Top Scoop Stories 5th March, 2009 News Summary
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LEAD STORY------------
Rt Hon Helen Clark, Labour Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, today welcomed the support of the Commonwealth Ministerial
Action Group (CMAG) for the position on Fiji taken by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders in Port Moresby in January. Helen
Clark said that the Forum and CMAG are in agreement that Fiji must nominate an election date by 1 May and hold the
election by 31 December this year. (Scoop image of Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama by Selwyn Manning.) More »[1]
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[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0805/S00012.htm [10]
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NZ POLITICS------------
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TV ONE’s new Sunday morning political show, Q & A will be presented by TVNZ’s political editor, Guyon Espiner; political analyst, Therese Arseneau and the country’s
most popular broadcaster, Paul Holmes. More »[1]
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If a firm stopped taking deposits last September, and was heavily exposed in the current economic climate to a major
loan to a Queenstown property developer, you’d think that might be ringing a few warning bells, wouldn’t you? Yet on 13
January Mascot Finance got Treasury’s nod for entry into the retail deposit guarantee scheme whereby it gets all its
failed investments paid out by the taxpayer. More »[1]
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News that more than 70 jobs are to be cut from the Tertiary Education Commission makes a mockery of the government’s
promise to cap, not reduce job numbers in the public service,” said Maryan Street, Labour’s Tertiary Education
spokesperson. More »[1]
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BUSINESS SCIENCE & TECH------------
Fonterra plans to re-direct staff resource to help in providing advice to the minority of farmers who have been
identified as needing support. The company is also introducing a milk payout deduction system for those who receive an
infringement notice or prosecution for an effluent offence from a Regional Council. More »[1]
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Nelson Pine Industries Ltd today announced a restructuring of its production operations in response to difficult market
conditions resulting from the worldwide financial crisis... The company regrets that this change will result in
approximately 60 staff positions becoming surplus to production requirements. More »[1]
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Since the passing of Zardi the zebra last year, Wellington Zoo’s remaining zebra Molly has shared her enclosure with two
ostriches relocated to her enclosure to keep her company. She good-naturedly accepted the big birds, but now has three
new companions more suited to the company of a zebra—three male llama. More »[1]
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March 5 – The New Zealand dollar rebounded over 50 U.S. cents from a six-year low as global stocks rallied on
speculation China will inject more money into its economy. More »[1]
Auckland astronomers are involved in a new high technology telescope which has just been installed on a Marlborough
vineyard. It will be used to study the birth of the universe and to search for distant planets. More »[1]
“New Zealanders must join the chorus of opposition from across the Tasman at the decision of Pacific Brands to cease its
manufacturing in Australia and New Zealand and move operations to China and other low waged countries,” says Robert
Reid, President of the National Distribution Union. More »[1]
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COMMENT------------
While various Western governments are struggling to define a possible relationship with the Palestinian movement Hamas,
some progressive and leftist circles are also uneasy regarding their own perception of the Islamic movement. More »[1]
The House Judiciary Committee cut a deal with lawyers for George W. Bush that will see his former aides Karl Rove and
Harriet Miers testify in Congress' long-running investigation into the firings of nine US Attorneys in December 2006.
But their testimony, ... More »[1]
Travel Feature: Switzerland's Patrizia Sigg writes of her travels while in New Zealand traveling from Wellington to
Auckland by rail along the main trunk line. She writes: ''If you ever take the Overlander, you had better make sure you
get a window seat.'' More »[1]
The porcine blowhard Rush Limbaugh, dressed and acting like a deranged gangster, gave the keynote address at the
Conservative Political Action Conference (C-PAC) on February 28. Rush looked like a latter-day Mussolini, and talked
like a man preparing ... More »[1]
If a firm stopped taking deposits last September, and was heavily exposed in the current economic climate to a major
loan to a Queenstown property developer, you’d think that might... More »[1]
If the Obama economic goals are to be met – a repaired physical infrastructure, educational pre-eminence, health care
for all, international leadership in science and technology, etc. – we, the public, must retrieve the cash that was
effectively ... More »[1]
The political outcomes of the Gaza war are yet to be entirely decided with any degree of certainty. However, the obvious
political repositioning which was reported as soon as Israel declared its unilateral ceasefire promised that Israel’s
deadly ... More »[1]
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LIFESTYLE------------
A new route on a remote peak in Antarctica and a caving expedition aiming to reach record depths under New Zealand are
among the challenges seven groups of adventurous kiwis are tackling in this year’s SPARC Hillary Expeditions. More »[1]
A Kiwi comic dream team will come together for a new series on TV3 In The Beginning There Was . . . Nothing; a sketch style comedy show that should deliver plenty of laughs. The list of the show’s creators reads like an NZ
comedy who’s who, and includes the Naked Samoans fresh from their final series of Bro’town; Oscar nominated Taika
Waititi; and Grammy winner Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) More »[1]
The Home Energy Advice Centre in Wellington in partnership with Refugee Services and Lewis’s Curtain Specialists will be
running their second free workshop on how to make your curtains more effective this weekend. More »[1]
With his multi-talented band, Broadsword, in tow… Lawrence Arabia finally returns to New Zealand to tour his new album,
“Chant Darling”, which is out March 9 on Honorary Bedouin/Rhythmethod. More »[1]
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Outstanding young New Zealand dancers will benefit from the generosity of a former dancer, with the announcement of a
new scholarship from the Eileen May Norris Dance Scholarships Trust, it was announced today by Public Trust. Public
Trust administers ... More »[1]
After going into recess last year, this iconic mountain running race event is being held again this coming Saturday.
Race director Chris Cox is pleased with the amount of support the event has received this year with 170 entries and
expecting late entries ... More »[1]
Fulbright New Zealand and Creative New Zealand invite applications for the 2009 Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific
Writer’s Residency, an award which offers a New Zealand writer of Pacific heritage the opportunity to work for three
months on a creative writing project exploring Pacific identity, culture or history at the University of Hawai‘i. More »[1]
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WORLD------------
The United States is strongly committed to the pursuit of peace in Sudan and believes those who have committed
atrocities should be held accountable for their crimes. More »[1]
Brussels, 5 March 2009 (ITUC OnLine): A new report released by the ITUC for March 8, International Women's Day, has
revealed that the pay gap between men and women worldwide may be much higher than official government figures. The
report, ''Gender ... More »[1]
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New York, Mar 5 2009 10:10AM The human rights situation in Afghanistan is marked by a rise in civilian casualties,
setbacks for women, mounting attacks on freedom of expression and a culture of impunity when it comes to punishing
perpetrators of ... More »[1]
Only four members of the UN voted against the Declaration on Indigenous Rights in 2007: Australia, Canada, New Zealand
and the USA. Three are members of the Commonwealth. More »[1]
New York, Mar 4 2009 1:10PM With the world's car fleet expected to triple by 2050, a road map to halve greenhouse gas
emissions from automobiles by that date was laid out today at the Geneva Motor Show by the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) ... More »[1]
The construction project is part of UNICEF’s determination to not only replace schools destroyed and heavily damaged in
the earthquake and tsunami which struck Indonesia in 2004, but to build them back better. As a result, the children who
rely ... More »[1]
A team of heavily armed gunmen, some travelling in rickshaws, ambushed Sri Lanka's national cricket team as it arrived
for a match, killing six police guards and wounding seven players. The brazen attack heightened fears that Pakistan is
becoming increasingly unstable. More »[1]
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ENDS