TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS
Scoop Is In The House: Today’s Q&A
Marriage Of Thousands Delayed - Govt/Green Plot Thwarted
Reserve Bank Reduces OCR To 6.25%
NZ Military Shouldn’t Even Be In Kuwait, Says Locke
Christine Rankin Threatens To Sue Sue Bradford
Ellis Counsel's Wider Inquiry Claim Wrong
Scrapie Smear Remedy Not Good Enough - Federated Farmers
Howard’s End: Fast Food On A Budget
David Thornton: Britomart Budget Blowout Commentary

TOP SCOOPS

Scoop Is In The House: Today’s Q&A

- Today's questions of the day concerned: PM’s Husband’s Friends (Dr Lexchin) – Banking Satisfaction – Cabinet/Government Standards – Christine Rankin’s Performance – More Dr Lexchin - School Staffing - Rankin Vs Bradford - Marine Mining – Auckland Rail. See... SCP HOUSE: Questions Of The Day – 14 March [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0103/S00094.htm

Marriage Of Thousands Delayed - Govt/Green Plot Thwarted

- National and Act tonight delayed the 'marriage' of thousands of de facto couples by at least two more days when they thwarted the Government's plan to pass the Property Relationships Bill tonight. See... Wedding date put back at least two more days [1] . For background and analysis of the little known, but hugely important Property Relations Bill , see… Sludge Report #41 - A Festering Scab Of A Bill [2] and Upton-on-line November 3rd [3] . See also... NEWSFLASH: Prepare To Be Married [4] .

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0103/S00207.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/archive/scoop/stories/a6/dc/200011150050.b074a345.html
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/archive/scoop/stories/b9/e4/200011031000.ed9dc7d8.html
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0103/S00085.htm

Reserve Bank Reduces OCR To 6.25%

- After a considerable period during which the Official Cash Rate has remained stable at 6.5 per cent, the Reserve Bank has decided to reduce it to 6.25 per cent. See... RBNZ MPS: Overview and policy assessment [1] and RBNZ reduces OCR to 6.25 per cent [2] REACTION: - NATS - Governor Takes The Gloss Off Export Future [3] - EMA - OCR Cut Excellent News [4] - DEUTSCHE BANK - RBNZ March Monetary Policy Statement [5] - RBNZ Monetary Policy Statement [6] Howard’s End: The Trickle Down From Japanese Complacency - Australia, Japan, and the United States, some of our biggest customers, are facing recession so Reserve Bank Governor Don Brash, has lowered the Official Cash Rate by 0.25 percent mainly because of easing inflation pressures. See... Howard's End: Complacency Will See Dire Results [7]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0103/S00086.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0103/S00085.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0103/S00222.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0103/S00084.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0103/S00087.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0103/S00093.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0103/S00093.htm

NZ Military Shouldn’t Even Be In Kuwait, Says Locke

- Green Defence spokesperson Keith Locke is urging the government to end its involvement in the US-led taskforce in Kuwait, following the accidental death of a New Zealand Army officer yesterday. See... End Participation In US Taskforce In Kuwait [1] FULLCOVERAGE: - NZ ARMY - Major John McNutt To Come Home Later This Week [2] - New Zealand Officer Killed In Kuwait [3] - Scoop Images: Acting Major John McNutt [4] - NATS - Tragic Death Of SAS Officer Major John McNutt [5] - GOVT - Govt Shocked At Kuwait Bombing Accident [6] BACKGROUND ON THE SAS IN THE GULF: - November 1998 - Claims SAS Involved In Covert Ops "For Many Years" [7] - TV REVIEW: Assignment Is Almost Inside The SAS [8] - What Were Our SAS Doing In The Gulf This Year? [9] - March 1998 - Most Troops Coming Home, SAS Stay [10]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0103/S00214.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0103/S00080.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0103/S00076.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0103/S00081.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0103/S00184.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0103/S00183.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/archive/scoop/stories/61/bf/199811301011.068521.html
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/archive/scoop/stories/24/ec/199811270718.16191b.html
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/archive/scoop/stories/cc/43/199811270719.368778.html
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/archive/scoop/stories/1b/ac/199803170818.44820f.html

Christine Rankin Threatens To Sue Sue Bradford

- Department of Work and Income CEO Christine Rankin is threatening to sue Green MP Sue Bradford for defamation over comments made in a Sunday Star Times newspaper article. See... Christine Rankin Threatens To Sue Sue [1] REACTION: - GOVT - Maharey comment on Rankin letter to Bradford [2] - ACT - Maharey Needs to Hold Rankin Accountable [3] - NATS - Govt Black Belt In Hypocrisy Over Rankin [4] Supercomputer Weather: Every Drop Counts - The above image from the NOAA weather supercomputer shows a forecast for a few drops of rain to falling on parched central areas of the country tomorrow (Wednesday) evening. See... Supercomputer Weather: When The Rain Comes [5]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0103/S00088.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0103/S00198.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0103/S00206.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0103/S00217.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0103/S00089.htm

Ellis Counsel's Wider Inquiry Claim Wrong

- Justice Minister Phil Goff says counsel for Peter Ellis, Judith Ablett Kerr QC, has misconstrued the comments of one of the experts used in the Ministerial Inquiry suggesting he said a wider inquiry was required. See... Wider Inquiry Claim Wrong [1] and Justice Minister On Ellis Inquiry [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0103/S00216.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0103/S00195.htm

Scrapie Smear Remedy Not Good Enough - Federated Farmers

- Federated Farmers Meat and Fibre Chairman Chris Lester said the measures agreed to by Meat New Zealand with the German meat marketing organisation CMA are disappointing. See... German Scrapie Agreement Not Good Enough [1] and Scrapie allegations mediation result achieved [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0103/S00060.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0103/S00199.htm

Howard’s End: Fast Food On A Budget

- Making ends meet is not getting any easier with the annual increase in food prices, the highest since July 1990, showing an almost six percent increase on last year. Here is our family recipe for a double-double hamburger which kid's seem to love. See... Howard's End: West Coast Whopper Combo [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0103/S00084.htm

David Thornton: Britomart Budget Blowout Commentary

- Auckland City Council must be dreaming if it thinks that funds from Infrastructure Auckland will solve all its traffic and transport problems. A report in today's NZ Herald suggests that the council will apply to Infrastructure Auckland for $91.5 million to help with the latest cost of the Britomat Transport interchange. See... Auckland City Council And Britomart Budget Blowout [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/AK0103/S00042.htm

© Scoop Media

Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

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