Top Scoop Stories - 24 August 2007 News Summary

Friday, 24 August 2007, 2:00 pm
Article: The Scoop Editor

Today's Top Scoops - August 24, 2007

LEAD STORY:

Scoop Exclusive: UN Appoints A New Zealander To New Mission In Iraq

NZ POLITICS:

Sexuality: Birds And Bees Sorted For Young Kiwis
Weaponry: Taser Trial Over - Police Believe Lives Saved
Health: Disparities Of 1990s Closing

BUSINESS SCIENCE & TECH:

Agriculture: Fonterra Payout Upgraded From Huge To Ginormous
Technology: Camera Introduces Special Smile Gizmo
Statistics: Trade Down While Dollar High In July
Interweb: Telecom’s Brand Under Threat Over Email Outage

WORLD:

Timor-Leste: New Unrest Flares In East Timor, UN Reports
Health Report: Global cooperation vital as new diseases emerge at unprecedented rate, warns UN
Army News: Defence Rejects Unfounded Timor Allegations
Wet, Wet, Wet: Needs Still Great As Floods Continue In South Asia

LIFESTYLE:

Couture: Avian Plumage Scores Big With the Style Savvy
Art: Art 4 Aid - Petra Pitches In
Photography: Exhibition Shows Reality Of War On Civilians
Drama/Strange And Bizarre: FootBallistic - It'll Be A Riot!
Fashion: NBA Tries To Restore Ak's Savaged Dignity With Fashion Comp

Scoop Exclusive: UN Appoints A New Zealander To New Mission In Iraq - Andreas von Warburg reports from New York - The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced the appointment of a New Zealander, David Shearer, as the new Deputy Special Representative for Iraq. He will be in charge of humanitarian, reconstruction and development and will act as United Nations Resident Coordinator in Iraq. Image of United Nations Plaza in New York by Selwyn Manning. More >> [1]

ALSO Other Kiwis Abroad:

• NZ Defence - Kiwis make Big Bang In Afghanistan [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0708/S00296.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0708/S00307.htm

Sexuality: Birds And Bees Sorted For Young Kiwis - Youth Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta has welcomed the recommendations of the Education Review Office report on Sexuality Education for years 7 to 13. "A key recommendation is that young people be seen as partners in their own sexual education," said Nanaia Mahuta. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• NZ Govt - Effective sexuality education valued by students [2]
• Family First - Young People Deserve Facts of Life – From Parents [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0708/S00428.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0708/S00419.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0708/S00318.htm

Weaponry: Taser Trial Over - Police Believe Lives Saved - "Trial Taser units should remain available for frontline use where they are currently issued," Police Association Vice-President Stuart Mills said today. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• Green Party - Locke Disputes Police Assn Assertions Over Taser [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0708/S00314.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0708/S00416.htm

Health: Disparities Of 1990s Closing - Health Minister Pete Hodgson has welcomed the publication of new research showing that while inequality in health outcomes between ethnic groups and across income brackets grew steeply in the 1980s and 1990s, it appears that they have now stopped growing and may have even started to narrow. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• University of Otago - Disparities in Death Rates No Longer Widening [2]
• Ministry of Health - Report: health inequalities are narrowing [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0708/S00392.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0708/S00090.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0708/S00091.htm

Agriculture: Fonterra Payout Upgraded From Huge To Ginormous - Fonterra Co-operative Group today announced a new payout forecast of $6.40 per kilogram of milksolids for the 2007/08 season, an 87 cent increase on its May forecast of $5.53 kg/MS... Fonterra Chairman, Henry van der Heyden, attributed the rise to the continued strength in commodity prices, particularly recent increases in butter and cheese and ongoing firm prices for milkpowders. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• NZ Govt - Anderton congratulates Fonterra [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0708/S00480.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0708/S00432.htm

Technology: Camera Introduces Special Smile Gizmo - Implementing the new smile shutter function, the Cyber-shot T200 and Cyber-shot T70 shoot automatically when a smiling face is detected. With Sony's proprietary algorithm, the intelligent auto shutter system can detect a smiling face and activates the shooting mode. More >>

Statistics: Trade Down While Dollar High In July - Imports and exports fell in July 2007 when compared with the previous year, Statistics New Zealand said today. In July 2006, imports and exports were at record highs for a July month; from those highs imports fell 7.6 percent while exports fell 12.6 percent. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• J P Morgan - Exports grounded as Kiwi flys high in July [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0708/S00476.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0708/S00483.htm

Interweb: Telecom’s Brand Under Threat Over Email Outage - Confidence in the Telecom brand is in serious trouble over persistent difficulties many business customers are having in restoring email services that were turned off by Telecom last weekend, the chief executive of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce Michael Barnett, said today. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0708/S00441.htm

Timor-Leste: New Unrest Flares In East Timor, UN Reports - Fighting involving 100 to 300 people armed with machetes, steel darts and bows broke out in Timor-Leste today, almost completely destroying a market in the town of Metinaro in the latest violence following inconclusive elections two months ago, the United Nations Police (UNPOL) reported today. Latest reports indicate that trouble flared up again in the afternoon and 10 houses and a motorcycle were set on fire. The police and the fire brigade are in attendance. Three people were arrested. The International Stabilization Force (ISF) and other police units rushed to the scene, east of Dili, the capital. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0708/S00603.htm

Health Report: Global cooperation vital as new diseases emerge at unprecedented rate, warns UN - With new diseases emerging at an unprecedented rate in an increasingly interconnected world, often with the ability to cross borders rapidly, global public health security depends on international cooperation and surveillance more than at any previous time in history, the United Nations health agency warned in its annual report today. “Given today’s universal vulnerability to these threats, better security calls for global solidarity,”More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0708/S00599.htm

Army News: Defence Rejects Unfounded Timor Allegations - Defence rejects allegations reported by Rory Callinan in the online version of Time Australia magazine, relating to an incident in the village of Same (Timor Leste) on 4 March 2007. Brigadier Nikolic said the ADF has conducted a post operation investigation and it is clear that Australian personnel acted to defend themselves when shot at by armed members of Reinado’s group. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0708/S00608.htm

Wet, Wet, Wet: Needs Still Great As Floods Continue In South Asia - More than half of Bangladesh and parts of India are still under water after a month of heavy monsoon flooding. Caritas fears the situation will worsen as heavy rains continue to fall across much of South Asia. Caritas organisations have been busy providing much-needed assistance to some of the more than 30 million people displaced by massive flooding in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0708/S00614.htm

Couture: Avian Plumage Scores Big With the Style Savvy - The feathers ƒPew at The Novadown Fashioned Feathers Wearable Arts Show last week, showcasing what the public and the countries leading designers can do with feathers, down, fabric and a whole lot of imagination. Held at the Otago Museum in Dunedin, ƒOnalists strutted their stuff before a judging panel... before an auction of designer garments to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Zealand. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0708/S00298.htm

Art: Art 4 Aid - Petra Pitches In - Artistic types around the country are using their skills to help children living in crisis situations overseas. Art 4 Aid is part of World Vision's youth programme, Rampant, and is designed to get Kiwis involved in fighting poverty by donating their time and artistic talents. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• The Hinitiative - T-Shirt Design Against Poverty [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0708/S00279.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0708/S00293.htm

Photography: Exhibition Shows Reality Of War On Civilians - A photo exhibition, titled ¡¥Humanity in the Midst of Crisis¡¦, which shows the cruel reality of the impact of war on civilians around the world, will be on display for a limited time in Wellington from 29 ¡V 31 August. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0708/S00290.htm

Drama/Strange And Bizarre: FootBallistic - It'll Be A Riot! - The dying minutes of a football game. No goals scored. The crowd on its feet. You could cut the tension with a knife¡K Or a broken bottle, like the one you're holding in your fist¡K Out of Bounds, the team behind Fringe 07¡¦s smash hit Brain Power brings you FootBallistic More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0708/S00295.htm

Fashion: NBA Tries To Restore Ak's Savaged Dignity With Fashion Comp - While Queen Street was hosting its Boobs On Bikes parade at lunchtime, Newmarket retailers actively wooed Auckland¡¦s best dressed women to its shopping district, with prizes worth over $4, 500 up for grabs. The competition to determine ¡§Auckland¡¦s most fashionable female shopper¡¨ More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0708/S00423.htm

ENDS

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