2 November 2004

Panama flag to fly on Auckland Harbour Bridge tomorrow

Auckland Harbour Bridge will tomorrow fly the Panamanian flag in recognition of the Republic of Panama's Independence Day. The flags will fly from dawn until dusk on Tuesday 3 November.

Transit considers requests from any sovereign nation wanting to commemorate its country's national day. In recent history Ireland, Canada, Monaco and the Philippines have all had their flags flown from the bridge.

New strengthened flagpoles were erected in August after exceptionally high winds damaged one of them earlier in the year. The new poles are capable of withstanding much stronger winds. Speeds regularly reach above 170 kilometres per hour at the top of the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>