Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics

Wednesday, 16 February 2005, 5:30 pm
Article: Alastair Thompson

TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS
Scoop Is In The House
LEAD STORY: Police Announce Crack Down On Organised Crime
Greenpeace Welcomes Kyoto Day With Marsden Point Protest
MORE NEW ZEALAND HEADLINES:
Uri Avnery: Israel Land-Grab Exposes Double Standards
INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:
Watching The Buggers - A Serialised Play By Tim Barcode

SCOOP COLUMNS:
A Jeff Gannon (James D. Guckert) Primer
Am Johal: War Is Complicated
Public Address Is There!
Dr Steven Freeman On The Stolen 2004 US Election
Narconews.Com: Inside Guantanamo - Chapter Three
Ivan Eland: North Korean Strategy Needs Some New Ideas
Spinwatch.Org: Tobacco Companies And The Abuse Of Children
Genevieve Cora Fraser Addresses The Jewish Community
Opponents Prepare to Challenge Bush Budget Cuts
Bernard Weiner Takes Us Back To The Future Of The GOP
Kamala Sarup On The Double Standard Applied To Nepal

OTHER NEWS (Just Politics)
Govt Spells Out The ABC Of NCEA Misinformation
.. Meanwhile Govt. Sets Up Two NCEA Inquiries Anyway
With A Bounce In Polls – Brash Writes About Welfare
Te Wananga o Aotearoa Under Fire Over Spending
John Key On Corporate Tax Cuts
Youth Unemployment Falls To 16 Year Low
Greens Question NZ First Knowledge Of Power Lines
ACT Clarifies United Confusion Over Pornography Bill
Orauta School Land Returned To Maori Owners
Maharey Applauds Auckland City Housing Move
Terror Financing Law Tightened
NZ Household Debt Rise Under Labour A Disgrace
NZ Stands Ready To Help Cyclone Threatened Pacific

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...TODAY'S PHOTO STORY...

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0502/S00143.htm
Greenpeace Marks Kyoto Day With Protest At Marsden Point

Scoop Is In The House

– For today's questions see.. Questions for Oral Answer - 16 February 2005 [1] . For Tuesday's questions & answers see... Questions & Answers Oral Answer - Tues. 15 Feb. [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00354.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00338.htm

LEAD STORY:
Police Announce Crack Down On Organised Crime

- Police combating organised crime Gangs and organised crime groups are being investigated and prosecuted every week in New Zealand and there are several cases currently before the High Court, said Assistant Commissioner Peter Marshall. See... Police combating organised crime [1] ALSO: - Goff - Strong government response to organised crime [2] - Govt - Goff tightens terrorist financing laws [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0502/S00144.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00339.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00351.htm

Greenpeace Welcomes Kyoto Day With Marsden Point Protest

- Marsden Point, Wednesday, 16 February, 2004: As the sun rose on the historic day that the Kyoto Protocol comes into force, Greenpeace activists scaled the proposed coal-fired Marsden B power station just south of Whangarei. See... Kyoto Kicks Off With Occupation at Marsden B [1] ALSO: - Govt. - Hodgson hails new era in climate change action [2] - World Bank - Post-Kyoto Uncertainty Threatens Emissions Market [3] - Greens -NZ a long way from meeting its Kyoto commitments [4] - United Future - Baldock urges commonsense over Kyoto protocol [5]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0502/S00143.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00349.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0502/S00439.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00360.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00366.htm

MORE NEW ZEALAND HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0502/S00146.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00342.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00347.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00340.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/AK0502/S00187.htm

Uri Avnery: Israel Land-Grab Exposes Double Standards

- “The Palestinians will be judged by their actions, not by their words,” Ariel Sharon declared at Sharm-al-Sheikh. Does this apply to him, too? While he was speaking, the military commander distributed orders of expropriation to hundreds of Palestinian families in the South Hebron area. Under the pretext of building the wall, they are being cut off from the rest of the West Bank, in preparation for the annexation of the area to Israel. See... Israel/Palestine: Land grab during the conference [1] ALSO: Palestinian human remains returned to families [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0502/S00433.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0502/S00437.htm

INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0502/S00442.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0502/S00429.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0502/S00430.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0502/S00425.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0502/S00431.htm

Watching The Buggers - A Serialised Play By Tim Barcode

- There is no sign yet in Levin of the DoC worker Jane who took a strong liking to Coates in the Masterton train shelter. See... Watching The Buggers (Part 10 Of 12) [1] (See also... Part 1 [2] , Part 2 [3] , Part 3 [4] , Part 4 [5] , Part 5 [6] , Part 6 [7] , Part 7 [8] , Part 8 [9] , Part 9 [10] )

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00190.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0501/S00285.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00013.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00030.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00042.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00097.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00110.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00122.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00160.htm
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00176.htm

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00178.htm
Who Is This Guy? – There's Nothing As Queer As Folk

SCOOP COLUMNS:
A Jeff Gannon (James D. Guckert) Primer

- In the past few days one of the most bizarre stories in US political media imaginable emerged via the blogosphere, and has since spilled out into the mainstream. See... A Gay Prostitute Inside Bush's Inner Media Circle [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00178.htm

Am Johal: War Is Complicated

- There are many victims in war. In basic training in the the US military, new recruits who are broken down to break the human inhibition to killing take part in training chants like, ''What makes the grass grow? Blood, blood, bright red blood.'' See... Am Johal: The Republican War [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00179.htm

Public Address Is There!

- I had been hoping to regale you with tales of a wonderful weekend spent diving and driving. My dive-buddy cousin has finally recovered from a serious bout of pneumonia – which has left both of us grounded – so we were planning to head to Goat Island ... See... Public Address 16/02/05 - Only Words [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00189.htm

Dr Steven Freeman On The Stolen 2004 US Election

- Recall the Election Day exit polls that suggested John Kerry had won a convincing victory? The media readily dismissed those polls and little has been heard about them since. See... Steve Freeman: A Corrupted Election [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00187.htm

Narconews.Com: Inside Guantanamo - Chapter Three

- In the third chapter of their book, ''Guantanamo: What the World Should Know,'' serialized this month on Narco News, authors Michael Ratner and Ellen Ray go deeper into the individual stories of the Guantánamo prisoners and the suffering they have endured ... See... Testimony and Case Details from Guantánamo Bay [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00186.htm

Ivan Eland: North Korean Strategy Needs Some New Ideas

- North Korea has declared that it has nuclear weapons—a capability that U.S. intelligence agencies had suspected for some time. See... A Fresh Approach to North Korean Nukes Is Needed [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00185.htm

Spinwatch.Org: Tobacco Companies And The Abuse Of Children

- Those who work in the western media know that it is a very fickle beast, often driven by the cult of celebrity. It would be no understatement to say that it is obsessed with celebrities — what they do and what they get up to. See... Andy Rowell: The Real Child Abuse Scandal [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00184.htm

Genevieve Cora Fraser Addresses The Jewish Community

- In January I visited Palestine and witnessed a family held at gunpoint by Israeli soldiers who had gathered at the checkpoint leading from Jerusalem to Nablus. See... To The Jewish Community Of The World [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00183.htm

Opponents Prepare to Challenge Bush Budget Cuts

- Interview with Roger Hickey, co-director of the Campaign for America's Future, conducted by Scott Harris See... Opponents Prepare to Challenge Bush Budget Cuts [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00182.htm

Bernard Weiner Takes Us Back To The Future Of The GOP

- This first article, which seems to have been delivered as a speech to a small group of Rightist movers and shakers, was discovered in a 2063 dig in the ruins of what was once the nation's capital, Washington, D.C. See... Bernard Weiner: Secret Rightwing Agenda Unearthed [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00181.htm

Kamala Sarup On The Double Standard Applied To Nepal

- Nepal's internal affairs have been threatened by the international community since the King of Nepal imposes a temporary state of emergency to control a communist insurgency and massive corruption by the government. See... Kamala Sarup: Double Standard By Intl. Community [1] . See also... HIV/AIDS Threatens Nepal's National Security [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00188.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00180.htm

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/SC0502/S00048.htm
NZ's Stonehenge! – A major new tourist attraction

Govt Spells Out The ABC Of NCEA Misinformation

- Claims by the National Party that education groups participating in a review of the New Zealand Scholarship exams have been gagged have been rejected as "complete fantasy" by Associate Education Minister David Benson-Pope. See.. Mr English gets it wrong - no.1 [1] , no.2 [2] & no.3 [3] ALSO: - National - Labour continues to let down top scholars [4] and More Benson-Pope panic [5] - ACT - Vote ACT to dump NCEA [6] - National - Brash: National will overhaul NCEA [7] - Tradestaff - NCEA Irrelevant Say Employers [8]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00344.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00345.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00343.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00299.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00346.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00368.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00363.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/ED0502/S00058.htm

.. Meanwhile Govt. Sets Up Two NCEA Inquiries Anyway

- The shape of this year's and future New Zealand Scholarship exams will be determined by a group education practitioners and experts being assembled by Associate Education Minister David Benson-Pope. See... Minister acts to secure future of scholarships [1] MORE: - National - Labour moves to shut down NCEA debate [2] - SSC - Terms of Reference - NZQA Review By SSC [3] - PPTA - Widen inquiry, teachers say [4]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00335.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00333.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/ED0502/S00057.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/ED0502/S00056.htm

With A Bounce In Polls – Brash Writes About Welfare

- This is my first regular newsletter for 2005, though those on this database will have received a copy of my Orewa speech on welfare reform and my speech replying to Helen Clark's first speech in Parliament, on 1 February. See... Don Brash Writes No. 50 - NZ Needs Welfare Reform [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00370.htm

Te Wananga o Aotearoa Under Fire Over Spending

- The Education Minister must make public the new instructions he has given to the Auditor-General for an investigation into funding at Te Wananga o Aotearoa, says National's Deputy Leader and Maori Affairs spokesman, Gerry Brownlee. See... Mallard must issue Wananga instructions [1] MORE: - Maori Party -. Double Standard Operating Over Wananga [2] - ACT - On wananga Clark has only herself to blame [3] - Progressives - Fair scrutiny needed, not a political witch-hunt [4]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00369.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00331.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00367.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00336.htm

John Key On Corporate Tax Cuts

- National's Finance spokesman, John Key, says business will be disappointed to learn today that corporate tax cuts are still a long way off under Labour, despite the ever-growing surpluses. See... Corporate tax cuts off the table [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00365.htm

Youth Unemployment Falls To 16 Year Low

- Youth unemployment fell yet again last year hitting a 16 year low of 9.4 per cent. See... Youth unemployment plummets [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00364.htm

Greens Question NZ First Knowledge Of Power Lines

- Green Co-Leader Jeanette Fitzsimons wonders whether New Zealand First has done its homework on transmission lines. See... Has NZ First done its powerlines homework? [1] and Underground Transpower Line Says NZ First [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00361.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00358.htm

ACT Clarifies United Confusion Over Pornography Bill

- ACT Associate Justice spokesman Deborah Coddington today said United Future's Marc Alexander should know it was she who first called for the maximum penalty for child pornographers to be increased from two to five years. See... ACT supported 5-year sentence [1] and Dunne distances himself from freedom [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00356.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00337.htm

Orauta School Land Returned To Maori Owners

- Green Maori Affairs spokesperson Metiria Turei has congratulated the Ministry of Education for its decision to offer back to its original Maori owners the land of Orauta School near Moerewa, Northland. See... Ministry decision to return Maori land [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00355.htm

Maharey Applauds Auckland City Housing Move

- Moves by Auckland City Council to foster the growth of affordable housing were welcomed today by Housing Minister Steve Maharey. See... Auckland City Council housing commitment welcomed [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00352.htm

Terror Financing Law Tightened

- New laws will be introduced to counter money laundering and terrorist financing, Justice Minister Phil Goff announced today. See... Goff tightens terrorist financing laws [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00351.htm

NZ Household Debt Rise Under Labour A Disgrace

- ACT Leader Rodney Hide today revealed that the average household debt is now $75,000 - an increase of 55 percent since Labour came to power. See... Household debt levels rocket under Labour [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00347.htm

NZ Stands Ready To Help Cyclone Threatened Pacific

- NZ standing by to help as cyclones threaten New Zealand is preparing to assist Pacific countries that may be affected by two cyclones that are approaching landfall, Foreign Minister Phil Goff said today. See... NZ standing by to help as cyclones threaten [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0502/S00340.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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