TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS:
QUESTIONS OF THE DAY:
Legal Issues: Acquitted Policemen Up On More Rape Charges
Commerce: Auckland Supermarket Stocks Aussie Speed!
Politics: Robson Back Teaching In Otara – This Time Rookie Cops
Community Values: Mountain Rescue Advocate is Most Trusted Kiwi
Art: Personal Identity And Four Square Feature In Exciting Art Show -
Parody: Billboards, They Worked Before Why Not Now?
Satire: "This Is Chardonnay Socialism At Its Worst!"
MORE HEADLINES:
Samoa: Government Censor Bans Da Vinci Code Film
Regional Security: UN Supports Dialogue With Timor-Leste Dissidents
MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:
SCOOP COLUMNS:
Solomon Islands: Who's Responsible For RAMSi Tuesday?
The Real Deal: Catherine Austin Fitts Discovers Two Slices Of Truth
Polygamy: Suzan Mazur Widens The Senatorial Responsibility Net
Crooked Spooks: Cocaine One Was Most Probably A CIA Plane
MORE SCOOP COMMENT & OPINION:
OTHER NEWS (Just Politics):
Budget: Loan Access Cut Off For Private Students
Smacking Debate: Kiro Stresses Need To Defend Kids From Assault -
Maori Affairs: Minister Not Praised for Fiscal Responsibility
Environment: Minister takes A Boots'n'All Approach To Sustainability -
MORE POLITICAL HEADLINES:
POLITICAL COLUMNS
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TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS
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New Zealand sends NZDF planes and personnel to Darwin today Prime Minister Helen Clark announced early this morning that the government is dispatching an RNZAF 757, a Hercules C130, and New Zealand army personnel to Darwin today. Helen Clark said that the situation on the ground in Timor Leste had deteriorated seriously on Thursday with chaos and murders on the streets of the capital, Dili. See... NZ sends NZDF planes and personnel to Darwin today [1] ALSO:Australian Defence Force - Current ADF Commitment to Operation Astute [2] United Nations - UN Supports Dialogue in Timor-Leste [3] Caritas - The Church and Caritas Helping in Timor Leste [4]
QUESTIONS OF THE DAY:
Questions And Answers - Thursday, 25 May 2006 [1] Questions and Answers - Wednesday, 24 May 2006 [2] Questions and Answers - Tuesday, 23 May 2006 [3]
Legal Issues: Assistant Police Commissioner Clint Rickards, former police officers Brad Shipton and Robert Schollum
are facing sexual offence charges alleged to have been committed during the 1980s. In March, the three men were
acquitted of raping Louise Nicholas in a high profile case where only Rickards was publicly named. The High Court today
eased suppression orders after the New Zealand Herald won the right to publish the alleged offenders' names. See... News: Rickards Shipton Schollum Face Rape Charges [1] ALSO:Louise Nicholas case - Police to charge Louise Nicholas activists [2]
Commerce: Auckland Supermarket Stocks Aussie Speed!
- NZ Customs may have stopped $135million worth of crystal meth and pseudoephedrine from entering the country this
week, but another speed shipment seems to have got through. The pictured Australian energy drink Speed is prominently
displayed in a six-foot high stack at an Auckland supermarket. Exactly how socially responsible is the manufacturer, or
the supermarket chain, in stocking this product when the country is struggling to get through a P "epidemic"? See... Aussie 'Speed' Sold At An Auckland Supermarket [1] ALSO:NZ Govt - Minister congratulates agencies on $135m drug bust [2] Customs - Record drug haul for New Zealand [3]
Politics: Robson Back Teaching In Otara – This Time Rookie Cops
- Well-known barrister and former cabinet minister Matt Robson has returned to his teaching roots and is equipping
prospective police recruits with a thorough grounding in the law, through an introductory course on New Zealand
legislation at Manukau Institute of Technology. Once a teacher in Otara, Matt has returned to the community to give the
Introduction to New Zealand Law course lecture at MIT’s School of Foundation Studies. See... Former minister returns to Otara teaching roots [1]
Community Values: Mountain Rescue Advocate is Most Trusted Kiwi
- If you can't trust your partner, who can you trust? Certainly not your neighbour if the results of the 2006 Reader's
Digest "New Zealand's Most Trusted" survey are anything to go by... Returning to the survey for a second year is
Individuals, with Sir Edmund Hillary once again topping our most trusted individual poll. New Zealanders' love of sport
is evidenced with a raft of sportspeople including cyclist, Sarah Ulmer, rugby player, Tana Umaga and golfer, Michael
Campbell. See... Who do New Zealanders trust? [1] ALSO:Broadcasting Standards Authority - TV violence, sex and bad language top concerns [2]
Art: Personal Identity And Four Square Feature In Exciting Art Show -
Following Kelcy Taratoa's acclaimed exhibitions Who Am I? Episodes at Lower Hutt's Dowse Art Museum and Palmerston
North's Te Manawa last year, City Gallery Wellington is proudly exhibiting Back to Mine: Urban Realities from June 18.
Hailed as one of New Zealand's most exciting young artists, Taratoa's paintings investigate the forces that shape
personal and cultural identity. See... Exciting Young Artist on Show At City Gallery [1]
Parody: Billboards, They Worked Before Why Not Now?
- National has new billboards. One feels obliged to mash them up, but frankly, they're not all that inspiring. Since
their Internet release, the ripfest has not been furious. The campaign itself seems familiar, but diminished. See... Lyndon Hood: Billboard Jamming 101 [1]
Satire: "This Is Chardonnay Socialism At Its Worst!"
Following the discovery of a confidential Labour discussion document on communications, National MPs have slammed the
Government's approach as "all spin and no substance" for one of the paper's suggestions: that repeating phrases again
and again can be used to control the media debate. See... Lyndon Hood: National's Labour Spin Spin Machine [1] ALSO:Scoop Report - Labour Background Paper on Language [2] Labour Background Paper - Language Matters (PDF) [3] New Zealand National Party - Labour admits it's losing policy debates [4]
Scoop Audio: Manning & Pound – Spin Letter + Iraq Govt [5]
Scoop Audio: Manning & Pound – Spin Letter + Iraq Govt [5]
MORE HEADLINES:
Goff Submits Manahi VC Submission to Buck-House [1] Falun Gong Rally to expose Chinese human rights record [2] Jackson & Tamihere Radio Live's New Afternoon Hosts [3] NZ drug begins trial for Parkinson’s disease [4] Roger Hall's Glide Time [5]
Samoa: Government Censor Bans Da Vinci Code Film
- Samoa¹s principal censor has banned the screening of the film The Da Vinci Code from cinemas and all local television
stations. The ban also applies to the hiring of videos and DVDs of the film. The decision on the weekend comes after the
government censor¹s office invited leaders of the Samoa Council of Churches to watch a preview of the film held in the
country¹s only cinema. See... Samoa's Government Censor Bans Da Vinci Code Film [1] ALSO:American Samoan Bishop Comments On Da Vinci Code [2]
Regional Security: UN Supports Dialogue With Timor-Leste Dissidents
- The United Nations states that quiet is returning to Timor-Leste following recent violence, the UN Office in the
country (UNOTIL) is supporting the Government’s proposed initiative to convene a meeting with representatives of the
dissident groups in order to engage in a dialogue, a UN spokesman said today. UNOTIL has set up a camp near the UN
headquarters for some 1,000 persons seeking refuge from the violence, Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York. The
mission is providing tents and supplies for those people and will be seeking additional tents from UN agencies in case
they are needed, he added. See... UN Supports Dialogue in Timor-Leste [1] ALSO: MFAT Travel Advisory To Timor Leste (May 24) [2]
MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:
Australia poised to send child to detention - Naru [1] Sorry Day - Australian state yet to repay Stolen Wages [2] Intensified diplomacy on Iranian nuclear dispute [3] New Caledonian: Resistance to Goro Nickel project [4] French Polynesia judge removed due to negligence [5] Papuan appeal UN recognition of self-determination [6]
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SCOOP COLUMNS
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Solomon Islands: Who's Responsible For RAMSi Tuesday?
- On Tuesday, 18 April 2006, the democratically elected Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands was stoned by an angry
mob on the steps of Parliament, tear gas was tossed around, a large chunk of the national capital, Honiara, was burnt to
the ground, livelihoods were lost and lives seriously threatened. How can such a thing happen on RAMSI’s watch — with
the region’s pocket superpower, Australia, in charge? Where’s the stench of burning reputations to match the stench of
burning Chinese stores? See... ‘RAMSI Tuesday’ Wasn’t Due To Intelligence Failure [1]
The Real Deal: Catherine Austin Fitts Discovers Two Slices Of Truth
- There are times when the walls start to close in on me. When that happens, I reach out for a true thing. Something
that pushes the walls back out and that makes a way in my spirit. This week I read two remarkable books by two
remarkable people. True is not a word I use a lot. These two books are true. Their authors are way makers. See... Mapping the Real: A True Thing [1]
Polygamy: Suzan Mazur Widens The Senatorial Responsibility Net
- In the interests of balancing Senatorial responsibility for the absence of law enforcement action against polygamy,
while the FLDS, America's largest polygamy cult, is incorporated in Utah -- members live and vote on either side of the
Utah-Arizona border. That means media darling John McCain's (R--AZ) stance on polygamy is also an issue, particularly
because of McCain's 2008 US presidential aspirations. See... Senator John Mccain Passes The Buck On Polygamy [1] EARLIER STORIES IN THIS SERIES:Reports Reconfirm Hatch Said He Condones Polygamy [2] Scoop Link: Leahy Takes On Hatch Over Polygamy [3] Suzan Mazur: Most Wanted In Polygamy Coverup [4]
Crooked Spooks: Cocaine One Was Most Probably A CIA Plane
- The “mystery” of Porter Goss’ resignation last month as CIA Director is apparently directly related to the huge
seizure in Mexico several weeks earlier of over 5.5 tons of cocaine, according to government documents recently obtained
by the The MadCowMorningNews [1] . After Goss’s surprise resignation last month he told reporters his reason for resigning was "just one of those
mysteries," offering no other explanation for his sudden departure after almost two years on the job. See... UQ Wire: Porter Goss Resignation Solved [2]
MORE SCOOP COMMENT & OPINION:
Rosalea Barker - Movie Preview: An Inconvenient Truth (aka MI 4.5?) [1] Russell Brown & Ors. - Public Address 26/05/06 - Whack-A-Mole [2] & Public Address 25/05/06 - All In The Game [3] William Fisher - Used The Phone Lately? Worried? [4] William Rivers Pitt - Playing the Impeachment Card [5] David Swanson - RNC Line on Impeachment: Verily, This Is That [6] Narconews - Del Castillo: Democracy on the Hacienda [7] Greg Palast - Lay Convicted, Bush Walks (Ahnold Got Lay'd) [8] & Greg Palast: The Al Capone Of Electricity [9] Evelyn Pringle - Neurontin Deal - Slap On The Hand To Pfizer [10] Ray McGovern - Eavesdropping, Gagging, And the Constitution [11] Siddhi B. Ranjitkar - House Declaration Ends The Shah Dynasty In Nepal [12] Bhupal Lamichhaney - Democracy, Injustice, And Civil Disobedience [13] Tanveer Jafri - Atrocities on POW? [14] Kamala Sarup - Nepal Peace Agreement Concern [15] , Don't Attack Hindu Religion [16] & Women's Empowerment Under Threat [17]
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OTHER NEWS (JUST POLITICS)
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Budget: Loan Access Cut Off For Private Students
- Student loan access for thousands under threat from proposed Budget funding cuts Thousands of students could lose
access to student loans from next January because of a little publicised and 'senseless' Budget initiative, says
Education Forum policy advisor Norman LaRocque. See... Student loan access for thousands under threat [1]
Smacking Debate: Kiro Stresses Need To Defend Kids From Assault -
Today, Children’s Commissioner, Dr Cindy Kiro, presented her oral submission on the Bill to repeal Section 59 of the
Crimes Act (1961). Section 59 says that parents are justified in “using force by way of correction of a child if the
force used is reasonable in the circumstance”. It allows parents who are arrested for assaulting their children to use
section 59 as a defence by saying that the assault was justified, reasonable or carried out to discipline the child.
See... Commissioner calls for repeal of Section 59 [1] ALSO: Barnardos - Section 59-Barnardos fronts up to Select Committee [2] Families Commission - Section 59 Oral Submissions Begin [3] SPCS - Society call to dump Bradford’s Bill [4] Family First Lobby - Families Commission out of touch with NZ families [5] Society For Promotion Of Community Standards - Society call to dump Bradford’s Bill [6] UNICEF - Section 59 and fear of prosecution [7]
Maori Affairs: Minister Not Praised for Fiscal Responsibility
- “At the Maori Affairs Select Committee this morning, his refusal to answer simple questions; his evasive responses,
and his complete lack of concern at the abject failure of the Maori Affairs portfolio gave me much room for concern. The
astonishing revelation that the reason why Maori Affairs failed to win any resources in Budget 2006 was because the
Minister didn’t even bother to put forward a Budget Bid left me gob-smacked” said Dr Sharples. See... 'Maori Affairs Minister Has To Go' says Sharples [1] ALSO:NZ Govt - Scholarships – let's get the story right [2] Maori Party - Explanation for Axing of Manaaki Tauira [3] Maori Party - Budget 2006: Flaming Torches and Tomahawks [4]
Environment: Minister takes A Boots'n'All Approach To Sustainability -
A snapshot of New Zealand’s key environmental issues has been published in a new book launched today by Environment
Minister David Benson-Pope. Gentle Footprints: Boots ‘n’ All is published by the Ministry for the Environment and aims
to provide a starting point for ordinary New Zealanders to have conversations about their environment. See... Snapshot of New Zealand’s environment [1] ALSO: Green Party - Ministry puff piece a waste of taxpayer dollars [2] Greens - Ministry must turn the leaf on Carbon's book [3] National - Gentle Footprints book disgraceful waste of money [4] National - National complains to SSC about sycophantic book [5]
MORE POLITICAL HEADLINES:
NZ Govt - Cook Islands Police Service Review [1] NZ Govt - Time to accelerate health workforce development [2] NZ Govt - MP gets 100% in NZ Music Month Quiz [3] NZ Govt - Manahi Submission Presented to Palace [4] NZ Govt - Promoting kiwi food and beverage in Chinese market [5] NZ Govt - More good news from a focussed Budget [6] NZ Govt - Waterfront tribute to life of Sir Peter Blake [7] NZ Govt - Sector breaks recycling target two years early [8] NZ Govt - Dunne: Taxation Bill First Reading [9] NZ Govt - Goff: Doha Round a test of political will [10] National - Closing loophole won’t fix offshore offices [11] National - Another setback for aquaculture [12] National - Call for PM to come clean on powhiri edict [13] National - Cunliffe runs portfolio like banana republic [14] National - Costly helpline should go [15] National - Money, not safety, at heart of prisons plan [16] National - Major A departments still not up to scratch [17] Maori Party - The passing of Anne Anituatua Delamere, QSO [18] Maori Party - Speech - Hone Harawira, , Maori Party [19] ACT - Capping Rates Makes Councils Budget Like Families [20] Greens - All is not well below the waves [21] Greens - Government proposal would penalise the poor [22] NZ First - DHBS Must Not Cheat Elderly [23] NZ First - Dental Health Facts in Short Supply [24] Governor General - Official State Visits to Ireland, Greece [25]
POLITICAL COLUMNS
Murray McCully - www.mccully.co.nz 26 May 2006 [1] Heather Roy's Diary – 26 May 2006 [2] Richard Worth - News Worthy, 26 May 2006 - No. 74 [3] Pansy Wong - Pansy Speak: 'The State Knows Best' Budget [4] Marc Alexander - Marc My Words: An obscene and obese Budget [5] Wayne Mapp - The Mapp Report: Bondi or Bust? [6]
ENDS