Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics

Friday, 16 December 2005, 5:36 pm
Article: Alastair Thompson

Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics

TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS:
Jane Kelsey Reports: GATS A Deal Breaker At Hong Kong WTO Summit
Photo-Essay: Event Of The Week - King Kong Premieres In Wellington
Tax: Dunne Seeks Small Business Tax Change Delay
Judge Rules For Snail – Now Minister Must Act
Media: Nats Lure Herald Gallery Reporter Over As Senior Press Secretary
Bill English Announces His Annual Awards!
Cunliffe Introduces SPAM Bill To House
MORE HEADLINES
Israel Continues Its Bulldozer Demolishing Homes Policy
Scoop Audio: United Nations News (Friday)
MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

SCOOP COLUMNS:
Public Address: Keith Ng's WTO and More!
Jason Miller: No, not in His name
Martin LeFevre on Facing Up to Torure
Richard S. Ehrlich Inside China
MORE SCOOP COMMENTARY

OTHER NEWS (Just Politics):
Election Spending: Are Spending Loopholes Big Enough For A Stock Car?
Rongo Wetere Resigns From Wananga
Parliament: Dirty Harry And The Inbox Of Secrets!
POLITICAL HEADLINES

Jane Kelsey Reports: GATS A Deal Breaker At Hong Kong WTO Summit

Negotiations on the WTO’s agreement on ‘trade in services’ (the GATS) have taken a controversial turn at the 6th ministerial conference in Hong Kong. In the giant chess game of the Doha round, services have tended to have a low profile. Now it seems they may become the deal-breaker at Hong Kong. At the end of this week’s meeting, the 149 trade ministers are supposed to agree on a text that sets out their decisions on the negotiations to date and the pathway for the future. These range across agriculture, non-agricultural market access, services, intellectual property and other rules. See... Jane Kelsey WTO: Standoff on Services [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00185.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00184.htm

Photo-Essay: Event Of The Week - King Kong Premieres In Wellington

Courtenay Place Wellington was packed to the gills this week with thousands of good citizens eagerly trying to catch a glimpse of the stars on the red carpet outside the Embassy Theatre for the premiere of Peter Jackson's King Kong. Occasional Scoop contributor Karim Sahai was there with his lenses of power and managed to snap a number of high quality images of this great yet rather muggy and humid day of patriotic kiwi film pride. See... Karim Sahai: Images Of the Final King Kong Preview [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00189.htm

Tax: Dunne Seeks Small Business Tax Change Delay

- Revenue Minister Peter Dunne has recommended delaying the 1 April application date of three small-business tax changes in a bill under consideration by Parliament's Finance and Expenditure Committee. In a letter to the chairman of the committee, Mr Dunne explains that businesses need more time to prepare for the changes, given that the proposed legislation was not enacted this year as originally anticipated, and is not expected to be enacted until March. See... Minister wants later small-business tax changes [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00264.htm

Judge Rules For Snail – Now Minister Must Act

- The threatened giant land snail may be one step further away from extinction thanks to the tenacity of Forest and Bird and the commonsense of a High Court judge, the Green Party says. Conservation Spokesperson Metiria Turei today congratulated the environmental group for winning its landmark High Court case against State Owned Enterprise Solid Energy, and thanked the judge for his reasoned decision. See... Snails' extinction lies in hands of ministers [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00270.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00265.htm

Media: Nats Lure Herald Gallery Reporter Over As Senior Press Secretary

- National Party Leader Don Brash has announced the appointment of Kevin Taylor to the position of senior press secretary in his office. In this role Kevin will work alongside current senior press secretary Jason Ede in directing National’s media team. Kevin joins National from the New Zealand Herald, where he is currently a political reporter based in the Press Gallery at Parliament. See... National makes new media appointment [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00263.htm

Bill English Announces His Annual Awards!

- Biggest Winners: NZUSA scooped the pool with interest-free loans. Now there's no money for anyone. So much for Labour's commitment to quality education. See... Bill English's 2005 Annual Awards [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00262.htm

Cunliffe Introduces SPAM Bill To House

- In just a few years, unsolicited commercial e-mail - generally known as “Spam” -has gone from being a minor nuisance to becoming a significant social and economic issue. It is also a drain on the business and personal productivity of New Zealanders. Mid-2005 data from an anti-Spam software company indicated that unsolicited bulk mail volumes accounted for approximately 65% of all email traffic on the Internet, up from just 8% of traffic in mid-2001. See... Cunliffe: Unsolicited Electronic Messages Bill [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00251.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00258.htm

MORE HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0512/S00235.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0512/S00234.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0512/S00120.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0512/S00110.htm

Israel Continues Its Bulldozer Demolishing Homes Policy

- The Israeli authorities are preparing to demolish the house of an elderly couple in East Jerusalem, on the grounds that it was built without a permit. Mohammad and Zarifa Abbasi are in poor health, and there are serious concerns that if they were made homeless this could have dire consequences. The Jerusalem Municipality issued an order for the destruction of their home, in the Silwan neighbourhood, earlier this year. The couple have attempted to block the order through the courts, so far without success. They may have one more court hearing at which to challenge the demolition order, to be held later this year. They have little hope of success. See... Israel Prepares To Demolish Elederly Couple's Home [1] ALSO: Israel: Farmers March For Their Lives [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0512/S00295.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0512/S00296.htm

Scoop Audio: United Nations News (Friday)

- Iraqi elections; UN security council warns on Eritrea's stance; Trade Barriers for Processed Agricultural Products encouraged; Emergency Humanitarian Relief Fund created; WMO Says 2005 Set to Be Second Warmest Year on Record...

MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00188.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00177.htm

Jason Miller: No, not in His name

- How much damage will men like George Bush, James Dobson, Pat Robertson, Sam Brownback, Ralph Reed, and Rick Santorum inflict before reason prevails and they are unmasked as the twisted, malevolent charlatans that they are? Fundamentalist Christians, adherents to a nauseating perversion of Christianity (conjured from their twisted imaginations and their distorted interpretations of the Bible) wield a significant amount of power in the United States, socially and politically. See... Jason Miller: The Iron Fist of Jesus [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00167.htm

Martin LeFevre on Facing Up to Torure

- Some years ago I met an Argentine man who had been arrested during the 'Dirty War' in the 1970's and was slated to be tortured. His story is the most graphic example of the wrongful use of thought, as well as the potential for transcending thought, that I've ever heard. See... Meditations: A Tale of Torture [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00187.htm

Richard S. Ehrlich Inside China

- Punk fashions, shopping malls and Mandarin-language rap are helping China create a sanitized, communist-controlled, parallel universe which mimics the outside world. The apparent goal is a nationwide cocoon displaying the West's popular archetypes, but cloned and manufactured locally, so Chinese will perceive their society as open and prosperous, and not be attracted to free speech, political parties and other taboos. See... Richard S. Ehrlich: Letter from Jinghong [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00171.htm

MORE SCOOP COMMENTARY:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00166.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00169.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00183.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00182.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00179.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00178.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00176.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00172.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00170.htm

Election Spending: Are Spending Loopholes Big Enough For A Stock Car?

- The Rt Hon Winston Peters has said that he is disappointed with the Judges' findings in relation to the electoral petition for the seat of Tauranga, as there now appear to be no rules to limit candidate expenditure. "This development means that we have taken the first steps down the slippery slope of US style politics in which wealthy candidates are able to buy their way into politics. "I commenced my action because, like others, I believed that there was gross over expenditure in this case. See... Peters Declares The Law On Expenditure Now Void [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00241.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00242.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00236.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00174.htm

Rongo Wetere Resigns From Wananga

- Rongo Wetere’s decision to resign as chief executive of Te Wananga o Aotearoa was today welcomed by Tertiary Education Minister Michael Cullen. “Dr Wetere’s contribution to the wananga and to Maori education in general was large but his departure will make it easier for the wananga to move on. “The current wananga council and the Crown Manager have made huge progress in dealing with the governance and management failures highlighted in the Auditor-General’s report. See… Wetere’s resignation welcomed [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00244.htm

Parliament: Dirty Harry And The Inbox Of Secrets!

- Parliamentary Questions 13/12/05 Q12 - Winston Peters: "Oh, I know what those members are thinking: they are wondering whether I have one telephone book full of those emails, or 10. Well, I have to tell those members that, in all this excitement, I myself clean forgot to count them. But given that this is the most damaging information seen in the Western World, and could blow their political heads clean off, they have to ask themselves whether they feel lucky. Well, do they—punks?" See transcripts… Winston Peters vs Gerry Brownlee [1] & Peters & Cullen vs Don Brash [2] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00197.htm#dirtyharry2
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00197.htm#dirtyharry1
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00206.htm

POLITICAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00269.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00267.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00261.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00257.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00254.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00253.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00268.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00256.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00260.htm
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00259.htm
[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00255.htm

POLITICAL COLUMNS:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00266.htm

© 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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