Scoop Stories October 29th 2009 News Summary
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LEAD STORY------------
A team of hardened investigators is to be formed to hunt down and seize the millions of dollars in profits made by
organised crime, Police Minister Judith Collins announced today.The new 22-strong unit will be known as the Assets
Recovery Unit (ARU), and will double the capacity of Police to investigate proceeds of crime. More »[1]
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NZ POLITICS------------
ALSO:
The appointment by Tony Ryall of Dr Murray Horn as the Chair of the new National Health Board reeks of cronyism, and
reflects a return to the hard right policies of the 1990s, Grant Robertson, Labour State Services Spokesperson and Ruth
Dyson Labour Health Spokesperson said. More »[1]
"The reforms are about local government focussing on core functions, managing within a defined budget, and adopting
transparent and accountable decision-making processes," Mr Hide said. More »[1]
ALSO:
[2] - http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2009/10/27/campbell-cuts-to-central-local-govt-spending/ [2]
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0910/S00420.htm [10]
The Speaker, Lockwood Smith, has welcomed the statement of the Auditor General on the rules and processes with respect
to the places of residence of Members of Parliament and compensation for accommodation in Wellington. More »[1]
ALSO:
A bill that establishes a new Electoral Commission to provide first class electoral services passed its first reading in
Parliament tonight. More »[1]
The Commission’s 2009 annual report reveals that of the 3489 complaints, 1405 were about potential unlawful
discrimination. The balance of 2084 complaints involved broader human rights issues, such as the rights of seasonal
workers and the right to education for children. More »[1]
Unite Union is mobilising hundreds of its members and supporters this Friday night to don Halloween costumes and march
in Auckland City as part of its campaign for a $15 per hour minimum wage now and a minimum wage set at 66% of the
average wage. More »[1]
ALSO:
The sole remaining Navy In Shore Patrol Craft, HMNZS KAHU will formally decommission from operational service on
Thursday 29 October, 2009, at the Devonport Naval Base, marked with two special events. More »[1]
ALSO:
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BUSINESS SCIENCE & TECH------------
The Government is to inject $4.7 million into a programme to help save kauri trees threatened by a disease known as
kauri dieback (Phytophthora taxon Agathis). More »[1]
ALSO:
A special birthday party for four-year-old orangutan Madju and the launching of a nationwide ‘Don’t Palm Us Off’
campaign on Saturday 7 November (10am – 3pm) will mark the start of Orangutan Caring Week (7 – 14 November) at Auckland
Zoo More »[1]
Malaysia signed a free-trade agreement with New Zealand helping deepen ties with the southeast Asian nation that takes
$1 billion of exports, making it the eighth-biggest market for Kiwi goods. More »[1]
[1] - http://business.scoop.co.nz/2009/10/27/nz-signs-fta-with-malaysia-a-1b-export-market/" name="malay
ALSO:
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COMMENT------------
The only woman convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia has returned to Serbia.
Biljana Plavsic, former Bosnian Serb President (1996-8), had spent two-thirds of her 11-year sentence in a Swedish
prison after being convicted... More »[1]
Many themes of global importance inter-relate when discussing events in Central America. An apparently simple discussion
of local developments in the Nicaraguan economy ends up covering global issues. One has to look at the role of the
dollar, the price of ... More »[1]
Fittingly, when you click on the official button for United Nations Day (October 24) it takes an inordinate amount of
time for Ban Ki Moon’s brief message to load up. Most people give up; a few look elsewhere. More »[1]
In a report recently posted on the United Nations website [i] , numerous United Nations agencies condemned the United
States blockade of Cuba, saying it impacts on their – and the Cuban Government’s - ability to provide prompt and
affordable humanitarian... More »[1]
Known simply as “ the General” Michel Naim Aoun was born in a peaceful mixed Christian-Shia area of Haret Hreik, now a
core Hezbollah area. He rose from poverty to become the head of Lebanon’s newly created Eighth army following the
September ... More »[1]
The Pentagon has paid anti-war activist Noam Chomsky the highest honor any totalitarian entity can bestow upon an
author: they’ve banned his book “Interventions” at Guantanamo Bay prison. They won’t say precisely why they “honored”
Chomsky... More »[1]
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LIFESTYLE------------
The first New Zealand General Social Survey (NZGSS) shows that 86 percent of New Zealanders are satisfied with their
life overall, Statistics New Zealand said today. The NZGSS gives information about key social and economic outcomes
across a number of areas of life. More »[1]
Tired of having to clean up the office the morning after the Christmas party? Fed up with recycling bins full of
photocopies of lewd body parts? Or do you just fancy treating yourself to a night out where the speeches will actually
be funny? More »[1]
ALSO:
Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 7, launched today, at an exciting event in Auckland’s Queen Elizabeth Square.
International rugby star and one of the world’s great number sevens, Richie McCaw, was onsite to be the first person in
New Zealand to receive a Windows 7 powered, HP Pavilion dv7 notebook. This is being auctioned on TradeMe, with proceeds
going to Lifeline. More »[1]
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WORLD------------
SECRETARY CLINTON: (In progress.) – this conference for women entrepreneurs, to bring you all together and not only to
have you meet one another, but also to meet people here in the State Department, because we want to promote more social
inclusion, ... More »[1]
An independent United Nations expert has called on Myanmar’s Government to release all political prisoners before the
national elections planned for 2010 so that the polls can be as inclusive as possible. More »[1]
Rising sea levels could inundate coastal holiday spots while melting snow caps could spell an end to ski resorts, the
United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has warned, as climate change threatens tourism, a lucrative industry
for the world’s ... More »[1]
Democratic governance both reinforces and is bolstered by development and human rights, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
underscored in a message to a high-level event drawing thousands of representatives of both governments and
non-governmental organizations. More »[1]
Nearly three days of talks supported by the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wrapped up today
with a draft agreement on how to provide Iran with fuel for a civilian nuclear research facility. More »[1]
Central America has become the region with the highest levels of non-political crime worldwide, with an average murder
rate of 33 per 100,000 inhabitants last year, three times greater than the global average, a new United Nations report
warns, noting ... More »[1]
A senior United Nations official today welcomed a recent landmark agreement with the International Criminal Police
Organization (INTERPOL) to strengthen police units in peacekeeping missions around the world, and called on Member
States to contribute ... More »[1]
ENDS