Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics

Wednesday, 14 December 2005, 5:30 pm
Article: Alastair Thompson

Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics

TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS:
LIVE VIDEO– KING KONG COUNTDOWN LIVE FROM THE RED CARPET – NOW!!! SCOOPTV With R2.CO.NZ
Scoop Report: Kevin List Unpicks The TVNZ Inquiry Debacle
Canada's National Post Follows Up Scoop Report Re: Hostage Group Link To IAI
Dirty Harry And The Inbox Of Secrets!
TVNZ Inquiry: Fraser's Memo Released By Sue Kedgley
Arts Festival to Bring Wombat Breeders to City Gallery
New Zealand Leads World in Huge Balls of Tape
Is Milk And Vitimin D A Cure-All?
Desperately Seeking Starlight Symphony Volunteers
MORE HEADLINES:
Ante Gotovina Pleads Not Guilty At Hague
MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

SCOOP COLUMNS:
Keith Rankin: Build the Cheap Road or the Right Road?
Public Address: Media, Metics and More!
Cartoonists Not Amused by Layoffs
MORE SCOOP COMMENTARY

OTHER NEWS (Just Politics):
'Mahutonga' Handed To Torino Winter Olympic Games Team
POLITICAL HEADLINES

LIVE VIDEO– KING KONG COUNTDOWN LIVE FROM THE RED CARPET – NOW!!! SCOOPTV With R2.CO.NZ [1]

[1] http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00153.htm

Scoop Report: Kevin List Unpicks The TVNZ Inquiry Debacle

- After his shock resignation - which included a number of press releases attempting to justify why he was bailing out of the TVNZ Chief Executive's role - Ian Fraser this morning had the chance to explain himself to a parliamentary inquiry into TVNZ's affairs. Mr Fraser's at times bizarre evidence will have gladdened the hearts of opposition MPs such as Rodney Hide and will no doubt have TV3 and Sky TV executives rubbing their hands with glee. See (text and audio)... Ian Fraser Unleashes On His Own Company [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00157.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0512/S00209.htm

Canada's National Post Follows Up Scoop Report Re: Hostage Group Link To IAI

- Canada's National Post newspaper has followed up on a Scoop Media exclusive that links the group Swords of the Righteousness Brigades to the feared Islam Army in Iraq (IAI). On Tuesday December 13, the National Post's Stewart Bell wrote from Toronto: "The kidnappers holding four Christian activists hostage are connected to the Islamic Army in Iraq (IAI), one of the country's leading insurgent groups, a U.S. researcher said yesterday. Scoop exclusively reported the link on Friday December 9. See... Canada's Post Follows Up Scoop Hostage Exclusive [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00159.htm

Dirty Harry And The Inbox Of Secrets!

- Parliamentary Questions 13/12/05 Q12 - Winston Peters: "Oh, I know what those members are thinking: they are wondering whether I have one telephone book full of those emails, or 10. Well, I have to tell those members that, in all this excitement, I myself clean forgot to count them. But given that this is the most damaging information seen in the Western World, and could blow their political heads clean off, they have to ask themselves whether they feel lucky. Well, do they—punks?" See transcripts… Winston Peters vs Gerry Brownlee [1] & Peters & Cullen vs Don Brash [2] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00197.htm#dirtyharry2
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00197.htm#dirtyharry1
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00206.htm

TVNZ Inquiry: Fraser's Memo Released By Sue Kedgley

- A memo to the TVNZ Board from then CEO Ian Fraser says the state broadcaster has become virtually indistinguishable from commercial channels and is giving no more than lip service to its Charter obligations, Green Party Broadcasting Spokesperson Sue Kedgley says. The document, titled "A More Public Broadcaster" and dated "October 2005", was obtained by Ms Kedgley. It says TVNZ's local content will "shrink markedly" next year to 36 percent, the same level it was before the Charter, and that it will give priority to commercially driven Charter programmes. See... Fraser shows TVNZ giving lip service to Charter [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00185.htm

Arts Festival to Bring Wombat Breeders to City Gallery

- 'Patricia Piccinini - In Another Life' will be City Gallery Wellington's major contribution to the New Zealand International Arts Festival. Piccinini is internationally recognised for the fresh and personal perspective she brings to some of the biggest issues humanity currently faces: the rapid environmental changes that humans are both causing and coping with, and the increasingly blurred boundaries between human, animal, and machine. See... Piccinini Headlines Arts Festival at Gallery [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0512/S00093.htm

New Zealand Leads World in Huge Balls of Tape

- Two young Kiwis have put New Zealand on the world map by gaining a Guinness World Record for the world's largest tape ball. The record tape ball weighs a staggering 53kgs and has a circumference of more than 2.5 metres. Alexis Fletcher and Ben Naylor, both Massey University students, have spent the last two months trying to beat the record previously held by an American whose tape ball weighed only 45.65kg. See... Another World Record for New Zealand [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0512/S00087.htm

Is Milk And Vitimin D A Cure-All?

- A study by researchers from The University of Auckland has shown that Vitamin D may play a role in keeping our lungs healthy. The study, by Associate Professors Peter Black and Robert Scragg from the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, showed that people with very low levels of Vitamin D in their bodies had less healthy lungs than those with higher levels of the vitamin. See... Vitamin D linked to Healthy Lungs [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0512/S00027.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0512/S00201.htm

Desperately Seeking Starlight Symphony Volunteers

- The Children's Charity is delighted to announce it is the official recipient charity for next year's SKYCITY Starlight Symphony returning to Auckland Domain on Saturday 25 February 2006 (rain date Sunday 26 February). See... Skycity Starlight Symphony 500 Volunteers Sought [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0512/S00088.htm

MORE HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0512/S00203.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0512/S00200.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED0512/S00064.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0512/S00051.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0512/S00090.htm

Ante Gotovina Pleads Not Guilty At Hague

- Former Croatian General Ante Gotovina today pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and inhumane acts brought by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) at The Hague. The suspect is accused in connection with the August 1995 Croatian military offensive known as Operation Storm, which aimed, in part to forcibly and permanently remove the Serb population from the Krajina region. The indictment alleges that as commander of the Split Military District, Mr. Gotovina was the overall operations commander of Operation Storm in the southern portion of the Krajina region. See... Former Croatian General Pleads Not Guilty [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0512/S00242.htm

MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0512/S00263.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0512/S00251.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0512/S00258.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0512/S00257.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0512/S00254.htm

Keith Rankin: Build the Cheap Road or the Right Road?

- At long last the penultimate (Mt Roskill) leg of Auckland's southwestern motorway is underway. And the planning for the final (Avondale/Rosebank or Waterview) leg has intensified, with a view to completion well before the 2020 date that looked likely while John Banks was mayor. Sadly, Auckland will become entrapped in the same kind of problem that has plagued Wellington. See... Keith Rankin: Motorway Choices [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00158.htm

Public Address: Media, Metics and More!

- As some readers will doubtless be aware, I have a status amongst many members of the local right-wing blogosphere as the very symbol of Left Wing Liberal Evil. Given that I'm a director of two small companies and have an interest in another, I write for two business magazines (and am in fact the Magazine Publishers Association's - ahem - business columnist of the year) ... See... Public Address 14/12/05 - Left Wing Liberal Evil [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00154.htm

Cartoonists Not Amused by Layoffs

- Black Ink Monday, a non-violent protest by the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC), is a response to the Tribune Company's recent elimination of editorial cartooning positions at several of its newspapers, as well as a commentary on newspapers everywhere who have lost sight of the value of having a staff editorial cartoonist. See... Black Ink Monday – Outsourcing News Editorial [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00150.htm

MORE SCOOP COMMENTARY:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00142.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00124.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00126.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00139.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00143.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00127.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00123.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00141.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00140.htm
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00138.htm
[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00136.htm
[12] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00137.htm
[13] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00135.htm
[14] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00134.htm
[15] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00133.htm
[16] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00125.htm

'Mahutonga' Handed To Torino Winter Olympic Games Team

- Our country is proud of the Olympic teams and every athlete who has competed. Wherever they placed in their field, we are proud of them. Our athletes work incredibly hard to get to the stage of competing, and that in itself is a major achievement. Over many years, for a relatively small country, our Olympic medallists have built a strong sporting reputation. New Zealand’s population is only a fifth of the population of greater New York City. See... Horomia: handing 'Mahutonga' to 2005 Olympic Team [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00205.htm

POLITICAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00198.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00203.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00204.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00202.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00201.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00200.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00199.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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