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TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS:
Maori Option: Brash takes on Maori Enrolment
Scoop Audio: The Father Of The Internet Holds A Press Conference
Crime: Crime rate drops slightly
Iraq Hostage: Statement from Harmeet Sooden
Kiwi Culture: Don Brash Enjoys New MP's Shearing Success
MORE HEADLINES:
DR of Congo: Alarming resurgence in recruitment of children
Kenya: A Ton of Coke Incinerated, UN-backed operation
MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:
SCOOP COLUMNS:
Immigration Iniquity Has The World & U.S. In A Froth
Cindy Sheehan Remembers Her Fallen Son
Uri Avnery Reports On The Israeli Election Outcome
A Secret 911 Skeptic Declares Herself
Electronic Voting Flaw Story Seeping Into The Mainstream
MORE SCOOP COMMENT & OPINION:
Katya Rivas's Passion: Serialised For Lent (Part 21)
OTHER NEWS (Just Politics):
POLITICAL NEWSLETTERS & POLLS
Foreign Affars: Wen Jiabao Coming to NZ
Transmission Gully: Wellington Council Report Recommends U-Turn on Highway
MORE POLITICAL HEADLINES:
POLITICAL COLUMNS
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TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS
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Prime Minister Helen Clark today welcomed the announcement that the Queen has approved the appointment of Judge Anand Satyanand to succeed Dame Silvia Cartwright as Governor-General of New Zealand. “Judge Satyanand will bring many personal strengths to the role of Governor-General, including a broad knowledge of the workings of government and the law, as well as a deep appreciation of the different groups and communities which make up contemporary New Zealand. See... Anand Satyanand the next Governor-General [1] ALSO:NZ First - A Smart Choice For 21st Century New Zealand [2] United Future - Dunne welcomes Satyanand appointment [3]
Maori Option: Brash takes on Maori Enrolment
- National Party Leader Don Brash says Labour is endorsing state sanctioned separatism with a multi-million dollar
campaign that ultimately encourages a racially divided electoral model. "National says there is no future for a racially
divided electoral system in New Zealand. All New Zealanders deserve equality before the law and democratic equality."
See... Divided electoral system no way forward [1] ALSO:NZ Govt - Kôwhiringa Pooti Mâori 2006 [2] NZ Govt - Participation key to strong democracy [3] Greens - Maori electoral option should be open all the time [4] Electoral Enrolment Centre - 380,000 Maori Electoral Option Packs In The Mail [5]
Scoop Audio: The Father Of The Internet Holds A Press Conference
- This afternoon ICANN CEO and President Paul Twomey and ICAAN Chairman Dr Vint Cerf - widely regarded as the father of
the Internet - held a press conference at the conclusion of the 25th ICAAN meeting in New Zealand this week. Cerf
described the meeting as "very productive", helped along by New Zealand's natural candour. "We had good bandwidth here,"
said Twomey, "but we're in Wellington." See... Audio and Images: ICANN's Vint Cerf, Paul Twomey [1]
Crime: Crime rate drops slightly
- The total volume of recorded crime in the last calendar year remained at a similar level to 2004, rising 0.3% in the
total number of offences. This equates to a 0.6% reduction per head of population, the Acting Commissioner of Police,
Steve Long, said today. The total number of offences in 2005 was 407,496, compared with 406,232 in 2004 and 442, 489 in
2003. This drops New Zealand's recorded crime rate below the 1,000 offences per 10,000 population mark to 994.2,
compared with 1,000.5 in 2004 and 1,103.7 in 2003. See... Recorded Crime Remains Steady [1] ALSO:NZ Police - Overall Crime Static In City District [2] NZ Govt - Crime statistics steady [3] National - Labour fails again on crime promise [4] ACT - 16 Violent Offences Every Day In Wellington [5] ACT - New Crime Stats Show East Auckland Suffers 5 Violent Crimes A Day [6]
Iraq Hostage: Statement from Harmeet Sooden
- I would like to express my gratitude for the prayers and support that my family and I have received from communities
worldwide, and the assistance provided by the New Zealand Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Foreign Affairs
Canada. I acknowledge the burden that my family and friends have borne over the last four months and I thank them for
their efforts. See... Harmeet Sooden - Media Statement [1] ALSO:Presser - Harmeet Sooden Speaks, Believes Ransom Was Paid [2] & Images - Harmeet Sooden Talks About Captivity [3] AND:Paul Buchanan - Paying for the Rescue of Western Martyrs [4] RDU Audio - Paul Buchanan on Sooden [5] Scoop Satire - Sooden and Blair interviews: A Scoop Media Inclusive [6]
Kiwi Culture: Don Brash Enjoys New MP's Shearing Success -
The inclusion of a Masters event in this year’s New Zealand Shearing Championships proved to be an outstanding success,
with many champions of yesteryear up on the boards again demonstrating their skills. National MP for Kaikoura, Colin
King, who won the Golden Shears and NZ titles in 1987, beat Russell Knight of Apiti and Colin Quinn of Aria for the
title. See... New Zealand Shearing Championships [1] ALSO:Statisitics NZ - First Increase in Sheep Numbers Since 1980s [2]
MORE HEADLINES:
Excitement Surrounds Start Of Shearing Champs [1] Greens, NZ First hold key to microchipping [2] Tuatara tourism and tangata whenua [3] ANZ pleads guilty over credit card fees [4] TVNZInterim Results [5]
DR of Congo: Alarming resurgence in recruitment of children
- Large numbers of children, some at least as young as twelve, are once again being recruited to serve as fighters in
the conflict province of North-Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), following a human rights mission to
that country. "For several weeks, anti-government forces loyal to dissident general Laurent Nkunda have been recruiting
children, often by force, in the Masisi and Rutshuru territories of North-Kivu," said Véronique Aubert, an Amnesty
International researcher who has just returned from the region. The AI delegation was in the DRC for the month of March.
See... DR of Congo: Alarming resurgence in recruitment of children [1] ALSO:Congo: Re-recruitment of child soldiers denounced [2] Sudan’s Darfur region, DR of Congo top UN agenda [3]
Kenya: A Ton of Coke Incinerated, UN-backed operation
- Some $90 million worth of cocaine went up in smoke in Nairobi, Kenya, today in a United-Nations back incineration
that underlined the world body's major role in combating the global illicit drug trade. More than a ton of cocaine,
seized in December, 2004, in a resort town along the coast, was placed inside furnaces located at the Kenya Medical
Research Institute (KEMRI) in an exercise designed to dispel rumours that part of the haul had been illegally diverted.
See... Kenya: Ton of cocaine incinerated, UN-backed operation [1]
MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:
Iran: UN rushes assess damage after quake [1] UK Students Urged: Vote Against Coca-Cola Contract [2] Jailed Algerian & Banned Turkmen To Receive Awards [3] Iraq: Carroll Released, 2 Journalists Still Held [4] Turkey: Human rights effort lauded but more needed [5] The man who inspired 'Hotel Rwanda' tells all [6]
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SCOOP COLUMNS
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Immigration Iniquity Has The World & U.S. In A Froth
- In same the week that ETA announced an indefinite ceasefire - after more than 40 years of terrorism and 817 deaths -
Spanish police revealed that between 1000 and 1500 sub-Saharan Africans had died attempting to reach the Canary Islands
in the last five months. The first item was, rightly, front-page news and attracted acreage of coverage in the world’s
press – the second was, generally, relegated to single story on the inside pages. See... Jeremy Rose: Globalisation’s Unsung Martyrs [1] MORE ON IMMIGRATION: Martin LeFevre - Meditations: "Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor...” [2] Rosalea Barker - Stateside: Something EEV-Al This Way Comes [3] Jason Miller - Your Huddled Masses Are Now My Wretched Refuse [4] Marjorie Cohn - Marjorie Cohn: The New Civil Rights Movement [5] Thom Hartmann - The Immigration Battle - Corporatists vs. Racists [6]
Cindy Sheehan Remembers Her Fallen Son
- As far as we can piece things together, March 31st, two years ago, is the day that the First Cavalry arrived in Sadr
City, a slum in Baghdad formerly named "Saddam City," Iraq. I say "as far as we can piece together" because we have
heard many different stories, but this date seems to be the one that we have heard most often. See... Casey Austin Sheehan - May 29 1979 / Apr. 4 2004 [1] . See also... Which Soldier Will Be The Last To Die For Bush? [2]
Uri Avnery Reports On The Israeli Election Outcome
- THE MOST dramatic and the most boring election campaign in our history has mercifully come to an end. Israel looks in
the mirror and asks itself: What the hell has happened? Uri Avnery: What The Hell Has Happened? [1]
A Secret 911 Skeptic Declares Herself
- I said I'd never do it -- say what I think about that terrible morning of September 11, 2001. I've seen what happens
to those who question the elaborate, tangled explanations the Bush administration offers about what happened, how it
happened, who did it, and why they did it. It doesn't matter if those who dare speak truth to the lies are professors,
investigative reporters, eyewitnesses, scientists -- "conspiracy theorist" is immediately tattooed on their foreheads.
They are jeered at, ridiculed, spat upon and swift-boated right out of the room. They are banished to the outskirts of
civilized society. See... UQ Wire: 9/11 - Eliminating The Impossible [1] MORE: UQ Wire: Larry Clow - System Breakdown [2] UQ Wire: 9/11 - The Ultimate WMD [3]
Electronic Voting Flaw Story Seeping Into The Mainstream
- The fact that electronic voting machines don't work may finally be sinking into a segment of the mainstream media.
The fact that e-voting machines can, have been, and will be used to steal elections, continues to go unreported. See... MSM Finally Gets Half The Voting Machine Story [1]
MORE SCOOP COMMENT & OPINION:
Russell Brown et Ors. - Public Address 03/04/06 - It's Grim In Mt Eden [1] Rosalea Barker - Stateside: Update On Last Monday's March [2] Richard Ehrlich - Election Aftermath In Thailand [3] Martin LeFevre - Meditations: The Last Trumpet [4] Dr. Mary Ethridge - Apostilles Or Authentication & Palestine's Status [5] Am Johal - Introducing Israel’s New Front Man for the Right [6] Mark Bradley - My Daughter, the Apostate [7] John Chuckman - America's Brutal Tactics [8] Narconews - New Reports From Gomez & Conroy [9] , A Laughable "Victory" in the Drug War [10] & Giordano: Zapatista "Other Campaign" – Guanajuato [11] Genevieve Cora Fraser - Accepting Palestine Would Make Israel Legit [12] & Open Letter To The Prime Minister Of Palestine [13] William Rivers Pitt - Plea in DeLay Case Snares Close Confidant [14] Evelyn Pringle - Gambro Healthcare - Dialysis Fraud Pays Big Bucks [15] Guest Opinion - Royal Nepalese Army On Frequency Modulation [16] Remi Kanazi- Rachel’s Words Live On [17] Toni Solo - The Anti-Americans - Blame Kirkpatrick First [18] Bob Fitrakis - The New Face Of Apartheid: J.K. Hackwell's Ohio [19] Evelyn Pringle - Cheney, Halliburton Hold Top Earners In Iraq Title [20] Pierre Tristam - Plausible Deniability - When America Is the Rogue [21] Daniel Patrick Welch - The Bulldozer Sits At The Ready [22] William Fisher - Not a Country Anymore [23] Bill Berkowitz - Greenlighting Intervention In Iran [24]
Katya Rivas's Passion: Serialised For Lent (Part 21)
- Look with what cruelty these hardened men surround Me. Some pull the Cross and lay it on the ground; others tear off
My clothes that adhere to the wounds that open again and blood oozes out. See... Katya Rivas: Jesus Is Nailed To The Cross [1] SEE ALSO: Part 20 - Katya Rivas: Jesus Is Helped to Carry the Cross [2]
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OTHER NEWS (JUST POLITICS)
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POLITICAL NEWSLETTERS & POLLS:
Transtasman Political Letter – 30 March Digest [1] Molesworth & Featherston (Weekend) – April 1 2006 [2] The Letter – Monday, 3 April 2006 [3] TV3 News/TNS Opinion Poll March 2006 [4]
Foreign Affars: Wen Jiabao Coming to NZ
- Prime Minister Helen Clark announced today that the Premier of the People’s Republic of China, Wen Jiabao, will visit
New Zealand from 5 to 7 April. "Premier Wen’s visit is a recognition of the growing momentum in New Zealand's broad and
important relationship with China,“ Helen Clark said. “This is a constructive, increasingly comprehensive relationship
and I look forward to discussions on how it can be further enhanced. See... Chinese Premier to visit [1] ALSO:Falun Gong - Falun Gong wants Minister banned from NZ [2]
Transmission Gully: Wellington Council Report Recommends U-Turn on Highway
- A Wellington City Council report is recommending Councillors accept the Western Corridor Hearing Sub-Committee’s key
conclusion of supporting the Transmission Gully Motorway plan. The report will be discussed by Councillors at the
Strategy and Policy Committee meeting on 6 April. See... Council Report Recommends Transmission Gully [1] ALSO:United Future - Local body unity on Transmission Gully [2] Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce - Recommendation on Transmission Gully Welcomed [3] Option3 - Babies back Option3 [4]
MORE POLITICAL HEADLINES:
NZ Govt - Quality early childhood education's lasting effect [1] NZ Govt - National welcomes NZ-US meeting [2] NZ Govt - Minister welcomes Rotorua Lakes report [3] NZ Govt - Protect your PINs! [4] National - PM warming public up for Mallard in finance role [5] National - Commissioner advises against extra loan repayment [6] National - Pathology services at risk [7] National - Tougher line needed on prison work [8] ACT - Health Testing Failed by Conflict Of Interest [9] Child Poverty Action Group - Families get boost - child poverty set to deepen [10] Human Rights Commission - Women making 'glacial progress' [11]
POLITICAL COLUMNS
Newman Weekly: Rich Country, Poor Families [1] Bill English - National Education 31 March 2006 [2] Richard Worth - News Worthy, 31 March 2006 [3] Maxim Institute - real issues - No 198 [4] News Worthy, 31 March 2006 [5] Celebrating Families (Judith Collins): 28 March 2006 [6]
ENDS