Friday 29 October, 2004

More Defence Force Staff For Solomon Islands

Thirty two New Zealand Defence Force personnel depart on Monday for a three month tour of duty with the Regional Assistance Mission in the Solomon Islands (RAMSI). The deploying personnel include a platoon of infantry to conduct general security duties, and a small logistic element to support them.

New Zealand recently withdrew forces from the Solomon Islands as RAMSI downsized, and now contribute a platoon as scheduled on a multi-national rotation. The New Zealand forces will be taking over from an Australian platoon, and on departure in three months, will hand over to a Fijian platoon.

New Zealand is next scheduled to contribute a platoon in late 2005. The personnel depart from Christchurch Airport on Monday, 1 November at 9.00 am.

ENDS

© 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>>