TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS
LEAD STORY: Two Kiwi Nurses Evacuated Due To Afghanistan Riots
Govt To Send Two Defence Personnel On Peacekeeping Mission To Darfur
Peters Rejects NZ Herald Article As "Silly"
Govt Encouraged By Wind Energy Report
MORE NEW ZEALAND HEADLINES:
John Howard Announces Tasmania Forest Management Plan
MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:
SCOOP COLUMNS:
Rosalea Barker: The Town Bike, Part 3
Sibel Edmonds: Denied But Not Out
Anne Else: Shades Of Reds Under The Bed
MORE SCOOP COMMENTARY:
OTHER NEWS (Just Politics)
Budget 2005: Paua And Crayfish Poachers Targeted
Parliament's Digital Strategy Launched
Benson-Pope Says No Golden Handshake For NZQA CEO
MORE PARLIAMENT HEADLINES:
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TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS------------
LEAD STORY:
Two Kiwi Nurses Evacuated Due To Afghanistan Riots
Two New Zealand Red Cross nurses have evacuated Jalalabad following rioting in the Afghan city. New Zealand Red Cross operations manager Andrew McKie says Aucklander Wendy Hetrick and Julie Young of Tauranga are both safe in the Afghan Capital, Kabul. Riots are reported to have broken out in protest against the reported desecration of the Koran in Guantanamo Bay. The United Nations diplomatic area was reportedly attacked by about 200 protestors with grenades, Molotov cocktails and stones. See... Red Cross evacuates Kiwi nurses from Jalalabad [1] ALSO: Radio Free Europe: Afghanistan: What Is Fueling The Anti-U.S. Demonstrations? [2] Amnesty report: USA’s "war on terror" detentions [3]
Govt To Send Two Defence Personnel On Peacekeeping Mission To Darfur
- New Zealand will contribute two military observers to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Sudan, Foreign
Minister Phil Goff and Defence Minister Mark Burton announced today. "Our observers will be working alongside personnel
from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Egypt. They will be a distinctive New
Zealand commitment to a high-profile mission aimed a resolving a long-standing conflict that has had tragic humanitarian
consequences," Mr Burton said. See... NZDF observers to join UN mission in Sudan [1]
Peters Rejects NZ Herald Article As "Silly"
- Rt Hon Winston Peters has described a New Zealand Herald article this morning as a silly, orchestrated rumour started
by disaffected members of the National Party and given oxygen by journalists who prefer fiction to fact. See... Peters Rejects “National Stunt” [1] ALSO: Russell Brown - Public Address 16/5 - Nightmare On Molesworth St. [2] Progressive Party - Vote National get Winston Vote NZF get asset sales [3] NZ Herald: Polls give Peters chance as PM by Audrey Young. [4]
Govt Encouraged By Wind Energy Report
- Energy Minister Trevor Mallard says the potential for wind-generated electricity in New Zealand appears to be greater
than previously thought. "Wind energy could supply around 35 per cent of New Zealand’s future peak electricity demand,
according to a study I have released today," Trevor Mallard said. The study, commissioned by the Ministry of Economic
Development (MED) and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) considers how much wind-generated
electricity could technically be integrated into the New Zealand energy supply system. See... Wind energy report released [1] ALSO: Wind Energy Assn - Wind could generate 20% of NZ’s power [2] Greenpeace - Greenpeace welcomes wind energy report [3]
MORE NEW ZEALAND HEADLINES:
Operation Waiheke Update [1] Transpower Decision: Fight Not Over Yet [2] Peace activist will be fondly remembered [3] Women Wait to Wed [4] Qantas Media Awards 2004 - Print Results [5]
John Howard Announces Tasmania Forest Management Plan
- "The Australian Government went to the last election with a commitment to increase reserves of Tasmania's old growth
forests and preserve the jobs of timber and forestry workers. We made a commitment to work with the Tasmanian Government
within the Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) processes and protect the interests of all stakeholders. We made commitments
to invest in the Tasmanian timber industry, and to a $51.8 million package of measures to revitalize the industry, to
provide it with a sustainable future. We committed to ensuring no jobs in the timber and forestry industry would be
lost. We also committed to add 170, 000 hectares of old growth forests to reserves, which would result in over 1 million
hectares held in reserves." See... John Howard: Way Forward For Tasmania’s Forests [1] ALSO: Tasmanian Greens - Dismay: Howard-Lennon Package Abandons Protection [2] Wilderness Society Tasmania: Forest Plan won’t end old-growth logging [3]
MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:
Amnesty report: USA’s "war on terror" detentions [1] EU/ACP Countries Tariff Banana Wars Continue [2] Home Invading Israeli Soldiers Kill Woman [3] ISM Update From Palestine [4] Nepali Ambassador in USA Speech On Nepal [5]
SCOOP COLUMNS:
Rosalea Barker: The Town Bike, Part 3
- There's an ad running on TV here at the moment that features a white version of the black dog that lives at the White
House. You know, one of those scotty terriers from the Black and White whiskey bottle. In the ad, the dog watches its
master messing under the bonnet of a car, realizes something is wrong and runs inside to its mistress. Doggie is
relieved to find that she's already at her computer, on-line to a cash advance website. See... Stateside: Unleashing The Hounds Of 7-Point Type [1]
Sibel Edmonds: Denied But Not Out
- The Appeal Court’s decision on Sibel Edmonds’ Case is out: ‘Case Dismissed;’ no opinion cited; no reason provided.
The Court’s decision, issued on Friday, May 6, has generated a string of obituaries; “another major blow, maybe the last
one, to Sibel Edmonds, a woman who has faced an unprecedented level of government secrecy, gag orders, and
classification.” Well, dear friends and supporters, Sibel Edmonds may be gagged, but she’s not dead. See... UQ Wire: Sibel Edmonds - Gagged, But Not Dead [1]
Anne Else: Shades Of Reds Under The Bed
- John Tamihere’s “trash-talk laddism” (as the Listener editor labelled it) was repulsive, but I didn’t take it
seriously enough to respond in public. This is different. Last week Ian Wishart, Tamihere’s interviewer, and Sandra
Paterson, who gets published in the New Zealand Herald, both wrote articles about how a woman called Kay Goodger and a
pamphlet published in 1974, was, they claimed, linked to women in the Labour government. See... Letter from Elsewhere: Joe McCarthy Lives [1]
MORE SCOOP COMMENTARY:
Jason Leopold - BP Faces Fines Over Unreported Alaskan Oil Spills [1] Sonia Nettnin - Jayyous Gate 25 Closed to Palestinian Farmers [2] Mary Pitt - They Shoot Cats, Don't They [3] Surendra R Devkota - Bargain Between Guns And Democracy In Nepal [4] William Fisher - Whistleblower's Career Over [5] William Blum - Anti-Empire Report, No. 21, 13/5/05 [6] Uri Avnery - Death of a Myth [7]
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OTHER NEWS (JUST POLITICS)------------
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0505/S00178.htm
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0505/S00177.htm
Budget 2005: Paua And Crayfish Poachers Targeted
- $11m crackdown on paua and lobster poachers Creation of new covert Special Tactics team - Poachers and black-market
fishing operations are the target of an $11.6million crackdown over the next four years contained in Budget 2005,
Fisheries Minister David Benson-Pope announced today. This includes $2.9m (GST excl) of operational funding in the
coming year to create a Special Tactics team for covert operations. This will be achieved by employing up to 18 staff in
2005/06 with provision for an additional 4 staff in 2006/07 dedicated to the poaching and black-market initiative.
See... Budget 2005: $11m crackdown on paua poachers [1]
Parliament's Digital Strategy Launched
- The launch of The Digital Strategy at 2.30pm at Parliament today will be streamed live to www.r2.co.nz/20050516 with
the help of Citylink. The Digital Strategy is the government's action plan for ensuring all New Zealanders benefit from
information ... See... Digital Strategy Launch - Webcast Details [1] OTHER DIGITAL ANNOUNCEMENTS: Prime Minister - One stop online access to cultural information [2] Govt - Budget 2005: The Digital Strategy [3]
Benson-Pope Says No Golden Handshake For NZQA CEO
- Associate Education Minister David Benson-Pope says he concurs with the judgment of New Zealand Qualifications
Authority (NZQA) chief executive Karen Van Rooyen that the time is right for her to move on. See... David Benson-Pope on resignation of NZQA CEO [1] ALSO: Nats - Van Rooyen's resignation won't fix NCEA [2] ACT - Did van Rooyen receive a golden handshake? [3]
MORE PARLIAMENT HEADLINES:
Prime Minister - Pakistan President to make historic visit to NZ [1] Govt - Budget 2005: Biz portal to lift business [2] Govt - New IT skills programme to rollout to communities [3] Govt - Australian Budget provides for WET extension to NZ [4] Govt - Kyoto boost for farmers, environment, power users [5] Govt - Research - no easy answers to tackling suicide [6] Govt - Outstanding results in NZ Music Month quiz [7] Govt - Mallard: - Strengthening Community Education [8] Govt - Proposed new transmission line route [9] Govt - Sutton Speech: Int Society of Plant Propagators [10] Nats - Bulk funding: PPTA should be ashamed [11] Nats - Transpower overhead AC 400kV project unacceptable [12] Nats - Brash Speech: A new government and a new direction [13] Nats - V8 resource consent fiasco shows need for reform [14] Greens - Peace activist will be fondly remembered [15] Greens - TransTasman action to save humpbacks [16] Maori Party - Tariana Turia Speech to Muslim Women’s Hui [17] United - Alexander: Blackball has it right on sex offender [18] Progressive - Progressive promotes NZ as events destination [19] Progressives - Hon. Jim Anderton - public forum on drugs [20] ACT - Waiting surgery hopefuls soar to 120,000 [21] ACT - ACT attacks Cullen’s tax cut deceit [22] ACT - ACT's The Letter May 16 2005 [23] ACT - Congratulations to Blackball [24] ACT - ACT welcomes Federated Farmers' call for tax cuts [25] ACT - ACT appoints Campaign Director [26] ACT - Labour ignored advice over Pacific Islanders [27] ACT - $1b more for health – where are extra services? [28] ACT - Newman Online: The Government's 111 disaster [29]