Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics

Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics

TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS:
Pacific Affairs: New Zealand to Retain Colonial Asset
Economic Market: Cullen/Costello Bilateral Scheduled To Draw Trans-Tasman Economies Closer
Economy: Manufacturing Continues Decline
MORE HEADLINES
International Law: Robson Calls On Govt To Back Guantanamo Closure Call
Arts: Fringe Festival Hots Up
PM Howard on Bali Nine; RU486; AWB; Dick Cheney
Scoop Audio: Latest UN News Brief
Questions and Answers on the Danish Cartoons: When Speech Offends
MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

SCOOP COLUMNS:
No Right Turn on UN Guantanamo Report
Kirk MacGibbon: A New York Perspective on Labour's Spending
Jason Miller on the Brits' Good News Agency
Pierre Tristam Defending the Enlightenment
MORE COMMENTARY

OTHER NEWS (Just Politics):
Health: Aucklanders Suffer More - DHB Not Meeting Need: Nats
Politics: Brownlee Theorises PM Orchestrated AG Delay To Save Campaign-Card's Skin
Legislation: Labour Backs Bradford's Youth Pay Bill
MORE POLITICS NEWS

Pacific Affairs: New Zealand to Retain Colonial Asset

Prime Minister Helen Clark has said New Zealand will fully respect the wishes of the people of Tokelau, as expressed in the referendum on whether Tokelauans should become independent in free association with New Zealand. The referendum has not produced a two thirds majority in favour of a change in status. "We have always taken the view that it is for the people of the territory to determine both the direction and the pace of their political development," Helen Clark said. See... Tokelau referendum does not support change [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00233.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0602/S00113.htm

Economic Market: Cullen/Costello Bilateral Scheduled To Draw Trans-Tasman Economies Closer

- Finance Minister Michael Cullen travels to Melbourne on Monday, February 20 for the annual meeting with his Australian counterpart, Treasurer Peter Costello. "The bilateral is an important opportunity to discuss regional economic issues and to accelerate initiatives towards a single economic market," said Dr Cullen. "Work on the single economic market objective has been a key feature of recent bilaterals and I am hopeful of good progress on measures to better integrate the two economies." Commerce Minister Lianne Dalziel will also participate. See... Costello meeting to progress single market issues [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00236.htm

Economy: Manufacturing Continues Decline

- Manufacturing activity in January dipped further than in the month before, according to the Business NZ Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI). December’s PMI, at 47.6, was the lowest since the surveys began in August 2002. January’s PMI came in even lower, at 44.1. A PMI reading above 50.0 indicates that manufacturing is generally expanding; below 50.0 that it is declining. See... Manufacturing hits the New Year with a thud [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0602/S00216.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0602/S00217.htm

MORE HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00238.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0602/S00115.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0602/S00218.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0602/S00104.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0602/S00129.htm

International Law: Robson Calls On Govt To Back Guantanamo Closure Call

- Matt Robson writes: Journalist David Rose has made an invaluable contribution to the cause of universal human rights for all by this exposure of the grave human rights violations occurring on a daily basis at the United States prison camp at Guantanamo Bay Cuba. See... NZ Should Join Call For End To Guantanamo Bay [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00160.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00162.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00163.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00215.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0602/S00238.htm

Arts: Fringe Festival Hots Up

- Enter the seductive world of Burlesque Circus, Dance and Cabaret, showcasing over 100 artists from New Zealand and overseas. Heavenly Burlesque transforms The Paramount into a world of live original performance and music limited to 3 weekends only. The performance world explodes with wild, fruity, ideas, dreams and images that collide and captivate. See... Heavenly Burlesque: a Fuse Production [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0602/S00118.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0602/S00112.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/features/festival2006.html

PM Howard on Bali Nine; RU486; AWB; Dick Cheney

- I did feel very strongly about that and I tried to communicate the strength of that feeling and it seemed the right time, the right moment, in the wake of these inevitable sentences to issue an appeal again to any young Australian who might think he or she can get away with this not to try, you will destroy your life, you will spend most, if not all of it, rotting in a jail in another country, you may even face a firing squad and you will break the hearts of your parents and all the others who love you. So it is not worth it. I cannot understand why young people still continue to take the risk, I suppose it’s the money, their vulnerability whatever it is. See... PM Howard on Bali Nine; RU486; AWB; Dick Cheney [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0602/S00249.htm

Scoop Audio: Latest UN News Brief

Latest UN News Brief [1]

[1] - http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/audio/0602/UN_brief_7_2_06.m3u

Questions and Answers on the Danish Cartoons: When Speech Offends

- On September 30, 2005, the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published twelve cartoon depictions of the Prophet Mohammed that its editors said they solicited as part of an experiment to overcome what they perceived as self-censorship reflected in the reluctance of illustrators to depict the Prophet. The cartoons were highly offensive to Muslims because Islam is understood to prohibit graphic depictions of the Prophet and because most of the depictions were extremely derogatory, for example, by associating him, and by implication all Muslims, with terrorism. See... On the Danish Cartoons: When Speech Offends [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0602/S00263.htm

MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0602/S00265.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0602/S00264.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0602/S00262.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0602/S00254.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0602/S00251.htm

No Right Turn on UN Guantanamo Report

- Guantanamo must be closed, and its prisoners either released or given a fair trial in the United States under US law. That is the recommendation of an investigation conducted by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. Why? Apart from general principles of justice and a respect for human rights, the UN has three reasons. See... No Right Turn: Guantanamo Delenda Est [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00155.htm

Kirk MacGibbon: A New York Perspective on Labour's Spending

- News that the Labour Party is being investigated for allegedly breaching campaign spending limits by a whopping $400,000 seems almost quaint from a New York perspective. What struck me was just how cheap it is to win office in New Zealand. The Labour party spent $2.8 million to win control of the Treasury for another three years. Helen Clark said the laws were in need of ‘clarification.’ See... Kirk MacGibbon: The Price Of Office [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00182.htm

Jason Miller on the Brits' Good News Agency

- A succession of scandals in the US has revealed widespread government funding of PR agencies to produce 'fake news'. Actors take the place of journalists and the 'news' is broadcast as if it were genuine. The same practice has been adopted in Iraq, where newspapers have been paid to insert copy. These stories have raised the usual eyebrows in the UK about the pitiful quality of US democracy. Things are better here, we imply. See... Miller: The British Government's Global Fake News Network [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00169.htm

Pierre Tristam Defending the Enlightenment

- In the eternal battle between reason and regression there's never been a rallying cry as powerful as Voltaire's double-barreled phrase: Ecrasez l'infame. It has been translated variously as "crush the infamous," "crush the horror" or -- my preference -- "smash the rogues." Voltaire's targets, his recent biographer Ian Davidson writes, "included superstition, theological repression, Jesuits, monks, fanatical regicides, and the Inquisition in every shape and form; in short, all facets of the dark and regressive alliance between the Catholic Church and the French State." ... It's a lesson the Islamic world has not yet learned. It's a lesson the western world risks forgetting. See... When Liberty's The Ward Of A Higher Power's Rogues [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00179.htm

MORE COMMENTARY:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00184.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00178.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00174.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00181.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00180.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00177.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00176.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00173.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00172.htm
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00171.htm
[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00170.htm
[12] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00168.htm
[13] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00167.htm
[14] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00166.htm
[15] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00165.htm

Health: Aucklanders Suffer More - DHB Not Meeting Need: Nats

- People have to be sicker before they can have an operation at Auckland DHB, says National's Health spokesman, Tony Ryall. "Latest figures show that despite millions of dollars being poured into the health system, Aucklanders have to be ever sicker to get an operation," says Mr Ryall. Auckland DHB has confirmed that 'the patients treated from the waiting list are sicker now, on average, then they were five years ago.' For example: Cardiothoracic patients now needing 46.4 points to qualify for elective surgery, compared with 33.5 points in 2001. See... Aucklanders have to be sicker to get operations [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00210.htm

Politics: Brownlee Theorises PM Orchestrated AG Delay To Save Campaign-Card's Skin

- National Party Deputy Leader Gerry Brownlee wants to know which party benefited the most out of the Labour-led delay on a review of taxpayer funded advertising rules. See... Who benefited from advertising review delay? [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00194.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00128.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00208.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00182.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00174.htm

Legislation: Labour Backs Bradford's Youth Pay Bill

- The Green Party has welcomed the announcement today of Labour's support for Sue Bradford's Private Member's Bill which aims to dump youth pay rates. Labour Minister Ruth Dyson announced this afternoon that the Government would support Ms Bradford's Minimum Wage (Abolition of Age Discrimination) Amendment Bill to the select committee stage when it comes up for its first reading on Wednesday next week, (February 22). See... Bradford pleased at Govt support for youth pay Bill [1] ALSO: Government to Support Youth Bill - Dyson [2] and CTU - Higher Wages Crucial To Transforming The Economy [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00180.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00181.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0602/S00096.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00120.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0602/S00098.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0602/S00099.htm

MORE POLITICS NEWS:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00231.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00223.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00218.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00217.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00211.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00209.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00206.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00230.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00212.htm
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00229.htm
[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00227.htm
[12] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00224.htm
[13] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00222.htm
[14] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00219.htm
[15] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00210.htm
[16] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00228.htm
[17] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00226.htm
[18] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00225.htm
[19] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00220.htm
[20] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00214.htm

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