Peters Responds To Tvnz Allegations

Rt Hon Winston Peters confirmed tonight that Ross Meurant had been employed as a part time policy adviser on a range of industries involved in primary production and trade since 2000.

Mr Peters said he was aware that Mr Meurant had business interests in a range of industries involved in primary production and trade.

In response to allegations carried on TVNZ news and Holmes that Mr Meurant worked for Simunovich during the Scampi inquiry, Mr Peters said he had no knowledge of this.

“Mr Meurant’s work was on a part time basis. Any interests he pursued outside this time and his personal affairs were his own business.” In view of the allegations, Mr Peters said he would contact Mr Meurant to discuss his activities outside his part time employment with New Zealand First, including his business interests in Russia and with Barine Developments.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>