STATE OF IT by Selwyn Manning
Scoop co-editor Selwyn Manning writes that investigations into the Police special investigations groups reveal that it
had used a complaint of tagging to dig into the private life of a peace advocate, political groups, and a US owned
defence company.
Paul G. Buchanan - A Word From Afar
A Word From Afar: Paul Buchanan writes that some argue that infiltration of legitimate anti-status quo organizations is
anti-democratic and intimidatory. They may well be correct in that assessment. But he says there is a backdrop to this
issue.
WSPA New Zealand
As Japan prepares to hunt once again in the Southern Ocean, the world’s largest alliance of animal protection groups has
highlighted remarks from a Japanese whaling-based association to show there is simply no humane way to kill a whale.
Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand has purchased Boeing 787 and Boeing 777-300 full-flight simulators to be based at its Auckland simulator
centre. The Boeing 777 simulator will be delivered in 2010 to coincide with the arrival of Air New Zealand’s new 777-300
aircraft ...
The Maori Party
The decision by the NZ Rugby Union to cast aside the NZ Maori team in their effort to cut costs, has been greeted with
dismay by Maori Party sports and recreation spokesperson, Te Ururoa Flavell.
United Nations
The United Nations today launched a year-long advocacy campaign to help scores of millions of internally displaced
persons (IDPs), focusing on mitigating the impact of conflict and natural disasters that drive so many people from their
homes within ...
Richard S. Ehrlich
BANGKOK, Thailand -- A Canadian who allegedly arranged for Americans to sexually abuse "prepubescent" boys in his home
for payment, while he taught at a prestigious school in Bangkok, was arrested in London by the U.S. Justice Department
...
United Nations
Violent clashes between the warring factions in conflict-ravaged Darfur threaten humanitarian work and the joint United
Nations-African Union peacekeeping operation in the Sudanese region, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warns in his latest
report ...
NZ Red Cross
As millions of vulnerable people across the Horn of Africa face a life threatening battle for food, New Zealand Red
Cross has committed $30,000 to assist with relief operations.
United Nations
The top United Nations human rights official lamented today that there are still too many countries that criminalize
sexual relations between consenting adults of the same sex and that some 10 States still have laws making homosexual
activity punishable ...
New Zealand Police
Police have identified the woman found in the Avon River in the early hours of this morning.
Progressive Party
"This man needs a funny bone transplant," was the response of Kiwibank founder Jim Anderton to the recent description by
former BNZ chairman Kerry McDonald of the Kiwibank 'join the resistance' advertising campaign as 'reprehensible' and
'outrageous'.
Barnardos
Barnardos New Zealand welcomes the latest Police report on the Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Act 2007, confirming yet
again that the law is working well and the impact on the Police activity remains minimal.
Family First Lobby.
Latest figures on police activity following the anti-smacking law confirm that police are wasting valuable police time
and resources investigating unwarranted complaints against parents, but they also confirm that they are prosecuting
parents for smacking.
Ramzy Baroud
It’s incomprehensible that a region such as the Gaza Strip, so rich with history, so saturated with defiance, can be
reduced to a few blurbs, sound bites and reductionist assumptions, convenient but deceptive, vacant of any relevant
meaning, or even true ...
Electricity Commission
The Electricity Commission has given notice that it intends to decline Transpower’s proposal to upgrade the transmission
grid from Auckland to Albany.
Uri Avnery
In this tale, an American politician gets up and declares: The United States was founded by British Protestants who were
persecuted in Europe for their Puritan beliefs. Therefore, the United States is an Anglo-Saxon Protestant state.
Royal NZ College of General Practitioners
Patients will benefit from a Pharmac decision to allow specialist GPs to prescribe a drug to treat the most severe cases
of acne, College of GPs President Dr Jonathan Fox said today.
AMHA
The Court of Appeal today dismissed a challenge by Watson & Sons Ltd which was aimed at stopping the Active Manuka Honey Association (AMHA) from making inquiries into labeling
issues relating to UMF® products sold by the company in the United ...
Wellnz
ACC definitely does need a change away from its “cost plus” culture but competition will bring ACC costs down quickest,
and increased productivity will boost New Zealand‘s overall business performance.
Auckland Regional Council
The process for the purchase of Auckland’s electric train fleet has begun, the Auckland Regional Council (ARC) and
Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) announced today.
PSA
The Public Service Association says today’s announcement that AgResearch is making nine scientific and technical staff
redundant is sad news for the workers just before Christmas and a waste of their skills and knowledge.
Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards
Better business support is improving the lot of thousands of Kiwi companies, helping them ride through the world
economic crisis.
Content.net
Dec. 19 - Rio Tinto’s credit rating was lowered by one notch to BBB on expectation the downturn in commodities in a
shrinking global economy will hurt profits and weaken its balance sheet.
Content.net
Dec. 19 – The global economic slump is producing a slew of credit rating downgrades as agencies play catch-up to a
deteriorating global economic outlook.
Greenpeace New Zealand
Friday 19 December 2008 – A serious blow has been dealt to the climate with a Supreme Court decision just handed down in
the Genesis Energy/ Greenpeace case.
Westpac
Auckland, 19 December 2008 – A young Kiwi surf sensation who has been making waves abroad in pro-women’s events and a
junior world rowing champion are among the four finalists in the running to win a $25,000 Westpac sporting scholarship
next year.
WWF
Conservation groups are reporting that 2009 is set to be a pivotal year in New Zealand's sustainable revolution. Green
living has now gone mainstream, and it's everyday people that are leading it.
NZ Supreme Court
Mr Aylwin was charged under the Land Transport Act 1998 with failing to accompany an enforcement officer when required
to do so and with driving with excess breath alcohol. On Mr Aylwin’s appeal to this Court, the issue was whether those
offences ...
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