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TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS:
QUESTIONS OF THE DAY:
Taser Trial: Police Find Threat Of Tasering Effective
Health: Canterbury Waiting Lists Changes Cause Alarm
Housing: Should State Houses Be Allowed In Expensive Neighbourhoods?
Unions: Greens Urge Progressive Boycott
In the House: National's Alleged Links To Private Insurers Under Fire -
Communications: South Island Phone, Scoop Access Interrupted
RECOMMENDED AUDIO:
Humour: Brash Leads MPs Into Exile -
Politics: Transnationals Rush To Oppress Masses As Roger Nominations Open
MORE HEADLINES:
Politics: Is HIV Infection Preventing Zimbabweans From Seeking Help?
WORLD NEWS:
Mexico: President Elected By Court Ruling
Australia: Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin Dies
Norway: Was Munch Masterpiece Returned For Candy Reward?
MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:
SCOOP COLUMNS:
Iran: The US, Israel & Iran – Conflict?
Motoring: Karl Ferguson & Peugeot's 407 Diesel
Plamegate: Marc Ash Speaks Out In Praise Of Fitzmass
Terror: The 911 Truth Report That Wasn't Truthful
Israel/Palestine: Sol Salbe On What's Not In The Israeli Media
MORE SCOOP COMMENT & OPINION:
OTHER NEWS (Just Politics):
Foreign Affairs: NZ Parliament Calls For Release Of Palestinian MPs
Election Spending: Pledge Card Assault Meets Renewed Brethren Salvo
Religion in School: Government Backs Down On Guidelines -
AGENDA: Hone Harawira & Andrew Little Talk Phillip Field
MORE POLITICS HEADLINES:
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TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS
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United Future leader Peter Dunne says Labour's and National's behaviour in Parliament in recent days has been shameful and disgraceful. "The constant barracking from both sides during Question Time, the personal attacks and threats, and the general nastiness go far beyond the accepted norms of robust debate. See... Dunne slams Parliamentary misbehaviour [1] ALSO:National - Labour abuses OIA to stop tax review questions [2] Clerk's Office - Questions For Oral Answer - Thursday, 7 Sep 2006 [3]
QUESTIONS OF THE DAY:
Questions For Oral Answer - Thursday, 7 September 2006 [1] Questions And Answers - Wednesday, 6 September 2006 [2] Questions And Answers - Tuesday, 5 September 2006 [3]
Taser Trial: Police Find Threat Of Tasering Effective
- There have been three occasions since the start of the trial last Friday where tasers have been deployed said trial
Project Manager Superintendent John Rivers. In all three incidents the offenders were armed with a weapon and threatened
harm but the incidents were all resolved with police officers using the tactic known as "laser painting" without having
to fully activate the taser. See... Taser Diffuses Armed Threats [1] ALSO:New Zealand Police - Graduating Constables Boost Numbers [2]
Health: Canterbury Waiting Lists Changes Cause Alarm
- National’s Health spokesman, Tony Ryall, says Canterbury surgeons have delivered a chilling message to the Labour
Government – people will die as a result of the waiting list cull. “The Government has got to stop the cull and actually
provide for more operations. Helen Clark can't go on treating sick people with such disregard.” See... Canterbury surgeons say culled patients will die [1] More Health News:National - Fewer operations as Auckland's population grows [2] National - Health boards bill passes first reading [3] NZ Govt - Taskforce to pursue medical training reforms [4] Association of Salaried Medical Specialists - Senior doctors to be more forthright [5] District Health Boards - MRT Strike Notice Deliberate & Cynical [6] Partnership Health Canterbury - New Elective Surgery Funding Welcomed [7] DontRiskOurHealth.com - Aucklanders urge DHBs to review lab contract [8]
Housing: Should State Houses Be Allowed In Expensive Neighbourhoods?
- National's Housing spokesman Phil Heatley is calling on Chris Carter to justify why Labour continues to subsidise one
family in a $2 million state home in Auckland while more than 11,000 needy families languish on the HNZ waiting list.
"Labour's continuing mismanagement of the housing stock means there are thousands of Kiwi families in desperate need of
help who simply aren't getting any." See... $2 million state home in Auckland [1] ALSO:NZ Govt - HNZC to explore future of high value properties [2]
Unions: Greens Urge Progressive Boycott
- Shoppers are being urged by the Green Party to boycott Progressive Enterprises supermarkets (Foodtown, Woolworths,
and Countdown) where possible until locked-out employees are allowed to negotiate a national collective agreement. "The
Green Party is totally behind the locked-out workers. The right to form national collective agreements is a basic one
which workers in many other industries have successfully attained." See... Boycott of Progressive Enterprises urged [1] ALSO:National Distribution Union - First Pay Day With Nothing [2] Maritime Union - Maritime Union backs distribution workers battle [3]
In the House: National's Alleged Links To Private Insurers Under Fire -
Yesterday afternoon National and their alleged links with the private insurance industry were the targets of Government
attacks. During the election campaign a document entitled 'Workplace Safety Wins Under National' was circulated by the
Insurance Council of New Zealand. See... National And Private Insurers Attacked In House [1] ALSO: NZ Govt - Brownlee in the dark on National’s ACC deals [2]
Communications: South Island Phone, Scoop Access Interrupted
- Telecom staff have located a fibre optic cable cut North of Dunedin and expect to have affected customers returned to
service by this evening. A telecommunications fibre was cut between Palmerston and Waikouaiti at 10.36am this morning.
Phone service to about 12,000 landline customers in an area between Kurow and Invercargill was affected. See... Telecom Restoration Underway in Otago [1] ALSO:Telecom - All Telecom Services Restored [2]
RECOMMENDED AUDIO:
Scoop Audio: [1] Selwyn Manning 's NZ News Roundup on Radio Adelaide: Damning booklet expected on Brash's emails; Former Kiwi League star Brent Todd is back in NZ and expected to face drugs charges; and the price of petrol is edging down!
Kiwi FM Audio: [2] Kevin List and Kiwi FM's Wammo discuss Keith Locke's 'non-controversial' motion on imprisoned Palestinian MPs, why to expect excitement in the General Debate, and Christchurch citizens' opposition to public transport.
Humour: Brash Leads MPs Into Exile -
Note: News too weird to be true from the chronicle of Moenui - proud holder of the 'Northern Region Best Kept Grass
Verge Award'. Don Brash announced the formation of a "National Government in exile" today after Helen Clark dismissed his calls for a
fresh election as "grandstanding." Speaking from the main stand at Athletic Park Dr Brash said that his Party could no
longer stand by "while Ms Clark and her band of thieves refuse to hand back the stolen election." See... Kiwi Herald: Brash Announces Alternative Govt [1]
Politics: Transnationals Rush To Oppress Masses As Roger Nominations Open
- The Roger Award is for The Worst Transnational Corporation Operating in Aotearoa/New Zealand in 2006. Nominations are
now open for the annual Roger Award, which is organised by the Christchurch-based groups Campaign Against Foreign
Control of Aotearoa (CAFCA) and GATT Watchdog. See... Nominations Now Open For 2006 Roger Award [1]
MORE HEADLINES:
Prisoner harasses women by text [1] Burmese Refugees arrive in New Zealand. [2] PetrolWatch – August 2006 [3] NZ researcher gets say in naming the world animals [4] Photos - A Blast from the Past [5]
Politics: Is HIV Infection Preventing Zimbabweans From Seeking Help?
- Scoop's Kevin List writes that the New Zealand Government approved a Special Zimbabwe Residence Policy (SRP) in 2005 and since then about 500
Zimbabweans have been granted residence. But many who are eligible have yet to come forward to apply for residence.
Government officials suspect many potential residents are not coming forward because of uncertainty around their HIV
status. What's the Government doing about this issue? See... Will AIDS Issue Become A Political Football? [1] ALSO:NZ Govt - Humanitarian action to protect public health [2] NZ First - It's A Sad Solution But We Did Warn You [3] AIDS Foundation - Zimbabwe decision a positive humanitarian move [4] HRC - Commission welcomes humane gesture for Zimbabweans [5] AIDS Foundation - Perspective needed on migrant healthcare costs [6] Libertarianz - Make HIV Treatment User-Pays [7]
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WORLD NEWS
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Mexico: President Elected By Court Ruling
- Felipe Calderon became president-elect of Mexico on Tuesday, two months after disputed elections, when the nation's
top electoral court voted unanimously to reject allegations of fraud and certify his narrow victory. His leftist rival,
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, had said he would not recognize the ruling. His supporters wept as the decision was
announced and the courthouse shook as protesters set off fireworks outside. See... Mexico Tribunal Certifies Calderon President-Elect [1] ALSO:Center for Economic and Policy Research - Mexico Recount Data Shows Calderon Vote Reduction [2]
Australia: Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin Dies
- At 11am today, 4 September 2006, Steve Irwin was fatally wounded by a stingray barb to his heart while filming a
sequence on Batt Reef off Port Douglas for a new TV series. Emergency services were called from Cairns Rescue Base and
met Croc One, Steve’s rescue vessel, at Low Isle on the Great Barrier Reef. The Croc One crew performed constant CPR
during the thirty-minute dash to Low Isle, but Steve was pronounced deceased at 12 noon by Queensland Ambulance Services
personnel.See... Steve Irwin [1] ALSO:Australian PM John Howard - Steve Irwin [2] Aus. PM John Howard - Doorstop IV - Steve Irwin [3] Aus. Tourism Minister - Steve Irwin [4] NZ Greens - Steve Irwin's death a loss to environment movement [5] Auckland City Council - Auckland Zoo expresses sorrow [6]
Norway: Was Munch Masterpiece Returned For Candy Reward?
- Just days after M'S® announced a sweetening of the pot for the return of the stolen Edvard Munch masterpiece, The Scream, the painting
has reportedly been recovered in Norway. Last week, the brand announced a reward of two million dark chocolate M'S® candies for the painting's safe return as part of its promotional campaign to introduce M'S® Dark Chocolate Candies. See... M'S to Honor Two Mil M Reward For 'The Scream' [1]
MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:
Mid-East:United Nations - Thousands of Lebanese Unable to Return to Homes [1] United Nations - Middle East Problems Expected to Top SC Agenda [2] United Nations - Annan To Appoint ‘Facilitator’ In Prisoner Release [3] United Nations - UN Welcomes Donor Pledges For Lebanon [4] Australian Government - Additional Troops for Operation Overwatch [5] Physicians For Human Rights In Israel - Humanitarian Disaster in the Gaza [6] Elsewhere:United Nations - Nearly Half Of All Fish Eaten Today Farmed [7] United Nations - UN Project Creates Record-Setting Rice Yields [8] www.blackboxvoting.org - Photos - Voting Machine Security Seals Penetrated [9] Greenpeace - Stop Robbing The Pacific People [10] Rainforest Portal - Stop ANZ Bank Funding of Illegal Logging in PNG [11] IFEX - Australia: Anti-Terrorism Laws Threaten to Muzzle Press [12]
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SCOOP COLUMNS
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Iran: The US, Israel & Iran – Conflict?
- In the final installment of this interview series for Truthout, McGovern discusses links between US/Israeli policy,
the need for change if there is to be true security for either country, the Bush administration's use of torture, and
the likelihood of a US attack on Iran. See... Dahr Jamail: Interview With Ray McGovern, Part 3 [1]
Motoring: Karl Ferguson & Peugeot's 407 Diesel
- Sophistication is a quality that more and more people are beginning to expect when it comes to diesel cars. The
knock-knock-knock of a cold diesel engine chugging into life and the accompanying clatter from under the bonnet was all
part of the experience a few years ago, but not any longer. See... MOTORNET: Sound Of Silence [1]
Plamegate: Marc Ash Speaks Out In Praise Of Fitzmass
- Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald and his investigation of the outing of undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame
are under attack by multiple mainstream media organizations acting simultaneously. The reports are - at best - shoddy
journalism and at worst ... See... Marc Ash: Special Counsel Fitzgerald Under Attack [1] RELATED: Robert Parry: How Obtuse Is the US Press? [2]
Terror: The 911 Truth Report That Wasn't Truthful
- A wag once famously said that Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot was a play where nothing happened . . . twice. The
two former co-chairmen of the 9-11 commission report, Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, have released a new book, "Without
Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9-11 Commission." This book goes Beckett one better – it is the third act of veneer
over substance, self-aggrandizement over serious analysis, and cliché over perspicacity. It is another calculated
attempt by the former commissioners to place themselves in the media spotlight, and to overcome the humiliation of their
widely criticized and mostly debunked report. See... 9/11 Commission: A Play On Nothing In Three Acts [1]
Israel/Palestine: Sol Salbe On What's Not In The Israeli Media
- Sometimes it is easier to write on what the Israeli media is not covering rather than on it does. Foreign Minister
Downer’s spat with the Australian media is a no-show. Downer has slammed our media for telling fibs about Israel. See... Sol Salbe's Middle East Round-Up - 5 Sept 2006 [1] RELATED: Ilan Pappe - Genocide in Gaza [2] Haaretz - Israel Officials Fear Wave Of War Crimes Law Suits [3] Genevieve Cora Fraser - Zionist Acquisitions Bought By Bullets And Bombs [4]
MORE SCOOP COMMENT & OPINION:
Russell Brown & Ors. - Public Address 06/09/06 - Counterspin [1] Rosalea Barker - Stateside: Disappearing Croc Doc Google Mystery [2] John Gideon - Daily Voting News For September 5, 2006 [3] - September 4, 2006 [4] William Fisher - No Planet Left Behind - Well, Maybe One [5] Evelyn Pringle - Nursing Home Inspection Process Full Of Corruption [6] Rajat KC Civil Society And The Maoist Insurgency In Nepal [7] Greg Palast- Greg Palast: Today's Pig Is Tomorrow's Bacon [8] Sherwood Ross - U.S. Shows Many Characteristics Of Global Bully [9] & Iraqis Who Sweated Hussein Are Leaving Under Bush [10] Narconews - Giordano: Another Grenade Attack Against Por Esto! [11] Atlanta Progressive News - Possible New Nuclear Reactor is Threat to Georgia [12]
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OTHER NEWS (JUST POLITICS)
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Foreign Affairs: NZ Parliament Calls For Release Of Palestinian MPs
- Keith Locke moved: That this House supports the right of parliamentarians to freely pursue their duties; notes the
opposition of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the European Parliament to Israel's arrest of more than 20 members of
the Palestinian parliament; and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of the Palestinian Speaker Abdelaiziz
El-Dweik, the Deputy Prime Minister Naser al-Shaer, and the other arrested Ministers and members of the Palestinian
Parliament. See... Motion for Release of Palestinian MPs Passes [1]
Election Spending: Pledge Card Assault Meets Renewed Brethren Salvo
- Don Brash is continuing to lie as he dodges the truth around the Exclusive Brethren debacle last year, Labour
strategist Pete Hodgson said today...“Don Brash said Labour didn’t declare the union advertising in support of Labour
during last year’s campaign. In fact, we did. It was in our election return. “What wasn’t declared was the Exclusive
Brethren’s campaign in support of National. See... Brash lies continue [1] ALSO:Scoop Report - PM's Presser - A Feast Of Election Spending [2] Labour - National opposes campaign finance reform [3] Labour - 2002 spending rule changes back Labour [4] Labour - Email shows Brethren sought to get around rules [5] Labour - Auditor General asked to investigate National [6] Labour - Brash's baffling bid for moral high ground [7] National - Clark tries to confuse public on election rort [8] National - Labour – not taxpayer – obliged to repay debt [9]
Religion in School: Government Backs Down On Guidelines -
National Party Education spokesman Bill English says parent power forced the Labour Government to back down on its
"loopy" proposal for guidelines on religious instruction in schools. "But I am concerned that it took such ridicule from
parents and the involvement of Anglican Bishops and the Opposition Education spokesman to inject some commonsense into
the Ministry of Education. See... Prayers in school: parent power beats Labour [1] ALSO:Greens - State schools should advance religious tolerance [2] United Future - Rejection of religious ‘guidelines’ the right move [3] National - Nats supports Anglican call to scrap guidelines [4] Anglican Church - Archbishops say prayer guidelines inappropriate [5]
AGENDA: Hone Harawira & Andrew Little Talk Phillip Field
- A large proportion of Labour’s caucus want Mangere MP Philip Field to resign according to Engineers, Printers, and
Manufacturers Union (EPMU) National Secretary Andrew Little. See... Hone Harawira & Andrew Little On Agenda – Briefs [1] & AGENDA: Andrew Little and Hone Harawira - 2/09/06 [2]
MORE POLITICS HEADLINES:
NZ Govt - RMA guide launched for small business [1] NZ Govt - Mita Ririnui Attacks "Racial Finger Pointing" [2] NZ Govt - Cullen: Future directions for internat'l education [3] NZ Govt - Parker: Wilding Trees Charitable Trust [4] NZ Govt - More work experience for students under Gateway [5] NZ Govt - Mallard: Economic transformation [6] United - National's opposition to KiwiSaver disappointing [7] United - Anti-Spam Bill restrains porn [8] United - Zoning decision shows need for clarification [9] Nats - Where is Maharey on zoning? [10] Nats - Key driver of economic growth neglected [11] Nats - Peachey appalled by Principals’ Federation comment [12] Nats - Race-based health funding alive and well [13] Nats - Good on ya Timaru DC! [14] Maori Party - Hone HarawiraSpeech: Kiwisaver Bill: Third Reading [15] Maori Party - Hone Harawira: Speech On Employment Bill [16] Maori Party - Is there a tomorrow for Whanganui hospital? [17] Greens - Protest against taser trial start [18] Greens - Greens zone in on solution [19] NZ First - It's A Sad Solution But We Did Warn You [20]
ENDS