"Very disappointed", was Don McKinnon's reaction to the news
that the United States Senate has voted against
ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban
Treaty.
"The US Administration made every effort to
secure Senate ratification of the CTBT, including personal
intervention by President Clinton. We in New Zealand
share their regret that these efforts proved
unsuccessful."
"This is not by any means the end of the
road. The United States Administration has reaffirmed its
intention to respect the moratorium against nuclear
testing, as are all the Nuclear Weapon States. France and
the United Kingdom have already ratified the Treaty."
"I hope that in due course the US Senate will rethink its
decision and I appreciate the Administration's
determination to try again. New Zealand for its part will
continue to press for the ban on nuclear testing to become
universal, as well as calling for more rapid progress
towards the elimination of all nuclear weapons."
If you're using Scoop for work, your organisation needs to pay a small license fee with Scoop Pro. We think that's fair, because your organisation is benefiting from using our news resources. In return, we'll also give your team access to pro news tools and keep Scoop free for personal use, because public access to news is important!
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn. Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik... More
Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More
Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More
Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More
Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More