TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS
LEAD STORY:
Editorial: French Agents Use NZ Herald To Parade Anti-Zaoui Spin
Peters Sets Sights On Immigration “Corruption”
MORE NEW ZEALAND HEADLINES:
Armed Groups Still Terrify In Haiti
INTERNATIONAL NEWS HEADLINES
STORY OF THE WEEK: The War In Iraq Heats Up, Horribly - COMMENTARY

SCOOP COLUMNS:
Hard News & More Is There!
Stateside: Rosalea At The Alamo
Rape Crisis Seek Involvement In Police Rape Inquiry
How Many Refinery Fires Does A Pattern Make
Mahara Okeroa's Office Receives Some Seabed Anger
Guest Opinion: Decoupling Death & Taxes
Toni Solo: The Trade Rhetoric Chasm In Latin America
UQ WIRE: Responses To Condeleezza Rice's Testimony
Daily Katya Rivas - The Passion In Five Parts

OTHER NEWS (Just Politics)
Occupation Of West Coast Mine Site Begins
Prebble On Politics: ACT's The Letter
Winston Wants National's Seabed Policy On The Table
NZ Forestry In Decline
A Bad Apple Among The Pommy Cop Imports?
DHBs Being Squeezed Says Roy
Timaru Injured And Insulted By Mallard
Waiting For The Leaky House Inspectors
Is Wellington's Democracy Shrinking?

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...TODAY'S PHOTO STORY...

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00085.htm
French Agents Use NZ Herald To Parade Anti-Zaoui Spin

LEAD STORY:
Editorial: French Agents Use NZ Herald To Parade Anti-Zaoui Spin

- The Herald has abandoned acceptable checks and balances, printing a course of sensational unsubstantiated claim by an unknown former agent - of the same organization that bombed the Rainbow Warrior while docked at Auckland City’s Marsden Wharf in 1985. See... Herald Stoops To Lowest Ebb With French Spook Spin [1] ALSO: - FULL COVERAGE: - Ahmed Zaoui Case... - Nats - Zaoui Backers Ignore Evidence [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00085.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00190.htm

Peters Sets Sights On Immigration “Corruption”

- New Zealand First has called on the Government to make a clean sweep through the Immigration Service to get rid of staff involved in corrupt or fraudulent practices and the management that allowed it to happen. See… Official Papers Reveal Serious Corruption In NZIS [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00193.htm

MORE NEW ZEALAND HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0404/S00074.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0404/S00109.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0404/S00109.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0404/S00110.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/GE0404/S00053.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00187.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0404/S00075.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/SC0404/S00036.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/SC0404/S00034.htm

Armed Groups Still Terrify In Haiti

- At the end of a 15-day mission to Haiti, Amnesty International is deeply concerned for the security of the civilian population. Despite the presence of the Multinational Interim Force (MIF), a large number of armed groups continue to be active throughout . See... Haiti: Armed Groups Still Active - AI Delegation [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00113.htm

INTERNATIONAL NEWS HEADLINES

Easter In Israel/Palestine

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00123.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00121.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00120.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00119.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00112.htm

STORY OF THE WEEK

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00094.htm
Cartoon: The Children Of Fallujah

The War In Iraq Heats Up, Horribly - COMMENTARY

- Manuel Valenzuela - Bodies that have ceased to breathe lie motionless on the streets of Fallujah, becoming stiff now that energy no longer flows through them. Everywhere they lay, dropping where they were killed by American forces. See... Manuel Valenzuela: Fallujah Crusade, Iraq Escapade [1] - Between The Lines - Iraq Explodes in Violence as Sunnis and Shiites Rise up to Oppose U.S. Occupation - Interview with Mel Goodman, former CIA analyst, conducted by Scott Harris See... Sunnis and Shiites Rise up to Oppose US Occupation [2] - No Right Turn - I didn't have access to a TV while I was away (in fact, due to a screwup by the power company, I didn't even have electricity on my first night), so I had to get all my news on the uprising in Iraq from the Net. See... No Right Turn: Shock, Elation, Horror And Hope [3] - John Chuckman - Cartoon, see... Chuckman: The Children Of Fallujah [4] - Robert Higgs - President George W. Bush has said on many occasions that he seeks to ''bring to justice'' those responsible for the 9/11 attacks on the United States. See... Can Bullets and Bombs Establish Justice in Iraq? [5]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00087.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00092.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00098.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00094.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00089.htm

SCOOP COLUMNS:
Hard News & More Is There!

- After all these years, a nice early start on Fridays has been etched into my neurons, and Good Friday wasn't any different. So just before seven, I was up in a quiet house, reading about Iraq. There was something eerie about encountering this noise and chaos ... See... Public Address 13/04/04 - Media Defeatism Special [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00100.htm

Stateside: Rosalea At The Alamo

- One of the more interesting articles in the Qantas in-flight magazine for April was about John Lee Hancock's movie, The Alamo. See... Stateside: Is Santa Anna in the White House? [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00099.htm

Rape Crisis Seek Involvement In Police Rape Inquiry

- Rape crisis groups are upset that the commission of inquiry into police rape is not consulting sexual abuse agencies. See... Rape Crisis Excluded From Police Rape Inquiry [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00101.htm

How Many Refinery Fires Does A Pattern Make

– Patricia Johnson discovers a reason gasoline prices may be rising soon Stateside. See... Refinery Fires - Cause Unknown Or Untold? [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00102.htm

Mahara Okeroa's Office Receives Some Seabed Anger

- Protestors spraypainted messages on Mahara Okeroa's electoral office early this morning accusing him of being a sellout on the impending theft of Maori land by the Crown. See... Mahara Okeroa's office defaced by protesters [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00086.htm

Guest Opinion: Decoupling Death & Taxes

- Lee Gough won’t be paying her federal income taxes this year. That doesn’t mean, however, that the artist and part-time temp worker won’t be setting money aside for April 15th – just that the federal government won’t be getting any of it. See... War Tax Resisters Balk At Paying For US Militarism [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00096.htm

Toni Solo: The Trade Rhetoric Chasm In Latin America

- The difference between what Bush officials say to Congress and the pap they feed foreign audiences makes interesting reading for anyone trying to figure out US government rhetoric on Latin America. See... Food, Trade And US Power Politics In Latin America [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00091.htm

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00090.htm
Cartoon: Irrational Security

UQ WIRE: Responses To Condeleezza Rice's Testimony

- Catherine Austin Fitts - Dear Ms. Rice: I am writing to communicate four points regarding your testimony yesterday under oath before the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. See... Real Deal: An Open Letter To Condoleezza Rice [1] - Kidd Millennium - Cartoon: Irrational Security [2] - William Rivers Pitt - Michael Speer, 24, of Iowa. Elias Torrez III, 21, of Texas. Matthew Matula, 20, of Texas. Felix Delgreco, 22, of Connecticut. Levi Angell, 20, of Minnesota. Joshua Palmer, 25, of California… See... UQ Wire: A Perfectly Good Train Wreck [3] - Gregor Holland - During her testimony to the 9-11 Commission, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice said three times that there was no silver bullet that could have prevented the attacks of September 11. See... UQ Wire: The Silver Bullet [4] - The View from Benedict - Anyone keeping track knows that the administration has taken a hammering by the new Richard Clarke book, the 9/11 hearings, and Condi's refusal to testify under oath at those. See... UQ Wire: The Perfect Alibi [5] - Douglas O'Rourke - Have you noticed the Bush Bandwagon has thundered right past "Wag the Dog," and is headed straight on toward ''Screw the Pooch?'' The White House image folks can usually out "Riefenstahl" any reality, but a rush of 'good news' from Iraq has them re-reading ''Sun Tzu for Dummies.'' See... UQ Wire: Chicken Hawk w. Side of Condi Rice [6]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00097.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00090.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00088.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00104.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00103.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00093.htm

Daily Katya Rivas - The Passion In Five Parts

- Look with what cruelty these hardened men surround Me. Some pull the Cross and lay it on the ground; others tear off My clothes that adhere to the wounds that open again and blood oozes out. See... Katya Rivas: The Passion Extracts 21-25 [1] EARLIER: Katya Rivas: The Passion Extracts 1-5 [2] Katya Rivas: The Passion Extracts 6-10 [3] Katya Rivas: The Passion Extracts 11-15 [4] Katya Rivas: The Passion Extracts 16-20 [5]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00084.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0404/S00031.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0404/S00043.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00060.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00074.htm

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/GE0404/S00050.htm
Plunket Line Rings Up 10th Anniversary

Occupation Of West Coast Mine Site Begins

- A group of people from around the country, including students from Massey, Otago and Victoria Universities, announced today that they are occupying land earmarked for open-cast coal mining at Happy Valley in the upper Waimangaroa Valley, northeast of Westport. State owned enterprise Solid Energy is planning an open-cast mine in the area adjacent to the massive polluting Stockton Mine. See... Students Occupy Proposed Coal Mining Site [1] and Forest and Bird welcomes Cypress Mine protest [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/GE0404/S00055.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/GE0404/S00056.htm

Prebble On Politics: ACT's The Letter

- Parliament is in recess for three weeks coinciding with the first term school holidays. So many MPs have school-age children that Parliament has adjusted its program to the school calendar. See... Richard Prebble’s The Letter [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00195.htm

Winston Wants National's Seabed Policy On The Table

- Rt Hon Winston Peters has told National to “put up or shut up” over the foreshore and seabed issue instead of sitting in a glasshouse, throwing stones and making nonsensical statements. See... Show Us Your Foreshore And Seabed Policy [1] MORE: - National - Loose definitions plague seabed law [2] - Tuku Morgan - Tainui Waka Alliance seeks testicular fortitude [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00199.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00189.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0404/S00073.htm

NZ Forestry In Decline

- New Zealand's third biggest export earner is under threat from the Government's climate change legislation, says National's Forestry spokesman, Brian Connell. See... Government stifles foresty growth [1] MORE: - Greens - 'Wall of wood' jobs being exported: Ewen-Street [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00198.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00197.htm

A Bad Apple Among The Pommy Cop Imports?

- National is questioning police vetting procedures in light of allegations that one of the British police officers recruited to New Zealand allegedly provided false information in his application. See... Police vetting fails to stop bad apple [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00196.htm

DHBs Being Squeezed Says Roy

- District Health Boards are being sandwiched between Health Minister Annette King's funding and commercial reality, when it comes to recruiting and retaining the quality staff that the Minister and the public demand, ACT New Zealand Health Spokesman Heather Roy says. See... DHBs Caught Between Rock And A Hard Place [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00194.htm

Timaru Injured And Insulted By Mallard

- Green Party Co-Leader Rod Donald says the way Trevor Mallard announced the closure of several Timaru schools today has added insult to injury. See... Hatchet-man can't even swing his axe cleanly [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00192.htm

Waiting For The Leaky House Inspectors

- It will take 35 years to settle all outstanding leaky homes claims at the present rate of resolution, National's Housing spokesman David Carter says. See... 35 years to settle leaky homes claims [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00191.htm

Is Wellington's Democracy Shrinking?

- The Green Party is concerned for the future of democracy in Wellington with the decision to reduce the number of Wellington City Councillors by 25 per cent. See... Fewer Councillors Equal Less Representation [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00188.htm

ENDS

© 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.

CONTACT ALASTAIR THOMPSON

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