TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS
Scoop Is In The House
LEAD STORY:
Special Report: Is The SIS Performing Below Par But Beyond Reach?
US GM Testing Laboratory Loses MAF Accreditation
MORE NEW ZEALAND HEADLINES:
Seven Former Warsaw Pact Countries Enter NATO
INTERNATIONAL NEWS HEADLINES
STORY OF THE WEEK: Look! No Power Shortages Here – Hodgson
SCOOP COLUMNS:
Scoop's Kevin List Attends The Prime Minister's Presser
Sheila Samples Chats With God About Child Killers
Neville Bennett: Commodity Prices Raise Inflation Fears
Public Address: Hard News And More Is There!
Stephen Crockett & Al Lawrence On Richard Clarke
Doug Giebel: How Bush Administration Policy Was Made
Cartoons by John Chuckman….
Between The Lines: In Afghanistan
Between The Lines: The Second Superpower Is On The Move
Daily Katya Rivas Meditations
OTHER NEWS (Just Politics)
Wilson Introduces Bill To Assist Police Rape Inquiry
Mountains Of Cash For Auckland Roads
NZ And European Union To Strengthen Ties
RMA Review Yet Another U-Turn
United Spots Red Ink In School Balance Sheets
Jim Finds Gold For Kiwi Achievers
Minister Covering Up For Family Court – Collins
Copeland Welcomes Long Awaited Charities Bill
Muriel Newman Welcomes CEG Grant Crackdown
Trans-Tasman Therapeutic Products Agency 2 Steps Closer
Parliament Given Chance To Ratify RBNZ Changes
TO CHANGE MY SCOOP OPTIONS OR UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS LIST
IF YOU HAVE LOST YOUR PASSWORD
...TODAY'S PHOTO STORY...
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/CU0403/S00167.htm
Potter Len Castle Honoured
-----------
TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS------------
Scoop Is In The House
– For today’s questions for oral answer see... Questions for Oral Answer - Tuesday, 30 March [1] . Come back this evening for the uncorrected transcript of the answers.
LEAD STORY:
Special Report: Is The SIS Performing Below Par But Beyond Reach?
- In an interview with the Listener , the Inspector General of Intelligence and Security suggested new blood at the top
of the SIS would “put the SIS back on its toes”. Is this a revelation that the SIS indeed is incompetent but currently
unable to be tested? Selwyn Manning reports. See... Should Greig Go To Put SIS Back On Its Toes? [1]
US GM Testing Laboratory Loses MAF Accreditation
- The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) today announced that it had suspended its accreditation of US GM
testing laboratory Biogenetic Services Ltd. An audit of this laboratory identified a number of issues that must be
resolved. See... MAF suspends US GM testing laboratory [1]
MORE NEW ZEALAND HEADLINES:
Google Site Enhancements Emphasize Efficiency [1] Web defacement - could you be next? [2] Highlanders’ home advantage dented in S12 ratings [3] Alexander calls on business to back Cassino vets [4] Cheap discs being imported [5] Top young athletes win sport scholarships [6] Rialto Movie of the Week: Pieces Of April [7]
Seven Former Warsaw Pact Countries Enter NATO
- On 29 March, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia formally became members of NATO by
depositing their instruments of accession with the United States Government. See... Seven Former Warsaw Pact Nations Join NATO [1] ALSO: Powell Welcomes 7 East European Members to NATO [2]
INTERNATIONAL NEWS HEADLINES
UNICEF mourns death of Sir Peter Ustinov [1] Probe Reveals UN Security Failures In Iraq [2] Afghan Farmers Dissuaded From Opium Crop [3] Reports Of Ethnic Cleansing In Sudan [4] The Last Man On Manus Island [5]
STORY OF THE WEEK: Look! No Power Shortages Here – Hodgson
- Substantial new electricity generation will be added to New Zealand's electricity system over the next few years,
says Energy Minister Pete Hodgson. See... New electricity generation coming on [1] MORE: - Greens - Smarter energy use is the first priority [2] - ACT - Shh...Don't Tell Hodgson: Methane Gas On Mars! [3] - NZ First - Project Aqua Rethink Demands Government Rethink [4] - Jim Sutton - Water allocation issues still to be sorted out [5] - David Parker - Project Aqua decision: RMA process fair [6] - Greens - See... Greens Delighted At The Fall Of Aqua [7] - ACT - Project Aqua Shows Government All Wet [8] - United Future - Copeland: Aqua Decision Body Blow To Economy [9] - Contact - Cancellation Of Project Aqua – Contact Energy [10] Click here for more STORY OF THE WEEK coverage. [11]
SCOOP COLUMNS:
Scoop's Kevin List Attends The Prime Minister's Presser
- Yesterday's weekly Prime Ministerial press conference got off to a tepid start as Helen Clark reeled off a list of
upcoming legislation concerning income tax and road safety. See... PM's Presser: Passports, Refugees & Pulling Plugs [1]
Sheila Samples Chats With God About Child Killers
- The Las Vegas Sun is reporting today that the new Hamas leader, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, just announced that God has
declared war against Bush and Ariel Sharon. See... Sheila Samples: With All Due Respect... [1]
Neville Bennett: Commodity Prices Raise Inflation Fears
- The global market place is sending a series of contradictory messages. On the one hand, commodity prices have risen
amazingly but Wall Street is looking bewildered and running out of gas. See... 1970’s revisited? Running out of gas? [1]
Public Address: Hard News And More Is There!
- The irony of the Herald's lavish front-page treatment yesterday of Bic Runga's "controversial" comments to the
Belfast Telegraph about New Zealand race relations is that it left out the good stuff. See... Public Address 30/03/04 - There Is No Depression [1]
Stephen Crockett & Al Lawrence On Richard Clarke
- The recent controversy swirling around the Bush White House, the 9-11 Commission and the Richard Clarke book, Against
All Enemies has been very enlightening. See... The Bush Admin. and 9-11: Open Eyes Required [1]
Doug Giebel: How Bush Administration Policy Was Made
- In this best of all possible political worlds, might and money triumph over adversity. Until the dramatically
expected appearance of Richard Clarke, Lady Luck was blowing almost daily on the dice of George W. Bush and the
Bushvolk. See... Doug Giebel: Candide in the Wilderness [1]
Cartoons by John Chuckman….
- Richard A. Clarke's Against All Enemies & The White House - Condeleezza Rice Appears Reluctant To Testify To The 911 Commisssion - Under Oath George W. Bush
Lampoons Himself In Front Of Press, Joking About WMDs & Ariel & George Discuss Yassin See... Chuckman Cartoons: Bush, Sharon, Condi & Clarke [1]
Between The Lines: In Afghanistan
- Afghan Women Still Face Repression 2 1/2 Years After the Overthrow of the Fundamentalist Taliban Regime - Interview
with Sima Wali, founder of Refugee Women in Development, conducted by Melinda Tuhus See... Afghan Women Still Face Repression 2.5 Years On [1]
Between The Lines: The Second Superpower Is On The Move
- World Public Opinion Poll Reveals Growing Hostility Toward America and Its Foreign Policy - Interview with Ed Bice,
executive director of People's Opinion Project, conducted by Scott Harris See... World Poll Reveals Growing Hostility Toward USA [1]
Daily Katya Rivas Meditations
- My daughter, you have heard and seen My sufferings, accompany Me till the end and share My pain. See... Katya Rivas: Jesus Pronounces His Last Words [1]
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0403/S00398.htm
Peter Ustinov Dies
-----------
OTHER NEWS (JUST POLITICS)------------
Wilson Introduces Bill To Assist Police Rape Inquiry
- A Bill introduced into Parliament today will allow the Commission of Inquiry into Police Conduct to see files covered
by secrecy provisions in the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) Act. See... PCA Amendment will aid police conduct inquiry [1]
Mountains Of Cash For Auckland Roads
- Cabinet has confirmed a $1.62 billion investment in Auckland's transport system and the establishment of a single
'business-like' transport organisation. See... Auckland transport investment package finalised [1] . See also... Greens and Govt fast-forward Auckland transport [2]
NZ And European Union To Strengthen Ties
- Goff, Patten agree on future NZ-EU cooperation An agreement strengthening relations between New Zealand and the
European Union was launched in Dublin today by Foreign Minister Phil Goff and External Relations Commissioner Chris
Pattern. See... Goff, Patten agree on future NZ-EU cooperation [1]
RMA Review Yet Another U-Turn
- Having spent its four years in office refusing to streamline the Resource Management Act to make it more
user-friendly, the Labour Government is now in a panic and has announced yet another U-turn, ACT New Zealand Deputy
Leader Ken Shirley said today. See... RMA Another Government U-Turn [1]
United Spots Red Ink In School Balance Sheets
- The debt burden being carried by New Zealand schools jumped 50 percent in the most recent five-year period, to a
whopping $33 million, United Future education spokesman Bernie Ogilvy revealed in Parliament today. See... School books awash with $33m worth of red ink [1]
Jim Finds Gold For Kiwi Achievers
- In 2002 a team of New Zealand students working from New Plymouth, won a great achievement - it became the World
Champions of the Enterprise Olympics, but there were no individual gold medals awarded. See... World Champion Students Finally Receive Medals [1]
Minister Covering Up For Family Court – Collins
- By supporting the non-disclosure of statistics relating to serious delays in the Family Court, the Minister of Courts
is showing complete disregard for accountability within the justice system, says National's Judith Collins. See... Disregard for family court accountability [1]
Copeland Welcomes Long Awaited Charities Bill
Gordon Copeland, United Future spokesperson for the charitable and voluntary sector is delighted that the Charities Bill
has, at long last, surfaced in Parliament. See... Charities Bill a long time coming [1]
Muriel Newman Welcomes CEG Grant Crackdown
- Cabinet may have cracked down on the CEG's Social Entrepreneur grants, but it still needs to come clean over what
action it has taken to address the Audit Office's damning criticisms over the Government's allocation of taxpayer-funded
grants, ACT New Zealand Social Welfare Spokesman Dr Muriel Newman said today.. See... Community Grant Crackdown Overdue [1]
Trans-Tasman Therapeutic Products Agency 2 Steps Closer
- The establishment in 2005 of a single, bi-national agency to regulate therapeutic products in New Zealand and
Australia came a step closer today when a trans-Tasman Treaty was presented simultaneously in parliaments of both
countries. See... Trans-Tasman Treaty introduced in both Parliaments [1]
Parliament Given Chance To Ratify RBNZ Changes
- Finance Minister Michael Cullen today tabled in the House a notice of motion to ratify an amendment to the Funding
Agreement between the Reserve Bank and the government. See... Parliament to ratify new RBNZ Funding Agreement [1]
ENDS