Today's Top Scoops - 04 August 2008
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LEAD STORY------------
Gordon Campbell: National's Economic Vision For NZ - If someone said they were planning to raid their children's piggy banks in order to pay the rent - mainly because they just couldn't resist the impulse to spend the rent money down at the TAB - we wouldn't be applauding them, and we certainly wouldn't be lining up to let them run the country. Yet in stark essentials, such is the economic vision for New Zealand over the next decade unveiled by Bill English and John Key at the National Party conference More >> [1]
ALSO:National - National Infrastructure Plan vital to NZ's growth [2] National - John Key Speech To Annual National Conference [3] National - National will give funds to victims of crime [4] National - National Party President Judy Kirk Speech [5] National - Labour scores impressive own goal on debt [6] NZ Govt - National proposes privatisation of prisons [7] NZ Govt - National's plan to axe advisory bodies arrogant [8] NZ Govt - English reaches for red herring to justify red ink [9] NZ Govt - Key willing to gamble with future to get elected [10] NZ Govt - John Key must explain secret agenda [11] Greens - Lonely dinosaur seeks white elephant [12] Audio - Bill English Talks On KiwiBank Being Sold [13] Out-Link - 08 Wire: Bill English transcipt [14] TV3 Video - National starts conference with carrot [15] TV3 Video - Key hands out plenty of promises but few details [16] TV3 Video - National still holding back on policy detail [17] Democrats for Social Credit - John Key's money market mates will prosper [18] Public Service Association - Which Services Will National Cut For Tax Cuts? [19]
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NZ POLITICS------------
Sad Day In Foxton:Workers Lost In Time, Like Tears...In The Rain - Tears flowed from the eyes of the redundant workers as well as from the skies as workers from Feltex Foxton prepared
to leave the factory for the last time. The rain, which had been falling in the Horowhenua all week, came back again,
but with it arrived more than a hundred local school children and also some Feltex old-timers. More >> [1]
Prognostication: Cullen Reads the John-Key Leaves - Dr Cullen said National will sell their borrowing programme by talking about: - 'leveraging' the government's balance
sheet - 'scope' for a 'modest' increase in borrowing - A 'responsible' programme of borrowing - Allowing SOEs to issue
'infrastructure bonds' More >> [1]
Weather: Storm Leaves Town With Too Little Water - Residents in Akaroa will need to conserve water over the next 48 hours after a major leak in a pipe connected to the
local reservoir. The reservoir which supplies water to Akaroa is very low on water after a large quantity was lost due
to a burst pipe. More >> [1]
ALSO:MetService - Wet Windy Weekend For Some After Wet Windy Week [2] TV3 Video - Flooding, death and destruction as storm continues to rage [3] Scoop Full Coverage - Stormy Weather [4]
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BUSINESS SCIENCE & TECH------------
Statistics: Nation Overrun By Employees - Employment, as measured by full-time equivalent employees (FTEs), increased 2.5 percent for the June 2008 year,
according to the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) released by Statistics New Zealand today. More >>
ALSO:Statistics NZ - Labour Cost Index: June 2008 quarterJ P Morgan - RBNZ unlikely to be concerned about wage growthCouncil of Trade Unions - Wage increases need to keep on coming
Environmental Shaming: Record Fine handed Out For Resource Consent Breach - A record fine has been handed down by the Environment Court in Napier to the Crafar Group dairy operation, Taharua
Farm, for breaching its resource consent. More >>
Biofuels: Argent Energy Blames Bill For Investment Pullout - Leading United Kingdom biofuel producer Argent Energy is shelving plans to invest more than $100 million in New
Zealand... "Oil companies are being incentivised to import ethanol. That makes it utterly uneconomic to invest in the
domestic biodiesel plant we were proposing to build. More >>
Environment: GE Promoters "Scared Of Public Spotlight" - Greens - The New Zealand genetic engineering lobby group Life Sciences Network has shown its true colours by fighting against
both open information and protection for non-GE growers, says Greens Co-Leader Jeanette Fitzsimons. More >>
ALSO:New Zealand Life Sciences Network - Proposals threaten to stop good science - LSNNZ Govt - Proposed tighter regime regarding GM cropsGreens - Greens tighten GE safeguardsERMA - Proposed Changes: Regulation Of GM Crop ManagementERMA - GM Allium Report ReleasedGreens - Officials out of touch with New ZealandersEnvironmental Risk Management Authority - Public Hearing On GM Horse Flu VaccineFood Safety Authority - Unauthorised GM rice found and withdrawn
Internet: We're Gonna Need Some Broader Bands - The total number of Internet subscribers continued to increase, reaching 1,504,000 users in March 2008, Statistics
New Zealand said today. The number of broadband subscribers has increased 10.7 percent in the six months to March 2008,
to reach 891,000. More >>
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WORLD------------
Bloodied: Ex Diplomat Attacks Australian Immigration On Akram Al Masri Death - "The Department of Immigration has blood on its hands over the death of Mr. Al Masri an asylum seeker returned to
Palestine from Australia and murdered in The Gaza on 1 August." - Former Australian diplomat Bruce Haigh. More >> [1]
Clowns Without Borders: Iraqi Refugees In Syria Learn The Value Of Laughter - Dozens of Iraqi refugee women living in Syria are learning how to build their self-confidence, develop relaxation
techniques and hone their communication skills thanks to innovative workshops organized by the United Nations refugee
agency and the group Clowns Without Borders. More >> [1]
Dafur: UN Troubled By Attacks On Aid Workers As Some Agencies Evacuate - "I am deeply troubled about the continuing threats and attacks against humanitarian agencies working in Darfur," the
UN's John Holmes said in a statement. Médecins Sans Frontières has announced it will evacuate its team. More >> [1]
Casual Wear: Ban Ki-Moon Dresses Down To 'Cool' The United Nations - "We are not just cutting back suits and ties," Mr. Ban told reporters. Use of steam will be cut by more than 4
billion pounds, the equivalent of 300 tons of carbon dioxide in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, and financial savings
of more than $100,000. More >> [1]
Iconic: UNESCO Completes The Return Of Ethiopian Aksum Obelisk - One of Ethiopia's most iconic monuments, the 1,700-year-old Aksum Obelisk, has been successfully reinstalled at its
original location after the third and final block was mounted in place. Italian soldiers had carted the obelisk off to
Rome in 1937. More >> [1]
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COMMENT------------
J. Sri Raman: The Larger Toll of India's Terror Blasts - Terror and tragedy have revisited parts of Ahmedabad, capital of India's state of Gujarat, which have yet to forget
the fascist violence witnessed in the early months of 2002. More >> [1]
Martha Rosenberg: Out Of Dog House And Into The Bed - A few years ago one of those polling groups that ask if you'd rather have sex with your spouse or go out to eat in a
restaurant and what kind of mouthwash you'd take to the moon made some startling discoveries about dog owners. More >> [1]
Martin LeFevre: Human Evolution - The physicist Richard Feynman, who famously dunked a little O-ring in ice water and broke it to demonstrate why the
Space Shuttle Challenger blew up in 1986, was fond of saying, "Don't fool yourself; and you are the easiest person to
fool." More >> [1]
Gush Shalom: Why Olmert Should Indeed Be Going - Nobody will shed a tear as the political career of Ehud Olmert grounds to its end. In the two years he had at the
helm of the Israeli ship of state, he has failed to perform even a single worthy act. More >> [1]
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LIFESTYLE------------
Tonsorial Wizardry: Warm Blonde Colouring Carries The Day - Caleb Alex from Servilles in Newmarket has been crowned New Zealand Hairdresser of the Year after taking out the
Supreme Award at the prestigious L'Oréal Colour Trophy Awards. More >> [1]
Fashion: Social Butterflies In A Flap Over Outfit - The feathers ew at The Novadown Fashioned Feathers Wearable Arts Show last week, showcasing what the public and the
countries leading designers can do with feathers, down, fabric and a whole lot of imagination. More >> [1]
Media: Youth Creates New Zealand Social Network - A brand new homegrown social networking website, Enzed Live, is on a mission to bring together the people of New
Zealand. More >> [1]
Movies: "Black Sheep" Director Starts Filming "Under The Mountain" - Under the Mountain, the motion picture adaptation of the popular, award-winning Maurice Gee novel of the same name,
will begin principal photography on Monday August 11, 2008. The film's locations around Auckland, include the iconic
Rangitoto Island, a volcano in the Hauraki Gulf. The production will conclude in early October 2008. More >> [1]
And those were the Top Scoops on this day, 04 August 2008
:)
ENDS