Photo: East Timorese Refugees Returning To Dili

TOP SCOOPS

Kiwi Suing Internet Giant Yahoo!

- New Zealander Juliette Harrington, is suing Internet giant Yahoo! for allegedly infringing on a patent for her software that allows people to compare prices for goods and services sold over the Internet. John Howard reports. See... Kiwi Suing Internet Giant Yahoo [1] in the Headlines wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL9911/S00109.htm

Greens Look Set to go to Parliament

- The Green Party look set to propel Labour into office after a poll showed party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons opening up an eight point lead over National’s Murray McLean in the crucial Coromandel seat. See... Greens Look Set to go to Parliament [1] in the Headlines wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL9911/S00108.htm

EgyptAir 990 Voice Recorder Recovered

- The cockpit voice recorder from doomed EgyptAir flight 990 was plucked from the planes wreckage on the Atlantic ocean floor and investigators are now examining the device. See... EgyptAir 990 Voice Recorder Recovered [1] in the Headlines wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL9911/S00111.htm

Print Journalists Irrelevant Ego-Trippers – US News Boss

- Stuart Garner, head of the US giant Thomson Newspaper Group, has taken a swipe at print journalists saying they take "ego trips" and newspapers frequently aren't compelling and useful to people. John Howard reports. See... Print Journalists Irrelevant Ego-Trippers - Garner [1] in the Headlines wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL9911/S00112.htm

Pavarotti To Touch Down Tonight

- Luciano Pavarotti will arrive in New Zealand tonight, and will prepare for his first and only concert in Auckland on Saturday. The stage is being touted by promoters as the biggest yet to be built in New Zealand - even bigger than the Elton John/Billy Joel concert. Pavarotti intends to take in some sight seeing during his week long stay in New Zealand. Tickets for the concert range in price from $99 to $450.

Timaru Hospital Safety Complaints to be Investigated

- Health is firmly back on the election agenda following the sacking of a Hokitika nurse last week after a heated discussion over unsafe patient and staff conditions. And in Oamaru the Prime Minster is promising to investigate claims that Timaru Hospital is unsafe for staff. Scoop’s John Howard reports. See... Unsafe Hospital Complaints To Be Investigated [1] in the Headlines wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL9911/S00110.htm

MORE SCOOPS

National and ACT Billboards Made in Australia

- National and Act are using election campaign billboards made in Australia. National and Act's vinyl billboards were made by Metro Media in Brisbane Australia. See... National and Act agree on exporting jobs [1] in the Parliament wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA9911/S00328.htm

Anti Organics campaigner Funded by Monsanto

- Dr Denis Avery, a visiting United States scientist who has been quoted in the New Zealand media rubbishing organic agriculture, is not the unbiased voice he claims to be say the Greens. See… See... Anti Organics Campaigner Funded By Monsanto [1] in the Parliament wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA9911/S00336.htm

PHARMAC To Subsidise Two New Heart Drugs

- PHARMAC is to subsidise two more drugs to help fight heart disease after reaching an innovative agreement with the drugs’ supplier, AstraZeneca. See... PHARMAC funds two more heart drugs [1] in the General wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE9911/S00051.htm

Christchurch City Council Look At Going GE-Free

- A seminar on the genetic engineering of food will be held by the Christchurch City Council next year. See... Council To Investigate GE-Free Cit [1] in the Politics wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO9911/S00088.htm

New Marine Reserve Opens

- Conservation Minister Nick Smith today officially opened New Zealand’s sixteenth and largest mainland marine reserve, Te Tapuwae o Rongokako in a dawn ceremony at the reserve, sixteen kilometres north of Gisborne. See... Te Tapuwae O Rongokako Marine Reserve Opened [1] in the Parliament wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA9911/S00330.htm

NZ Post Take 30 Per Cent of Silent One

- New Zealand Post Limited has signed an agreement to take a 30 per cent shareholding in Wellington based software development company Silent One Limited. See... New Zealand Post Takes 30% Stake In Silent One Ltd [1] in the Business wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU9911/S00044.htm

A Worry When Treasurer Can’t Read Tables – Anderton

- It's a bit of a worry that the Treasurer can't read a table of figures, Alliance leader Jim Anderton said, following Bill English's admission that he couldn't work out the Alliance alternative budget. See... Treasurer can't read a table of figures [1] in the Parliament wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA9911/S00327.htm

Greens Launch Agriculture Policy – Reveal ‘Naked’ Sheep

- A move by the Vegetable and Potato Growers' Federation (VegFed) to fund work on genetically engineered potatoes is sending the wrong message internationally, Green Party Agriculture Spokesperson Ian Ewen-Street says. See… See... VegFed goes down wrong track on GE potatoes [1] . The Wellington Green Party has launched a petition calling on councils to declare the Wellington region a ‘GE (Genetically Engineering) Free Zone’. See… Petition calls for GE Free Wellington [2] . Genetically engineered naked sheep, with no wool on them at all, is New Zealand's latest ‘mad’ biotechnology scheme, the Green Party says. See... Greens expose naked GE sheep scheme [3] . All in the Politics wire. UPDATE: The Greens say following their revelation, AgResearch have now backed down on the idea. See… Greens welcome backtrack on GE sheep-without-wool [4] in the Politics wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO9911/S00083.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO9911/S00084.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO9911/S00085.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO9911/S00089.htm

Motorists Already Paying More – Labour

-“Motorists in New Zealand have not forgotten that they already paying $50 more for their ACC levy because of Mr McCully's plan to privatise another ACC account,” Labour ACC spokesperson Ruth Dyson says. See… Motorists already paying more [1] in the Parliament wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA9911/S00323.htm

Peters / Shipley Snub South Island – Anderton

- - The refusal of National leader Jenny Shipley and NZ First leader Winston Peters to participate in a Christchurch leaders' debate organised by The Press is a slight on the entire South Island, Alliance leader Jim Anderton says. See... National and NZ First affront to the South Island [1] in the Parliament wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA9911/S00321.htm

© Scoop Media

Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

CONTACT ALASTAIR THOMPSON

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