Neu: 2001-12-05 Contents of this issue:
1. Wings Clipped 2. Hotel Upgrade 3. New Virus Alert 4. Gag Rule Goes 5. Firing Squads ======================================================================== December 5th, 2001 1. Wings Clipped: Air Nauru's services in the region have run into more problems, with its Boeing 737 grounded because Qantas will not provide maintenance, alleging unpaid bills. Air Nauru links Nauru and Kiribati with Australia and Fiji and the main maintenance on its plane is done in Australia by Qantas. The Nauru Government is now understood to be negotiating with Qantas airline officials to get services back in the air. Meanwhile, it is understood a charter flight is being arranged from Fiji to get people in and out of Kiribati. Kiribati's frustrations with the continuing Air Nauru problems have led it to begin planning its own international air service. It is working to bring in an ATR72 to provide services for Kiribati and neighbouring islands.Niue hopes to be able to negotiate a service, probably through Fiji and Tonga to Niue using the ATR 72 The current Air Nauru problem follows Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority temporarily suspending Air Nauru flights earlier this year, which also cut off the main air links from the Kiribati capital, Tarawa. - PINA Nius Online. 2. Hotel Upgrade: King Taufa'ahau Tupou will officiate at a groundbreaking ceremony this month to mark the start of an International Dateline Hotel expansion and upgrading project which is good news for Niueans who overnight in Tonga. The exact groundbreaking date is yet to be announced, but according to the hotel's general manager, Simote Po'uliva'ati, the project is proceeding satisfactorily China Huawen Enterprises Development Corporation, as part of a joint venture with Tonga, is arranging for the required construction materials to be supplied from China. Jianjin Construction Engineering Group Corporation has been awarded the construction contract. The International Dateline, on the Nuku'alofa waterfront, is Tonga's main hotel and is frequently used by visitors coming and going to Niue through Tonga.. - Pacific Islands Report/PINA Nius Online. 3. New Virus Alert: A powerful new computer virus is causing havoc with e-mail systems across the world. Experts said the virus, called Goner, is spreading fast and are warning computer users to immediately delete it. It was first detected on Tuesday morning in the US but experts believe it was created in Europe. Goner can even disable anti-virus software in a computer. The rogue e-mail is simply named 'hi' and arrives with an attachment - apparently a screensaver - called Gone.scr. Alex Shipp, of anti-virus service MessageLabs, based in Gloucestershire, said: "It's spreading with tremendous speed and thousands of users in Britain have already been sent it. "The virus mass mails itself out through e-mail and attempts to destroy anti-virus software on computers, which could prove extremely problematic for those unfortunate enough to receive it." He said Goner is nearly as widespread as last year's notorious Love Bug virus, which infected hundreds of thousands of businesses and personal computers across the world, including the US Government. Meanwhile a virus is still affecting government e mail services on Niue. Files from the premier's office and justice department are being posted to a number of addresses around the world. 4. Gag Rule Goes: The New Zealand government has withdrawn its controversial gag rule amendment to the Electoral Amendment Bill. During Question Time in Parliament Tuesday, the Prime Minister Helen Clark said, "We have listened to concerns which have been raised and while, Sir, we don't believe they are legitimate, we do not consider it worthwhile pursuing the matter further." But she rejected criticism of how Attorney-General Margaret Wilson had handled the matter, after the amendment was slipped into the bill after a select committee had finished working on it. "The manner in which it has been handled is certainly ethical, and the Government caucus has been overcome by the Christmas spirit," she said. The amendment proposed to make it a criminal offence to defame a candidate during an election campaign. News executives said they risked breaking the law unwittingly by faithfully reporting political debate during the election campaign. Major news media organisations, including state-owned television and radio, wrote to Ms Clark yesterday threatening to restrict or censor their coverage of the next election to protect themselves from falling foul the new law. Ms Clark told the House the media's concerns were disproportionate, and the Government had sought the law change because of a growing trend to use personal denigration as a political weapon during elections. 5. Firing Squads: Niue's wood pigeons (lupe) and fruit bats (peka) will be in shotgun sights as the island's shooting season starts. It will end February 1 2002. Police are selling a maximum of four packets of ammunition to registered shooters. Police are also warning shooters to take care when hunting along roadsides. And some hunters seem to require more ammunition than others. A Niue man is facing a second charge of smuggling ammunition into the country. The matter is now before the High Court. __END__
