Richard Madan @RichardMadan 32s33 seconds ago
Canada says #TPP agreement “close”; won’t go as far as Japan & Mexico that says imminent. So not a done deal yet #canpoli #elxn42
Richard Madan @RichardMadan 17m17 minutes ago
A burst of energy filled hotel after word #TPP deal reached. I’m up live on @ctvnewschannel in moments to bring latest #elxn42
Guajardo Says He Expects TPP Deal Sunday; Biologics, Dairy Still Not Done
ATLANTA – Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal said midday Sunday (Oct. 4) that he expects Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade ministers will be able to reach an agreement by the end of the day here, but that parties were still working to hash out a compromise on the exclusivity period for biologic drugs.
U.S., Australia Float Joint Biologics Text To Other TPP Countries For Vetting
ATLANTA – The United States and Australia have jointly developed a text proposal on the exclusivity term for biologics medicines and overnight began showing it to other Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries in an effort to build support, in a move that is raising optimism that negotiators can reach a broader agreement by the end of the day Sunday (Oct. 4), according to informed sources. http://insidetrade.com/
Burcu Kilic @burcuno 44m44 minutes ago
Reportedly Japanese Minister Amari said “a deal in principle”. Plenary sometime between 1&3 pm, press conference at 4 pm. #tpp
Burcu Kilic @burcuno 47m47 minutes ago
Mexican Minister briefing Mexican stakeholders “we are making progress & expect a deal today”. #TPP
Burcu Kilic @burcuno 1h1 hour ago
There has been so much speculation lately so i just want to set the record straight “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed” #TPP
9:16 AM – 4 Oct 2015 · Details
Burcu Kilic Retweeted
León Felipe Sánchez @lion05 1h1 hour ago
Go Australia! Save the world from pharmaceutical apocalypse #TPPA
Burcu Kilic @burcuno 2h2 hours ago
There are some reports that AU-US agree on 8 yrs data excl. Ignore them, US has only 4 yrs data excl., the rest (8 yrs) is market excl. #TPP
Because she is an expert in aspects of the TPP slylands. You may not like her view but that doesn’t change that she can support her view. As for needing someone positive about TPP, aren’t Groser, English, Collins, Key, Joyce, and Dr Wayne Mapp enough for you and your media delights?
Ah, so he’s one of those people who supports massive corporate subsidies at everyone else’s expense which thus increases poverty for the many while enriching the rich.
Burcu Kilic @burcuno 43s44 seconds ago
In less than 2 hours, we may have the #TPP or maybe not. There are mixed messages but another meltdown like Maui is very unlikely.
Burcu Kilic @burcuno 4m4 minutes ago
Burcu Kilic Retweeted iPolitics
Chile & Peru are still fighting hard. I am sure ‘quite a number’ of high-level calls are going on now. #TPP
Burcu Kilic @burcuno 50s50 seconds ago
Just heard there would be a Canadian Press briefing at 3 pm. Quite curious what is happening to Canadian supply management system. #TPP
Burcu Kilic @burcuno 3m3 minutes ago
# USTR just announced closing press conference, which will be held at 4 pm ET. Guess “#TPP in principle” is coming
You lefties got me more money through partial privitisation of the power companies so if you have a problem with it then you need to take a good, long hard look in the mirror to see where the problem is
Guajardo Says He Expects TPP Deal Sunday; Press Conference Pushed To Roughly 6 P.M.
Second Update: ATLANTA – Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal said midday Sunday (Oct. 4) that he expects Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade ministers will be able to reach an agreement by the end of the day here, shortly before the U.S. government announced that the closing press conference for the ministerial is tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. local time. http://insidetrade.com/
Burcu Kilic @burcuno 1m1 minute ago
It is still questionable whether Chile & Peru agreed/wld agree 5+ something biologic exclusivity. I really hope they haven’t & won’t. #TPP
Burcu Kilic @burcuno 3m3 minutes ago
Reportedly #TPP biologic deal includes 2 alternatives; 8 yrs exclusivity or 5 + something but not 3 yrs (at least in letter).
Too big to fail means when it does fail, the public have to pay out!
OPEN LETTER TO JOSIE PAGANI:
This is the THIRD request for you to respond
Monday 5 October 2015
Dear Josie Pagani,
On this forum, nearly three weeks ago, I asked you to answer two questions:
1.) In the light of your support for the destruction of Afghanistan, do you support the invasion of the United States and Great Britain, the bombing and obliteration of British and American schools, hospitals, power stations and churches, and the killing of hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of American and British civilians?
2.) Can you explain your statement that Hezbollah and Hamas are anti-Semitic?
This Open Letter to Josie Pagani was also published on:
Saturday 3 October 2015.
Sunday 4 October 2015.
So far, she has failed to justify her statements.
Note: Josie Pagani has a history of making unsupported claims and failing to respond when challenged. I am still waiting for her to provide evidence for a scurrilous claim she made about Martyn “Bomber” Bradbury. On her Pundit blog, I wrote:
You claim, without providing any evidence at all, that “Martyn Bradbury’s unreasonable aggression has produced a truckload of ugly incidents lately”.
Could you back up that claim with specific examples please?
Her continued silence actually says a lot about her integrity, or lack of.
Just catchphrases, memes and ad hominem attacks
Ironically, if you go to her Pundit page, you’ll find it full of prim little homilies counseling “the left” against precisely the kind of behaviour in which she routinely engages.
Anyone who is interested in keeping up-to-date with the latest global protests etc might enjoy Revolution News ” an international group of independent journalists, photographers, artists, translators and activists reporting on international news with a focus on human rights,” with daily coverage of global protests, human rights, social movements, civil rights, environment, Internet censorship, etc
“In 2008 there were 850,532 people receiving a benefit from the ministry. This number grew in 2009 to 923,105 with the increase in part attributed to the impact of the Global Financial Crisis and the growth in our ageing population,” a ministry spokeswoman said.
To date there are 1,045,837 clients on Work and Income’s books…
Wonder if Mr Hooton does any of the following when he appears on 9 to noon today?
a. uses the meme ‘chicken little’
b. makes ad hominem attack on Jane Kelsey
c. uses the catchphrase ‘too big to fail’
d. diverts using pandas or flags or Chris Brown or…..
According to Kathryn Ryan’s radionz ninetonoon programme the Syrians are fleeing Assad!!!! …is this propaganda and disinformation?….because it certainly wasnt challanged by Ryan…
(I thought the Syrians democratically elected Assad and they were fleeing ISIS)
Washington educated Carsten von Nahmen argues that ” according to human rights organisations the forces of Assad, the ally of Russia, are responsible for the vast majority of casualties in this war and caused millions of Syrians to flee to neighbouring counties and to move on to Europe “….
dunno which is funnier – what you call “the light”, or that you believe a daily mail article that’s based entirely on one short possible quote from anyone who makes even the most vague attempt to give a damn about others.
Best way to get the developing nations out of poverty is to mechanize their agriculture.
I was watching something on TV some time back about fishermen in Tanzania who used dugout canoes — perhaps if someone bought them a decent sized fishing boat they would be able to catch enough food to feed their village and sell the surplus.
Actually, the plight of the local fishing industries in many developing nations isn’t due to us not giving them or teaching them anything.
It’s large scale international fisheries stripping EEZs in the mid to deep water areas because the governments are either too unstable, too poor or too small to do anything about it. And if they’re really unlucky, then the hazardous waste industry find a handy place to drop tonnes of barrels where nobody is looking, much cheaper than safe incineration down to the elements.
And then you get a two-fer like Nigeria, where many of the inshore/inland fisheries that are already over-exploited to support the population by themselves then get oil spills to finish the job.
Developing nations have some of the most ingenious people on the planet, because you have to be when you’re on a buck a day. There’s not much we can teach them that would be useful for them. Best way to get them out of poverty is to ask them how we can help.
…further reductions in poverty rates would come from evidence-based approaches, including: broad-based growth that generates sufficient income-earning opportunities; investing in people’s development prospects through improving the coverage and quality of education, health, sanitation, and protecting the poor and vulnerable against sudden risks of unemployment, hunger, illness, drought and other calamities. These measures, he said, would also greatly boost shared prosperity, improving the welfare of the least well-off in every country.
Note the significant presence of what you might call “Socialism”.
frankly many commenters here would do way better against Mr Hooton
Williams did not seem even dimly aware of the differing views on the TPPA, TTIPs and TISA of various UN agencies and prominent staff compared to what Helen Clark might say
Tiger Mountain
Mike Williams could be described as ‘dimly’ – very appropriate for what I heard this morning which added to the majority of his previous utterings and mutterings indicates a mind dulled by? Accumulated alcohol, knocks playing rugger when younger, or a combination.
He seems to have done well because he was good at raising money for the Labour Party. Always important but it doesn’t go near to putting him in as a political commentator. I’d rather listen to one of the political journalists not on TV and not immured in the left or right.
Mike Williams – Labour Party activities
Williams initially started working for the Labour Party as an education officer but rapidly moved into fundraising where he instigated a number of new practices:
– A pledge system, whereby supporters agreed to pay a regular amount using the then-new automatic bank transfer system;
– Sending out requests for donations to the party membership, enclosing pre-paid reply envelopes;
– Visiting businesses to solicit donations;
– Systematic canvassing and direct-mailing.
These activities helped the party to achieve a landslide victory in 1984. After the election, Williams joined the Australian Labor Party in Canberra but had returned to New Zealand within a year.
Williams was appointed as Campaign Manager for the 1999 election which was won by the Labour Party. After the election he was appointed as Party President.
Commercial activities
Williams set up two successful companies based on his experience of Labour Party organisation. Insight Research (now UMR Insight) was a market research company (which was sold in 1994) and Insight Data, which specialised in direct-mail and marketing and was sold in 1997.[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Williams_%28New_Zealand_politician%29
Hey Chooky i would like to hear you for the Left on radio. You are full of get up and go, keen fresh ideas, know about politics and up to date with all. What is your voice like for presentations?
Burcu Kilic @burcuno 4m4 minutes ago
Oh, #TPP press conference is postponed until sometime tomorrow.
Guajardo Hopes For TPP Deal By Midnight; Market Access Remains Hurdle
ATLANTA – Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal said here Sunday evening (Oct. 4) he hopes a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal can be reached by midnight, but that an agreement is being held up as countries engage in last-minute bilateral negotiations on market access, a likely reference to the dairy talks underway between New Zealand and other countries.
“There’s really no choice,” a university dean told me. “We’ve got to go where the money is.”
And more than at any time since the Gilded Age of the late nineteenth century, the money is now in the pockets of big corporations and the super wealthy.
So the presidents of universities, congregations, and think tanks, other nonprofits are now kissing wealthy posteriors as never before.
But that money often comes with strings.
When the Charles Koch Foundation pledges $1.5 million to Florida State University’s economics department, it stipulates that a Koch-appointed advisory committee will select professors and undertake annual evaluations.
As I say, the problem is the rich. We simply cannot afford them and how they skew our society to favour them at everyone else’s expense.
Father said ;
‘in WWII when British planes flew overhead, the Germans dived for over.When German planes flew overhead the British and ANZACs dived for cover.
When American planes flew, everyone dived for cover.’
It appears that nothing changes.
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Mike Lewinski/Flickr, CC BY On any clear night, if you gaze skywards long enough, chances are you’ll see a meteor streaking through the sky. Some nights, however, are better than others. At ...
Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
Poneke Antifascist Coalition has invited Wellingtonians to stand in solidarity with the Kanak people at 12pm today outside the French Embassy in Wellington. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University Drones are the signature technology of the Ukraine war. A few miniature aircraft designs were used in the war’s early days, but an incredible array of drones have now evolved. There are different types, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Slee, Associate Professor, Clinical Academic Neurologist, Flinders University Francisco Gonzelez/Unsplash Migraine is many things, but one thing it’s not is “just a headache”. “Migraine” comes from the Greek word “hemicrania”, referring to the common experience of migraine being predominantly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee White, Senior Lecturer and Horizon Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney Australia was slow to introduce minimum building standards for energy efficiency. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) only came into force in 2003. Older homes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney The past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth’s land area – particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Heynen, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy, The University of Queensland A temporary stadium in the Champ-de-Mars, ParisEkaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock As Paris prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the sustainability of the event is coming under scrutiny. The organisers have promoted ...
A night of karaoke and community in a pub that feels like a memory. You’d barely even notice it, unless you knew to look. Tucked away behind a liquor store on busy Constable Street is the capital’s last great pub. Newtown Sports Bar is an emblem of the pub culture ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Professor in Marine Geology, University of Canterbury Louise Corcoran/Getty Images The decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laurie Berg, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney defotoberg/Shutterstock Migrant worker exploitation is entrenched in workplaces across Australia. Tragically, a deep fear of immigration consequences means most unlawful employer conduct goes unreported. On Wednesday, however, the government officially launched a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Paris is about to host its third summer Olympics. While we don’t yet know what the legacy of this year’s games will be, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Griffith University In the wake of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, there were calls from bothsides of US politics, as well as internationally, to reduce the brutal, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University Two high-profile assaults on Australians in Paris have raised concerns about security ahead of the Olympic Games. On Saturday evening, a young woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a ...
Dying is inevitable and, so it seems, is it costing a lot, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.The cost of dying ...
The government took Joyce Harris's first baby and sent her off to a girls' home. Half a century on - and out of oceans of hurt - it asked her to be a mother figure. ...
It’s the deadliest fictional town in the country, but which death has been the most bonkers? Alex Casey looks back at 10 seasons of The Brokenwood Mysteries to find out. Warning: The following ranking story contains famous New Zealand actors appearing to be dead (not alive). The Spinoff has been ...
Water cremation is the biggest thing to happen to the death industry in the last 100 years. Alex Casey meets the people trying to bring it to Aotearoa. Through a set of mirrored doors down the industrial end of Christchurch’s St Asaph Street, death is getting a new lease on ...
TPP update
Richard Madan @RichardMadan 32s33 seconds ago
Canada says #TPP agreement “close”; won’t go as far as Japan & Mexico that says imminent. So not a done deal yet #canpoli #elxn42
Richard Madan @RichardMadan 17m17 minutes ago
A burst of energy filled hotel after word #TPP deal reached. I’m up live on @ctvnewschannel in moments to bring latest #elxn42
Guajardo Says He Expects TPP Deal Sunday; Biologics, Dairy Still Not Done
ATLANTA – Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal said midday Sunday (Oct. 4) that he expects Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade ministers will be able to reach an agreement by the end of the day here, but that parties were still working to hash out a compromise on the exclusivity period for biologic drugs.
U.S., Australia Float Joint Biologics Text To Other TPP Countries For Vetting
ATLANTA – The United States and Australia have jointly developed a text proposal on the exclusivity term for biologics medicines and overnight began showing it to other Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries in an effort to build support, in a move that is raising optimism that negotiators can reach a broader agreement by the end of the day Sunday (Oct. 4), according to informed sources.
http://insidetrade.com/
Burcu Kilic @burcuno 44m44 minutes ago
Reportedly Japanese Minister Amari said “a deal in principle”. Plenary sometime between 1&3 pm, press conference at 4 pm. #tpp
Burcu Kilic @burcuno 47m47 minutes ago
Mexican Minister briefing Mexican stakeholders “we are making progress & expect a deal today”. #TPP
Burcu Kilic @burcuno 1h1 hour ago
There has been so much speculation lately so i just want to set the record straight “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed” #TPP
9:16 AM – 4 Oct 2015 · Details
Burcu Kilic Retweeted
León Felipe Sánchez @lion05 1h1 hour ago
Go Australia! Save the world from pharmaceutical apocalypse #TPPA
Burcu Kilic @burcuno 2h2 hours ago
There are some reports that AU-US agree on 8 yrs data excl. Ignore them, US has only 4 yrs data excl., the rest (8 yrs) is market excl. #TPP
Burcu Kilic Retweeted
John Kehoe @Johnkehoe23 1h1 hour ago
@burcuno Robb says no change to Aus laws or regs on biologics.What this means for other countries I’m not sure http://www.afr.com/news/politics/national/us-australia-drug-dispute-is-holding-up-settlement-of-the-trans-pacific-trade-deal-20151003-gk0r65 …
Jane Kelsey is due one tv1 any minute to talk tpp
Would appreciate feedback on this interview
Why does TV nz keep interviewing this person. She is totally negative.. At least balance the communism with some other mainstream views.
Peter Petri is expert on the TPPA and has taken a keen interest in the benefits to New Zealand.
Ppetri.com
English is on in 10 for your balance ,who do you think will be more honest?
English was caught out this AM by Nadine in the Interview.. Can’t any Nat lie straight in bed .
Because she is an expert in aspects of the TPP slylands. You may not like her view but that doesn’t change that she can support her view. As for needing someone positive about TPP, aren’t Groser, English, Collins, Key, Joyce, and Dr Wayne Mapp enough for you and your media delights?
Has Peter Petri seen the deal?
Srylands bases his opinions on the cult of John Key.
Paul 5pylands just repeats what ever he is told.
No brain no pain.
He uses the ‘too big to fail’ argument.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/tpp-too-big-fail-says-visiting-us-trade-deal-specialist-petri-b-175060
Ah, so he’s one of those people who supports massive corporate subsidies at everyone else’s expense which thus increases poverty for the many while enriching the rich.
+100
Why dont you admit you think it is OK to our government to be sued for outlawing the pollution of our rivers.
TPPA = profit before people
Some people would defend anything.
SSLands would be one of the people suing.
Because she’s a knowledgeable person who knows what she’s talking about and who doesn’t let ideology colour her thinking.
The problem is the mainstream views – they’re disconnected from reality.
Japan and Mexico had already accepted the 8 for biologics so they have finished playing their hands. That’s why they are keen to push things through.
Burcu Kilic @burcuno 43s44 seconds ago
In less than 2 hours, we may have the #TPP or maybe not. There are mixed messages but another meltdown like Maui is very unlikely.
Burcu Kilic @burcuno 4m4 minutes ago
Burcu Kilic Retweeted iPolitics
Chile & Peru are still fighting hard. I am sure ‘quite a number’ of high-level calls are going on now. #TPP
Burcu Kilic @burcuno 50s50 seconds ago
Just heard there would be a Canadian Press briefing at 3 pm. Quite curious what is happening to Canadian supply management system. #TPP
Burcu Kilic @burcuno 3m3 minutes ago
# USTR just announced closing press conference, which will be held at 4 pm ET. Guess “#TPP in principle” is coming
Bill English lies about TPP being pretty open
Admits NZ has not taken a strong line on pharmaceutical issue.
In less than 2 hours our sovereignty will be gutted.
Key will have done his job and sold us to his banking and financier masters in the US.
Getting desperate to have poor Bill English speaking on it. He has his hands full lying about how the surplus is achieved (or not)
Looks like we can say good bye to lower power prices and hello to high water prices, as water schemes are privatised.
A sad day for democracy.
I hope you’re right cause I’ve got some spare cash that i wouldn’t mind putting into (almost) guranteed returns
I hear Serco shares are going cheap if you want to get in on that action too..
I prefer utilities
Of course you do – for the very reason same they should be run for the common good.
I just love how you RWNJs gloat about becoming ever bigger bludgers.
Shameless.
You lefties got me more money through partial privitisation of the power companies so if you have a problem with it then you need to take a good, long hard look in the mirror to see where the problem is
We know where the problem is – it’s you and your selfish bludging ways.
Its the people that’re blinded by ideology that’re the problem
Yeah, the RWNJs.
So glad we could agree on that.
There is no evidence and no chance that water schemes will be privatised.
I’d be interested to know your definition of “privatised”, and what exactly you mean by “water schemes”.
the Natz have assured us TPP will be a ‘quality’ deal…thats comforting…in context with other deals they’ve done…like..Sky City Convention Centre.
Just the TPP has massive impacts that will shackle us to neoliberal dogma whatever we vote.
Bill English says the TPP will be positive for our economy.
The TV1 Breakfast interviewer failed to ask ‘Why’?
Why, Bill?
Guajardo Says He Expects TPP Deal Sunday; Press Conference Pushed To Roughly 6 P.M.
Second Update: ATLANTA – Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal said midday Sunday (Oct. 4) that he expects Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade ministers will be able to reach an agreement by the end of the day here, shortly before the U.S. government announced that the closing press conference for the ministerial is tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. local time. http://insidetrade.com/
Burcu Kilic @burcuno 1m1 minute ago
It is still questionable whether Chile & Peru agreed/wld agree 5+ something biologic exclusivity. I really hope they haven’t & won’t. #TPP
Burcu Kilic @burcuno 3m3 minutes ago
Reportedly #TPP biologic deal includes 2 alternatives; 8 yrs exclusivity or 5 + something but not 3 yrs (at least in letter).
Too big to fail means when it does fail, the public have to pay out!
OPEN LETTER TO JOSIE PAGANI:
This is the THIRD request for you to respond
Monday 5 October 2015
Dear Josie Pagani,
On this forum, nearly three weeks ago, I asked you to answer two questions:
1.) In the light of your support for the destruction of Afghanistan, do you support the invasion of the United States and Great Britain, the bombing and obliteration of British and American schools, hospitals, power stations and churches, and the killing of hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of American and British civilians?
2.) Can you explain your statement that Hezbollah and Hamas are anti-Semitic?
Could you please respond?
http://thestandard.org.nz/all-the-left-wants-is-a-clean-contest-of-ideas/#comment-1071118
This Open Letter to Josie Pagani was also published on:
Saturday 3 October 2015.
Sunday 4 October 2015.
So far, she has failed to justify her statements.
Note: Josie Pagani has a history of making unsupported claims and failing to respond when challenged. I am still waiting for her to provide evidence for a scurrilous claim she made about Martyn “Bomber” Bradbury. On her Pundit blog, I wrote:
http://pundit.co.nz/content/the-left-must-stand-up-to-abuse
The right wing don’t have any arguments, Morrissey.
Just catchphrases, memes and ad hominem attacks
Her continued silence actually says a lot about her integrity, or lack of.
Just catchphrases, memes and ad hominem attacks
Ironically, if you go to her Pundit page, you’ll find it full of prim little homilies counseling “the left” against precisely the kind of behaviour in which she routinely engages.
I have so many things to do rather than read or listen to Pagani.
I admire your tenacity in doing so.
Give it up — she aint going to reply.
She sees herself too good to post on here.
Anyone who is interested in keeping up-to-date with the latest global protests etc might enjoy Revolution News ” an international group of independent journalists, photographers, artists, translators and activists reporting on international news with a focus on human rights,” with daily coverage of global protests, human rights, social movements, civil rights, environment, Internet censorship, etc
Here’s their website – http://revolution-news.com/
and on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/RevNews?fref=ts
Gun Violence Solved – a truly American solution to a uniquely American problem:
http://juanitajean.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/CQZ3bmzUcAA4wGb.jpg
Warning – coffee spurt trigger
Or slightly more seriously:
http://www.examiner.com/article/what-if-gun-laws-were-like-abortion-laws
Meanwhile, we’re on the cusp of something special.
Emphasis added.
Wonder if Mr Hooton does any of the following when he appears on 9 to noon today?
a. uses the meme ‘chicken little’
b. makes ad hominem attack on Jane Kelsey
c. uses the catchphrase ‘too big to fail’
d. diverts using pandas or flags or Chris Brown or…..
He was more outrageous than normal, and Mike “I Agree With Matthew” Williams was weaker than normal.
To her credit, Kathryn Ryan at least tried to say something intelligent, but Hooton dominated from start to finish, as usual.
Transcript* on the way….
* Yes, Felix, I know, I know…
Looking forward to it.
You listen to Hooton so we don’t have to.
Rewriting history :
According to Kathryn Ryan’s radionz ninetonoon programme the Syrians are fleeing Assad!!!! …is this propaganda and disinformation?….because it certainly wasnt challanged by Ryan…
(I thought the Syrians democratically elected Assad and they were fleeing ISIS)
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201773272/europe-correspondent-carsten-von-nahmen
Washington educated Carsten von Nahmen argues that ” according to human rights organisations the forces of Assad, the ally of Russia, are responsible for the vast majority of casualties in this war and caused millions of Syrians to flee to neighbouring counties and to move on to Europe “….
http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Carsten-von%20Nahmen/1291121086
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/04/bashar-al-assad-winds-reelection-in-landslide-victory
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/harrowing-images-show-desperate-syrian-refugees-break-through-fence-to-turkish-territories-to-escape-10320170.html
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/im-refugee-now-syrians-fleeing-isis-forced-street-n380196
‘Donald Trump supports Putin ‘bombing the hell out of ISIS’’
https://www.rt.com/usa/317641-trump-syria-putin-isis/
Finally hes seen the light
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3258264/The-U2-U-turn-years-telling-hand-aid-Bono-admits-trade-eradicate-extreme-poverty.html
dunno which is funnier – what you call “the light”, or that you believe a daily mail article that’s based entirely on one short possible quote from anyone who makes even the most vague attempt to give a damn about others.
Well maybe now he’ll shut up about taxes while paying virtually none himself
Because of the daily mail? You hold them in high regard, obviously.
Please don’t waste our time with sources such as the Daily Mail.
A mouthpiece of fascist propaganda and hate speech.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/markhendrickson/2013/11/08/u2s-bono-courageously-embraces-capitalism/
http://utv.ie/Entertainment/2015/10/03/Bono-urges-businessmen-to-fight-poverty-46253
and for more of the same
http://www.pressreader.com/ireland/irish-daily-mail/20151003/281689728630373/TextView
http://blog.independent.org/2013/08/12/bono-capitalism-takes-more-people-out-of-poverty-than-aid/
Best way to get the developing nations out of poverty is to mechanize their agriculture.
I was watching something on TV some time back about fishermen in Tanzania who used dugout canoes — perhaps if someone bought them a decent sized fishing boat they would be able to catch enough food to feed their village and sell the surplus.
Don’t need to buy them anything – just need to teach them how to make plywood and plywood boats from their own resources.
Actually, the plight of the local fishing industries in many developing nations isn’t due to us not giving them or teaching them anything.
It’s large scale international fisheries stripping EEZs in the mid to deep water areas because the governments are either too unstable, too poor or too small to do anything about it. And if they’re really unlucky, then the hazardous waste industry find a handy place to drop tonnes of barrels where nobody is looking, much cheaper than safe incineration down to the elements.
And then you get a two-fer like Nigeria, where many of the inshore/inland fisheries that are already over-exploited to support the population by themselves then get oil spills to finish the job.
Developing nations have some of the most ingenious people on the planet, because you have to be when you’re on a buck a day. There’s not much we can teach them that would be useful for them. Best way to get them out of poverty is to ask them how we can help.
In other news, a musician has an opinion.
Meanwhile, at the World Bank…
Note the significant presence of what you might call “Socialism”.
time to retire Mike Williams from RNZ–please–his performance was truly appalling again today
+100…yes please
Agreed. I have a transcript coming, composed in mounting disbelief and horror.
frankly many commenters here would do way better against Mr Hooton
Williams did not seem even dimly aware of the differing views on the TPPA, TTIPs and TISA of various UN agencies and prominent staff compared to what Helen Clark might say
Tiger Mountain
Mike Williams could be described as ‘dimly’ – very appropriate for what I heard this morning which added to the majority of his previous utterings and mutterings indicates a mind dulled by? Accumulated alcohol, knocks playing rugger when younger, or a combination.
He seems to have done well because he was good at raising money for the Labour Party. Always important but it doesn’t go near to putting him in as a political commentator. I’d rather listen to one of the political journalists not on TV and not immured in the left or right.
Mike Williams – Labour Party activities
Williams initially started working for the Labour Party as an education officer but rapidly moved into fundraising where he instigated a number of new practices:
– A pledge system, whereby supporters agreed to pay a regular amount using the then-new automatic bank transfer system;
– Sending out requests for donations to the party membership, enclosing pre-paid reply envelopes;
– Visiting businesses to solicit donations;
– Systematic canvassing and direct-mailing.
These activities helped the party to achieve a landslide victory in 1984. After the election, Williams joined the Australian Labor Party in Canberra but had returned to New Zealand within a year.
Williams was appointed as Campaign Manager for the 1999 election which was won by the Labour Party. After the election he was appointed as Party President.
Commercial activities
Williams set up two successful companies based on his experience of Labour Party organisation. Insight Research (now UMR Insight) was a market research company (which was sold in 1994) and Insight Data, which specialised in direct-mail and marketing and was sold in 1997.[7]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Williams_%28New_Zealand_politician%29
+100 greywarshark
Hey Chooky i would like to hear you for the Left on radio. You are full of get up and go, keen fresh ideas, know about politics and up to date with all. What is your voice like for presentations?
Latest TPP News
Burcu Kilic @burcuno 4m4 minutes ago
Oh, #TPP press conference is postponed until sometime tomorrow.
Guajardo Hopes For TPP Deal By Midnight; Market Access Remains Hurdle
ATLANTA – Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal said here Sunday evening (Oct. 4) he hopes a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal can be reached by midnight, but that an agreement is being held up as countries engage in last-minute bilateral negotiations on market access, a likely reference to the dairy talks underway between New Zealand and other countries.
Hi TMM (ps – looked up a translation and like it!)
Noticed you were missing today. Lots more on what is happening etc on the TPP deal close? post and comments. Its been quite a morning.
Richard Madan, CTV correspondent at the Atlanta negotiations has turned out to be a good source on Twitter for totally up-to-date reporting.
Links on the other post eg http://thestandard.org.nz/tppa-deal-close/#comment-1078647
Gordon Campbell article also linked is well worth reading.
How the Koch brothers and the super-rich are buying their way out of criticism
As I say, the problem is the rich. We simply cannot afford them and how they skew our society to favour them at everyone else’s expense.
DTB I can see the beginnings of this in NZ….Possibly eventually reaching down into our primary schools..charter school sponsors have begun.
Father said ;
‘in WWII when British planes flew overhead, the Germans dived for over.When German planes flew overhead the British and ANZACs dived for cover.
When American planes flew, everyone dived for cover.’
It appears that nothing changes.
lol…i have heard something similar
… terrible what happened in Afghanistan!…no excuse
http://www.msf.org.au/from-the-field/field-news/field-news/article/afghanistan-kunduz-eyewitness-they-had-just-been-working-in-the-hospital-to-help-people-and.html
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/country-region/afghanistan