Top Scoop Stories - 20 February 2008 News Summary

Wednesday, 20 February 2008, 2:01 pm
Article: The Scoop Editor

Today's Top Scoops - 20 February 2008

LEAD STORY:

Hospitals & Healthcare: Raising The Quality Bar In Health

NZ POLITICS:

Design/Politics: Airport 'Too Edgy' For Man Of Common Sense
Race Relations: Maori Party Upset By Further Ruatoki Arrests
Politics: Greens Thrash National Over Smacking
Politics: Key Wants Less Money In Kiwi's Back Pockets
Foreign Affairs: Minister Gets It Wrong On Cluster Bomb Investments
Multimedia: PM's Post Cabinet Presser 18 Feb. 2008

WORLD:

Kosovo: Envoy Speaks Against Attacks By Serb Fringe Groups
United Nations: Edible Insects Provide Food For Thought
World News: UNICEF & Gulf Charity To Educate 1,000,000 Kids
Burma: Intel Officer Granted Asylum In Norway

COMMENT:

David Swanson: Feingold Sets Up Republicans to Win Two More Filibusters
Marjorie Cohn: Tortured Evidence - Injustice at Guantanamo
Rosalea Barker: An Occasional Note On The 2008 Campaigns, No. 4
Martin LeFevre: The Worst President’s Day

LIFESTYLE:

History: Salvation Army Welcomes Home Taonga

Hospitals & Healthcare: Raising The Quality Bar In Health - A report that examines the status of healthcare in New Zealand is critical of standards. But the Ministry of Health states that "New Zealand compares well with wealthier countries from the OECD on a range of indicators, including patient safety, timeliness and efficiency," says Director-General of Health Stephen McKernan. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• NZ Govt - Transparent Events Reporting a Step Forward [2]
• Waikato DHB - Waikato Focussed on Quality and Safety [3]
• Southland District Health Board - Reporting of adverse events enables improvements [4]
• NZ Nurses Organisation - Nurses Support Nationwide Hospital Safety System [5]

AND:

• NZ Govt - Minister Acts over Hawke’s Bay DHB [6]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0802/S00075.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0802/S00310.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0802/S00076.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0802/S00073.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0802/S00074.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0802/S00317.htm

Design/Politics: Airport 'Too Edgy' For Man Of Common Sense - Ohariu-Belmont MP Peter Dunne, a long-time resident of Wellington and a frequent user of the city’s airport, thinks the proposed new design for Wellington airport’s terminal is a classic example of edginess that’s gone over the edge. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• Airport Buildings – Artists Impressions [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0802/S00312.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0802/S00326.htm

Race Relations: Maori Party Upset By Further Ruatoki Arrests - “The outrage continues in Ruatoki and, second time round, people are not likely to accept that police behaviour was any sort of mistake.” That is the view of Te Ururoa Flavell, MP for Waiariki. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• October 15th Solidarity - Support Message To Arrested, Rally in Wellington [2]
• Revolting books library - Support for yesterday's Operation 8 arrestees [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0802/S00307.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0802/S00241.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0802/S00247.htm

Politics: Greens Thrash National Over Smacking - The National Party needs to explain to New Zealanders exactly where it stands on child discipline and who is writing its policy, the Green Party says. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• Family First - Family First Misrepresented by Anti-Smacking Lobby [2]
• Greens - Green MP speaks at S59 book launch [3]
• Plunket - Positive move for parenting in New Zealand [4]
• Family First - Huge Opposition to Anti-Smacking Law Confirmed [5]
• The Kiwi Party - Poll confirms worst fears. [6]
• Republic Of NZ Party - New Start with a Smack of Direct Democracy [7]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0802/S00313.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0802/S00253.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0802/S00288.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0802/S00239.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0802/S00242.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0802/S00240.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0802/S00232.htm

Politics: Key Wants Less Money In Kiwi's Back Pockets - “John Key and National need to front up with some consistency on wages, after comments reported yesterday about his desire for wages to drop,” said Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly. Yesterday’s reported comments from John Key to a business audience in Northland in December were revealing, where he said he would love to see wages drop. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• NZ Govt - Key “would love to see wages drop” [2]
• Engineering Printing and Manufacturing Union - Key caught lying on wages [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0802/S00249.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0802/S00304.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0802/S00243.htm

Foreign Affairs: Minister Gets It Wrong On Cluster Bomb Investments - The Greens are surprised that Disarmament and Arms Control Minister Phil Goff is being reported today as saying that the New Zealand Super Fund has divested its portfolio of cluster bomb investments. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• NZ Govt - Opening address of Conference on Cluster Munitions [2]
• Cluster Bomb Conference - Public Protest [3]
• Cluster Bomb Survivor Speaks [4]
• Global Push To Ban Cluster Bombs At Crossroads [5]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0802/S00283.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0802/S00274.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0802/S00220.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0802/S00214.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0802/S00213.htm

Multimedia: PM's Post Cabinet Presser 18 Feb. 2008 - Video on Demand of NZ Prime Minister, Helen Clark's post Cabinet press conference for Parliamentary press gallery journalists held this afternoon. The cabinet readout was followed by Q&A a wide ranging variety of subjects including Labour Party donations from Owen Glenn, East Timor… More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0802/S00179.htm

Kosovo: Envoy Speaks Against Attacks By Serb Fringe Groups - While the situation on the ground in Kosovo, which declared its independence from Serbia on Sunday, remains calm overall, the United Nations mission there reported violent attacks today by Serb fringe groups on two boundary ... More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0802/S00212.htm

United Nations: Edible Insects Provide Food For Thought - Experts from around the world have gathered in Chiang Mai, Thailand, at a meeting organized by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to discuss the human consumption of insects, some of which have as much protein as ... More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0802/S00211.htm

World News: UNICEF & Gulf Charity To Educate 1,000,000 Kids - The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has partnered with the Gulf charity Dubai Cares to bring education to one million children in need and help contribute to achieving universal primary education by 2015. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0802/S00210.htm

Burma: Intel Officer Granted Asylum In Norway - Major Hla Win, a former senior Military Intelligence officer in the Burmese army, has just been granted political asylum in Norway. He fled to Thailand with his teenage son after refusing orders to attack Buddhist monks during last September's anti-junta ... More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0802/S00206.htm

David Swanson: Feingold Sets Up Republicans to Win Two More Filibusters - Senator Russ Feingold (D., Wisc.) is preparing to give the Republicans in the Senate two more opportunities next week to grandstand and filibuster in favor of the occupation of Iraq. They will, of course, do so; and they will, of course, win. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0802/S00209.htm

Marjorie Cohn: Tortured Evidence - Injustice at Guantanamo - The Bush administration has announced its intention to try six alleged al Qaeda members at Guantánamo under the Military Commissions Act. That Act forbids the admission of evidence extracted by torture, although it permits evidence... More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0802/S00206.htm

Rosalea Barker: An Occasional Note On The 2008 Campaigns, No. 4 - It’s grainy, it’s indistinct, it’s a worry. In this news video of Obama leaving John Edwards’ home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, does he stroke his chin or wipe his nose or mouth before he shakes hand with Edwards? Just asking because there’s ... More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0802/S00204.htm

Martin LeFevre: The Worst President’s Day - Today is Presidents’ Day in the USA. George Bush is in Africa on his second trip to the continent. He’s not even making an appearance in neighboring strife-torn Kenya, and he’s ignoring the slaughter in Darfur that his administration labeled ... More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0802/S00203.htm

History: Salvation Army Welcomes Home Taonga - Wellington, 20 February 2008 - The Salvation Army has welcomed home significant taonga (cultural treasures) from the late 1800s which have been overseas for about 100 years. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0802/S00215.htm

ENDS

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