Today's Top Scoop Stories - News Summary

Thursday, 18 January 2007, 4:29 pm
Article: The Scoop Team

NEW ZEALAND LEAD:
Business: NZ Rockets Up Economic Freedom Ladder – Glass Still Half-Empty For Roundtable -
Retail: Woolworths Follows Foodstuffs In Examining Warehouse Bid
Defence: Kiwis In Solomons Stop Vigilante Justice
Ethics: NZers Wedding Rings Could Be Dipped In African Blood
Scoop Link: The Times Interview - Elemeno P's Scotty Pearson, Explain Yourself to PJ Taylor
News Headlines:
Scoop Entertainment News: Big Day Ouch –

SCOOP INTERNATIONAL LEAD STORY:
Security News: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Urges Bush to Increase His Commitment To Peacekeeping
Yasmine Ryan – French Politicians Forced To Act On Homelessness
More International Headlines:

SCOOP LEAD STORY
Film/Doco Preview: The Last Resort To Tour NZ Cinemas

The independently made feature documentary The Last Resort returns to selected cinemas around New Zealand for limited seasons beginning in Wellington on the 25th of January at the Paramount Theatre. The documentary focuses on a half-century old coastal campground at Opoutama, a place that is beloved by locals and visitors alike. One summer this most sacred piece of coastline was closed to make way for a multi-million dollar residential subdivision. See... The Last Resort Doco Set To Tour NZ Cinemas [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0701/S00201.htm

RECOMMENDED AUDIO:

Scoop Audio:

Scoop's Kevin list delivers his news round-up on Radio Active: discussion spans from Blood Diamonds to Ahmed Zaoui's case. See…
Scoop's Kevin List on Radio Active

KiwiFM Audio:

Wammo and Scoop's Kevin List discuss: Big Day Out, Ahmed Zaoui, David Lewis, and the State House Garden Awards… See…
Wammo and Scoop's Kevin List

KiwiFM Audio:

Wammo IVs to Keith Locke who is in Tasmania regarding Ahmed Zaoui and why his family ought to be allowed to live in New Zealand. He also quizzes Mr Locke about his Tasmanian holiday... See…
Wammo and Keith Locke [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0701/S00199.htm

KiwiFM Audio:
Wammo IVs Gary Reese (Campaigns Manager for Amnesty International NZ) regarding Blood Diamond campaign. Has the ring you wear come to you by way of murders and mercenaries? See…
Wammo and Amnesty's Gary Reese [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0701/S00198.htm

Check Out Scoop's Audio and Video Podcast Feed (updated)

NEW ZEALAND LEAD:

Business: NZ Rockets Up Economic Freedom Ladder – Glass Still Half-Empty For Roundtable -

“An interesting feature of the 2007 Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal Index of Economic Freedom just released is that for the first time in many years Australia, at 3rd place, outranks New Zealand, at 5th place, in the rankings for economic freedom”, Roger Kerr, executive director of the New Zealand Business Roundtable, said today. In last year’s index both countries were in 9th equal place. See... Australia ahead of New Zealand in Economic Freedom [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0701/S00124.htm

Retail: Woolworths Follows Foodstuffs In Examining Warehouse Bid

- Woolworths Limited (Woolworths) has today lodged an application with the New Zealand Commerce Commission (NZCC) seeking clearance to acquire up to 100% of The Warehouse Group Limited (The Warehouse). Woolworths CEO and Managing Director, Michael Luscombe, said that the company is seeking clearance although no decision had yet been made on whether it would make any proposal to acquire the business. See... Woolworths Commerce Com Application over Warehouse [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0701/S00114.htm

Defence: Kiwis In Solomons Stop Vigilante Justice

Archive Image Jason Dorday - At the halfway mark of their deployment, the New Zealand Defence Force contingent serving in the Solomon Islands can add saving lives to their list of achievements. Members of the 45-strong contingent, which includes 33 Territorial Force soldiers, intervened recently to save a man from being beaten by a crowd of infuriated stall owners at a market in Honiara. The New Zealand soldiers were carrying out a routine patrol through the capital when they were approached by worried locals and alerted to the incident. See... Defence Intervention Saves A Life In Solomons [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0701/S00066.htm

Ethics: NZers Wedding Rings Could Be Dipped In African Blood -

Amnesty International is cautioning consumers to check the origins of their diamond purchases. Profits from the trade in conflict diamonds, worth billions of dollars, were used by warlords and rebels to buy arms during the devastating wars in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone. These wars cost an estimated 3.7 million lives. See... Blood diamonds - Who died for your diamond? [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0701/S00061.htm

Scoop Link: The Times Interview - Elemeno P's Scotty Pearson, Explain Yourself to PJ Taylor

- DRUMMERS seldom steal the limelight, unless they’ve got magnetic character and their chops together. Ringo Starr and Keith Moon had it - especially the comedy - so did Ginger Baker and Mitch Mitchell from rock’s early days, through to Dave Grohl of the recent beat masters. They are pumped for Friday's main stage appearance at Big Day Out. For the full interview, See… Scoop Link: The Times Interview - Elemeno P [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0701/S00203.htm

NEWS HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0701/S00072.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0701/S00071.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0701/S00076.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0701/S00110.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0701/S00109.htm

Scoop Entertainment News: Big Day Ouch -

Ticket scalpers are making a lot more than an easy buck extorting their Auckland Big Day Out tickets on the online auction site Trademe. The first 42,000 tickets to New Zealand’s only international music festival sold out last Monday, which is the fastest sale in the festival's history. "Our outlets have reported incredible demand for tickets this year right from the outset," said Campbell Smith from Big Day Out promoters CRS Music Management. See... Scalpers Making a Killing [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0701/S00149.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0701/S00087.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0701/S00070.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0701/S00097.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0701/S00082.htm

INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
Security News: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Urges Bush to Increase His Commitment To Peacekeeping

- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that he has called on United States President George W. Bush and the country’s Congressional leaders to lift their spending cap on the United Nations peacekeeping budget, warning that if the limit remains then the work of individual operations may be hampered. See... SG Appeals to US on Peacekeeping [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0701/S00202.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0701/S00205.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0701/S00198.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0701/S00203.htm

Yasmine Ryan – French Politicians Forced To Act On Homelessness

- Les Yeux on France (Video, Audio, Text) - In just one week, an organisation going by the name of ‘the Children of Don Quixote’ has finally achieved what others have been pushing for years: firm political resolve to combat homelessness and the lack of sufficient social housing in France. Their campaign has centered on over 200 tents pitched on either side of the fashionable Canal Saint-Matin, Paris, since 16 December 2006. Similar camps have popped up in many urban centres across the country. See... Les Yeux on France: Homeless In Paris [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0701/S00176.htm

MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0701/S00204.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0701/S00201.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0701/S00197.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0701/S00192.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0701/S00190.htm

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