NZ HERALD - Egypt voter turnout highest in history, Dec 02, 2011

"Turnout in the opening phase of Egypt's first post-revolution election was 62 per cent, election commission head Abdel Moez Ibrahim says.
"Turnout is 62 per cent. It's the highest turnout in the history of Egypt," he said, adding that 8.5 million people had cast their ballots.
The figure for voting on Monday and Tuesday in a third of the country's provinces was lower than an estimate from Egypt's ruling military leadership of 70 per cent given earlier this week.
Under the highly complex system being used, voters were required to pass three votes: two for individual candidates and one for a party.
Ibrahim gave a number of results for the individual contests, the vast majority of which will go into a run-off next week because no candidate gained an outright majority."

NZ HERALD - Patient sues over implanted memory horror, Dec 02, 2011

"A former anorexia patient is suing a US treatment centre, claiming one of its psychologists implanted horrific memories while she was hypnotised so that she'd extend her stay and run up a huge bill.
Lisa Nasseff accuses Castlewood Treatment Centre psychologist Mark Schwartz of making her believe she had been part of a satanic cult that committed unthinkable acts and that she had been raped several times and had multiple personalities.
She stayed at the centre for 15 months and racked up a US $650,000 bill.
Her attorney says he has been contacted by other clinic patients who make similar claims and are considering suing.
Schwartz and the treatment centre's director, Nancy Albus, deny the allegations. She says the centre will vigorously defend itself.
-AP"

BRUNEI Times - Int'l girl guides' gathering in Brunei, Dec 02, 2011

"THE Girl Guides Association of Brunei Darussalam launched the opening ceremony of the five-day programme "Sharing Cultures 2011 Brunei Darussalam" here yesterday.
A total of 150 international participants representing girl guides and girl scouts from Australia, Brunei, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore and Andalusia gathered in the Sultanate to interact, exchange views and gain knowledge among members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS).
The opening ceremony of the biennial activity was officiated by Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah."

BBC News - Christa Wolf dies aged 82, Dec 02, 2011

"Christa Wolf, one of the best known authors from the former East Germany, has died in Berlin at the age of 82 after a long illness.
In works including Cassandra and Medea, she explored power shifts and war, as experienced by women.
Wolf courted controversy throughout her career and had links to the East German Stasi police in the 1960s.
In 2010, she won Germany's Thomas Mann prize for writing about "the struggles, hopes and mistakes of her age".
At the end of World War II, she decided to stay in East Germany and joined the communist Party.
The author attracted controversy in 1993 when it was discovered that she had worked for the East German secret police, the so-called Stasi, from 1959 to 1962."

BBC News - US Senate passes sanctions on Iran central bank, Dec 02, 2011

"The US Senate has unanimously approved economic sanctions on Iran targeting the country's oil industry, despite warnings the move could backfire.
The measures, passed by 100 votes to nil, would ban foreign firms from doing business with the Iranian central bank.
Before it can become law, it must be approved by the House and President Barack Obama, who is sceptical.
The effort to thwart Iran's alleged nuclear ambitions followed new EU sanctions imposed earlier on Thursday.
Meanwhile, diplomats at the Iranian embassy in London must leave Britain by Friday afternoon.
They were ordered to go after hundreds of Iranian protesters stormed the UK embassy in Tehran on Tuesday."

BBC News - Al-Qaeda says it kidnapped Warren Weinstein in Pakistan, Dec 02, 2011

"Al-Qaeda says it has 70-year-old US aid expert Warren Weinstein, who was kidnapped by armed men in the Pakistani city of Lahore nearly four months ago.
In a video, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri said he would be freed if the US stopped air strikes in Afghanistan and Pakistan, among other demands.
Mr Weinstein is a former USAID worker who has lived in Pakistan for five years.
US officials have not said publicly who they believed was holding him.
"Just as the Americans detain whomever they suspect may be connected to al-Qaeda or the Taliban even in the slightest of ways, we have detained this man who has been involved with US aid to Pakistan since the 1970s," Zawahiri said in the 31-minute video."

BBC News - UN rights council to discuss Syria violence, Dec 02, 2011

"The UN Human Rights Council is due to hold an emergency meeting in Geneva to discuss the situation in Syria.
A report for the UN earlier this week said security forces had committed crimes against humanity in their crackdown on anti-government protests.
The council is aiming to put pressure on Syria to end the violence, says a BBC correspondent in Geneva.
UN officials say they fear Syria is sliding into civil war as more army deserters join the opposition movement.
There is unusual unity among council member states, says the BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva, with Arab nations, Europe and the US all expected to ask the UN Security Council to act on Syria's alleged crimes against humanity.
"The council session is important... to get to the Security Council and also to get the message to those who are holding back on drastic action by the Security Council, so they will also understand this is serious," said UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay."

BBC News - Guyana governing party's Donald Ramotar wins election, Dec 02, 2011

"The electoral commission in Guyana says Donald Ramotar of the People's Progressive Party (PPP/C) has won Monday's presidential election.
It is the fifth straight win for the party, which is mainly backed by Guyana's ethnic-Indian community.
The commission said the People's Progressive Party won 49% of the vote, compared with 41% for the opposition coalition.
A delay in the results had caused concern over possible unrest.
The Guyana Election Commission (GECOM) said the People's Progressive Party had won 32 seats, the opposition coalition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) 26 seats, and the Alliance for Change seven seats."

BBC News - Sarkozy: France Germany ties key to eurozone stability, Dec 02, 2011

"The French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, has said France and Germany must come together to ensure stability at the heart of Europe.
In a major speech in the port of Toulon, Mr Sarkozy said he and the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, would meet on Monday to propose measures to "guarantee the future of Europe".
He warned that economic convergence would be long and difficult.
But he promised that France would not give up its sovereignty.
He said the euro could not continue to exist unless eurozone economies pulled together.
Europe had to be "refounded" he said, with France and Germany at its heart to ensure "a zone of stability"."

BBC News - Europe crisis 'threatens Africa', Dec 02, 2011

"African economies were hit in the post-Lehman Brothers collapse in 2008, and history is repeating itself, says South Africa's finance minister.
"The new epicentre of the crisis in the eurozone is having a damaging effect on our economies," said Pravin Gordhan.
He said that was partly due to Europe states being major trading partners for Africa.
He also alleged that European leaders did not take the rest of the world into consideration."

BBC News - Iranian diplomats to leave UK after Tehran embassy attack, Dec 02, 2011

"Diplomats working at the Iranian embassy in London must leave Britain by Friday afternoon.
They must depart by 14:00 GMT after their expulsion was ordered by Foreign Secretary William Hague, after the British embassy in Tehran was stormed.
Tuesday's attack by hundreds of protesters followed Britain's decision to impose further sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme.
The sanctions led to Iran's parliament reducing diplomatic ties with the UK.
"If any country makes it impossible for us to operate on their soil, they cannot expect to have a functioning embassy here," Mr Hague told MPs on Wednesday."

BBC News - Hillary Clinton Burma visit: Suu Kyi hopeful on reforms, Dec 02, 2011

"Aung San Suu Kyi has said she is hopeful that Burma can get onto "the road to democracy", after talks with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
She welcomed reforms that have enabled her party to stand in elections, but said more needed to be done and called for political prisoners to be freed.
The Nobel laureate held a morning of talks with Mrs Clinton, the most senior American to visit Burma for 50 years.
They promised to work together to promote democracy in Burma.
"I am very confident that if we work together... there will be no turning back from the road to democracy," said Ms Suu Kyi after the talks.
But she added that the country was "not on that road yet"."

XINHUA NET - Myanmar president meets U.S. Secretary of State Clinton, Dec 02, 2011

"NAY PYI TAW, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar President U Thein Sein met with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the President's Residence in Nay Pyi Taw Thursday.
Clinton told a press conference before leaving Nay Pyi Taw for Yangon that President U Thein Sein briefed her on Myanmar's reform and change and she expressed U.S. welcome over the country's beginning for such change, hoping Myanmar will continue the move further.
Asked about when the United States will deal with the issue of sanctions, she said Myanmar will need to do more in national reconciliation, human rights and release of political prisoners as well as in the aspects of economy.
Clinton arrived in Nay Pyi Taw Wednesday afternoon on a three- day official visit to Myanmar, representing the first trip by a U. S. secretary of state to the country in 50 years since 1955.
Clinton also met Speaker of the House of Representatives U Shwe Mann and Speaker of the House of Nationalities and Union Parliament U Khin Aung Myint as well as Foreign Minister U Wunna Maung Lwin."

JAPAN Today - Chinese airline pledges to improve crews' English skills after unauthorized take-off in Japan, Dec 02, 2011

"BEIJING —
A Chinese airline pledged Thursday to improve its crews’ English skills after one of its flights took off from Osaka airport without authorization.
China Eastern Airlines did not say what caused the error, but pledged to “further improve the English communication skills of our flight crews to assure flight safety,” suggesting it may have been a misunderstanding.
The airline also said it was cooperating with an investigation by Japanese authorities into Monday’s incident, in which its pilot took off from Osaka airport without clearance from air traffic controllers.
“Eastern Airlines will fully cooperate with the investigation and will fully uphold the principle of safety first and operate in accordance with the law,” the airline added in a statement posted online on Wednesday."

JAPAN Today - Suzuki Motor Corp’s concept car Q-Concept at the Tokyo Motor Show, Dec 02, 2011

"A model poses with Suzuki Motor Corp’s concept car Q-Concept at the Tokyo Motor Show which runs through Dec 11 at Tokyo Big Sight. Energy-saving electric cars with advanced green technology are vying for attention, with robots and computers becoming ever more part of the vehicles on display."

ABC News, Australia - Gillard calls for 'fair dinkum' conference debate, Dec 02, 2011

"Prime Minister Julia Gillard opened the ALP's national conference in Sydney today by telling delegates she was looking forward to a potentially divisive debate on gay marriage.
Speaking ahead of a conference which is expected to be largely dominated by the gay marriage issue, Ms Gillard sought to draw a line under the party's last conference, in 2009, which was largely stage-managed by then-prime minister Kevin Rudd.
"Delegates, in these coming days I want us to have a fair dinkum Labor Party conference," she said.
"We didn't join Labor in our youth because we had no options. We didn't come here for a coronation or a campaign launch. We came here for debates, we came here for surprises, we came here to have votes.""

NZ HERALD - Defection led Parker to quit Labour race - Election 2011, Dec 02, 2011

"David Parker's shock decision to pull out of the Labour Party leadership race just two days into the contest was prompted by his running mate, Grant Robertson, supporting a rival contender, the Herald understands.
Mr Robertson is backing Mt Albert MP David Shearer against finance spokesman David Cunliffe.
So too, now, is Mr Parker. "There is growing support for a new face to lead the Labour Party," he said. "I intend to support David Shearer in his bid."
It's unusual in New Zealand leadership contests to make such public declarations.
But given Mr Parker's high standing in the party, his endorsement will be a big advantage for Mr Shearer, who has been in Parliament for only two and a half years.
Mr Robertson would not confirm last night that he had shifted his support to Mr Shearer but said he held Mr Parker "in the highest regard personally and as a politician"."

NZ HERALD - Air NZ plane break-in 'idiotic prank, Dec 02, 2011

"Police say an attempt to break into a plane at Kapiti Airport overnight was likely an "idiotic, expensive prank''.
Two flights were cancelled after the attempted beak-in caused the Air Nelson plane's emergency chute to inflate.
Senior Sergeant Alasdair Macmillan of Kapiti police said someone tried to force their way in to the Bombadier Q300`s rear emergency exit door between 8pm yesterday and 6am.
"In doing so this has activated an airbag below the door, which is a safety device ... for ensuring the safety of passengers having to exit the plane in an an emergency.''"

HAWAII Reporter - Housing Affordability on Maui Hovers Near Record Levels, Dec 01. 2011

- Housing affordability is “near its highest levels in more than two decades.”This means not only first-time home buyers are taking advantage; there’s also folks buying up investment properties as well.
Looking for a perfect opportunity on Maui? Consider a starter condo at Kihei Villages (MLS# 349021) or Southpointe. With market value hovering in the $130K range, an investor could purchase in this complex, rent the unit for $1,000 monthly, and sit back and let the property carry itself.
This scenario works best with cash purchases, but depending on your credit rating and interest rate, might also work with a conventional 30-year mortgage. Check with your lender."

HAWAII Reporter - University of Hawaii Law School Mourns Loss of Cherished Professor Van Dyke, Dec 01, 2011

"HONOLULU, HAWAII - University of Hawaii Professor of Law Jon Van Dyke passed away in his sleep last night while at a conference in Australia. The Carlsmith Ball Faculty Scholar, who was awarded a Regents' Medalist for Excellence in Research and the Presidential Citation for Excellence in Teaching, was well known in both the education and political communities. He and his wife, attorney Sherry Broder, advocated on behalf of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for the passage of the Akaka Bill and other native Hawaiian programs. Their son, Jesse, is a spokesperson for U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka."