Today's Top Scoop Stories - News Summary
TODAY'S TOP SCOOP STORIES
SCOOP LEAD STORY
Housing News: Residential Properties Rise In Value By 9.4%
NEW ZEALAND LEAD:
Corrections News:
Power Calls For O'Connor To Resign Over Ashley
Murder
Sutch Case: Profiteering Ex-Spy Kit
Bennett Is Taken To Task -
Legislation: 2008
Cutoff For Historical Treaty Claims Becomes Law
MORE
HEADLINES:
Workplace Safety: Posties Ask For Help
On Cars, Dogs
Foreign Affairs: NZ Korea Force
Closer Relationship
Sludge Report: Will Bollard
Get Mean On Pre-Christmas Spenders?
Scoop Satire:
Commodore Bainimarama Please Come Back To NZ, There's
Unfinished Business
SCOOP INTERNATIONAL LEAD
STORY:
Europe In Focus: Will Turkey Have An
Even Chance At EU Membership?
Foreign affairs: NZ
Defence Aid Mass Arrest Operation In Timor
MORE
INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:
Middle East: How
Hezbollah Is Moving For Broad Support In
Lebanon
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TODAY'S TOP SCOOP STORIES
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SCOOP LEAD
STORY
Housing News: Residential Properties
Rise In Value By 9.4%
QV Valuations’ November statistics released today
show national growth in residential property values of 9.4%
over the past year (calculated over the three months ending
November 2006 in comparison to the same period last year).
The growth rate is marginally slower than the 9.6% reported
in October. The average New Zealand sale price over the
period was $347,005. “Although property values across the
country are continuing to increase, the rate of growth has
been easing throughout 2006” said QV spokesperson Blue
Hancock. “However, the spring property market has seen a
number of areas bounce back." See... Residential
Property Increases 9.4% [1] ALSO:
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0612/S00162.htm
[2]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0612/S00120.htm

NEW ZEALAND LEAD:
Corrections News: Power Calls For O'Connor To Resign Over Ashley Murder
National’s Justice and Corrections spokesman, Simon
Power, says the Corrections Minister must “do the decent
thing” and resign if the report into the death of
17-year-old Liam Ashley in the back of a prison van is as
damning as expected. It has been reported that
Corrections’ inquiry into the tragedy is understood to
have found that Mr Ashley’s death was avoidable and that
the decision to transport Mr Ashley in a compartment with
two other inmates was a clear breach of Corrections
guidelines for transporting youths. For more, see... Ashley
report: O’Connor must go [1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00200.htm
Sutch Case: Profiteering Ex-Spy Kit Bennett Is Taken To
Task -
Dr William Ball Sutch, economic nationalist,
writer, intellectual, public figure and top civil servant,
died in 1975 just months after he became the only person
ever to stand trial under the espionage provisions of the
former Official Secrets Act. Sutch was acquitted but
suddenly it's all being regurgitated again. Kit Bennetts,
one of the SIS agents involved in the case has written a
book, "Spy". See…Sutch:
Speaking Ill Of The Dead [1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0612/S00078.htm
Legislation:
2008 Cutoff For Historical Treaty Claims Becomes
Law
- Last night's passing of the Treaty of Waitangi Amendment
Act by Parliament has been welcomed as a major milestone for
the Treaty settlement process. The Act sets a closing date
of 1 September 2008 for lodging all historical Treaty of
Waitangi claims with the Waitangi Tribunal and follows
through on Labour's commitment before the last election to
put in place the 2008 date. See... Act
sets end date for lodging Treaty claims [1]
ALSO:
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00190.htm
[2]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00176.htm
MORE
HEADLINES:
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0612/S00112.htm
[2]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0612/S00137.htm
[3]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0612/S00111.htm
[4]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0612/S00136.htm
[5]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0612/S00110.htm
Workplace
Safety: Posties Ask For Help On Cars, Dogs
- Scary dogs and careless drivers are causing more than just
headaches for Posties this Christmas says New Zealand Post.
In the last 12 months 199 Posties have suffered serious
injuries, resulting from time off work, because of vicious
dog attacks and cars colliding with them. See... Dogs
And Cars Make Xmas Tough For Posties [1]
[1] -
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0612/S00149.htm
Foreign
Affairs: NZ Korea Force Closer Relationship
- Prime Minister Helen
Clark and Republic of Korea President Roh Moo-hyun today
strengthened the relationship between the two nations with
adoption of the Partnership for the 21st Century. A key
component of the Partnership is an agreement to commission a
study into the merits of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
between New Zealand and Korea. See... NZ
and Korea strengthen partnership [1]
ALSO:
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00185.htm
[2]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0612/S00178.htm
[3]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00192.htm
SCOOP
REPORTS:
Sludge Report: Will Bollard
Get Mean On Pre-Christmas Spenders?
- Scoop's CD
Sludge reports on the Monetary Policy Statement: This
morning's MPS is in fact fairly encouraging for kiwi
battlers - householders and consumers - and even to its
farmers and exporters. Interest rates are not up yet; the
inflation outlook is mildly encouraging; and – most
importantly for homeowners – the Reserve Bank is no longer
picking a fall in house prices in the coming year. See... Sludge
Report #173: Meanwhile Down At t'Bank [1]
ALSO:
[1]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0612/S00120.htm
[2]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00162.htm
Scoop Satire: Commodore Bainimarama Please Come Back To
NZ, There's Unfinished Business
- By Lyndon Hood - We, the undersigned, being gravely
concerned that the New Zealand House of Representatives has
retrospectively legalised previous illegal election spending
and thus usurped the Constitution of New Zealand and its
democratic processes, earnestly petition you, as someone who
really understands how to eliminate unconstitutional laws
and fight corruption, that you return to New Zealand and
"clean up" aforesaid legislation and corruption. See... Scoop
Satire: Internet Clippings [1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0612/S00015.htm
MORE
SCOOP REPORTS:
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0612/S00098.htm
[2]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0612/S00094.htm
[3]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0611/S00514.htm
[4]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0612/S00001.htm
[5]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0611/S00405.htm
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS:
Europe In Focus: Will Turkey Have An
Even Chance At EU Membership?
Scoop's Yasmine Ryan
writes from France: European Union members will
decide this week the extent to which Turkey should be
sanctioned for ongoing issues surrounding Cyprus. The
divided island remains an obstacle on Turkey’s path to EU
membership. In one camp are those pushing for a partial
freeze on membership negotiations: France, Germany, Greece
and (Greek) Cyprus. In the other, countries like Great
Britain and Sweden argue that such a suspension may have
serious consequences. Disillusion over Turkey’s likelihood
of joining the EU is increasing on all sides. Image:
Istanbul by Selwyn Manning. See... Club
Europe: Turkey Faces Challenge Over Cyprus [1]
ALSO:
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0612/S00137.htm
[2]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0612/S00029.htm
[3]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0611/S00424.htm
Foreign
affairs: NZ Defence Aid Mass Arrest Operation In
Timor
- Continuing United Nations efforts to bring stability to
Timor-Leste, police officers assisted by a New Zealand
Defence force unit this week arrested 17 people after coming
under attack at a police post in the town of Bidau, possibly
linked to gang rivalries. See... UN
In Timor-Leste Arrests 17 People [1]
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0612/S00182.htm
MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0612/S00185.htm
[2]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0612/S00184.htm
[3]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0612/S00183.htm
[4]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0612/S00179.htm
[5]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0612/S00161.htm
Middle
East: How Hezbollah Is Moving For Broad Support In
Lebanon
Sophie McNeill reports from
Beirut, A truck laden with yellow Hezbollah flags
drives past the Christian neighbourhood of Gemayzeh early
Sunday morning in downtown Beirut. There's a picture of
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on the windscreen, but
it's not his name that the young men on board are chanting.
"General, General!" yell these young Shiite boys. See... Why
Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV Broadcasts Sunday Mass [1]
ALSO:
[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0612/S00097.htm
[2]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0612/S00052.htm
[3]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0612/S00030.htm
[4]
- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0611/S00427.htm