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The Government's second big piece of controversial legislation (after the Foreshore and Seabed Bill) entered its final stage today, as the Civil Unions Bill started its third hearing before Parliament with emotional opening speeches. The bill, which recognises homosexual and de facto relationships on the same legal footing as marriage, looks likely to pass – despite opposition from most National and NZ First MPs and high volume outrage from Destiny Church it cruised through the last reading 65-54.
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| Kiwis were warned not to travel to Saudi Arabia, as terrorist attacks look increasingly likely. |
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| And New Zealand's own miniature war-on-terror looks set to be decided in the Supreme Court. The court ruled that Algerian asylum-seeker Ahmed Zaoui could not be held indefinitely on secret Government evidence and that they would decide his fate, starting tomorrow. Zaoui has spent two years in detention while the Government tries to figure out if he's a bomb-throwing Islamic extremist, or a misunderstood family man. |
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| A $200 million tunnel under Auckland's Victoria Park looks likely to go ahead. It's not exactly the ambitious Eastern Corridor, which Mayor Hubbard quickly binned, but it could ease the pressure on one of Auckland's worst traffic spots. |
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| Smokers and publicans are stocking up on nicotine patches and happy hour specials ahead of all workplaces (including bars and pubs) going smokefree on Saturday. The hospitality industry is worried about plunging patronage, and some smokers are grizzling about being pushed around - such as this 90-year old from Rotorua who has smoked since the age of 4. Other smokers have taken the opposite aproach, and the Ministry of Health's Quitline reports being bombarded with calls. |
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| It's probably just as well they're taking a step in a healthy direction: a new obesity study confirms what we all already knew - we're much fatter than we used to be. (Toffeepops here) |
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| SPORT |
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The season closed on a high for the All Blacks, with a 45-6 victory of European number one France and a comfortable 47-19 win over the Barbarians (despite the best efforts of Justin Marshall and Xavier Rush who played for the Baa-Baas). A French player reported it was like playing extraterrestrials, and the results have left us all feeling a lot more optimistic about the looming Lions tour. Full player tour ratings.
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| And as a nice bit of icing on the cake, captain Tana Umaga received an international award for fair play in Athens this morning. He was nominated for helping an unconscious Welshman not swallow his own tongue during a match in Hamilton last year, and joins Nelson Mandela and Bobby Charlton on the winners table. |
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| The Black Caps had another comfortable loss to the Aussies, handing over the second test with 213 runs. |
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| But in the first match of the much more important one day series, the Black Caps stormed to an electric victory. It was a classic one-day run chase, with the Kiwis overtaking the Aussies' 246 with just two deliveries (and four wickets) to spare. |
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| Only
in New Zealand |
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| A New Zealander has set the new speed shearing record. Mr Bell of Reporoa sheared 851 lambs in 12 hours, overtaking the previous record of just 839, held by Mr Sutton of Porangahau. |
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| And policemen enjoying a round of golf in Napier dropped their clubs, ducked off the course and arrested a wanted man spotted hitchhiking by the course, where the cops were playing in a charity tournament. |
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