TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS
LEAD STORY:
WWII D-Day Vets Sought For
Te Heu Heu Tries To Put RNZ Off The Internet
MORE NEW ZEALAND HEADLINES:
Incredulity In Press Corps At State Dept. View On West Bank
INTERNATIONAL NEWS HEADLINES
STORY OF THE WEEK – IRAQ: An Eyewitness Reports From Fallujah

SCOOP COLUMNS:
Hard News Is There!
Is NZ Going To Sponsor A UN Shot At Cuba This Year?
Jason Leopld: California Frying
William Rivers Pitt On George's Rare Primetime Presser
Sam Smith: President Bush Endangers The US Homeland
Doug Giebel: War Without Reason

OTHER NEWS (Just Politics)
Marc Alexander: Why Politics Is Like A Gun
Wong Seeks An End To Export Education Taxation
Muriel Newman Asks How Horomia Sleeps At Night
Govt. Smarm Won't Charm – Sowry
Speechifying: Goff Addresses The Scourge Of Sexual Abuse
More Speechifying: Swain Preaches To The Unconverted
Elderly Abuse Needs A Legal Response
NZ First Wants An IVF Boost
Buy Dunedin Gets A Mike Ward Seal Of Approval
Those Were The Days Of Our Select Committees
Maori Should Pay Rates Too – Coddington Says
Hawke's Bay Reserve Power Plant Nears Completion

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...TODAY'S PHOTO STORY...

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/SC0404/S00052.htm
WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGE: Kaweka Kiwi Killed

LEAD STORY:
WWII D-Day Vets Sought For

Commemorations - June 6, 2004 is the 60th anniversary of D-Day, and Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand (VANZ) is interested in hearing from New Zealand veterans who served during the Allies’ invasion of Western Europe. See... Calling All D-DAY Veterans [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0404/S00094.htm

Te Heu Heu Tries To Put RNZ Off The Internet

- National Party Broadcasting spokeswoman Georgina te Heuheu is asking why state-run Radio New Zealand should spend hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on a high risk internet venture - providing a service which private companies already provide. See... RNZ plan would put more taxpayer cash at risk [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00254.htm

MORE NEW ZEALAND HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0404/S00095.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0404/S00097.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/SC0404/S00052.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/CU0404/S00078.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/CU0404/S00075.htm

Incredulity In Press Corps At State Dept. View On West Bank

- "No, there is no change in U.S. policy on settlements. The United States has -- (laughter) -- look, the United States has supported the roadmap. Yesterday's discussions always talked about the roadmap. As you know, the roadmap itself talks about a freeze on settlement activity. The United States has always felt that settlements were indeed one of the difficulties that had to be resolved in a final -- in a negotiation, when it came to territory, which is a final status issue." See… State Dept. Daily Press Briefing for April 15 [1] and State Dept. Daily Press Briefing for April 14 [2] MORE: - UK - Blair Makes Statement On Israeli Defence Forces [3] - Gush Shalom - Responses to the Bush-Sharon peace + update [4] - Bush Commends Israeli Prime Minister Sharon's Plan [5] - Statement by the President On Israel & Palestine [6] - PNA - PM Qoreia warns US over guarantees for Sharon [7]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00166.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00165.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00154.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00157.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00150.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00151.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00152.htm

INTERNATIONAL NEWS HEADLINES

The Holy Land:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00160.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00159.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00158.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00155.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00167.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00164.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00163.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00153.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00168.htm
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00162.htm
[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00161.htm

STORY OF THE WEEK – IRAQ: An Eyewitness Reports From Fallujah

- Trucks, oil tankers, tanks are burning on the highway east to Falluja. A stream of boys and men goes to and from a lorry that's not burnt, stripping it bare. We turn onto the back roads through Abu Ghraib, Nuha and Ahrar singing in Arabic, past the ... See... REPORT from Jo Wilding in Falluja [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00132.htm

SCOOP COLUMNS:
Hard News Is There!

- Look closely, because I possibly will never say this again: thankyou John Banks. The Westhaven waterfront debacle probably always needed a little double-dealing and subterfuge to fix it, and Banks was always likely to be your man for that ... See... PUBLIC ADDRESS 16/04/04 - Wrapping Up [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00139.htm

Is NZ Going To Sponsor A UN Shot At Cuba This Year?

- This year it’s Honduras’ turn to ‘pass-the-parcel’. That we might just be able to understand, but word is out that it is co-sponsored by New Zealand?!!! Que Linda! Whose dumb idea was this? See... Pinocchio And Pacific Patsy’s Double Act at the UN [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00133.htm

Jason Leopld: California Frying

- Get ready for another jolt this summer. California energy officials are expected to issue a startling report next week warning that the state is going to be terribly short of electricity, which could result in a repeat of the energy crisis that wreaked havoc on consumers and businesses in the Golden State three years ago. See... Got Juice? California Power Shortages This Summer [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00137.htm

William Rivers Pitt On George's Rare Primetime Presser

- The first thing you got was the tie. You lost the importance of the press conference. You lost the fact that Bush had only done two of these prime time gigs in his entire term, and that he hates them because he isn't good at them. See... UQ Wire: George & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamtie [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00136.htm

Sam Smith: President Bush Endangers The US Homeland

- George Bush, with the concurrence of his purported opponent, John Kerry, has effectively outsourced his major foreign policy to Israel, thereby creating a substantially increased risk of further attacks on the U.S. mainland. See... Sam Smith: Bush Outsources Foreign Policy To Israe [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00135.htm

Doug Giebel: War Without Reason

- The Sunday of Easter, 2004, on Meet the Press, U.S. Senator John McCain crooned a soothing message to the nation. Iraq, he said, is not Vietnam. He remarked on how we lost more troops during a week in Vietnam than we've lost in Iraq all year. See... Doug Giebel: Dance Of Death [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0404/S00134.htm

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/AK0404/S00132.htm
A Gift For Christchurch - From Seattle With Love

Marc Alexander: Why Politics Is Like A Gun

- Politics, like firearms, can either be used to protect people or to enslave them - particularly when it comes to how we live as opposed to how we should live. See... Marc My Words: The Crimson Tide Is Turning Blue [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00265.htm

Wong Seeks An End To Export Education Taxation

- The Government's U-turn over the export education levy doesn't go far enough - the Bill should be thrown out, say National MPs Bill English and Pansy Wong. See... Lack of support forces export ed U-turn [1] . See also... ACT Forces Govt U-turn On Export Levy [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00262.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00249.htm

Muriel Newman Asks How Horomia Sleeps At Night

- ACT New Zealand Social Welfare Spokesman Dr Muriel Newman today wondered how Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia could sleep at night, when he spent his days making excuses to hide the fact that he is failing his own people. See... Figures Tell Story Horomia Would Rather Ignore [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00261.htm

Govt. Smarm Won't Charm – Sowry

- National Party Industrial Relations Spokesman Roger Sowry says the Labour Government's business charm offensive smacks of hypocrisy. See... Govt banks on short memories in charm offensive [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00260.htm

Speechifying: Goff Addresses The Scourge Of Sexual Abuse

- Sexual offending against children is an important issue for Government. I want to outline four recent government initiatives to provide a more effective response to the risks posed by child sex offenders. See... Government response to sexual abuse and offending [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00266.htm

More Speechifying: Swain Preaches To The Unconverted

- As Minister of Labour, I’m focused on improving the performance of the labour market and the quality of New Zealanders’ working lives. See... Hon Paul Swain's Speech to Business Roundtable [1] YET MORE SPEECHIFYING: - Winston Peters - The Sixth And Seventh Ages - Sans Everything? [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00259.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00257.htm

Elderly Abuse Needs A Legal Response

- Enduring power of attorney laws must be tightened as abuses against elderly people increase, says National's Health spokeswoman, Dr Lynda Scott. See... Govt Should Tighten Laws To Protect Elderly [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00264.htm

NZ First Wants An IVF Boost

- New Zealand First health spokesperson Barbara Stewart has repeated her call for the Government to revise its funding policy for fertility treatment and pay for two IVF cycles for couples who agree to the implantation of only one embryo at a time. See... No Chance Of Speedy Action On Fertility Policy [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00263.htm

Buy Dunedin Gets A Mike Ward Seal Of Approval

- Green MP Mike Ward will be launching the Dunedin Greens' 'Buy Local' campaign when he visits the city on his South Island Trike tour this weekend. See... Green MP to launch Dunedin 'Buy Local' campaign [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00258.htm

Those Were The Days Of Our Select Committees

- No committee meetings were held this week. See... Select Committee Business - From April 8 to 16 [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00256.htm

Maori Should Pay Rates Too – Coddington Says

- Some local authorities are being far too tolerant of Maori landowners who don't pay their rates, at the expense of law-abiding landowners who do, ACT New Zealand Auckland-based MP Deborah Coddington said today. See... Special Treatment For Maori Landowners [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00255.htm

Hawke's Bay Reserve Power Plant Nears Completion

- The Government's Whirinaki power plant in Hawke’s Bay is nearly complete, Energy Minister Pete Hodgson said today. See... Whirinaki reserve electricity plant near complete [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0404/S00253.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.

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