Green Party Co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons today congratulated Prime Minister Helen Clark for her quick-fire ban on native beech logging.

"The Labour Party made it very clear they were against West Coast beech logging before the election, and they have given a strong message to Timberlands to fall in line with current government policy," said Ms Fitzsimons. "I'm pleased that such decisive action by the government has avoided potentially long and costly resource management hearings due to start today."

Ms Fitzsimons said she was very happy to see the government taking prompt steps to protect what is left of native beech forests.

"We're delighted that the beech forests have been saved so that future generations can enjoy them too."

© 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>>