm

Firas Al-Atraqchi: Beheadings Murdering The Name Of Islam

- In light of the criminal beheading of Lockheed-Martin engineer Paul Johnson, it's time for the Muslim world to take a stand and clearly say enough is enough. Murder in the name of Islam is actually murdering the good name of Islam. See... Firas Al-Atraqchi: Enough Is Enough [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0406/S00196.htm

INTERNATIONAL NEWS HEADLINES

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0406/S00269.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0406/S00268.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0406/S00257.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0406/S00272.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0406/S00270.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0406/S00263.htm

STORY OF THE WEEK: Civil Unions Bill - Hard News & More Is There!

- Whatever happens tomorrow, history will not fondly regard the Labour MPs who vote against the Civil Union Bill. If it passes its first reading and eventually becomes law, they will be seen as having stood against an act of social justice whose apparently ... See... Public Address 23/06/04 - All Tomorrow's Parties [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0406/S00205.htm

Big News: What Civil Unions Are Not

- Now that the Relationships (Statutory References) and Civil Union bills are out, people can stop speculating: They can stop saying that the bills will make marriage irrelevant. See... Big News: 2 Partners 2 Bills -Too Much Speculation [1] MORE: - Peter Dunne - Dunne Well-meaning Ron off the mark on Civil Union [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0406/S00203.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00348.htm

SCOOP COLUMNS:
The Inside Oil On Politics & Business

- A bit of international espionage this week, plus this week’s Cabinet agenda and the big stories ahead, our exclusive Molesworth & Featherston poll of polls, post- Budget fall-out, National nuclear fallout, viciousness at Vector and a little on the media…and ...more… See... Molesworth & Featherston - 22 June 2004 [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0406/S00204.htm

FLASHBACK: When Guy Wallace Put Scott Watson In The Frame

- WELLINGTON 30.07.1999 - Water taxi driver Guy Wallace has identified Scott Watson as the last person he saw with Olivia Hope and Ben Smart, but has ruled out Watson's yacht Blade as the boat he dropped them at. See… NZ HERALD: Watson Yes, His Boat No, Says Water Taxi Driver [1]

[1] - http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&storyID=10937&reportID=17

Torture Memos: IV With Center for Constitutional Rights

- Bush Administration Memos on Torture Policy Reveal Official Complicity in Abuse of Iraqi Prisoners - Interview with Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, conducted by Scott Harris See... Memos on Torture Policy Reveal Official Complicity [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0406/S00202.htm

Bev Harris Gets Organised, Prepares For Battle

- Black Box Voting launches the first publicly funded consumer protection organization for elections A 501(c)3 nonprofit, nonpartisan, publicly funded consumer protection organization for elections. See... Two Black Box Voting Investigators Ready To Rumble [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0406/S00201.htm

Sonia Nettnin At The Chicago Palestine Film Festival

- The bulldozer rolled over the metal-frame homes. Israeli soldiers grabbed the Bedouin men. Women yelled into the air. Horses, camels and sheep ran everywhere. Within 24-hours, the land became a military zone. See... Sonia Nettnin Review: Freedom I Have Lost [1] . See also... Poem: Palestine Has No Partner for Peace [2] More Palestine Film Reviews: - Sonia Nettnin: Film Review - Keys [3] - Review: Elias Chacour - Prophet in His Own Country [4] - Sonia Nettnin: To Create Something Out of Nothing [5]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0406/S00200.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0406/S00199.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0406/S00184.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0406/S00171.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0406/S00170.htm

Sam Smith: Pilgrimages And The Likeability Of Liberals

- A marvelous new book by Colin Woodward, The Lobster Coast, further undermines the myth that the Pilgrims – in the words of Plymouth Memorial State Park – ''founded the first New England colony.'' And that they are people worth celebrating. See... Sam Smith: Before The Pilgrims / Liberals [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0406/S00198.htm

Ivan Eland: Bush Is Sticking To His Story

- Incredible as it may seem, despite the 9/11 commission’s conclusion that Al Qaeda and the regime of Saddam Hussein had no ''collaborative relationship,''President Bush and Vice President Cheney continue to insist that there was a ''relationship.'' See... Ivan Eland: Bush Continues the ''Big Lie'' [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0406/S00197.htm

http://scoop.co.nz/mason/features/?s=motornet
MOTORNET: Smooth Operator - Jaguar XJ8

Meet The Families Commissioners

- Prime Minister Helen Clark and Acting Minister for Social Development and Employment Ruth Dyson today announced the appointments to the new Families Commission. See... Families Commissioners appointed (With Bios) [1] REACTION: - Progressives - Robson welcomes Families Commissioners [2] - United Future - Dunne welcomes 'middle NZ' Families Commissioners [3] - Commissioner For Children - Commissioner welcomes Dr Rajen Prasad appointment [4]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00357.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00356.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00353.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0406/S00227.htm

Parolees In Backpacker Hostels?

- Placing paroled criminals in backpacker hostels - "presumably with every chance of turning visitors to our country into their next victims" - is total madness, United Future's Marc Alexander said today. See... Paroled Criminals Placed In Backpacker Hostels [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00362.htm

Nauru Mission Parameters Should Be Explained Says Mapp

- The Government must tell the whole story about how many refugees will really result from an Immigration Service visit to Nauru, says National's Immigration spokesman, Dr Wayne Mapp. See... Govt should be upfront about new refugees [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00363.htm

ACT's Would Be Kiwi Farmer Applauds Kiwi Initiative

- Farmer ACT New Zealand Rural Affairs Spokesman Gerry Eckhoff today welcomed an Environment, Conservation and Outdoor Education Trust initiative to have a creche built to protect kiwi chicks from predators. See... Eckhoff Welcomes Kiwi Preservation Plan [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00361.htm

Some Wishful Thinking From Newman On Her Courts Bill

- ACT New Zealand Deputy Leader and Social Welfare Spokesman Dr Muriel Newman today offered Labour a rare opportunity to rectify its past mistakes by supporting her Family Court (Openness of Proceedings) Amendment Bill through its first reading in ... See... Bill Gives Labour Chance To Redeem Itself [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00360.htm

Tourism Takes Place In Sun As No.1 NZ Export Earner

- The release today of the Tourism Satellite Account 2000-2003 confirms the official status of tourism as New Zealand’s number one export industry. See... Tourism is NZ's number one export industry [1] MORE: - Statistics - Tourists Spend $16.5 Billion in 2003 [2] - TIANZ - Tourism - Leading New Zealand [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00359.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0406/S00280.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0406/S00291.htm

Who In National Is In Charge Of Tax Policy?

- "National's internal manouevrings over tax policy are just the latest in a long line of issues on which it seems unable to reach any solid agreement," Finance Minister Michael Cullen said today. See... National losing the plot [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00358.htm

Sutton Sees Implications In WTO Cotton Decision

- The recent WTO disputes panel decision against United States cotton subsidies could be far-reaching, Trade Negotiations Minister Jim Sutton said today. See... WTO cotton decision could be far-reaching [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00352.htm

Mallard's School Closure Decisions Elusive - English

- Trevor Mallard's ad-hoc decisions to close and merge schools around the country have seen students, parents and teachers given the run-around, says National's Education spokesman, Bill English. See... New schools: students given the run-around [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00349.htm

PM Launches Innovation 2004 Festival

- A festival is a time for celebration, dynamism, and vitality.This festival with a difference has all those characteristics because it's about celebrating, promoting, and popularising innovation - New Zealand style. See... Helen Clark: Launch of NZ Innovation 2004 Festival [1] See also... $2.7 million boost for business incubators [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00345.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00339.htm

NZ Providing Example To World With Sign Language Recognition

- Mr Speaker, I move that the New Zealand Sign Language Bill now be read a first time. At the appropriate time I intend to move that the Bill be referred to the Justice and Electoral Select Committee. See... New Zealand Sign Language Bill first reading [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0406/S00333.htm

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

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