Top Scoop Stories - 13 December 2007 News Summary

Thursday, 13 December 2007, 2:00 pm
Article: The Scoop Editor

Today's Top Scoops - December 13, 2007

LEAD STORY:

Auckland Issues: Political Storm Brews Over Housing

NZ POLITICS:

Legislation: Govt Attempts To take chance Out of Selling Houses
Prison Food: No Porridge For Those Doing Porridge
BZP: Santa Gives Party Pill Pushers Early Xmas Present
Police: CCTV Footage of Missing Korean Released
Foreign Affairs: Nun Briefs MPs On Timor-Leste
Health: Call On Govt To Admit Spray Errors
Election Spending: NZ First Pays It To Someone Else

BUSINESS SCIENCE & TECH:

Exports: Kiwi Lamb To Grace English Institution
Cyberness: Final Determinations For Unbundled Bitstream Access
Technology: Voice Activated Desk A Big Winner For Young Gore Student

WORLD:

Foreign Affairs: British PM Outlines UK'S Afghanistan Role
World News: New EU Rules Crackdown On Misleading Advertising
Nation Building: Climate Change's Silver Lining
World News: Expectations High For Climate Change Breakthrough

COMMENT:

John Chuckman: Annapolis - Dead Man Walking
Bill Berkowitz: Religious right meltdown? More fiction than fact
Ephraim Kam and Ephraim Asculai: - American Intelligence Reappraises the Iranian Nuclear Issue
Bruce Dixon: Oprah & Obama - Corporate Marketing for a Corporate Campaign
Franklin P Lamb: The UN Interim Force in Lebanon - Whose Mission is it fulfilling?

LIFESTYLE:

Sporting Obsession: Auckland Lasses Soccer Madness Pays Dividends
Christmas Past: Gannet Pie Under The Antipodean Holly?
Bizareness: New Charity On Board For Fanuary
Galleries: PM launches First Outsider Art Gallery at Parliament

Auckland Issues: Political Storm Brews Over Housing - There is a political storm brewing in the corridors of Auckland City Council over ‘affordable housing’ which Mayor John Banks had publicly issued calls for its scrapping during his election campaign. His contention is that ‘affordable housing’ is the province of Central government and the local councils have no role to play in it. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• Greens - Auckland mayor a disgrace over affordable housing [2]
• Dr Cathy Casey - Banks must honour affordable housing contract [3]
• Methodist Mission Northern - Council plans to break affordable housing contract [4]

• NZ Govt - Street: Affordable Housing Bill [5]
• National - Rinky-dink housing no substitute for good law [6]
• Maori Party - Harawira: Affordable Housing Bill [7]
• Pavletich Properties Ltd - Housing: Stop Playing Games – Focus On Real Issues [8]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0712/S00177.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0712/S00231.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0712/S00145.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0712/S00122.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0712/S00261.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0712/S00260.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0712/S00263.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0712/S00097.htm

Legislation: Govt Attempts To take chance Out of Selling Houses - Better protection for Kiwi consumers and support for honest real estate professionals moved a step closer last night with the first reading and referral to a select committee of the Real Estate Agents Bill. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0712/S00269.htm

Prison Food: No Porridge For Those Doing Porridge - The Department of Corrections today released the Prison Christmas Menu for 2007. Lunch is a portion of chicken, a serving of vegetables and a mince pie. Cold meat, salads and fruit will be dished up for dinner. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0712/S00162.htm

BZP: Santa Gives Party Pill Pushers Early Xmas Present - The Bill to classify BZP as a Class C1 drug will not now be passed until next year. Associate Minister of Health Jim Anderton says the Bill can’t be passed before Christmas because the Green Party wouldn’t agree to urgency. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• LawFuel - Aust Police Make 40 Arrests, Mulit-Million Dollar Drug Seizure [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0712/S00270.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0712/S00821.htm

Police: CCTV Footage of Missing Korean Released - Police have released CCTV footage of the 28-year-old Korean man who went missing after his car left the road north of Kaiwaka early on Sunday morning (December 9). More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0712/S00159.htm

Foreign Affairs: Nun Briefs MPs On Timor-Leste - Security is still the most pressing problem for Timor-Leste according to nun and refugee camp organiser Sister Guilhermina Marcal currently visiting New Zealand. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0712/S00175.htm

Health: Call On Govt To Admit Spray Errors - he Ombudsman's report on Complaints Arising from Aerial Spraying is a damning indictment of the Government's handling of the painted apple moth aerial spraying campaign, the Green Party says. More >> [1]

ALSO:

• Forest Owners' Association - Anderton thanked for spray defence [2]
• NZ Pork Industry Keeping pests and diseases out wherever possible [3]
• NZ Govt - Health effects of spraying carefully considered [4]
• Jane Schaverien - Ombudsman Slates Ministry of Health over spray [5]
• Waitakere City - Painted Apple Moth spraying position vindicated [6]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0712/S00220.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0712/S00152.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0712/S00151.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0712/S00239.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0712/S00126.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0712/S00138.htm

Election Spending: NZ First Pays It To Someone Else - New Zealand First has donated a cheque for $158,000 to the Starship Children's Hospital in Auckland... The donation follows the Auditor-General’s ruling that spending by political parties contravened the rules in the the 2005 election. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0712/S00243.htm

Exports: Kiwi Lamb To Grace English Institution - Three years of working alongside British retailer Marks & Spencer has come together for Rissington Breedline with the announcement of a supply contract for Highlander - Primera lamb. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0712/S00220.htm

Cyberness: Final Determinations For Unbundled Bitstream Access - The Commerce Commission has issued its final determination on the price and non-price terms on which Telecom must make the unbundled bitstream access (UBA) service available to other telecommunications providers. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0712/S00219.htm

Technology: Voice Activated Desk A Big Winner For Young Gore Student - Fourteen year old Leighton Terry hopes his voice-activated desk leads to more success after winning a nationwide competition for budding inventors. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0712/S00030.htm

Foreign Affairs: British PM Outlines UK'S Afghanistan Role - Britain will continue to fulfil our obligations to the Afghan people and the international community. We will support the Afghan army, police and government as they progressively take over greater responsibility for their own security. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0712/S00813.htm

World News: New EU Rules Crackdown On Misleading Advertising - Sweeping new EU rules to crackdown on misleading advertising and aggressive selling practices - including a ban on fake ''free'' offers and a ban on ''pester power'' advertising to children on the Internet - are in force across the EU. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0712/S00812.htm

Nation Building: Climate Change's Silver Lining - ''It is likely that a constructive adaptation to global warming will give rise to structural and cultural changes of a kind that we last saw in the aftermath of World War Two,'' says Professor Pusey. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0712/S00802.htm

World News: Expectations High For Climate Change Breakthrough - The world is counting on a breakthrough at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has told delegates at the summit, calling the fight against global warming ''the moral challenge of our generation.'' More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0712/S00820.htm

John Chuckman: Annapolis - Dead Man Walking - The Annapolis Conference was, like so many political and diplomatic events of our time, highly choreographed, finely stage-managed, and heavily marketed. Yet, as soon as it was over, it was apparent... More >> [1]

ALSO:

• Ramzy Baroud - The True Aim of Annapolis, and Why It Failed [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0712/S00185.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0712/S00146.htm

Bill Berkowitz: Religious right meltdown? More fiction than fact - Despite rumblings in the traditional press about a religious right 'crackup,' key conservative Christian organizations are bringing in 'more money than ever' says Americans United for Separation of Church and State More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0712/S00186.htm

Ephraim Kam and Ephraim Asculai: - American Intelligence Reappraises the Iranian Nuclear Issue - At the beginning of December 2007, the National Intelligence Council, the supreme body of the American intelligence community, released a reappraisal of Iran’s nuclear intentions and capabilities. The document, a non-classified summary of... More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0712/S00188.htm

Bruce Dixon: Oprah & Obama - Corporate Marketing for a Corporate Campaign - Two of the best marketers in the U.S. teamed up for a three-state weekend extravaganza of vapid, substance-devoid entertainment posing as presidential politics. Oprah Winfrey – a certified genius of self-salesmanship – and the faux progressive, fraudulent anti-war... More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0712/S00183.htm

Franklin P Lamb: The UN Interim Force in Lebanon - Whose Mission is it fulfilling? - Ever since one of this student's favorite Professors, Dr. Ruth Widmeyer, an accomplished and rare beauty still, who was the first woman to receive a PhD. in Soviet Studies from Harvard nearly a half century ago, announced to our Political Science class…More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0712/S00187.htm

Sporting Obsession: Auckland Lasses Soccer Madness Pays Dividends - 11-year-old AucklanderTheresa Carbines has captured Kiwi hearts and been voted the winner of the AIG Life Manchester United Young Star competition, beating out four other soccer-mad finalists More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0712/S00153.htm

Christmas Past: Gannet Pie Under The Antipodean Holly? - A magnificent gannet, shot by Endeavour botanist Joseph Banks, substituted for goose during James Cook’s first New Zealand Christmas in 1769 – fortunately for the endangered bird the dish did not become a Kiwi tradition. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0712/S00162.htm

Bizareness: New Charity On Board For Fanuary - Myjobspace.co.nz is thrilled to announce their partnership with Women for Women Charitable Trust for Fanuary 08. Women for Women Charitable Trust was recently set up to help educate women in all aspects of women’s health. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0712/S00159.htm

Galleries: PM launches First Outsider Art Gallery at Parliament - Bowen House at Parliament is going to have its own Outsider Art exhibition for the first time to mark the launch of the Outside-In Gallery. The Prime Minister called it a “a caravan of a gallery”. More >> [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0712/S00157.htm

ENDS

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