Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics

Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics

TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS:
Opinion: Peters Ought To Be Encouraged For 'Soft Criticism' Of U.S
Union: Young Workers Strike as Youth Rates Bill Debated
Politics: Prime Minister's Office Spoke Too Soon On Abizaid Visit
"Arrogant, Insensitive, Confrontational!" – That South Park Episode Causes Unrest
RECOMMENDED AUDIO
Health: Nurses Shortage Must Be Addressed By Better Pay: NZNO
Foreign Affairs: Peters Lays Down NZ's Five Year Policy Plan
MORE HEADLINES
Employment: Air NZ Steps Up Plans To Dump Staff -
Scoop Report: Tensions Come to Head for New Palestinian PM
UN Audio
MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

SCOOP COLUMNS:
Russell Brown posts long on telecommunications
William Fisher on the Guantanamo Evidence
Ramzy Baroud on the Western media and the Muslim world
Science: Brian Carter's The March Night Sky
MORE COMMENTARY

OTHER NEWS (Just Politics):
Security: Former Spook Head Dies
Drugs: Nats Say Anti-P March Must Be Listened To
Trans-Tasman: Downer Scheduled For Peters Meeting
MORE POLITICS NEWS

Opinion: Peters Ought To Be Encouraged For 'Soft Criticism' Of U.S

State Of It editorial Selwyn Manning writes that Criticisms by Winston Peters, of the USA' level of understanding of NZ's role in the Pacific is fully justified and indicates a shift in thinking – from that of an opposition MP to ministerial responsibility. It ought to be encouraged. But has Peters gone far enough? In time, one can imagine this foreign minister, armed with a box of facts, determining a view and aggrieve that recent history has relegated New Zealand's national identity, and indeed its international identity, down to that of third-way insignificance. See... Soft-Criticism Of Unappreciative U.S. Fair Comment [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00263.htm

Union: Young Workers Strike as Youth Rates Bill Debated

- KFC Henderson will be taking industrial action in support of their pay claim to abolish youth rates, today at 3.30pm, Lincoln Rd. Unite Union organisers will be meeting KFC workers Ramit Kumar, 16, who earns $8.08 an hour and Colin Fulton, 15, who earns $7.13 an hour, with school friends at Massey High School at 3.10pm. (At the 1st gate before the main school entrance on Don Buck Rd.) Unite will then join the young workers as they walk to work and take their store out on strike as a part of the SuperSizeMyPay.Com month of industrial action. See... Young Workers Strike as Youth Rates Bill Debated [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0602/S00145.htm

Politics: Prime Minister's Office Spoke Too Soon On Abizaid Visit

- Scoop Report: Selwyn Manning writes that Fairfax's Dominion Post reported the PM's office called around press gallery reporters on Monday requesting they not report the Prime Minister had announced that United States general John Abizaid would be in New Zealand this week. Scoop must report however, that the PM's office did not contact Scoop Media in an attempt to censor the mis-timed announcement – presumably due to the fact that the cat was out of the bag (so to speak) by 5:08 pm! Clearly, Scoop was fast off the mark in audio-streaming the PM's post-Cabinet conference and so alerting our fine audience to this most sensitive news. See... PM's Office Announced Abizaid's Visit Too Early [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00259.htm

"Arrogant, Insensitive, Confrontational!" – That South Park Episode Causes Unrest

- Family Life International is outraged at the unbelievably arrogant, insensitive, and confrontational decision by CanWest to advance the broadcast of the highly offensive Bloody Mary episode of the South Park cartoon series. See... Canwest Decision Quashes Right To Free Protest [1] ALSO: CanWest - In response to high levels of debate surrounding South Park’s “Bloody Mary” episode, C4 has decided to screen the episode tonight (Wednesday 22 February at 9.30pm). See... South Park Episode To Screen Immediately [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0602/S00275.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0602/S00271.htm

RECOMMENDED AUDIO:

Scoop Audio: Selwyn Manning discussed on Radio Adelaide today:Winston Peters' MFAT 5-year-plan; South Park's "Offensive" Bloody Mary episode; how 22,500 Kiwis left for Australia last year; and a Youth Rates bill designed to abolish discrimination against youth in the workplace is to be read in Parliament today. See... Scoop Audio: Selwyn Manning on Radio Adelaide [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00255.htm

Health: Nurses Shortage Must Be Addressed By Better Pay: NZNO

- Results of a new survey of primary health nursing staff, conducted by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, signal a looming recruitment crisis in the sector, unless the pay gap is closed between them and their counterparts in public hospitals (DHBs). See... Nursing Recruitment Crisis Looms in Primary Health [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0602/S00057.htm

Foreign Affairs: Peters Lays Down NZ's Five Year Policy Plan

Scoop Audio: Alastair Thompson reports that Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and National Foreign Affairs Spokesman Murray McCully today delivered speeches to a seminar held at Victoria University. The speeches were billed as an opportunity for the two major parties to explain the points of difference between their policy perspectives in the international arena. In the final result however the audience learned that there is actually very little light between the foreign affairs policies of New Zealand's two major Parliamentary parties. See... Scoop Audio: Peters & McCully Talk Foreign Affairs [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00244.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00293.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00297.htm

MORE HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00321.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00318.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00314.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0602/S00278.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0602/S00176.htm

Employment: Air NZ Steps Up Plans To Dump Staff -

Air New Zealand today announced it will proceed with its plan to outsource wide body aircraft heavy maintenance after union members failed to ratify their own counterproposal. Around 507 ANZES positions will be made redundant on top of the 110 announced in December, when the decision was made to outsource wide body aero engine maintenance. Of the total 617 positions affected by outsourcing 121 are licensed aircraft engineers and the remainder are trades people, sales and customer support, clerical staff, planners and cleaners. See... Air NZ To Outsource Wide Body Heavy Maintenance [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0602/S00260.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0602/S00137.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0602/S00256.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0602/S00253.htm

Scoop Report: Tensions Come to Head for New Palestinian PM

- Ismail Haniyeh, a prominent Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, was nominated Sunday to be Palestinian prime minister… IDF establishes 'Israeli-only' entry points that bar Palestinians… Israel blocking Hamas members from PLC swearing-in… Israel 'has annexed Jordan Valley and shut out Palestinians'… Emptying the Jordan Valley… See... Tensions Come to Head for New Palestinian PM [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0602/S00344.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0602/S00331.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0602/S00343.htm

UN Audio

UN Envoy Objects to Israel's Withholding Palestinian Tax Funds - UNRWA Reiterates its Continuing Commitment to Aid Palestinians - Annan Welcomes Moscow Talks on Uranium Enrichment - Egeland Expresses Fears of Renewed Conflict in Cote d'Ivoire - Talks on Kosovo's Future Open in Vienna - UN Envoy Discusses Expanding UN Activities in Ramadi. See... UN Audio [1]

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

MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0602/S00336.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0602/S00335.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0602/S00334.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0602/S00330.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0602/S00327.htm

Russell Brown posts long on telecommunications

- I'm inclined to believe that the Business Roundtable's submission of a column by its chairman Rob McLeod arguing against regulation of Telecom - without the fairly important declaration that McLeod is a director of Telecom - was an error, rather than an attempt to mislead the public. I'm less inclined to credit McLeod's argument. See... Public Address 22/02/06 - Telecommunications & God [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00258.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0602/S00247.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0602/S00285.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00243.htm

William Fisher on the Guantanamo Evidence

- Last June 17, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told reporters, "If you think of the people down there (at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba), these are people, all of whom were captured on a battlefield. They're terrorists, trainers, bomb makers, recruiters, financiers, (Osama bin Laden's) bodyguards, would-be suicide bombers, probably the 20th 9/11 hijacker." Yet two recent reports, based on the Defense Department's own documentation, reach conclusions that are dramatically different than Mr. Rumsfeld's. See... A Tale Of Two Gitmos: Where Was The MSM? [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00253.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00239.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00240.htm

Ramzy Baroud on the Western media and the Muslim world

- In Arab and Muslim media, few condoned the aggressive protests, embassy burnings and threats of violence awakened by the global cartoon campaign. Except of a few holier-than-thou Arab and Muslim journalists, however, there seemed to be consensus among most commentators that both appreciate the enormity – and harm- of the inherent anti-Muslim bias in Western societies and acknowledged the need to respond to such vilification of Muslims and Arabs on a collective level, even if it includes modes of pressure and muscle flexing. See... Ramzy Baroud: Cartoon Awakening: A Positive Media Strategy [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00249.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00242.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00229.htm

Science: Brian Carter's The March Night Sky

- We are moving into Autumn now with the Sun visible for half the day. This means that the nights for astronomy are rapidly getting longer. Planets - March is a good month for viewing the planets. Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will be visible for the whole of the month. Mercury will be visible for the last half of March. Mars will be visible for the first third of the night. Mars is in the constellation of Taurus. Its magnitude fades from 0.7 to 1.2 during the month. Saturn will be visible for the first two thirds of the night. Saturn is in the constellation of Cancer, in which it remains until September 2006. Its magnitude slightly fades from –0.1 to 0.1. See... The Night Sky [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00224.htm

MORE COMMENTARY:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00256.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00250.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00247.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00235.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00257.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00252.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00241.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00254.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00238.htm
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00232.htm
[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00231.htm
[12] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00236.htm
[13] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00230.htm
[14] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00251.htm
[15] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00248.htm
[16] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00234.htm
[17] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00227.htm
[18] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00226.htm
[19] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00237.htm
[20] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00220.htm

Security: Former Spook Head Dies

- Prime Minister Helen Clark today paid tribute to Paul Molineaux, a former Director of Security, who passed away on Thursday in Christchurch aged 85 years. “Paul Molineaux was Director of Security from 1976 to 1983. He oversaw a period of expansion in the Service. Before becoming Director of Security, he worked as a lawyer, served as a Magistrate and District Court Judge, and for a period as Chief Justice in Western Samoa. Following his term as Director of Security, he served as Privacy Commissioner for ten years." See… Paul Molineaux [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00270.htm

Drugs: Nats Say Anti-P March Must Be Listened To

- National Party MP for Port Waikato Paul Hutchison says the anti-P march from Pukekohe, in his electorate, to Parliament should receive nationwide support and attention. "The organisers of the campaign, some of whom have had family members suffer from P addiction, should be congratulated for bringing increased attention to a problem that affects every sector of our society," says Dr Hutchison, who is also National's spokesman for Policy on Children. See... Anti-P march deserves nationwide support [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00284.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00288.htm

Trans-Tasman: Downer Scheduled For Peters Meeting

- Foreign Minister Winston Peters will host a visit later this week by Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer. Mr Downer is coming to Wellington for the six-monthly New Zealand and Australian Foreign Ministers' consultations. "The relationship between New Zealand and Australia is as close a relationship between countries as can be found anywhere in the world", said Mr Peters. See... Peters to host Australian Foreign Minister [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00272.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00236.htm

MORE POLITICS NEWS:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00301.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00299.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00298.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00296.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00302.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00300.htm

© Scoop Media