Top Scoop Stories – 2 December 2008 News Summary

Tuesday, 2 December 2008, 2:57 pm
Article: The Scoop Editor

LEAD STORY

------------

Shelter: Chances Of Next PM Growing Up In State House Lessen
The building industry downturn means National should invest in more state houses - not put a cap on them - says the Green Party. "Putting a cap on state houses as indicated yesterday by Housing Minister Phil Heatley is irresponsible at a time of economic downtown," Green Party Housing Spokesperson Sue Bradford says. "Not only will a reduction in state house build have serious health and other consequences for people already in dire housing need - it will also cause further dismay in the building sector. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0812/S00008.htm

ALSO:

Housing: Putting the Kiwi dream back in reach [2]

John Key Post Cab On Housing Stock, ETS [3]

Plan to upgrade NZ’s million inefficient homes [4]

Billions in benefits in curing million sick homes [5]

$20 billion cost of fixing country's homes [6]

Don’t kill Green Homes Fund, urges Green Party [7]

Retrofit initiative welcomed [8]

Better Performing Homes For New Zealanders [9]

Time to make our Homes Healthier [10]

New Scheme To Make Canterbury Families Healthy [11]

[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0809/S00205.htm [2]

[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0812/S00006.htm [3]

[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0812/S00022.htm [4]

[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0812/S00003.htm [5]

[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0812/S00020.htm [6]

[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0812/S00002.htm [7]

[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0812/S00034.htm [8]

[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0812/S00029.htm [9]

[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0812/S00008.htm [10]

[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0812/S00025.htm [11]

------------

NZ POLITICS

------------

Uncivil Servants: Public Not Being Well Served With Info Requests
The Office of the Ombudsmen is concerned some parts of the public service have been deliberately delaying responses to Official Information requests. In the office’s Annual Report to Parliament, Chief Ombudsmen Beverley Wakem says the practice is unacceptable and subverts the purpose of the legislation. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0812/S00023.htm

ALSO:

Lack of mental health services - prisons risk [2]

Students w behavioural difficulties need support [3]

[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0812/S00024.htm [2]

[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0812/S00025.htm [3]

Audio: John Key Post Cab On Housing Stock, ETS
NZ will definitely be keeping to its Kyoto commitments said new New Zealand Prime Minister John Key this afternoon. Mr Key held a post cabinet press conference and answered questions on a variety of subjects including capping the state housing stock, the situation facing New Zealand travellers in Thailand and the decision to scrap Labour's ETS legislation and send the whole caboodle back for select committee consideration. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0812/S00006.htm

FULL COVERAGE: Air New Zealand A320 Tragedy
Scoop FULL COVERAGE of the Air New Zealand A320 air crash, including tributes to those lost in the tragedy, Air New Zealand news conferences, reactions, emerging details of the aircraft, those on board, and the investigation into what went wrong. (Image: Captain Brian Horrell.) More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0812/S00003.htm

ALSO:

Air New Zealand A320 Accident Update 15 [2]

[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0812/S00027.htm [2]

Whaling: Tough Talk In Opposition Evaporates In Govt
Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully and Defence Minister Wayne Mapp are urging all parties to show restraint during whaling protests in the Antarctic this season. Dr Mapp has confirmed that the New Zealand Defence Force does not have plans to station craft in the Ross Sea in order to monitor developments. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0811/S00222.htm

ALSO:

Are Orions available for whaling surveillance? [2]

[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0801/S00034.htm [2]

Electoral Finance: EFA Expert Panel Disbanded
Justice Minister Simon Power today announced that the Government has disestablished the Expert Panel on Electoral Administration which was established by the Labour Government two months ago... “Following the repeal of the EFA, we will start work on a new law that will seek as broad a range of parliamentary and public support as possible, to provide an enduring framework for the administration of elections.” More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0811/S00219.htm

Censorship: Classification Office Annual Report Passed For Viewing
The Classification Act requires that the Office of Film and Literature Classification minimise the risk to New Zealand society caused by the unrestricted availability of publications depicting matters such as sex, horror, crime, cruelty and violence. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0811/S00345.htm

ALSO:

Basin Reserve improvements yet to be consulted on [2]

[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0811/S00250.htm [2]

Gordon Campbell: Creating Jobs In The Teeth Of The Financial Crisis
Giving the local government portfolio to Rodney Hide creates some management challenges for John Key. Can Key really afford to let Hide loose down the privatising track in local government? More »[1]

[1] - http://election08.scoop.co.nz/creating-jobs-in-the-teeth-of-the-financial-crisis/

------------

BUSINESS SCIENCE & TECH

------------

Data: Google Can See Your House From Here
Google today announces the launch of Street View on Google Maps in New Zealand: maps.google.co.nz/streetview. Street View is a new feature for Google Maps that lets internet users view and navigate 360 degree street-level imagery of New Zealand's cities, towns, regions and remote areas. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0812/S00008.htm

ALSO:

New Layer Of Information For Real Estate Browsers [2]

[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0812/S00049.htm [2]

Media: Audience Climbs Again For One News
November figures show TVNZ’s flagship bulletin has grown in both audience numbers and share compared to the same period last year. It is now heading into its second year of continuous growth. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0812/S00039.htm

Calamari-Tourism: World's Only Colossal Squid Display Coming Soon
The exhibit will include the colossal squid, dramatically lit in its custom-built tank, displays of various body parts including the orange-sized lens of the eye, models of its beak and tentacle swivel hooks that can be touched and rotated, as well as a thrilling theatre featurette immersing visitors in the world of the colossal squid in stereoscopic 3D animation! More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0811/S00050.htm

Meaty News: Expert Reckons NZ Animals Will Keep Being Eaten
The longer-term outlook is positive for New Zealand’s livestock producers, who are wellplaced to over-come short-term challenges and weather the storm created by the current financial crisis, audiences in rural New Zealand were told last week. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0811/S00526.htm

ALSO:

Housing consent numbers continue to decline [2]

[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0811/S00519.htm [2]

On the Coast: Gerry Brownlee Opens Pike River Coal Mine
The Minister of Energy and Resources, and Economic Development, Gerry Brownlee, today opened the new Pike River coal mine in the Paparoa Ranges, 50 kilometres north-east of Greymouth. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0811/S00210.htm

Statistics: Exports and imports higher, but growth rate eases
The value of merchandise exports was 13.8 percent higher in October 2008 than in October 2007, and reached $3.8 billion, Statistics New Zealand said today. Imports were up 15.3 percent to $4.8 billion over the same period. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0811/S00495.htm

Business Confidence: Look Out Goliath - David Is Crowned
New Zealand’s best little business has earned the honour of being crowned Supreme Award winner in the inaugural year of The David Awards: heroes in small business. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0811/S00463.htm

------------

COMMENT

------------

Gordon Campbell: The Key To Escape From Thailand?
Gordon Campbell on the escape flights from Thailand, and on taxing people for flying long distances. While the Australians are laying on special Qantas flights out of Thailand in order to rescue their citizens from a situation that could turn... More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0812/S00035.htm

Martin LeFevre: We All Die In Mumbai
Extruding onto the land like some slow, cold lava from Hades, ten well-trained terrorists were able to shatter the polytheistic openness of Mumbai, and telescope the distancing complacency of the global society... More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0812/S00029.htm

Rosalea Baker: Peter Camejo -- Presente!
Often referred to disparagingly by the mainstream media as “the perennial candidate”—after all, he first ran for President in 1976—Peter Camejo was a huge force in progressive politics in the United States. He died on September 13, having just recently switched... More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0812/S00011.htm

Uri Avnery: Barak Ovadya, Candidate
THE ISRAELI OBAMA. What will he look like, the Israeli counterpart of Barack Obama? What will be his attributes? That is a tantalizing question. It goes without saying that one cannot construct a human being according to a recipe, like a cake from a ... More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0812/S00012.htm

Peter Dyer: Obama Can End Iraq War 'Responsibly'
One of Barack Obama's most compelling and popular campaign promises was his pledge to end the war in Iraq “responsibly.” But what does “responsibly” mean in this context? Does it mean the United States will be assuming full responsibility for... More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0811/S00404.htm

Ramzy Baroud: Gaza - Salvation In A News Broadcast
When Gaza's electricity is in working order, most Palestinians in the impoverished and overcrowded Strip huddle around their television screens. It's neither "American Idol" nor "Dancing with the Stars" that brings them together... More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0811/S00405.htm

Binoy Kampmark: Darling End For New Labour? The British Budget
Binoy Kampmark writes: When a figure of conservative propriety as Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England, desires government control over banks, one that exceeds mere partial or public ownership, the political fault lines must be changing. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0811/S00381.htm

------------

LIFESTYLE

------------

Cyber Stuff: Interweb Buddies To Meet In Real Life
An Auckland woman is going to meet her long term friend she met on the internet 12 years ago for the very first time after winning ‘The Kiwi Story’ Show Off NZ Competition. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0812/S00027.htm

Weird Football: Kiwis Mix It In Gaelic World
Wellington's fastest growing sport Gaelic Football, has over 150 kiwis playing week in, week out in their seven a side summer competition, which started on the 12 November. The games run each Wednesday evening at Ian Galloway Park in Wilton. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0812/S00021.htm

Soap Operas: Shortland Street Fan Awards Biggest Yet
With almost 85,000 votes being cast in Throng's third annual Shortland Street Fan Awards, this year's results are the biggest yet! More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0812/S00024.htm

Rock: The Big Day Out brings you Dad’s Tips
The Big Day Out is truly one of the great gatherings of the cultural tribes of the nation. The Punks, the Students, the Indie Kids and the Goths had it all to start with in ’94, rubbing shoulders with what was left of the 80s Dole Bludger generation. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0812/S00003.htm

ALSO:

Deck The Walls: Art for $200 or less [2]

[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0811/S00299.htm [2]

Art: McCahon Painting Coming Home
Te Papa is pleased to announce that its bid for Colin McCahon's painting, Mondrian's Last Chrysanthemum, 1976, was successful. The painting was purchased for AUD$312,000 (including a 20% buyer's premium). More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0811/S00285.htm

ALSO:

Important Colin McCahon at auction [2]

[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0811/S00137.htm [2]

Overachievement: Rhodes Scholar from University of Auckland
A political studies graduate from The University of Auckland keenly interested in global justice and migration from developing countries has gained a coveted Rhodes Scholarship for 2009. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED0811/S00082.htm

------------

WORLD

------------

World News: Barack Obama Selects His National Security Team
With today's introduction of key members of the National Security Team, President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden have now chosen nearly half of the cabinet, including the heads of the departments of State, Defense, Treasury, and Justice. Significant among them is Hillary Clinton who will replace Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0812/S00006.htm

ALSO:

Why The Law Forbids Hillary Taking Her New Job [2]

[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0812/S00043.htm [2]

Darwinian Struggle To Find Ticket Out Of Thailand
Richard S. Ehrlich writes from Bangkok: In a Darwinian struggle, the rich buy tickets for expensive helicopters and chartered planes, flying from airstrips elsewhere in Thailand, while protesters blockade Bangkok's international and domestic airports. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0812/S00001.htm

ALSO:

The Key To Escape From Thailand? [2]

Dysfunctional Thailand Allowed Airport Seizures [3]

Travel Advisory: Thailand 27/11/08 [4]

Thailand: Protests in Bangkok: Airport closure [5]

Yellow-Shirt Mob Seizes Bangkok's Int. Airport [6]

Should travellers to Thailand change their plans? [7]

[2] - http://election08.scoop.co.nz/the-key-to-escape-from-thailand/ [2]

[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0811/S00426.htm [3]

[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0811/S00352.htm [4]

[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0811/S00353.htm [5]

[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0811/S00375.htm [6]

[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/multimedia/tv/lifestyle/15956.html [7]

Wildlife at Risk: World’s Fastest Animal, In Race For Survival
The critically endangered cheetah, the world’s fastest land animal, is set to obtain added international protection next week at a United Nations-backed conference seeking the conservation of species that cross national borders. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0812/S00050.htm

Scoop Environment and Conservation: The Big Business Of Environmental Fraud
Environmental fraud is big business. The natural level of discomfort that results from the thought of global warming is reinforced by numerous reports claiming inevitable environmental doom. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0812/S00010.htm

India: Coordinated Attacks, Hostages In Mumbai
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned tonight's coordinated series of shootings and blasts by terrorists in Mumbai, which have killed or wounded scores of people in India's commercial capital and largest city. "Such violence is totally unacceptable." More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0811/S00512.htm

ALSO:

Travel Advisory: India 27/11/08 [2]

McCully condemns Mumbai attacks [3]

Blogwatch: How to defeat fascists and their terror [4]

Attacks in Mumbai, India [5]

Travel Advisory: India 27/11/08 [6]

Thailand: Protests in Bangkok: Airport closure [7]

Travel Advisory: Thailand 27/11/08 [8]

Where did the gunmen strike? - Mumbai [9]

Mumbai rocked by 'terror' shootings [10]

Mumbai in chaos as terrorists wreak havoc [11]

[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0811/S00351.htm [2]

[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0811/S00214.htm [3]

[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0811/S00402.htm [4]

[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0811/S00336.htm [5]

[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0811/S00351.htm [6]

[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0811/S00353.htm [7]

[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0811/S00352.htm [8]

[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/multimedia/tv/world/16010.html [9]

[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/multimedia/tv/world/15957.html [10]

[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/multimedia/tv/world/15972.html [11]

Africa: Zimbabwe’s Humanitarian Crisis Likely To Worsen
A senior United Nations relief official has urged donors to generously support the $550 million appeal launched earlier this week to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe, which she warned will get much worse without “massive” international ... More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0811/S00509.htm

Scoop World News: Opium Trade Finances Taliban War Machine
The opium industry is largely funding the Taliban's war budget and is a major source of revenue for criminal groups and terrorists in Afghanistan despite becoming less important to the country's overall economy. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0811/S00523.htm

Child and Youth Issues: Efforts Needed To Improve Child Survival In Africa
Africa, and particularly sub-Saharan Africa, remains the most difficult place in the world for a child to survive, says a new report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF. More »[1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0811/S00522.htm

*************

Scoop

Scoop Independent News

Scoop is NZ's largest independent news source; respected widely in media, political, business and academic circles for being the place on the internet for publishing "what was really said", and for the quality of its analysis of issues.

Contact Scoop

Editorial - editor@scoop.co.nz
Twitter - @ScoopNZ
Facebook
YouTube
Services - services@scoop.co.nz
Phone - 04 910 1844

Top Scoops Headlines

Top Scoop Stories – 2 December 2008 News Summary