Top Scoop Stories - 20 June 2008 News Summary

Friday, 20 June 2008, 2:01 pm
Article: The Scoop Editor

Today's Top Scoops - 20 June 2008

LEAD STORY:

Police News: Senior Police Commander Killed In Road Crash

NZ POLITICS:

Combating Rottenness: Fines For Thieving Disabled Car Parks Increased
Future Is Now: Govt Investigates Robotics
Gordon Campbell: Labour's Problem With Young Voters
Education: National Promises Sinking Lid Education Funding

BUSINESS SCIENCE & TECH:

Time Keeping: The Solstice Be Upon Us
Just Liking Honey: Farmers Want NZers To Be Aware of Bee Potential
Something For Nothing: Business Secrets Revealed
Design: Graduate Hopes To Live Off Pig's Backpack

WORLD:

Zimbabwe: Hope Fades for Free Elections Under Mugabe's Campaign of Terror
Shady Deals: Mortgage Fraud On Rise In US - FBI Fraud 'Bust'
A Friend Indeed: Secretary Rice On U.S. Policy Toward Asia
Burma: UK And France Push For Burmese Democratic Reform
Add It Up And Fly Right: Calculator Estimates Air Travel Carbon Footprint
Energy To Burn: Promising Future For Nuclear Power But Challenges Remain - UN
Middle East: Goal Of The Ceasefire Is Cessation Of Terrorism, Says Israel

LIFESTYLE:

Wizzardry: People Transformed Into Animals Dr Moreau Style
Geekery: Wellington Online/Offline Gamers Plan To Make Olympics Interesting

Police News: Senior Police Commander Killed In Road Crash - Superintendent Steve Fitzgerald, the National Commander of the Police Communications Centres, was tragically killed in Petone road crash tonight while cycling home from work. Inspector Richard Chambers, Lower Hutt Police Area Commander, said police and ambulance staff were quickly at the scene but attempts to resuscitate Superintendent Fitzgerald, 57, were unsuccessful. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• National - Dismay at Steve Fitzgerald's death [2]
• Greens - Tragedies call for action on cycle safety [3]
• Police Association - Steve Fitzgerald - One Of The Genuine Good Guys [4]
• Police - Police Appeal For Petone Fatal Crash Witnesses [5]
• Cycling Advocates Network - Fatalities show need for better infrastructure [6]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0806/S00258.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0806/S00308.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0806/S00312.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0806/S00271.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0806/S00194.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0806/S00260.htm

Combating Rottenness: Fines For Thieving Disabled Car Parks Increased - The fine for illegally parking in a space reserved for disability permit holders has been significantly increased to discourage the practice and improve access and mobility for disabled people. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0806/S00303.htm

Future Is Now: Govt Investigates Robotics - Research Science and Technology Minister, Pete Hodgson, and Communications and Information Technology Minister, David Cunliffe, have announced a major research programme into personalised robotics. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0806/S00314.htm

Gordon Campbell: Labour's Problem With Young Voters - The wrangle between the government and insurance industry over third party motor vehicle insurance reflects a wider problem for the Clark government - namely, its punitive stance towards young people, and first time voters. According to to Labour Party president Mike Williams, there will 190,000 eligible first time voters in this election, and they're supposed to be a Labour priority. More >> [1]

[1] - http://election08.scoop.co.nz/labour%e2%80%99s-problems-with-the-young/

Education: National Promises Sinking Lid Education Funding - After a week criticising the government for not investing enough in education, National finally revealed today it would introduce a sinking lid funding policy, says Education Minister Chris Carter... the revelation [that] "the one thing I can tell you is there will be no extra funding for education on top of the cost of living," shows just how cynical her party has been in recent comments regarding schools' operations funding. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0806/S00293.htm

Time Keeping: The Solstice Be Upon Us - The Winter Solstice is on June 21 at 18:46 (6:46pm); this is when the Sun is at its most Northerly point in the sky. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• Metservice - Wet Change On The Longest Night [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0506/S00031.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0806/S00065.htm

Just Liking Honey: Farmers Want NZers To Be Aware of Bee Potential - Federated Farmers Bee industry group is planning to embark on a major publicity campaign to make decision-makers and the public aware of just how critical bees are. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• Agcarm - Bee Safety A Priority [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0806/S00062.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0806/S00364.htm

Something For Nothing: Business Secrets Revealed - Secrets about how to be a successful sustainable business will be revealed at this year's Small Business Expo in Wellington. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0806/S00357.htm

Design: Graduate Hopes To Live Off Pig's Backpack - The 23-year-old industrial design graduate has combined his training with his passion for hunting to invent a backpack capable of carrying wild game weighing up to 100kg... The design has put Mr Tolladay into the finals of next week's Dyson Product Design Awards. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED0806/S00059.htm

Zimbabwe: Hope Fades for Free Elections Under Mugabe's Campaign of Terror - Escalating violence and intimidation in Zimbabwe is seriously jeopardizing any hope of free and fair elections in the upcoming June 27, 2008 presidential run-off. Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party has unleashed a wave of political violence designed to force opposition party supporters and ordinary citizens into submission and deter them from voting. More >> [1]

ALSO

• UN - Escalating Violence In Zimbabwe 'Unacceptable' [2]
• UN - Zimbabwean Violence Threatens Credibility Of Polls [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0806/S00446.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0806/S00450.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0806/S00418.htm

Shady Deals: Mortgage Fraud On Rise In US - FBI Fraud 'Bust' - Two Senior Managers of Failed Bear Stearns Hedge Funds Indicted Today in Separate Mortgage-Related Securities Fraud Case. More >>

A Friend Indeed: Secretary Rice On U.S. Policy Toward Asia - ''For over 60 years, the U.S. presence in Asia - diplomatic, economic, and military - has had a calming effect on relations between the region's major powers, relations that have been marked historically by tension, mistrust, and conflict.'' - Secretary Rice. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0806/S00447.htm

Burma: UK And France Push For Burmese Democratic Reform - Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have released an open letter to Burmese pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi. The two leaders praised Aung San Suu Kyi for her courage and dedication to the Burmese people. More >> [1]

RELATED

• US State Department - Burma's Unjustified Detention Of Aung San Suu Kyi [2]

ON A BRIGHTER NOTE

• UN - Private Sector Support After Burma Cyclone Hailed [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0806/S00430.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0806/S00445.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0806/S00449.htm

Add It Up And Fly Right: Calculator Estimates Air Travel Carbon Footprint - The Carbon Calculator uses publicly available and verifiable information to make its calculations about the amount of carbon dioxide emissions from a flight, taking into account such variables as aircraft type, route, passenger and cargo load. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0806/S00461.htm

Energy To Burn: Promising Future For Nuclear Power But Challenges Remain - UN - The number of nuclear power reactors around the globe is estimated to increase by 60 per cent by 2030, but the industry still needs to deal with a series of challenges, according to a top official with the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0806/S00444.htm

Middle East: Goal Of The Ceasefire Is Cessation Of Terrorism, Says Israel - The goals of the calm are the total cessation of terrorism and firing at Israel by all factions, the end of Palestinian smuggling and military build-up and progress in securing the release of the abducted soldier Gilad Shalit. More >> [1]

WAR OF WORDS

• Israeli Government - Israel Will Not Accept Hamas Rearmament During Ceasefire [2]
• Islamic Resistance Movement - Hamas Ready For Any Zionist Violation [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0806/S00428.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0806/S00429.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0806/S00431.htm

Wizzardry: People Transformed Into Animals Dr Moreau Style - Four lucky students from Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec) were given the chance to be involved in the phenomenon that is Cats. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0806/S00190.htm

Geekery: Wellington Online/Offline Gamers Plan To Make Olympics Interesting - Forget carbon emissions, a lost ancient Olympic sport will save the world. The sport is called Labyrinth Running, and the local Kiwi team need your help... Our team in Wellington are currently second on the leaderboard behind New York, but hope to be at the top by August. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0806/S00183.htm

ENDS

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