Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics

Monday, 12 June 2006, 10:49 am
Article: Alastair Thompson

TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS:
Weather Watch: Good Day For Moths As Ak's Lights Go Out
RECOMMENDED AUDIO:
Justice? New Zealand Government Deports Man On "Security Risk" Grounds
Scoop Satire: Lemonade-Based Economy Pondered
Treaty Settlements: Agreement on Ngati Whatua o Orakei Auckland Claims
Gagging Contracts: Housing NZ OK, Says AG
Scoop News: Kiwi Mountaineer Karen McNeill Missing In Alaskan Wilderness -
NRT:Sedition Verdict Shameful -
Timor: 'Abysmal' NZ Herald Faces Flack From Former Foreign Minister
Art/Transport: Road Carnage Fought Through Somersaulting Dancers -
Scoop Tech: Scoop Launches Audio & Video Podcast For Scoopers -
Science: Scienticians Party Up As Awards Flow Like Ectoplasm -
MORE HEADLINES:
Guantanamo Bay: Three Detainees Commit Suicide In Despair
State Of It: Zarqawi's Killing Suggests U.S. Sunni and Al Qaeda Accomplices -
Iraq: Zarqawi’s Death Removes ‘Heinous & dangerous man'
MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:

SCOOP COLUMNS:
Environmental Education: Dave McArthur: Green Party Alert!
American Coup: The Rolling Stone Election Fraud Debate Continued….
Environmental Education: Charles Shaw Reviews Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth"
Spooks & Nazis: Nazis In America – Wash Post & NYT Raise The Lid
MORE SCOOP COMMENT & OPINION:

OTHER NEWS (Just Politics):
Monetary Policy: It's The Oil, Stupid, Say Greens -
Immigration: Survey Charts the Kiwi Diasporia
Politics: Lemonade-Selling Kids Ignoring Inflation According To Cullen -
Employment: Personal Grievances Up in 2006
MORE POLITICAL HEADLINES:
POLITICAL COLUMNS

Weather Watch: Good Day For Moths As Ak's Lights Go Out

[1] A power outage which appears to be Auckland-wide and extending to Hamilton is causing disruption light-controlled intersections and creating traffic delays. Motorists are advised to watch following distances and drive with care. Callers to the Comms Centre are requested to desist from calling as we are being inundated with calls regarding this problem. See... Auckland: Power Outage [2] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0606/S00093.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0606/S00093.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0606/S00098.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0606/S00097.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0606/S00096.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0606/S00095.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0606/S00094.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0606/S00092.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0606/S00091.htm

RECOMMENDED AUDIO:

RDU Audio: RDU's Wammo IVs Karyn Hay: [1] on KiwiFM, the government prop-up, not-for-profit and non commercial conditions and a feisty fight on the whole Kiwi music scene! Scoop Audio (Full Commentary): Selwyn Manning and 95bFM's Simon Pound discuss: [2] how public opposition is mounting against the New Zealand Police's intent to trial the Taser gun on New Zealanders, namely the mentally ill, drunks and druggies. Is this a move toward fully arming Kiwi cops?

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00125.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00124.htm

Justice? New Zealand Government Deports Man On "Security Risk" Grounds

- Immigration Minister David Cunliffe says that a Yemeni national, Rayed Mohammed Abdullah Ali, has been deported from New Zealand for security reasons. "Acting on advice, the government considered that the man's continued presence in New Zealand posed a threat to national security because: he was directly associated with persons responsible for the terrorist attacks in the United States on 11 September 2001, of the nature of his activities in the United States prior to and at that time; and because of the nature of his activities in New Zealand," the Government release stated. See... NZ deports man for security reasons [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00157.htm

Scoop Satire: Lemonade-Based Economy Pondered

- How much will you let them keep? Because all other things being equal, they'd want to keep it all. Now: imagine that skimming off their lemonade sales is in fact your primary source of income. And that they expect you to pay for their education, doctor's visits and transport and so on. See... Lyndon Hood: Lemonade Kids Feel Tax Squeeze [1] SEE:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00120.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00144.htm

Treaty Settlements: Agreement on Ngati Whatua o Orakei Auckland Claims

- Ngati Whatua o Orakei Maori Trust Board today signed an agreement in principle with the Crown to settle all their outstanding historical Treaty of Waitangi claims. The Ngati Whatua o Orakei Maori Trust Board has been negotiating with the Crown since May 2003. This agreement in principle covers Ngati Whatua o Orakei's outstanding claims in central Auckland, the bulk of Waitakere, the North Shore and a small part of Manukau. See... Agreement in principle reached over Auckland claim [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00154.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0606/S00081.htm

Gagging Contracts: Housing NZ OK, Says AG

- Housing New Zealand Corporation (HNZC) has welcomed a report by the Auditor-General which has cleared the organisation of serious allegations of financial wrongdoing including the deliberate suppression and manipulation of financial accounts... the more serious and substantive allegations levelled by a former contractor were not upheld. See... Corporation Welcomes Auditor-General's Report [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0606/S00136.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00151.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00150.htm

Scoop News: Kiwi Mountaineer Karen McNeill Missing In Alaskan Wilderness -

A Canadian based New Zealand woman is missing on Alaska's Mt. Foraker. Canadian authorities have stated that Karen McNeill (37) of Canmore Alberta and her friend Sue Nott have been 'officially' missing on the mountain since Thursday June 1. Alaska park rangers have been searching for the pair who were believed to have attempted Mt. Foraker's 5220 metre summit. See... Kiwi Mountain Woman Missing In Alaska Wilderness [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00102.htm

NRT: Sedition Verdict Shameful -

Tim Selwyn has been found guilty of sedition. This is a shameful verdict, and a major step backwards for freedom of speech in this country. Punishing people for their words and intentions rather than their actions should require meeting a very high threshold, and one which our sedition law, with its vague references to "violence, disorder, and lawlessness" simply does not come close to. See... No Right Turn: A Shameful (Sedition) Verdict [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00101.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00143.htm

Timor: 'Abysmal' NZ Herald Faces Flack From Former Foreign Minister

- Former Associate Foreign Affairs Minister Matt Robson was astounded by a recent NZ Herald editorial on Timor. Mr Robson describes the Herald's editorial as 'patronising cant' and 'abysmal'. Regular Scoop contributor No Right Turn is also incensed by the NZ Herald, namely a column written by senior Herald journalist John Roughan. NRT points out that Mr Roughan appears to be an apologist for the genocide and torture inflicted upon Timor by Indonesia. Mr Roughan described this state of affairs as 'rugged' in his column. See... The States That Failed East Timor [1] And also Herald Describes Genocide as 'Rugged' - A Response [2] ON THE GROUND IN TIMOR:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00084.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00083.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0606/S00069.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0606/S00070.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0606/S00068.htm

Art/Transport: Road Carnage Fought Through Somersaulting Dancers -

Four young dancer/singers will be performing over the next two weeks in Wellington, the Hutt Valley and Porirua, following a month spent on the road, taking a message of road-safety to secondary schools. Using the mediums of hip hop and rap, the show entitled Hit The Curve! is being produced by the Wellington Performing Arts Centre See... Hit The Curve! Hits The Road [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0606/S00072.htm

Scoop Tech: Scoop Launches Audio & Video Podcast For Scoopers -

Scoop has today launched its audio and video podcast feed providing Scoopers with the latest and best way to stay ahead of other media and remain in-the-know. The great thing about the podcast is it allows you to listen and view the media at a time that's convenient to you. The Scoop podcast features news, views, and interviews on almost all topics including audio and video created in-house by Scoop and by our friends and radio partners here in NZ and around the globe - and you get to choose what items you want to play. See... Scoop Launches Audio and Video Podcast Feed [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00080.htm

Science: Scienticians Party Up As Awards Flow Like Ectoplasm -

A PhD student developing a new cell identification technique that could help solve sex crimes has taken top honours at the 2006 MacDiarmid Young Scientists of the Year Awards, held in Auckland tonight. 25-year-old Claire French has found a method of identifying whether cells samples collected for DNA testing come from the skin, the mouth or the vagina, something that hasn’t previously been possible and has the potential to provide additional evidence in sex crimes. See...See... NZ 's Top Young Scientists Named At Awards [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0606/S00020.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0606/S00016.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0606/S00015.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0606/S00019.htm

MORE HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0606/S00023.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00095.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00094.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0606/S00063.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0606/S00113.htm

Guantanamo Bay: Three Detainees Commit Suicide In Despair

- Three detainees at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, died of apparent suicides early this morning, military officials reported today. Two Saudis and one Yemeni, all located in Camp 1 of the detention center, were found unresponsive and not breathing in their cells, Navy Rear Adm. Harry B. Harris, commander of Joint Task Force Guantanamo, said in a news conference. The first detainee was found shortly after midnight, and the other detainees were found within minutes, Harris said. See... Guantanamo Bay Detainees Die of Apparent Suicide [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0606/S00271.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0606/S00265.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0606/S00264.htm

State Of It: Zarqawi's Killing Suggests U.S. Sunni and Al Qaeda Accomplices -

Images, Text Report and video: Scoop co-editor Selwyn Manning writes that since Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed by U.S. forces, much speculation has centered on who or what group fingered him. A Sunni deep-cover network looks most likely responsible for identifying Al Zarqawi's whereabouts, with Al Qaeda's blessing. The U.S. intel scenario goes like this: Al Zarqawi was most effective as a tactician chipping away at U.S. forces and continuing to inflame unrest between Sunnis and Shia insurgencies in Iraq. The strategy worked for Al Zarqawi and frustrated the United States to the degree it most often focused its propaganda on him rather than Al Qaeda. See... Scoop: Sunni Deep-Cover Bods Fingered Al Zarqawi [1] . See also... Michel Chossudovsky: Who was Abu Musab al Zarqawi? [2] & Scoop News: U.S. Bombing Raid Kills al-Zarqawi [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00131.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00126.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00103.htm

Iraq: Zarqawi’s Death Removes ‘Heinous & dangerous man'

- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today the reported death in Iraq of the Jordanian insurgent Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was a “relief” since such a “such a heinous and dangerous man” will no longer be around to continue harming Iraqis, even though violence was unlikely to end with his elimination in the war-torn country. “This is an individual who has been responsible for many heinous crimes, caused lots of problems in Iraq for the Government and the people of Iraq – the people of Iraq who are afraid to step out, the people of Iraq who are only demanding peace, stability, and to have their streets back,” Mr. Annan told reporters at a press encounter. See... Zarqawi’s death removes ‘heinous & dangerous man' [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0606/S00218.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0606/S00230.htm

MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0606/S00269.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0606/S00267.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0606/S00262.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0606/S00261.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0606/S00260.htm

Environmental Education: Dave McArthur: Green Party Alert!

- Good heavens! What’s going on here? This must be the famed serendipity I have heard tell of. Just when I was at my wits end as to how to start this very difficult message for the New Zealand Green Party and many Environmental Educators across the world, ... See... A Higher Being joins the New Zealand Cabinet [1] & Dave McArthur: Green Party Alert! [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00129.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00127.htm

American Coup: The Rolling Stone Election Fraud Debate Continued….

- The fight started in the Salon response linked above over the sufficiency of the evidence to prove a stolen election in 2004 that was amassed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a great disservice to democracy, because it fails to take the risks to democracy seriously. It's net effect is to say it's "ok go back to sleep, no need to be alarmed" while also suggesting we get together and deal with issues like voter suppression. See… The False-Fake Debate over RFK Jr's RS Article [1] MORE:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00119.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00128.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00122.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00121.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00118.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/features/usacoup.html

Environmental Education: Charles Shaw Reviews Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth"

- It never ceases to amaze me the lengths people will go to maintain their delusions, or to serve their own agendas. Despite there being literally unanimous consensus within the scientific community that Global Warming is indeed a real and perilous crisis on a scale we have never witnessed, a tiny gaggle of political ideologues and their corporate benefactors continue to try and convince us that Global Warming is “theory, rather than fact,” and is a result of “cyclical change” and not rapacious industrialization. See... Charles Shaw Movie Review: "An Inconvenient Truth" [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00115.htm

Spooks & Nazis: Nazis In America – Wash Post & NYT Raise The Lid

- Washington - The Central Intelligence Agency took no action after learning the pseudonym and whereabouts of the fugitive Holocaust overseer Adolf Eichmann in 1958, according to CIA documents that shed new light on the spy agency's use of former Nazis as informers ... See... WashPost & NYT Report CIA Use Of Nazis After WWII [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00113.htm

MORE SCOOP COMMENT & OPINION:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00123.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00130.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00110.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00117.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00116.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00114.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00112.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00111.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00109.htm
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00108.htm
[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00107.htm
[12] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00106.htm
[13] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00105.htm

Monetary Policy: It's The Oil, Stupid, Say Greens -

The Reserve Bank based today's official cash rate statement on highly questionable assumptions about oil prices, and the subsequent impact on the inflation outlook, Green Party Co-Leader Jeanette Fitzsimons says. "We cannot afford to base our economic planning, as the Bank says it does, on the assumption that the Dubai oil price (which the Bank claims to be the one most relevant to the New Zealand economy) will ease back to $45 a barrel by 2008. See... Reserve Bank has head in sand about oil prices [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00124.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0606/S00094.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00106.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00120.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0606/S00107.htm

Immigration: Survey Charts the Kiwi Diasporia

- Kea New Zealand's global census, Every One Counts, has discovered a large group of highly talented and engaged Kiwi expats around the world. The online survey connected with more than 29,000 New Zealanders living in 155 countries. "'The world's greatest travellers' are making New Zealand one of the most globally connected nations on earth," says Ross McConnell, Chief Executive of Kea New Zealand. See... Talented, successful Kiwis all over globe [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0606/S00057.htm
[2] - http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/0606/surveyresults.pdf

Politics: Lemonade-Selling Kids Ignoring Inflation According To Cullen -

The Reserve Bank's latest monetary policy statement provides hard evidence on inflation that should make National rethink its reckless tax cut plans, Finance Minister Michael Cullen said today. The bank is forecasting inflation to nudge 4 per cent over the next year due to higher oil prices. "It's staggering that a former governor of the Reserve Bank is content to mislead the public by claiming his multi-billion dollar tax cuts are affordable. See... National ignores inflation warning [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00106.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00144.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00087.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00076.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0606/S00097.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0606/S00108.htm

Employment: Personal Grievances Up in 2006

- The number of personal grievances heard by the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) against employers rose 28 per cent last year compared to 2004. The ERA heard 340 cases in calendar 2004 and 436 in 2005. See... Grievance gravy train picking up speed [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0606/S00067.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00067.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0606/S00049.htm

MORE POLITICAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00118.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00098.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00115.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00112.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00103.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00096.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00095.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00094.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00092.htm
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00088.htm
[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00082.htm
[12] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00080.htm
[13] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00107.htm
[14] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00101.htm
[15] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00083.htm
[16] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00093.htm
[17] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00116.htm
[18] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00113.htm
[19] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00109.htm
[20] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00108.htm

POLITICAL COLUMNS

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00141.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00152.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.

Contact Alastair Thompson

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