Hunger For Freedom: Julie Webb Pullman On Reaction To Hunger Strike Deal In Gaza

Budget 2012: Prescription Charges Help Fund Health
Health Minister Tony Ryall has announced the Government will increase the $3 prescription charge to $5 per item up to a maximum of 20 items from 1 January 2013. The savings will be reinvested in the health sector. More >>
Also:

• Announcement - PM's Post Cabinet Press Conference Held In Hospital
• Gordon Campbell - On the Rise in Prescription Charges
• Labour - User Pays Plan Confirms Failure
• Otago University - Public Health Expert Questions Prescription Charge Move
• Labour - Minister of Illness Misses the Mark
• NZ First - Don’t Increase Prescription Charges
• Govt - Budget 2012: $101m for Surgery, Cancer Services
• Govt -Budget 2012: Prescription Charges Help Fund Health
• Medicines New Zealand - Additional Investment in Health Welcomed
• Cancer Society - Good News for Cancer Patients!
• Pharmacy Guild - Payment Increase Expected
• NZMA - Extra funding for Surgery, Cancer Services Welcomed

Court of Appeal: Govt Should Pay Family Caregivers

The victory in the Court of Appeal for families caring for disabled family members should be taken notice of by the Government says Green MP Catherine DelahuntyMore >>

ALSO:

• NZ First - About Time For Landmark Disability Decision
• Labour - Government Should Drop Legal Action and Support Carers

Warm Up: Insulation programme reaches 150,000 houses
The Government’s programme to help insulate New Zealand homes has now reached the milestone of 150,000 insulated homes, Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley announced today. More >>


Also:

• Greens - Sensible Policy
• Maori Party - Proud to celebrate success of the Warm Up NZ


Solid Energy: Pike River Mine Sold

Solid Energy has completed its due diligence and signed a full but still conditional sale and purchase agreement with the Receivers to buy the assets of Pike River Coal Limited (in Receivership). The agreement remains conditional on the transfer of permits and land access agreements.

In conjunction with this, Solid Energy has made clear commitments regarding recovery of the bodies of the 29 Pike River mine workers, and entered into an agreement with the Government that sets out the roles each will play... More >>

Also:

• Receivers - Update Regarding the Sale of the Pike River Coal Mine
• Govt - Pike River mine sale welcomed
• Greens - Govt fails to honour Pike River promise
• Business.Scoop - Solid Energy could pay up to $32.5 mln for Pike River
• Labour - Trail of Broken Promises for Pike River Families



No Urewera Four Retrial

The "Urewera Four", Tame Iti, Rangi Kemara, Urs Signer and Emily Bailey, will not face retrial. In March the four remaining defendants in the Urewera case were found guilty of possessing firearms but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the Section 98a charges of ‘Participation in an Organised Criminal Group. They were to be sentenced on the firearms offences later this month, however following the decision by the Solicitor General not to pursue a re-trial two of the defendants have now applied to have the firearms charges overturned.

October 15th Solidarity Movement - Urewera 4: State Nil "We are relieved," said Ana Cocker from the October 15th Solidarity Group in response to the announcement that the Urewera 4 will not be re-tried on Section 98a, 'Participation in an Organised Criminal Group.'More>>

TRIAL:

• No retrial for 'Urewera Four' | TV3 Video On Scoop



Trial Coverage/Summing Up:

• Scoop - Urewera Trial - Participation in an Organised Criminal Group
• Scoop - Urewera 4 - The Judge's Summing-Up
• Scoop - Urewera 4 Trial Day 24 - The Verdicts In
• Scoop - Urewera 4 Trial - The Crown's Closing Argument

REACTION:.

• Global Peace And Justice - All convictions should be quashed against Urewera Four
• Green Party - Green Party comment on Urewera verdict
• Maori Party - Urewera Four - Rotorua Supports Flavell
• The People Of Parihaka - Parihaka on the verdict for the Urewera Four
• Don Franks - Urewera Trial Comment
• CTU - Free the Urewera four

BUDGET 2012: Extra Funding for Welfare Reforms
The Budget this month will provide $287.5 million over the next four years for the first phase of the Government’s welfare reforms to help more New Zealanders into work, Social Development Minister Paula Bennett says. More >>




ALSO:

• Maori Party -Environmental programme benefits schools
• Govt - Enviroschools “future focus” the way forward says Flavell
• Greens - Alternative Student Loan Repayment Solution
• TEU - No money in budget, just shuffling and cuts
• AUSA - Students deeply concerned at support cuts
• Labour - Black Budget for Students
• Govt - Budget 2012 – Sticking to a Plan That’s Working
• NZ Govt - Budget 2012 will confirm surplus in 2014/15
• Govt - John Key Pre-Budget Speech to Business New Zealand

Business.Scoop Dollar drops as Greece calls new poll, dairy prices fallThe New Zealand dollar fell 1 US cent after Greek politicians called for new elections after crisis talks failed and dairy product prices declined for the third straight sale in Fonterra's global auction. More >>

Also:

• Business Desk - While you were sleeping: Worries on euro risk
• Business Desk - More >>
• HSBC - RBNZ Observer Update
• Business Desk - NZ dollar holds near 4-month low after EU pledges bailout
• Business.Scoop - While you were sleeping: Greece, US jobs looking up
• Binoy Kampmark - The European Elections: The Assault on Austerity
• Keith Rankin - Greece, Germany and Euro: who are the bad guys?
• OECD - Economy: Bigger Euro Bailout Funds Needed - OECD

EARLIER:

• BusinessDesk - NZ Dollar Outlook: Kiwi may fall on Euro polls, Chinese data - NZ dollar falls to new 3 1/2-month low on Euro leader fears - NZ dollar falls below 80 cts for first time since January - While you were sleeping

Jobs: NZ jobless rate rises to 6.7%, labour force grows

New Zealand's unemployment rate unexpectedly rose to in the first quarter after the labour force swelled to a three-year high as more people started looking for work in what's been a tight jobs market. The kiwi dollar fell after the data was releasedMore>>

ALSO:

• Business.Scoop - Record NZ part-time jobs make up for fall in full-timers
• CTU - Unemployment gets even worse
• Govt - HLFS underlines gradual job growth
• Greens - Upcoming zero budget will see more jobless
• First Union - Jobs massacre see redundancies across the country
• Statistics NZ - Employment and unemployment rise in March

Binoy Kampmark: Getting On The Bus: Obama And Same Sex Marriage

The gay marriage debate in New Jersey has gone national, with President Obama throwing his own hat in the ring with resounding approval for same-sex unions. Evangelicals are shuddering, and various pro-Obama supporters are shaking their heads. More>>

The Afghan Peace Volunteers: An Afghan Okinawa

There is no U.S. troop withdrawal in 2014. We are ordinary Afghans wishing for peace, and we have eyes and ears and feelings of love and despair, so please read on.

The Washington Post, in reporting the recent signing of the "U.S. Afghan Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement", stated that U.S. trainers and Special Operations troops that remain beyond 2014 will live on Afghan bases.” More>>

David Swanson and Leah Bolger: "We Did Not Choose This War" And Other Hypocrisies

"We did not choose this war. This war came to us on 9/11. We don't go looking for a fight. But when we see our homeland violated, when we see our fellow citizens killed, then we understand what we have to do."

These are the words that President Obama used on Tuesday to describe the Afghanistan war, but they would have been more appropriately said by any Afghan citizen. More>>

Gordon Campbell: On The Government’s Self-Defeating Plans For Universities

Steven Joyce happens to hold a set of portfolios central to the country’s economic planning and future direction. Joyce is the Minister of Economic Development, the Tertiary Education Minister and the Minister of Science and Technology. Theoretically, this should allow him to co-ordinate the government’s efforts in those three vital areas. Yet in his recent announcements on student loans, Joyce’s left hand did not appear to know what his right hand was doing. More>>

Palestinian Hunger Strikers: Who Exactly Represents Them?

(Source: dailymaverick.co.za, Article: Khadija Patel) First a Palestinian minister announced that a deal had been reached with Israel to end a weeks-long hunger strike by hundreds of prisoners. Then, various activists countered assertions of the reported deal, claiming the Palestinian Authority actually ... More>>

Palestinian Information Center: Palestinian Prisoners Win Battle Of Empty Stomachs

GAZA, (PIC)-- Palestinian prisoners have finally won their battle of empty stomachs against the Israeli suppressive jailors and won back normal rights of prisoners after 28 days of hunger strike. More>>

AHRC: Hun Sen Is Not Blind To What Goes On Around Him
(Image en.wikipedia.org)
We may never know what really happened when Cambodia's eminent environmental activist Chut Wutty (46), father of two, head of the Natural Resource Protection Group, a Cambodian non-governmental organization fighting Cambodia's deforestation, was shot ... More>>

Pacific Education: Call For Sustainability In Pacific Education Sector

Port Vila, Vanuatu, 13th May 2012 – There has been a call for sustainability and coordination of development resources in the education sector in the Pacific region as the 9th Forum Education Ministers’ Meeting (FEdMM) gets underway in Port Vila, ... More>>

Sister Citys: Auckland Street Art Hits Los Angeles

Multi-disciplinary Auckland artist Askew One has been honoured under the Los Angles Sister Cities programme for his generosity and stewardship as a mentor in contemporary public art. More>>

Werewolf: Three Films About Madness

Phillip Matthews: Sometimes it can seem that madness is the shared New Zealand story – shared but also secret. More>>

ALSO:

• Gordon Campbell - Maya Deren - Webs of Maya
• Gordon Campbell - What Would Katniss Do?
• Werewolf Issue 20

Super City: Network Asks For US Version Of Kiwi Comedy

ABC in the US has picked up Super City, a comedy presentation, which will be produced by ABC Studios. Super City is an adaptation of the TV3 comedy series of the same name created by and starring Madeleine Sami and directed by Taika Waititi. More>>

ALSO:

• TV3 Video - Kiwi comedy picked up by US studio
• Pukeko Pictures - The WotWots Sign Deal with Milestone Productions

Preparedness: Social Media To Help Get 1 Million Do Earthquake Drill

Today, with the launch of its Facebook page and Twitter account, New Zealand ShakeOut took another step towards having 1 million people do an earthquake drill. It is exactly five months before 9:26am, 26 September (9:26-26:9) when the campaign will culminate with a nation-wide earthquake drill – Drop, Cover and Hold! More>>