Checkpoint for Tuesday 16 December 2008

6:58 PM.The only surviving child of assassinated United States president John F Kennedy has confirmed she wants to enter the Senate. Audio

6:56 PM.While many of us will never see a kiwi in the wild but near Kerikeri in the Bay of Islands you're in danger of running one over. Audio

6:53 PM.After he hurled a pair of shoes at George Bush, Muntazer al-Zaidi remains in custody and could be charged. Audio

6:51 PM.George Bush is heading home after visiting Afghanistan as part of a whirlwind farewell visit to the region. Audio

6:46 PM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

6:44 PM.The new government plans this week to repeal a ban on coal or gas-fired power stations. Audio

6:39 PM.The Health and Disability Commissioner Ron Paterson has released five reports today on the problems posed both by stretched hospital EDs and by the lack at some hospitals of systems for sharing vital… Read more Audio

6:36 PM.The estimated cost of last summer's drought has been revised. MAF's Deputy Director General of Policy, Paul Stocks joins us. Audio

6:33 PM.An update from the RNZ sports team. Audio

6:24 PM.Amnesty International has just released its report on the use of electric stun guns by the United States police. Audio

6:22 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

6:20 PM.A company which services heavy industrial machinery could be fined a quarter of million dollars. Audio

6:17 PM.The UN security council has been holding a meeting to discuss Zimbabwe and the worsening cholera epidemic. Audio

6:13 PM.Stewart Wilson has served 14 years of the 21 year sentence he was given for sexual offending over a 23 year time frame. Audio

6:07 PM.With Labour's foreign affairs spokesperson and former Prime Minister, Helen Clark. Audio

5:56 PM.Treasury is warning the economy faces another shock from global markets after new figures show China's economy is facing a sharp slowdown. Audio

5:52 PM.Our correspondent in Tokyo, Mark Willacy, says even wealthy Japanese consumers are feeling the pinch. Audio

5:48 PM.The NZ Pacific Business Council says the National-led government must work to put this country's relationship with Fiji onto a better footing. Audio

5:46 PM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

5:41 PM.In the first parliamentary question time since the election the Labour Party criticised the National-led Government for the legislation it has pushed through under urgency. Audio

5:36 PM.The Health and Disability Commissioner says overcrowded hospital emergency departments are putting patient safety at risk. Audio

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

5:24 PM.The lawyer for the man accused of murdering his wife and abandoning their daughter at an Australian railway station claims legal services has it in for his client. Audio

5:22 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:16 PM.With ACC Minister Nick Smith. Audio

5:12 PM.TVNZ's Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver has arrived back in New Zealand after being deported from Fiji this morning. Audio

5:08 PM.The Foreign Minister Murray McCully has spoken with Fiji's interim prime minister Frank Bainimarama. Audio