Checkpoint for Friday 1 August 2008

6:56 PM.Mothers in NZ and around the globe have been taking part in a world record attempt for simultaneous breastfeeding. Audio

6:40 PM.Focus On Politics for 1 August 2008. Audio

6:35 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

6:29 PM.It's the African American Democratic candidate, Barak Obama, who is accused of using race to bolster his electoral prospects. Audio

6:26 PM.Teachers fear their online profiles on websites like Facebook and Bebo could land them in hot water. Audio

6:23 PM.The UN Security Council has voted to renew the mandate for the joint UN and African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur. Audio

6:17 PM.Radovan Karadzic, has told the court at the Hague he will conduct his own defence against charges of genocide. Audio

6:15 PM.Residents of the North Canterbury town of Amberley are today cleaning-up after heavy rain caused a creek to burst its banks. Audio

6:14 PM.A contractor working to clear a slip in Dunedin has had a lucky escape, after a pine tree toppled on his digger. Audio

6:11 PM.Cruise passenger Dorothy Watson - she was having dinner in the ship's dining room when the first of the huge swells hit. Audio

6:08 PM.Seven metre swells and 50-knot winds battered the Pacific Sun causing it to roll sharply on Wednesday evening. Audio

5:57 PM.The issue of homosexuality is high on the agenda for Anglican bishops from around the world. Audio

5:54 PM.Water has been identified in a Martian soil sample, collected by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander. Audio

5:51 PM.The Tongan Monarch King George Tupou the fifth was crowned this morning by the Archbishop of Polynesia. Audio

5:48 PM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

5:44 PM.The Australian carpet maker, Godfrey Hirst, bought Feltex after it went into receivership in 2006. Audio

5:41 PM.Under the proposed Biofuels Bill there will be no excise duty to pay on ethanol. Audio

5:37 PM.The search will continue over the weekend for a man presumed drowned near Kawakawa in Northland. Audio

5:33 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:25 PM.The country's largest fund manager AMP Capital has stopped almost 3 thousand investors withdrawing money. Audio

5:20 PM.In the South Island, State Highway One south of Kaikoura remains closed because of heavy rain and flooding. Audio

5:16 PM.A St John of God brother will begin an almost three year prison term tonight for sexually abusing boys with special needs. Audio

5:07 PM.Passengers on board a P and O cruise ship are reported to have lost fingers and broken bones after a rough night at sea. Audio