Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics

Tuesday, 4 July 2006, 10:49 pm
Article: Alastair Thompson

TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS:
Video & Text: Brit MP Advances Investigation Into David Kelly's Death
RECOMMENDED AUDIO:
Maori Option: Mixed Interpretations of First Enrolment Figures
Energy and Environment: Govt Announces Plans to Have Climate Change, Energy Policies
Business: People Are Asked For Their Roger Awards Nominations
Health: Smokers Hit The Wall On TV Doco
Industrial Action: Rail Passengers To Be Affected
Conservation: DOC Has Kermadec Rats In Its Sights
MORE HEADLINES:
Culture: Models Heads Become Canvasses For Tonsorial Picasso's -
Weather: Unpack Your Mittens And Scarf More Chilly Weather Looms
France-Oceania Summit Formalises Thawing Of France-Pacific Relations
Australia: Massive Protests Against Government's Industrial Relations Laws
MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:

SCOOP COLUMNS:
Election: Matt Pascarella Reports On A Looming Mexican Coup
American Coup: Bobby Kennedy, Jr. To Sue US Voting Machine Companies
Gaza: Israel's Restraint Increasingly Hard To Discern
MORE SCOOP COMMENT AND OPINION:

OTHER NEWS (Just Politics):
International Trade: NZ Trade Minister Goff Says DOHA Round Set To Fail
Legislation: Immigration Act Review Submissions Counted
Foreign Affairs: Peters Welcomes EU Aid To Timor
Legislation: Govt Kicks Back At Mapp Bill
MORE POLITICAL HEADLINES:

Video & Text: Brit MP Advances Investigation Into David Kelly's Death

David Kelly was an employee of the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MoD), an expert in biological warfare, and a former United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq. His talk with a journalist about the British government's dossier on weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq inadvertently caused a major political scandal, and he was found dead days after appearing before a Parliamentary committee investigating it. The Hutton Inquiry, a public inquiry into his death, ruled that he had committed suicide. Now a British LibDem MP Norman Baker is two months into a private, year-long investigation into the suspicious death. Video and Text: Investigation Into The Death Of David Kelly [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00021.htm

RECOMMENDED AUDIO:

Scoop Audio: Prime Minister's Post-Cabinet Press Conference: [1] On Monday the Parliamentary press gallery seemed deeply concerned by the plight of New Zealand's underclass. Many questions were tossed at the Prime Minister during her regular weekly press conference regarding large numbers of people who happened to be beneficiaries and living together. The problem of intergenerational dependence was also raised. PM's Post Cabinet Press Conference. [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00020.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00020.htm

Maori Option: Mixed Interpretations of First Enrolment Figures

- "As we have learnt very quickly in the Whare Miere - it's all in the numbers. We believe just 4000 enrolments are needed to gain another seat" said Dr Pita Sharples, Co-leader of the Maori Party. The Party's four MPs have embarked on a national tour of Maori communities to promote the Option. Last week the MPs toured through Tamaki Makaurau, Te Tai Tokerau and Te Tai Hauauru. Today, the Maori Party is spreading visits between two electorates See... Maori Party buoyed by Maori Option results [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00044.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00045.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0607/S00022.htm

Energy and Environment: Govt Announces Plans to Have Climate Change, Energy Policies

- Minister Responsible for Climate Change Issues David Parker today released government papers on energy and energy efficiency, and a report looking at the government's direction on climate change policy. "Across the world, countries are grappling with the challenges posed by dramatic price increases, constraints on traditional fuels supplies, and the impacts of climate change. They are all closely related," Mr Parker said. See... Climate change work programme [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00035.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00036.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00037.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00042.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00046.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00047.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00050.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0607/S00019.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0607/S00008.htm
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0607/S00043.htm
[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0607/S00044.htm
[12] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0607/S00023.htm
[13] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0607/S00049.htm

Business: People Are Asked For Their Roger Awards Nominations

- The Roger Award is for The Worst Transnational Corporation Operating in Aotearoa/New Zealand in 2006. Nominations are now open for the annual Roger Award, which is organised by the Christchurch-based groups Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa (CAFCA) and GATT Watchdog. Criteria: The criteria for judging are by assessing the transnational (a corporation which is 25% or more foreign-owned) that has the most negative impact in each or all of the following categories: Economic Dominance - Monopoly, profiteering, tax dodging, cultural imperialism... etc... See... Nominations Now Open For 2006 Roger Award [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0607/S00012.htm

Health: Smokers Hit The Wall On TV Doco

- Reality TV meets health head on with the launch of a new advertising campaign using real smokers trying to quit smoking. The Quit Group’s Video Diaries documentary style campaign follows three smokers as they face the reality of overcoming addiction to nicotine. Executive Director Helen Glasgow says the unscripted campaign is a realistic portrayal of quitting and how hard this is for some smokers. See... Reality TV Health Campaign [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0607/S00008.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00029.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00028.htm

Industrial Action: Rail Passengers To Be Affected

- Tranz Metro is continuing with measures put in place to minimise the effect on passengers of continuing industrial action by ONTRACK track maintenance workers. National Passenger Manager Ross Hayward said ONTRACK maintenance staff would only respond to call outs between 7:30am and 4:00pm weekdays and not at all during weekends. See... Industrial action affects Tranz Metro services [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0607/S00024.htm

Conservation: DOC Has Kermadec Rats In Its Sights

- A major operation to rid a remote Kermadec island of rats was kicked off today by the Department of Conservation. Eradicating kiore or Pacific rat from Macauley Island, 120 km south-west of Raoul Island, will allow threatened seabirds in New Zealand’s most isolated nature reserve to recover. DOC Warkworth Area Manager Rolien Elliot said removing the last introduced animal predators from Macauley would greatly benefit threatened seabirds which breed on the island such as Kermadec little shearwater, grey ternlet and Kermadec storm petrel, as well as endemic plants such as the Kermadec nikau. See... Rats to be eradicated from Kermadec island [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0607/S00014.htm

MORE HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0607/S00006.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0607/S00026.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0607/S00023.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0607/S00013.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0607/S00021.htm

Culture: Models Heads Become Canvasses For Tonsorial Picasso's -

Twenty aspiring New Zealand hairdressers are one step closer to realising their dreams with the announcement today of the finalists in the industry’s most prestigious competition. The 2006 L’Oréal Professionnel Colour Trophy Awards finalists hail from across the country but come together in Auckland in late July to compete in the country’s premiere ‘live’ hairdressing competition. See... Unique competition highlights hairdressing talent [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0607/S00009.htm

Weather: Unpack Your Mittens And Scarf More Chilly Weather Looms

- MetService meteorologists have issued a heavy snow warning for Otago, Canterbury and the Kaikoura Coast areas for Tuesday morning. "Brace for another bite of winter," commented MetService Weather Ambassador, Bob McDavitt. "Strong cold southerly winds are coming. They arrive over Southland and Otago late on Monday and will be working their way northwards along the east coast of the South Island tonight, turning rain to snow there in the early hours on Tuesday." See... Another Bite Of Winter [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0607/S00003.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0607/S00002.htm

France-Oceania Summit Formalises Thawing Of France-Pacific Relations

- The second edition of a France-Oceania summit, held on Monday in the French capital under the chairmanship of French President Jacques Chirac, has been regarded as heralding a new era in the relationships between France, the Pacific islands and two of its largest countries, Australia and New Zealand. With the two regional powers, relations with France had been lukewarm and sometimes tense during the past two decades, mainly due to the French nuclear tests in French Polynesia (which ended in 1996) and in the mid-1980s, the sinking of the Greenpeace flagship the Rainbow Warrior. See... France-Oceania Summit: A Thawing of Relations [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0607/S00075.htm

Australia: Massive Protests Against Government's Industrial Relations Laws

- 300,000 Australian workers took to the streets in a series of nationwide rallies today to protest against the conservative government's new industrial relations laws. The laws impose heavy restrictions on workers' rights to union representation and give employers huge power to determine wages and conditions unilaterally. See... Australia: Protests on industrial relations law [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0607/S00073.htm

MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0607/S00077.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0607/S00057.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0607/S00055.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0607/S00053.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0607/S00049.htm

Election: Matt Pascarella Reports On A Looming Mexican Coup

- Gore vs. Bush. Kerry vs. Bush. Lopez Obrador vs. Calderon. As in Florida in 2000, as in Ohio in 2004, the exit polls show the voters voted for the progressive candidate, but the race is "officially" too close to call. See... Pascarella, Palast: Stealing Mexico In Plain Sight [1] EARLIER: MORE:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00034.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00002.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0606/S00354.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00007.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0606/S00586.htm

American Coup: Bobby Kennedy, Jr. To Sue US Voting Machine Companies

- Since Bobby Kennedy, Jr. and attorney Mike Papantonio have now discussed this out loud on the air on their Ring of Fire radio program (where yours truly will be a guest next Saturday, by the way) and since this week's Rolling Stone references it, we may as well share a few more prevoiusly undisclosed exclusive details about the upcoming federal qui tam (false claims or fraud) lawsuits to be filed against two of the major American electronic voting machine companies. See... RFK Jr Files Fed. Suit Against Voting Machine Cos. [1] RELATED:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00030.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00029.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00025.htm

Gaza: Israel's Restraint Increasingly Hard To Discern

- My friend Hoda , lives next to the ministry of interior building , in Gaza, that was hit last night with 2 rockets ,the attack occurred 2am yesterday, please forgive me about the accuracy , l am starting to lose track of days and nights , and how many times we were attacked , hoda told me that the whole building was shaking. Collective Punishment And State Terrorism In Gaza [1] MORE:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00027.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00028.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00035.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00023.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00011.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00016.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00015.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00014.htm

MORE SCOOP COMMENT AND OPINION:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00019.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00036.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00018.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00037.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00033.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00017.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00013.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00032.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00031.htm
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00026.htm
[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00024.htm

International Trade: NZ Trade Minister Goff Says DOHA Round Set To Fail

- Trade Minister, Phil Goff says that the Doha Round trade talks are at risk of failure with major players unable to reach agreement on key issues. Mr Goff was speaking from Geneva where he has spent this weekend as one of 32 trade ministers invited to participate in ‘Green Room’ talks. “The Director-General of the WTO, Pascal Lamy, has declared that the talks face a crisis, with the Unites States, European Union and the big developing countries unable to agree on key issues. Unless the key parties can find a way around the stalemate, the time left to complete the round before the expiry of the Trade Promotion Authority will run out," Mr Goff said. See... Doha Trade Talks Face Crisis [1] MORE TRADE NEWS:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00014.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00024.htm

Legislation: Immigration Act Review Submissions Counted

- About 1500 individuals and organisations made submissions on the Labour-led government's Immigration Act Review discussion paper. "My aim is to have a bill ready to be introduced to Parliament by April 2007… This review aims to simplify and streamline the law to facilitate the entry of those migrants we want, and to enhance border security and tighten the law against those we don't want in New Zealand," Immigration Minister David Cunliffe said. See... 1500 submissions on Immigration Act review [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00020.htm

Foreign Affairs: Peters Welcomes EU Aid To Timor

- Foreign Minister Winston Peters is welcoming the European Union's announcement that it is giving three million Euros in immediate humanitarian aid to Timor Leste. The news follows a breakfast meeting in Paris where Mr Peters briefed EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel on the situation in Timor Leste, where 150,000 people have been made homeless due to violence and the indiscriminate burning of houses by local gangs. See... Peters welcomes EU aid to Timor Leste [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00003.htm

Legislation: Govt Kicks Back At Mapp Bill

- Labour Minister Ruth Dyson welcomes the admission by the Employers and Manufacturers Association that Wayne Mapp's Probationary Period Bill is redundant. She is commenting on the statement from the Employers and Manufacturers Association that the proposed three-month probationary period for new employees would not be mandatory and would not occur unless both employer and employee chose to opt in. See... 90 Day Probationary Bill proved redundant - again [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00005.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0607/S00006.htm

MORE POLITICAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00034.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00026.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00024.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00020.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00018.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00016.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00043.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00025.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00023.htm
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00027.htm
[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00022.htm
[12] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00032.htm
[13] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00021.htm
[14] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00031.htm
[15] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00019.htm
[16] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00017.htm
[17] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00033.htm
[18] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0607/S00015.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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