Top Scoop Stories - 18 February 2008 News Summary

Monday, 18 February 2008, 2:00 pm
Article: The Scoop Editor

Today's Top Scoops - 18 February 2008

LEAD STORY:

Great News! Stolen Medals Recovered

NZ POLITICS:

Unions: Worker's Of NZ Unite In Rotorua
Kiwi Pride: NZ Tunnellers Museum in France Opens
Scoop Satire: Graffiti Tagged For Destruction
Scoop At Webstock: Russell Brown On The State of Online Media In New Zealand
Auckland Issues: Traffic On Queen Street To Be Slowed Down

BUSINESS SCIENCE & TECH:

Population: Stork Kept Busy In 2007
Liquor: Is Less More With Wine Quality?
Keeping Tabs On Employees: Bosses To Become Lords Of Time
Out There: Amateur Astronomers Help Discover New Solar System

WORLD:

Finance: U.S. Mortgage Crisis, Rising Prices Spell Financial Turmoil
Burma/Thai Border Area: Rebel Leader, Pado Mahn Sha Lah Phan, Assassinated
Solomon Islands: Minister Lilo To Attend Environment Meet In Monaco
Refugees: UNHCR Aids 55K Congolese Returning To Katanga
Dafur Force: UN Police Trainers To Meet Over Plans For Darfur
United Nations: Migiro Travels To Thailand For Development Meeting

COMMENT:

Ramzy Baroud: U.S. Presidential Elections & The Iraq Factor
David Swanson: Obamessives And Obamicans

LIFESTYLE:

Sport: Gritty Soccer Coming To Wellington Beach
Ancient Comedy: Greek Play Has Sting In The Tail
Arts: 'Shakey' Hits The Tex Age

Great News! Stolen Medals Recovered - Prime Minister Helen Clark today praised the New Zealand Police for their work in ensuring the safe return of the 96 medals stolen from the Waiouru Army Museum last year. Helen Clark said the medals were an invaluable part of New Zealand's heritage and their theft had appalled the nation.More >> [1]

ALSO:

• National - Security of medals must be assured [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0802/S00271.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0802/S00265.htm

Unions: Worker s Of NZ Unite In Rotorua - The trade union movement is gathering over the next two days in Rotorua to assess and develop union building strategies, further develop its political strategy, and hear from the successes of the Australian Work Rights campaign at their last election, CTU president Helen Kelly said today. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0802/S00209.htm

Kiwi Pride: NZ Tunnellers Museum in France Opens - A museum has been opened in Arras, France to commemorate the astonishing work of 450 New Zealanders who built a network of tunnels between Arras and the German front lines during World War 1. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0802/S00197.htm

Scoop Satire: Graffiti Tagged For Destruction - The Government has announced its response to the fatal stabbing of an alleged tagger by an alleged Auckland businessman. The plan to ban spraypaint sales to under-18-year-olds was welcomed by stationers and permanent marker manufacturers everywhere. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• Scoop Full Coverage - : Govt Graffiti Clampdown [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0802/S00170.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0802/S00174.htm

Scoop At Webstock: Russell Brown On The State of Online Media In New Zealand - [video + images] Media commentator, Scoop Media Network partner, PublicAddress.net [1] publisher and self-confessed "blutter" Russell Brown opened the final day of Webstock this morning with a provocative address on the state of web media in New Zealand. (Video supplied and served by Webstock web-videographers http://www.r2.co.nz [2] .) More >> [3]

ALSO:

• Chillout With Scoop At Webstock 2008 - Code For Freedom - Scoop Photo Album [4]
• Out-Link - www.webstock.org.nz [5]

[1] - http://PublicAddress.net
[2] - http://www.r2.co.nz
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0802/S00163.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/features/anz.html
[5] - http://www.webstock.org.nz

Auckland Issues: Traffic On Queen Street To Be Slowed Down - A new proposal by Auckland City Council's Transport Committee has emerged to almost halve the present 50km/h speed limit on one of Auckland City's premier business address Queen Street. More > [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0802/S00169.htm

Population: Stork Kept Busy In 2007 - There were 64,040 births registered in New Zealand in the December 2007 year, the highest number since 1963, Statistics New Zealand said today. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0802/S00205.htm

Liquor: Is Less More With Wine Quality? - Removal of leaves from grapevines during fruit ripening is a common management practice. Aimed to increase light exposure on the grapes and reduce the incidence of disease, removing leaves is also thought to have a positive effect on the quality of wine. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0802/S00033.htm

Keeping Tabs On Employees: Bosses To Become Lords Of Time - Manually signing staff in and out each day is to become a thing of the past with the introduction of a new non contact finger scanner to New Zealand. The non contact biometric finger scanners are already being rolled out in Australia. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0802/S00273.htm

Out There: Amateur Astronomers Help Discover New Solar System - Emily J Kernot reports that two amateur NZ astronomers have helped discover a solar system in the Milky Way galaxy that resembles a scaled down version of our own. It is the first solar system to be discovered with replica Saturn and Jupiter like planets. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• University of Auckland - Solar System Look-Alike Found [2]
• Stardome Observatory - Akld Astronomers Help Discover a New Solar System [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0802/S00166.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED0802/S00034.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0802/S00031.htm

Finance: U.S. Mortgage Crisis, Rising Prices Spell Financial Turmoil - The sub-prime mortgage market collapse in the United States, rising oil and commodity prices and other factors could combine to hamper the economies of developing countries, the President of the United Nations General Assembly said today. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0802/S00195.htm

Burma/Thai Border Area: Rebel Leader, Pado Mahn Sha Lah Phan, Assassinated - A Burmese ethnic leader has been shot dead at his home near the Thai/Burma border. Pado Mahn Sha Lah Phan, Secretary General of the Karen National Union, was assassinated last Thursday at his Thai border town home. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0802/S00193.htm

Solomon Islands: Minister Lilo To Attend Environment Meet In Monaco - Minister for Environment, Conservation and Meteorology, Gordon Darcy Lilo will represent the government of Solomon Islands at the Tenth Special Session of the Governing Council and Global Ministerial Forum of the UN Environment Program in Monaco. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0802/S00194.htm

Refugees: UNHCR Aids 55K Congolese Returning To Katanga - The United Nations refugee agency is distributing supplies to some 55,000 displaced people who have returned to their homes in the southern province of Katanga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0802/S00185.htm

Dafur Force: UN Police Trainers To Meet Over Plans For Darfur - The five-day conference, which is being sponsored by Germany, will start on Monday and will take place at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra, Ghana's capital, according to a press release. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0802/S00184.htm

United Nations: Migiro Travels To Thailand For Development Meeting - Migiro heads to Thailand this weekend to chair the latest regional coordination meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) as part of her efforts to promote development worldwide. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0802/S00186.htm

Ramzy Baroud: U.S. Presidential Elections & The Iraq Factor - As the race for the US presidential nominations progresses, the stances of and attitudes towards both Republican and Democratic candidates continue to bring up causes for concern, in terms of their past behaviour, current appeal and general trustworthiness. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0802/S00171.htm

David Swanson: Obamessives And Obamicans - A friend just described to me the scene last weekend in Richmond, Va., prior to the Tuesday Virginia primary in which Obama trounced Clinton. Both of them spoke at a Democratic Party dinner in Richmond, and a huge crowd outside and inside cheered. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0802/S00172.htm

Sport: Gritty Soccer Coming To Wellington Beach - If you fancy yourself as the next Ronaldo, Henry, or Leo Bertos, head down to Lyall Bay this weekend as football fever begins with Wellington's first Beach Soccer Festival. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0802/S00191.htm

Ancient Comedy: Greek Play Has Sting In The Tail - From the Father of Comedy, Aristophanes, Onstage Project presents WASPS, a classic comedy about judiciary hi-jinks and big stings. Aristophanes is regarded one of the best and most indecent writers in the world. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0802/S00192.htm

Arts: 'Shakey' Hits The Tex Age - It's true - the more things change the more they stay the same! Take six characters from classic plays, give them each a mobile and a laptop and let them loose on today's modern world. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0802/S00188.htm

ENDS

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