Top Scoop Stories December 10th, 2009 News Summary
LEAD STORY
Of Interest: The Official Cash Rate Unchanged At 2.5%
Technology: Minister Inspects Hi-Tech Police Vehicles
Scoop Full Coverage: Copenhagen Negotiations (And NZ's ETS)
Not Pictured: Ministerial Car Law Was Broken
Electricity: Brownlee Endorses Reforms, Gives Meridian Oil Plant
The Ice: Antarctic Treaty Meeting Of Experts In Wellington
$500,000 Fine: Telecom's Bands Were Not Broad Enough
Environment: Factory Dairy Farming Arrives In New Zealand
Dairy: Call For Fonterra To Keep More Money
Gordon Campbell: Risk Free Tax!
Binoy Kampmark: The Conviction of ‘Foxy Knoxy’
Gordon Campbell: China’s Role In Our Problems With P
Stateside With Rosalea: Stop! Water Thief!
The Celebration Went Unnoticed: A Major Leftist Win in Uruguay
The "Ethical Interrogation": The Myth of Michael Gelles and the al-Qahtani Interrogation
Anyone for table-tennis? A double fault for the Cuban Five...
The Height of Kitsch: Germany’s love for Israel
King Of Cajun: Dr John To Play Auckland in April
Film Review: None Too Precious
World Environment: Future Of Humanity Hinges On Conference, Ban Says
Global Trade: Tough Times Ahead For Shipping Industry
Ban Ki-Moon: Efforts To Thwart Rebels In Eastern DR Congo
Humanitarianism: Nearly 5 Million Ethiopians Will Need Food Aid
Hindu Culture: Europe & USA: “Bed Of Nails” Fad
Black Market: New DVD Copyright Law Hits Consumers
Misleading: State Department's "Background Notes" On Indonesia
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LEAD STORY
------------Of
Interest: The Official Cash Rate Unchanged At
2.5%
Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard said:
"The New Zealand economy continues to recover but there
remains considerable uncertainty about the durability of the
expansion."Global activity has continued to rebound. Most
obviously, activity in Australia, China and emerging Asia
continues to increase and solid growth is expected over the
next few years." More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0912/S00231.htm
ALSO:
- Tax reform and fiscal restraint key, says Bollard [2]
- NZ Dollar jumps on Bollard hint of early rate hike [3]
- Bollard keeps interest rates low...for now [4]
[2] - http://business.scoop.co.nz/2009/12/10/tax-reform-and-fiscal-restraint-key-says-bollard/ [2]
[3] - http://business.scoop.co.nz/2009/12/10/nz-dollar-jumps-on-bollard-hint-of-early-rate-hike/ [3]
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/multimedia/tv/business/30459.html [4]
NZ POLITICS
------------ALSO:
- Questions and Answers - 9 Dec 2009 [2]
- Today In Parliament 10.12.09 [3]
- Questions and Answers - 8 Dec 2009 [4]
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0912/S00144.htm [2]
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0912/S00091.htm [3]
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0912/S00118.htm [4]
Technology:
Minister Inspects Hi-Tech Police Vehicles
A range
of hi-tech Police vehicles, which are being put into
frontline service, will give Police the edge over criminals,
Police Minister Judith Collins said. More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0912/S00164.htm
ALSO:
- Ministers_Itinerary.pdf [2]
- Rodney Hide gets it wrong [3]
- NZ should insist Indo backs justice for Balibo 5 [4]
[2] - http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/0912/Ministers_Itinerary.pdf" target="_blank [2]
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0912/S00136.htm [3]
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0912/S00108.htm [4]
Scoop
Full Coverage: Copenhagen Negotiations (And NZ's
ETS)
Form a worldwide editorial: Unless we
combine to take decisive action, climate change will ravage
our planet, and with it our prosperity and security. More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0911/S00181.htm
ALSO:
- Copenhagen – is this draft document the real deal? [2]
- Trade and Climate Change: Negotiator's Perspective [3]
- Copenhagen needs bold, fair and binding commitment [4]
- PM going to Copenhagen to freeride [5]
- Gull discounts biofuel to mark Copenhagen [6]
- NZ scientists among 141 who challenge UN [7]
- 9 December update - Highlights from Copenhagen [8]
- Oxfam boss writes from Copenhagen [9]
- Natural Solutions To Climate Change Crisis [10]
- Future Of Humanity Hinges On Conference, Ban Says [11]
- Guardian Link: Summit disarray after 'Danish Text' [12]
[2] - http://pacific.scoop.co.nz/2009/12/copenhagen-is-this-draft-document-the-real-deal/ [2]
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0912/S00149.htm [3]
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0912/S00123.htm [4]
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0912/S00160.htm [5]
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0912/S00226.htm [6]
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0912/S00111.htm [7]
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0912/S00026.htm [8]
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00219.htm [9]
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00214.htm [10]
[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00177.htm [11]
[12] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0912/S00084.htm [12]
Not
Pictured: Ministerial Car Law Was
Broken
Questioned in Parliament today the Prime
Minister confirmed that Mr English had use of the car before
May 26th, the date that regulations were changed to allow
him to use it in Wellington even though he claims his
primary place of residence is Dipton. More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0912/S00108.htm
BUSINESS SCIENCE & TECH
------------Electricity:
Brownlee Endorses Reforms, Gives Meridian Oil
Plant
Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee has adopted
almost every major recommendation of the Electricity
Technical Advisory Group, in a package of reforms for the
electricity market that he describes as “putting the boot
back on the consumer’s foot”. More
»[1]
[1] - http://business.scoop.co.nz/2009/12/09/brownlee-makes-major-electricity-market-shake-up/
ALSO:
- Energy sector transformation to benefit consumers [2]
- National must cut Kiwi power bills [3]
- Meridian Studying Implications Of Transfer [4]
- Meridian suspends Renewable Energy Notes [5]
- Government announcement on the electricity market [6]
- Electricity reforms for the better [7]
- Older people need support, not ads [8]
- Farmers applaud bold electricity reform [9]
- Brownlee's energy reform 'may lead to higher prices' [10]
- Anti-environmentalist spite [11]
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0912/S00125.htm [2]
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0912/S00131.htm [3]
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0912/S00220.htm [4]
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0912/S00225.htm [5]
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0912/S00224.htm [6]
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0912/S00222.htm [7]
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0912/S00126.htm [8]
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0912/S00244.htm [9]
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/multimedia/tv/business/30460.html [10]
[11] - http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2009/12/anti-environmentalist-spite.html" target="_blank [11]
The
Ice: Antarctic Treaty Meeting Of Experts In
Wellington
Around 80 delegates will be attending
the meeting which will examine issues surrounding ship-borne
tourism in the Antarctic Treaty Area. More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0912/S00112.htm
ALSO:
- Speech: McCully - avoid an Antarctic disaster [2]
- Delegates work to make Antarctica safe for tourists [3]
- Most businesses freeze wages; hopes to hire in '10 [4]
- Total manufacturing down, industry activity mixed [5]
- Residential building volume falls 40% in 2 yrs [6]
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0912/S00142.htm [2]
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/multimedia/tv/lifestyle/30430.html [3]
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0912/S00168.htm [4]
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0912/S00185.htm [5]
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0912/S00184.htm [6]
$500,000
Fine: Telecom's Bands Were Not Broad
Enough
Telecom New Zealand Limited has pleaded
guilty to 17 charges of breaching the Fair Trading Act over
claims made in 2006 when promoting Xtra’s Go Large
broadband plan. Telecom has been fined $500,000 in the
Auckland District Court today. More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0912/S00151.htm
Environment:
Factory Dairy Farming Arrives In New Zealand
New
Zealand is on the brink of introducing factory farming of
dairy cows, the Green Party said today. Consent applications
were recently lodged with Environment Canterbury for
factory-style dairy farms in the Mackenzie Basin. More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0912/S00079.htm
ALSO:
- The future of dairy farming? [2]
- Cubicle farming opposed by PM and Fonterra [3]
- Johnny Rotten invited to visit NZ free-range cows [4]
- Burger Tycoon online game [5]
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0912/S00172.htm [2]
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/multimedia/tv/business/30363.html [3]
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0905/S00448.htm [4]
[5] - http://www.addictinggames.com/burgertycoon.html" target="_blank [5]
Dairy:
Call For Fonterra To Keep More Money
Federated
Farmers welcomes Fonterra’s announcement of an annual
retention but believes the amount retained by the
cooperative is far too small. More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0912/S00136.htm
COMMENT
------------Gordon
Campbell: Risk Free Tax!
On current
indications the Buckle Tax review will provide the final
draft of their recommendations to the government just before
Christmas – to enable it to digest the content – and
then release the document to the public during the... More
»[1]
[1] - http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2009/12/09/gordon-campbell-risk-free-tax/
Binoy
Kampmark: The Conviction of ‘Foxy Knoxy’
It has been a sordid tale, enrapturing audiences in Italy
and globally. The murder of 21-year-old British student
Meredith Kercher, who was found with her throat slit in her
Perugia apartment in November 2007 after being sexually
assaulted, continues... More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0912/S00085.htm
ALSO:
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/multimedia/tv/world/30205.html [2]
Gordon
Campbell: China’s Role In Our Problems With
P
Media coverage of the battle against P has
tended to focus on the role of Maori gangs in the P trade.
Yet most of the intercepts of the pseudoephedrine precursor
to P that were being touted by John Key at his press
conference yesterday... More
»[1]
[1] - http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2009/12/08/gordon-campbell-china-and-our-problems-with-p/
ALSO:
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0912/S00066.htm [2]
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0912/S00069.htm [3]
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0912/S00069.htm [4]
Stateside
With Rosalea: Stop! Water Thief!
When
California’s Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, travels to
Copenhagen this week to participate in Subnational Day at
the UN Climate Change Conference, he and his support staff
may be doing so at the expense of a wealthy business owner
who contributes... More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0912/S00062.htm
ALSO:
- Dave McArthur: Imagineer [2]
- Gareth Morgan and John McCrystal: Low Carbon Future? Bah! Humbug! [3]
- Climate Defence Network: The Age Of Smart [4]
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0911/S00334.htm [2]
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0911/S00280.htm [3]
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0911/S00279.htm [4]
The Celebration Went Unnoticed: A Major Leftist Win in
Uruguay
Uruguay's left wing political coalition,
the Broad Front party ( Frente Amplio ), retained control of
the presidency in the November elections. This wasn't just
any election. More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0912/S00063.htm
The
"Ethical Interrogation": The Myth of Michael Gelles and
the al-Qahtani Interrogation
Several public
accounts of abusive interrogations at Guantanamo have
praised psychologist Dr. Michael Gelles for his opposition
to these abuses. Similarly, the American Psychological
Association (APA) has repeatedly pointed to actions of Dr.
Gelles to instantiate... More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0912/S00073.htm
Anyone
for table-tennis? A double fault for the Cuban
Five...
Tomorrow Fernando Gonzalez and Ramon
Labanino will grace the Miami court with their presence once
again - for yet another re-sentencing by a judge more
renowned for her grotesquely inconsistent rulings than for
the administration of justice. More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0912/S00072.htm
The Height of Kitsch: Germany’s love for
Israel
IT WOULD have been the epitome of
political kitsch. Binyamin Netanyahu and ten of his
ministers were to hold a joint meeting with Angela Merkel
and ten members of the German cabinet. What for? To
demonstrate Germany’s love for Israel... More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0912/S00053.htm
LIFESTYLE
------------
King Of Cajun: Dr John To Play Auckland in
April
There’s no other New Orleans musician
operating today who is as great as Dr John, pure and simple.
Best of all, the man has a real fire in his belly again,
proven by the new Dr John and the Lower 911’s album City
That Care Forgot, which deals with various aspects of
post-Katrina New Orleans outrage. More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0912/S00133.htm
Film
Review: None Too Precious
What is one to
make of this extraordinarily gritty, brutal film by Lee
Daniels? An obese 16-year-old girl from Harlem is cooking
for her abusive, welfare-addicted mother in a room that
rarely sees the light of day. The mother hurls an object at
... More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0912/S00075.htm
Chapman
Tripps: DarWin!
The winners of the 18th
annual Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards were named last night,
with Auckland-based Wellingtonian Arthur Meek scooping the
major prizes for his production Collapsing Creation.
More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0912/S00091.htm
ALSO:
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0911/S00098.htm [2]
WORLD
------------World
Environment: Future Of Humanity Hinges On Conference,
Ban Says
The outcome of the historic United
Nations climate change conference under way in Copenhagen
will have reverberations for the future of humanity and the
planet, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today. More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00177.htm
ALSO:
- Oxfam: The Price Of Success In Copenhagen [2]
- Causes of Climate Change not 'Settled' [3]
- Climategate Used to Settle 'Vendetta,' says Mann [4]
- Bombshell UN Documents Outline Climategate [5]
- Copenhagen And The Quest For Climate Justice [6]
- Climate Change Conference Kicks Off In Copenhagen [7]
- Ambitious International Climate Change Deal [8]
- Obama Decision To Attend Copenhagen [9]
- Statement On Climate Change Conference [10]
- Protecting The Planet On International Day [11]
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00117.htm [2]
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00150.htm [3]
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00145.htm [4]
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00208.htm [5]
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00146.htm [6]
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00125.htm [7]
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00113.htm [8]
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00087.htm [9]
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00086.htm [10]
[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00085.htm [11]
Global
Trade: Tough Times Ahead For Shipping
Industry
Around 80 per cent of global trade is
transported by sea but challenging times are ahead for the
shipping industry, which is faced with a surge in the supply
of vessels and tumbling freight rates amid the economic
crisis More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00178.htm
Ban
Ki-Moon: Efforts To Thwart Rebels In Eastern DR
Congo
Progress in bringing stability to the
war-wracked east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(DRC) is mixed, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in a new
report. More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00183.htm
Humanitarianism:
Nearly 5 Million Ethiopians Will Need Food
Aid
Some 4.8 million Ethiopians will require
emergency food and related aid costing $270 million for the
first six months of 2010 in a country already plagued by
prolonged drought and crop failure. More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00161.htm
Hindu
Culture: Europe & USA: “Bed Of Nails”
Fad
Based on the “bed of nails” used by
ancient Hindu yogis; a new cure-all “nail mat” fad has
inundated Europe, USA and the West; which fans are using for
“mental and physical renewal”. More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00158.htm
Black
Market: New DVD Copyright Law Hits
Consumers
With a new copyright law virtually
putting an end to the pirate DVD business in Fiji, consumers
now have to pay more to rent original DVDs. People that
Wansolwara spoke to said that the price of renting DVDs was
too high. More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00165.htm
Misleading:
State Department's "Background Notes" On
Indonesia
The U.S. Department of State in October
published the latest in its series of ''Background Notes''
regarding Indonesia. (
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2748.htm ) The periodic
series provides a useful overview of the history, culture,
geography, economy and government. More
»[1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00147.htm
ENDS