Scoop Top Stories For May 24, 2010 News Summary

Monday, 24 May 2010, 7:35 pm
Article: The Scoop Editor

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LEAD STORY

A Word Fom Afar - Dissecting North Korean Madness

NZ POLITICS

Budget 2010: $4.8 Million For... Who?

Interesting Moves: Labour Calls Nats On ETS Power Prices

Schedule 4 Mining: More International Concern

Budget: Scoop Coverage And Reaction

Tobacco Inquiry: Maori Select Committee Told Of Need To End Tobacco

BUSINESS SCIENCE & TECH

Scoop Coverage: Budget 2010

Economy: Jobs Decline In Year Ended March 2009

Marginal Parties & Marginal Rates: Smellie Sniffs The Breeze:How Labour Might Respond

Working Artificial DNA: Experts On Synthetic Biology Breakthrough

Scoop Business: NZ Tax Overhaul Set To Fuel Inflation Spike

Environment And Conservation: Road Death Of A Fantastic Father Blow To Kiwi

Scoop Business: NZ Still In The Top 20, But Only Just: IMD

COMMENT

The Triumph of Irrelevance: The Kagan Appointment

The ‘Unfortunate’ Act: The Sinking of the Cheonan

The "Black Jail": Obama's Afghan Torture Center and the APA

Richard S. Ehrlich: Bangkok Burns After the Army Crushes the Reds' Barricades

Gordon Campbell: The Trade-Offs In The Budget

Martha Rosenberg: US Govt Report Finds Dangerous Residues In Meat

LIFESTYLE

Farr Feat. Shakespeare: NZSO To Perform World Premiere Of Original Drama

Young People These Days: Youth Week 2010

Books: Old Hu-Hu Takes Out Top Kids' Literature Prize

LULZ: Rhys Mathewson Youngest Ever Billy T Winner

WORLD

A Word Fom Afar - Dissecting North Korean Madness
More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1005/S00194.htm

ALSO:

• Minority Report: Auckland Super City [2]


• Business associations to be governed by residents [3]


• Changes to SuperCity Bill reassuring [4]


• Corporate takeover of Auckland confirmed [5]


• Measures to Strengthen CCO Control Welcomed [6]


• New Auckland Bill – They Listened Says LGNZ [7]


• Bunny Favoured Over Banks For Super Mayor [8]

[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1005/S00390.htm [2]

[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1005/S00730.htm [3]

[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1005/S00269.htm [4]

[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1005/S00202.htm [5]

[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1005/S00733.htm [6]

[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1005/S00272.htm [7]

[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1005/S00246.htm [8]

Budget 2010: $4.8 Million For... Who?
New funding announced by the government will help to focus attention on priorities for Pacific people, says the head of the Pacific Economic Development Agency, JR Pereira. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1005/S00268.htm

ALSO:

• NZ Budget 2010 Pacific: Who is Pacific Economic Development Agency Ltd? [2]


• Pacific Radio Host Questions MP on Pacific Economic Development ‘Agency’ [3]

[2] - http://pacificeyewitness.com/2010/05/21/nz-budget-2010-pacific-who-is-pacific-economic-development-agency-ltd/" target="_blank [2]

[3] - http://pacificeyewitness.com/2010/05/21/pacific-political-commentator-questions-national-mp-on-pacific-economic-development-agency/" target="_blank [3]

Interesting Moves: Labour Calls Nats On ETS Power Prices
Prime Minister John Key's admission on television this morning that National’s ETS will add 5 per cent to household power bills on July 1 will pile even more pressure on family incomes, Labour’s Energy spokesperson Charles Chauvel says. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1005/S00392.htm

Schedule 4 Mining: More International Concern
Proposals to allow mining in specially protected areas are contrary to the philosophy and intent of protected areas legislation, and the ethic of New Zealanders, says the New Zealand Committee of IUCN. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1005/S00247.htm

ALSO:

• Taxpayers subsidise climate vandalism [2]


• NZers want higher mining royalties, tax [3]


• Overwhelming Case Against Gold Mining [4]


• NZ Prehistoric frogs face extinction [5]


• Tourism industry urges care over mining effects [6]


• English’s cunning plan: Get Mum and Dad investors to fund tax cuts [7]


• Q+A’s Paul Holmes Interviews Maurice Williamson [8]


• Panel Discussions Led By Paul Holmes [9]


• Poll: support for Budget capital investment plans [10]


• Twice as many approve of Budget than disapprove [11]


• Budget 2010 [12]

[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1005/S00385.htm [2]

[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1005/S00262.htm [3]

[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1005/S00258.htm [4]

[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1005/S00382.htm [5]

[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1005/S00669.htm [6]

[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1005/S00396.htm [7]

[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1005/S00251.htm [8]

[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1005/S00252.htm [9]

[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1005/S00264.htm [10]

[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1005/S00263.htm [11]

[12] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/features/budget2010.html [12]

Budget: Scoop Coverage And Reaction
Grodon Campbell: Raising the level of GST – which will hit those on low incomes the hardest – and offering in compensation a package of tax cuts that will reward those on high incomes the most, is a very strange definition of fairness. Yet fairness and virtue have been central to the spin on Budget 2010. More »[1]

[1] - http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2010/05/21/gordon-campbell-on-the-trade-offs-in-the-budget/

ALSO:

• Effective Social Policy Forum essential [2]

[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1005/S00235.htm [2]

Tobacco Inquiry: Maori Select Committee Told Of Need To End Tobacco
Public health researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington have called for a clear Government plan to totally phase-out commercial tobacco sales in New Zealand by 2020. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1005/S00095.htm

Scoop Coverage: Budget 2010
More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/features/budget2010.html

ALSO:

• Govt risks broadband and operational separation [2]


• Telecom NZ mulls structural separation [3]


• Telecom rating at risk with separation, says S&P [4]


• Budget funds fast broadband for faster growth [5]


• Poll: support for Budget capital investment plans [6]


• Important and puzzling questions on broadband [7]

[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1005/S00399.htm [2]

[3] - http://business.scoop.co.nz/2010/05/24/telecom-nz-mulls-structural-separation/ [3]

[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1005/S00735.htm [4]

[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1005/S00312.htm [5]

[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1005/S00264.htm [6]

[7] - http://blog.labour.org.nz/index.php/2010/05/24/important-and-puzzling-questions-on-broadband/" target="_blank [7]

Economy: Jobs Decline In Year Ended March 2009
Seasonally adjusted filled jobs declined 1.5 percent in the year ended March 2009, Statistics New Zealand said today. This is the first release of seasonally adjusted linked employer-employee data (LEED). More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1005/S00716.htm

Marginal Parties & Marginal Rates: Smellie Sniffs The Breeze:How Labour Might Respond
Remarkable in the tidal wave of approval for Bill English’s second Budget is the irrelevance of the Opposition Labour Party. More »[1]

[1] - http://business.scoop.co.nz/2010/05/21/smellie-sniffs-the-breezehow-labour-might-respond/

ALSO:

• Tourism industry urges care over mining effects [2]

[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1005/S00669.htm [2]

Working Artificial DNA: Experts On Synthetic Biology Breakthrough
Scientists have for the first time created ’synthetic cells’ that can survive and reproduce on their own. A team lead by Dr Craig Venter published their results in the journal Science today. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC1005/S00051.htm

Scoop Business: NZ Tax Overhaul Set To Fuel Inflation Spike
Inflation is set to spike higher than economists had predicted as a result of the increase in goods and services tax and other levies and imposts, adding to expectations the central bank will begin hiking interest rates at its next meeting on June 10. More »[1]

[1] - http://business.scoop.co.nz/2010/05/21/nz-tax-overhaul-set-to-fuel-inflation-spike/

ALSO:

• Kiwi slides as Europe fears overshadow Budget [2]


• Full Scoop Coverage: Budget 2010 [3]

[2] - http://business.scoop.co.nz/2010/05/21/kiwi-slides-as-europe-fears-overshadow-budget/ [2]

[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/features/budget2010.html [3]

Environment And Conservation: Road Death Of A Fantastic Father Blow To Kiwi
Cee Cee, one of the best-known rowi kiwi, was found dead on the side of Ökärito Road on May 13. As a highly successful breeding male, his death has come as a huge blow to the critically endangered kiwi species. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC1005/S00047.htm

Scoop Business: NZ Still In The Top 20, But Only Just: IMD
Weak capital markets, management skills, and export performance are the biggest factors behind New Zealand’s slide five places down the rankings on the IMD World Competitiveness Index, released tonight, on the eve of the John Key-led government’s second Budget. More »[1]

[1] - http://business.scoop.co.nz/2010/05/20/nz-still-in-the-top-20-but-only-just-imd/

ALSO:

• Competitiveness decline is concerning [2]

[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1005/S00613.htm [2]

The Triumph of Irrelevance: The Kagan Appointment

The Obama administration is making every concerted effort to keep its domestic agenda interesting and perplexing. The decision to make Elena Kagan a Supreme Court appointee has been baffling. Lacking judicial experience, and a legal record itself so thin ... More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1005/S00181.htm

The ‘Unfortunate’ Act: The Sinking of the Cheonan
North Korea, the last hereditary communist dictatorship on earth, is keeping itself in the news. The recent act of torpedoing a South Korean vessel that left 46 sailors dead has struck the country, and regional powers, deeply. The sinking of the Cheonan... More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1005/S00177.htm

The "Black Jail": Obama's Afghan Torture Center and the APA
A recent pair of articles by Marc Ambinder of the Atlantic has shed new light upon activities in the secret so-called “black jail” on the Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Among other aspects, these new revelations suggest that psychologists may be playing ... More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1005/S00180.htm

Richard S. Ehrlich: Bangkok Burns After the Army Crushes the Reds' Barricades
BANGKOK, Thailand -- Red Shirt protesters allegedly set fire to 40 buildings including luxury shopping malls, banks, the Stock Exchange and offices, after losing their stronghold when soldiers used armored personnel carriers to crush their barricades, ... More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1005/S00172.htm

Gordon Campbell: The Trade-Offs In The Budget
Raising the level of GST – which will hit those on low incomes the hardest – and offering in compensation a package of tax cuts that will reward those on high incomes the most, is a very strange definition of fairness. Yet fairness and virtue have... More »[1]

[1] - http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2010/05/21/gordon-campbell-on-the-trade-offs-in-the-budget/

ALSO:

• It’s The Economy, But Stupid: Bizarre Budget PR [2]


• Sludge Report #192: The Naked Budget [3]


• An unusually successful Budget [4]


• John Key’s Shifting Rationales For Tax Cuts [5]


• Scoop Satire: Sweeping Taxonomy Changes For Budget [6]


• Budget 2010: Full announcements and reaction [7]

[2] - http://mediadarlings.net/2010/05/20/its-the-economy-but-stupid-bizarre-budget-pr/" target="_blank [2]

[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1005/S00161.htm [3]

[4] - http://business.scoop.co.nz/2010/05/20/smellie-briefly-sniffs-a-successful-budget/ [4]

[5] - http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2010/05/18/gordon-campbell-shifting-rationales-for-tax-cuts/ [5]

[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1005/S00152.htm [6]

[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/features/budget2010.html [7]

Martha Rosenberg: US Govt Report Finds Dangerous Residues In Meat
Many food consumers worry about pathogens like E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria in their meat. But according to a new government report, they should worry more about veterinary drugs, pesticides and heavy metals in their food. A new Office of Inspector ... More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1005/S00168.htm

Farr Feat. Shakespeare: NZSO To Perform World Premiere Of Original Drama
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra will bring William Shakespeare’s mysterious sonnets to musical life in June, with the world premiere of a fully-orchestrated original drama composed by Gareth Farr. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1005/S00251.htm

ALSO:

• This year's Bluff oysters the best yet [2]

[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/multimedia/tv/business/36512.html [2]

Young People These Days: Youth Week 2010
From Te Kao in the Far North, to Invercargill in the Deep South – this week thousands of young New Zealanders are heading out into their communities to celebrate Youth Week 2010. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1005/S00247.htm

ALSO:

• Seniors urged to support Youth Week [2]


• Youth Week Reminder To Celebrate Young People [3]


• Momentum building for Youth Week [4]


• IHC a keen supporter of Youth Week [5]


• Young White Ribbon Ambassador leads the way [6]

[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1005/S00358.htm [2]

[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1005/S00373.htm [3]

[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1005/S00232.htm [4]

[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1005/S00119.htm [5]

[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1005/S00259.htm [6]

Books: Old Hu-Hu Takes Out Top Kids' Literature Prize
Central Otago writer, Kyle Mewburn and Wellington illustrator, Rachel Driscoll have won the country’s highest accolade in children’s literature, the New Zealand Post Children’s Book of the Year Award for their picture book, Old Hu-Hu. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1005/S00220.htm

LULZ: Rhys Mathewson Youngest Ever Billy T Winner
Rhys Mathewson capped off an incredible NZ International Comedy Festival by picking up this country’s most prestigious comedy award at last night’s star studded Last Laugh ... More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1005/S00185.htm

ENDS

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