Today's Top Scoops - July 24, 2007
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LEAD STORY------------
Public Service: PM Faces Grilling Over Setchell Sacking - Audio + Text: "Is there anything more substantial anyone would like to ask," was the Prime Minister's question to the parliamentary press gallery after facing a barrage of questions regarding a public servant's recent sacking. The public servant in question, Madeleine Setchell, lost her job as a head of communications at the Ministry of the Environment after three days. Ms Setchell job loss was because her partner is the press secretary of National Party leader, John Key. More >> [1]
ALSO:NZ Govt - Briefing on employment decision by Environment Min [2] National - Clark declares war on public service neutrality [3] National - Benson-Pope did know about political sacking [4] PSA - Commission Needs to Clarify Position [5] PSA - Concern on Handling Of 'Conflict Of Interest' Case [6] Pugnacious - Who’d be a public sector communicator? [7] (Scoop Video): PM Clark & Mark Burton Press Conferences [8] (95bFM Audio): Havo n PM on D Benson-Pope [9] (KiwiFM Audio): Wallace & Selwyn Manning – Political Interference? [10]
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NZ POLITICS------------
QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER:
Espionage: SIS Meets With Chinese Defector - On Friday 20th July, the former Chinese diplomat Yonglin Chen met with officials from the New Zealand Security and
Intelligence Service (SIS) to discuss Chen's allegations of a New Zealand kidnapping by the Chinese government. More >> [1]
Campaigning: Election Finance Changes Announced - The Government has today introduced a Bill that will restore confidence in a fair and transparent electoral process
in time for the next election, Justice Minister Mark Burton announced. "These reforms help bring New Zealand into line
with other democracies, as a place where every voter can have their voice heard fairly, regardless of their personal
circumstances, and where every person can hear everyone else's voice clearly and transparently, " said Mark Burton More >> [1]
ALSO:Greens - Elections should be about policy not money [2] National - Labour screws electoral scrum [3] Coalition for Open Government - Electoral Finance Bill fails to live up to promise [4] The Kyoto Forestry Association - Election-Year Spending Limit Worse Than Expected [5] Out-Link - Electoral Finance Bill [6] Out-Link - No Right Turn on the Electoral Finance Bill [7]
Spotless: Lockout Declared Unlawful; Spotless, Union Find Common Ground - The company and the union have agreed on terms that are intended to deliver significant pay rises for the workforce
as well as setting out the parameters for the parties to move towards concluding collective bargaining. Both parties
have agreed to hold off industrial action to enable the bargaining to proceed. More >> [1]
ALSO:Spotless Services - Operational Strength Brings Union to Table [2] CTU - Victory for low paid workers over contractor [3]
Gordon Campbell: Zaoui's Convictions And The Aftermath In Europe - To the critics of Ahmed Zaoui, his convictions in Europe are a knock-down argument. The man has been convicted in
Belgium and France - and that’s the end of it. Somewhat surprisingly, there has been little or no attention given to the
subsequent fate of Zaoui’s co-defendants. If Zaoui’s convictions in Europe were so serious then surely, his
co-defendants must also be under lock and key in the dungeons of Europe, right? More>> [1]
ALSO:Scoop Full Coverage - The Ahmed Zaoui Case – The Gordon Campbell Series [2]
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BUSINESS SCIENCE & TECH------------
Commerce: $5.6 billion proposal for Auckland Airport - The directors of Auckland International Airport Limited (AIAL) today announced a proposed transaction with Dubai
Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) which would see DAE acquire an interest between 51% and 60% in the AIAL business and become a
strategic partner. Under the proposal, AIAL shareholders will receive value of up to NZ$3.80 per share. More >> [1]
ALSO:NZ First - NZ Set To Lose Yet Another Plum [2] Greens - Airport sell-off has risks for tourist industry [3] Manukau City Council - Council to consider proposal released by AIAL [4] NZ Govt - Auckland International Airport proposal [5] Len Brown - Mayoral Candidate - The Airport Shares; Hold, hold,hold [6]
Medicine: Chlorine Bleach A Key Weapon Against Bacteria Infections - Scientists at the University of Otago, Christchurch have discovered that bleach is one of the key factors used by
white blood cells to control bacterial infections in the body. Exactly how these foot soldiers of the immune system
control and kill invading bacteria has long been an area of controversy in medical research. More >> [1]
Advertising: Explosion of Creativity on Auckland Billboard - A Deadline Couriers billboard made New Zealand advertising history yesterday evening when it exploded in a 6-metre
fireball in Auckland’s CBD. Crowds gathered to watch the Nelson Street billboard’s digital clock countdown the last few
seconds to 6pm – the deadline set for the billboard to self-destruct after it was erected last Monday. More >> [1]
Out There... News: Brian Carter's The Night Sky, Lunar Eclipse Aug 28! - August is the month that we really start to notice the days getting longer and the nights shorter. Planets August is
a poor month for viewing the planets. Jupiter and Mars will be visible for all of August. Venus will be visible in the
evening sky at the start and in the morning sky at the end of the month. Saturn will be visible in the evening sky for
the first few days of August and Mercury will just be visible in the evening at the very end of the month. More >> [1]
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WORLD------------
Oxfam: Oxfam Global Ambassadors: Johansson, Lennox, Tutu - Oxfam launches Global Ambassadors programme, with A-listers Scarlett Johansson, Annie Lennox, Colin Firth, Archbishop
Desmond Tutu and Helen Mirren topping the bill For immediate release: 24 July 2007 More >> [1]
World Health Organisation: WHO alarmed about the spread of dengue - Manila, 23 July 2007-The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the Western Pacific Region may be heading
for a major dengue outbreak unless concerted effort and cooperation are undertaken quickly. More >> [1]
Ferrari: Ferrari Plan No Changes After Grand Prix of Europe - Ferrari team principal Jean Todt says that there will be no change to the team's approach to the final seven races in
the championship, after Sunday's second place finish for Ferrari in the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring.More >> [1]
Maserati Australia and New Zealand: Maserati Wins Top Award at Private Supercar Show - Maserati stole the show at the Salon Privé, the private, invitation-only luxury supercar motor show held at the
exclusive Hurlingham Club in London. Among the modern supercars, the new Maserati GranTurismo, displayed alongside two
Maserati Quattroportes, created a lot of excitement, while Jay Kay’s stunning Black Maserati A6 G54 won the overall
Grand Prix in the Concours d’Elégance, as well as the prize for best GT.More >> [1]
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COMMENT------------
Russia and US: Square Off Over Energy Reserves - Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President George W. Bush spent most of their time at the “lobster summit”
at Kennebunkport, Maine, discussing how to prevent the growing tensions between their two countries from getting out of
hand... More >> [1]
Bush’s War Policy: When Time Heals Nothing - The news of recent weeks emanating from Washington and Baghdad point to one clear, if not final, conclusion: The Bush
administration's adventures in Iraq have been a complete failure... More >> [1]
Iraq: Howard government admits what we all knew - “Australian Defence Minister Brendan Nelson has admitted that securing oil supplies is a key factor behind the
presence of Australian troops in Iraq.” This was how the BBC reported Nelson’s July 5 comments to the Australian
Broadcasting Corporation... More >> [1]
Robert Parry: If the Democrats Want to Win - If the Democrats really want to prevail over George W. Bush on the Iraq War and on his authoritarian vision of
presidential powers, they would put back on the table two options that their leaders have removed: a cut-off of war
funding and impeachment... More >> [1]
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LIFESTYLE------------
Theatre: Welly's San Fran Gets Some Chicago Sexual Perversity - Sexual Perversity in Chicago is a wicked comedy that examines the lives of two men and two women thrust into the
harsh and lubricious world of dating in 1970s Chicago. This production of Sexual Perversity In Chicago has been
tailor-made to integrate seamlessly with the architecture of the San Francisco Bath House. More >>
Maori: Ko Tēnei Te Wiki O Te Reo Māori - “My thoughts are with all our early Maori Language Pioneers today” said Te Ururoa Flavell in marking Te Wiki o te Reo
Maori. “Thirty five years ago, on 14 September 1972, we recall a petition which bore witness to the mandate of some
40,000 signatures to call for Maori language being offered in schools.” More >>
ALSO:NZ Govt - Horomia: Health of the Māori Language SurveyNZ Govt - Māori student achievement improvingMaori Party - Truths of Taranaki a Gift for their DescendantsMaori Party - Labour’s Ethnic Cleansing Policy for Local GovtEnvironment Bay of Plenty - It’s cool to koreroPublic Health Association - Racism in Health Will Continue If Treaty RemovedWintec - Māori Language Week at WintecOut-Link - Kōrero Māori: www.korero.maori.nzOut-Link - Hau Kāinga - Nō Wikipedia Māori
Vampires/Crime: New Zealand Movie to Premiere in Dunedin - "Perfect Creature showcases the vast imagination and ingenuity at work in (New Zealand’s) film industry with a very
original twist on the vampire movie. Part horror film, part sci-fi epic and part cop thriller, it’s a genre junkie’s wet
scream." More >>
ALSO:Out-Link - Perfect Creature Website
Kiwi Pride: Kiwi and American break Gliding Record - Kiwi glider pilot Terry Delore and American pilot entrepreneur Steve Fossett have claimed the gliding world speed
record over 1250 kilometers with a blistering average speed of 149.23kph. After 27 attempts and 18,000kilometers of
flying the duo broke longest standing gliding world speed record set in the mid eighties. More >>
And those were the Top Scoops on this day, July 24, 2007
:)
ENDS