Today's Top Scoops - 26 March 2008

LEAD STORY:

Scoop Multimedia: Prime Minister's Post Cabinet Presser - China, Tibet, NATO, Afghanistan

NZ POLITICS:

Environment: $72 Million For Rotorua Lakes Clean-Up
Whinging: Saving Britain Twice Last Century Forgotten
Military: Send Overseas Troops A (Nice) Message Says Defence
Chardonnay Socialism? Sommelier "500,000th KiwiSaver"
Syed Akbar Kamal: The Missing Voice In New Harbour Crossing
Climate Change: Greenpeace Occupies Coal Ship
Crime: Minister To Visit Site Of Kua Kaupapa Arson

BUSINESS SCIENCE & TECH:

Gormandery: Giraffes Eye Local Trees For Treats
Internet: Some Good News For TVNZ
Employment: Excess Of Legal Eagles
Eco-Tourism: Endangered Species Highlighted In Tourism Report

WORLD:

UN Watch: Human Rights Activists Urge Swiss to Suspend Tomorrow's UN Nomination of Khaddafi Ally Pending Independent Inquiry
Burma/Thailand: Thai Army Raids Burmese Opposition Group in Mae Sot
Cheap Housing: The New Crime On The Block - House Stealing
United Nations: Nepalese Arrests Of Protesters On Tibet Issue Alarm UN Human Rights Office

COMMENT:

Dr. Abbas Bakhtiar: How to Survive the Recession
Sherwood Ross: Impact of Radioactive Ammunition Fired in Iraq
Suzan Mazur: Theory Of Form To Evolution Center Stage
Jason Leopold: White House Official Tells Judge Searching for Missing Emails Too Much Work

LIFESTYLE:

Outrage: NZ Parents Warned, Kids Informed About Miss Bimbo Website
Animal Welfare: Don't Forget Fido in A Disaster

Scoop Multimedia: Prime Minister's Post Cabinet Presser - China, Tibet, NATO, Afghanistan - Video on Demand + Audio of NZ Prime Minister, Helen Clark's post Cabinet press conference for Parliamentary press gallery journalists. The cabinet readout was followed by Q&A on a wide ranging variety of subjects including protest violence in Tibet and NZ's Free Trade Agreement negotiations with China and NZ's attendance at NATO discussions on the war in Afghanistan. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0803/S00399.htm

Environment: $72 Million For Rotorua Lakes Clean-Up - The Labour-led Government is committing $72.1 million over ten years to a programme to clean up the most seriously degraded Rotorua lakes, Prime Minister Helen Clark announced in Rotorua today. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• National - Saving Rotorua lakes? Or saving Rotorua seat? [2]
• NZ Govt - Clark: Restoration Project for Rotorua Lakes [3]
• NZ First - Lakes to Get Long Awaited Facelift [4]
• Environment Bay of Plenty - Welcome Boost for Rotorua Lakes [5]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0803/S00427.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0803/S00435.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0803/S00428.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0803/S00429.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0803/S00245.htm

Whinging: Saving Britain Twice Last Century Forgotten - The British/New Zealand Trade Council is to protest to the British Home Secretary and other British government politicians through the British High Commission in Wellington against the possible withdrawal of prioritised access to the UK for New Zealanders. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0803/S00240.htm

Military: Send Overseas Troops A (Nice) Message Says Defence - The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) is encouraging the public to send a message to the Kiwi troops who will be overseas on Anzac Day. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0803/S00241.htm

Chardonnay Socialism? Sommelier "500,000th KiwiSaver" - A sommelier in Wellington signed up his son as the 500,000 Kiwi Saver this afternoon at the ninth floor of the Beehive. Jules Van Cruysen, who is a Labour Party supporter but not presently a card carrying member, was happy to put down the plonk and complete the signing under the gaze of the Prime Minister Helen Clark and Finance Minister Dr Michael Cullen. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• NZ Govt - KiwiSaver breaks through half-million mark [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0803/S00396.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0803/S00420.htm

Syed Akbar Kamal: The Missing Voice In New Harbour Crossing - Voices of discontent are emanating from some quarters concerning the proposed new Waitemata harbour crossing. They say millions and billions of public dollars are at stake. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0803/S00373.htm

Climate Change: Greenpeace Occupies Coal Ship - Greenpeace ship the Rainbow Warrior has blocked a shipment of export coal from leaving the Port of Lyttelton. This is the first time the Rainbow Warrior has been used to block another ship in New Zealand. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• Save Happy Valley Coalition - Greenpeace ship highlights Government hyprocrisy [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0803/S00239.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0803/S00246.htm

Crime: Minister To Visit Site Of Kua Kaupapa Arson - Over the weekend five classrooms were destroyed at a Maori immersion school, Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Taumarere, in Moerewa. Only four classrooms were saved. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• Shane Jones - Arson attack at Kura Kaupapa is just "agony" [2]

OTHER ARSONS:

• Police - Admission over Rangeview Intermediate fire [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0803/S00415.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0803/S00412.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0803/S00180.htm

Gormandery: Giraffes Eye Local Trees For Treats - Hamilton Zoo is offering Hamiltonians the opportunity to have their trees pruned free of charge while providing tasty fare for its resident giraffes. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0803/S00243.htm

Internet: Some Good News For TVNZ - The top three channels in the TV & Radio category for New Zealand visitors' unique browsers are are tvnz.co.nz, tv3.co.nz and radio.co.nz. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0803/S00382.htm

Employment: Excess Of Legal Eagles - The economic turnaround has already been felt in the legal market with lawyers being made redundant by some smaller law practices, according to sources spoken to by LawFuel.co.nz. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0803/S00376.htm

Eco-Tourism: Endangered Species Highlighted In Tourism Report - New Zealand has received the worst possible ranking, last amongst 130 countries, for its protection of threatened species, according to the World Economic Forum's latest Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report (T&TCR). More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0803/S00048.htm

UN Watch: Human Rights Activists Urge Swiss to Suspend Tomorrow's UN Nomination of Khaddafi Ally Pending Independent Inquiry - Activists point to Ziegler's long record of support for serial human rights violators including Libya's Khaddafi, Fidel Castro of Cuba, Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, and Ethiopian strongman Colonel Mengistu. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0803/S00215.htm

Burma/Thailand: Thai Army Raids Burmese Opposition Group in Mae Sot - Thai soldiers, in the Thai city of Mae Sot, raided the homes of three top Karen National Union (KNU) leaders yesterday. The troops entered the homes of KNU leaders Padoh Myat Maung, an administrator; Lt-Col Paw Doh; and KNU Commander in Chief Mu Tu. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0803/S00216.htm

Cheap Housing: The New Crime On The Block - House Stealing - The con artists start by picking out a house to steal, say YOURS. Next, they assume your identity, purchase forms that transfer property, forge your signature, file these deeds with the proper authorities. Lo and behold! The house is now THEIRS. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0803/S00217.htm

United Nations: Nepalese Arrests Of Protesters On Tibet Issue Alarm UN Human Rights Office - United Nations human rights officials in Nepal have expressed deep concern at the arbitrary arrest and detention of several hundred people in the capital, Kathmandu, apparently on the grounds that they were involved in protests related to recent developments in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0803/S00220.htm

Dr. Abbas Bakhtiar: How to Survive the Recession - By now it should be clear to all but the craziest of optimists that we are in a recession, at least in US. What is not clear, however, is the severity of this recession and if this will turn into a depression. A technical recession is defined as the economic ... More >> [1]

Also:

• Keith Rankin - An imminent recession? Be prepared. [2]
• Dean Baker - Financial Meltdown [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0803/S00376.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0803/S00319.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0803/S00387.htm

Sherwood Ross: Impact of Radioactive Ammunition Fired in Iraq - The U.S., Great Britain and Israel are turning portions of the Middle East into a slice of radioactive hell. They are achieving this by firing what they call "depleted uranium"(DU)ammunition but which is, in fact, radioactive ammunition and it is perhaps... More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0803/S00375.htm

Suzan Mazur: Theory Of Form To Evolution Center Stage - IT'S PRIVATE. That is now the word from organizers as to whether or not the public can listen-in to the conversation of 16 scientists meeting to remix the theory of evolution at Altenberg, Austria in July. So while Konrad Lorenz Institute where the ... More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0803/S00380.htm

Jason Leopold: White House Official Tells Judge Searching for Missing Emails Too Much Work - The White House's chief information officer said the Bush administration should not be compelled to search for millions of emails on individual computers and hard drives that... More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0803/S00370.htm

Outrage: NZ Parents Warned, Kids Informed About Miss Bimbo Website - The website www.missbimbo.com encourages girls to use plastic surgery and extreme dieting to get the perfect figure and children can earn "bimbo dollars" to buy plastic surgery, diet pills, facelifts, lingerie and fashionable nightclub outfits. More >> [1]

ALSO:
• TV3 Video - Critics slam 'Miss Bimbo' website [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0803/S00245.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/multimedia/tv/international/6204.html

Animal Welfare: Don't Forget Fido in A Disaster - The SPCA has called on pet-owners to make arrangements in advance, to help their animals through natural disasters and other emergencies. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0803/S00235.htm

ENDS

Urewera Raids: 'Operation 8' Trials Begin Today

Annemarie Thorby of the October 15 Solidarity Group: Over four years ago in New Zealand, on October 15th 2007, more than 300 police carried out dawn raids on scores of houses.

That was the day more than 60 homes up and down the country were raided, 17 people arrested and the Tuhoe community of Ruatoki, a small rural town in the Te Urewera region of the Bay of Plenty was locked down... More>>